Albany is a bicycle friendly city, right? Is it easy to get around, find a good parking spot and feel comfortable riding near traffic? Well, it's easy to get around, unless traveling up the iconic green cerrito.
My wife doesn't do poison oak, so we don't go up there much. We do take an occasional trip to Target which takes us that way, but it's simple to turn downhill at Jackson, approaching the wild arroyo of traffic that is Buchanan.
Once on Buchanan, pulling a bike trailer stuffed with children gets a little more exciting. The sidewalk is a little narrow for such an endeavor and the 25 mph speed suggestion on the street is more of a starting point than a limit.
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If the sidewalk is busy, then we will ride in the street for a block. Once we pass Pierce we can avoid the cars for a bit. The entrance to the pedestrian walkway poses a challenge as we get through the passage narrowed by a central post, and then immediately try to pedal as hard as possible to make it up the steep rise.
I wonder if people would have lawnmower races over the train tracks if this post was not in place.
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It's not easy and straightforward to get to Target without a car. The first time I navigated my bike to the large concrete cube of bargains I was relatively confused. Even Google Maps has no idea how to direct a pedestrian to the freshly popped popcorn at the front of the store.
After some finagling, corkscrew turns and barrel rolls we power our way up the smooth, steep dead-end street on the other side. The peace of the pedestrian path is lost as we make our right turn towards Target; we have to make a choice between the skinny sidewalk, where we bump our trailer into a light post (the passengers scream), and the street (I whip my head around - scanning for hazards).
When we choose the street - orange flags flying high on our bike - drivers don't always approve of our choice. We move pretty fast, but human power is not always fast enough for 10 a.m. on a Saturday.
We make the parking lot, and since the pace of traffic is pretty stagnant in Target's parking lot on the weekends, we are now the fastest thing on four wheels. All of a sudden people are smiling at us. Kids point us out to their parents; apparently we look like a good time.
Some people look at us with surprise as we lock up. Yes people ride and walk to Target; no matter how odd that seems to people who only use cars to get around.
And how do you lock up a bicycle and a trailer? Lots of u-locks and long cables.
