Biking it in North Carolina
By Steve on Apr 20, 2008 in Your CarFree Success Stories
A College Professor tells how he is trying to live Car-Free in America!
I am not entirely car-free, but I’ve made a substantial dent. I live in Durham, NC, and I’m a college professor. I’ve been trying to ride my bike as much as possible since I moved here in 1995. But the weather is not so great, there are just enough hills, and I live just far enough away (about 5 miles) that it was a strain.
For a while I kept my bike in my office, and as often as possible I would drive in, ride home in the evening, then back to work in the morning. The one-way tripped worked OK.
Last spring I purchased an electric motor assist (Bionx system, made in Quebec). It’s a fantastic system. Now I’m able to ride back and forth from home to work pretty easily — it’s about 20 minutes each way (versus about 10 minutes by car). I’ve logged over 1200 miles on my bike since I got the system. I did not have to purchase a parking permit. I do draw the line at riding when the temperature is below freezing or when it’s raining hard. But I can usually work around these — it’s nice to have a flexible schedule. Overall, I’m very pleased with how it’s worked out.
Best — BC
