Casperites park their cars during Bike to Work Week
JOHN MORGAN Star-Tribune staff writer | Posted: Friday, June 22, 2007 12:00 am
Brett Governanti usually rides his bike from his home in Mills to his job working as a GIS technician for the city of Casper, so when the city challenged its employees to ride their bikes this week, he took a different approach.
On Thursday morning, Governanti and co-worker Danielle Armstrong canoed the commute, putting in at Paradise Valley and docking just past the First Street bridge downtown.
"It was a great ride until we ran into some snags by the rapids and flipped over," he said. "We hit a rock and that was it."
Their canoe took on lots of water going over the steep rapids. Governanti dumped the water out and climbed back in, but Armstrong abandoned ship and got a ride to work.
Governanti paddled solo the rest of the way and flipped the canoe again going over the whitewater course. He made it to work on time, soaking wet, and chained his canoe to the bike rack at City Hall.
"I will definitely try it again, maybe in a different vessel," he said. "The height of water at the rapids can make a canoe take on lot of water. I just need more practice. I know I can beat them."
Leah Reeb, coordinator of the city's wellness program, said City Manager Tom Forslund challenged all department heads to use alternative methods of transportation on Thursday and dubbed the day "Curb Your Car." She said all the department heads participated as well as several other employees and members of the community.
Reeb said the purpose of the Wyoming Department of Transportation's Bike to Work Week was to get motorists to see their commute from the eyes of pedestrians and bicyclists. The city asked people to fill out a survey on their experience.
"We are hoping people will provide input to us on the challenges you face in getting around community and help us identify areas where we need to make improvements," Forslund said.
Bike to Work Week and Curb Your Car are part of a local, $40,000 study to determine how easy it is to walk or bike in Casper and what possible changes could improve non-vehicle traffic.
Reeb said she had received several surveys by Thursday and they were pretty consistent in identifying problems, such as discourteous drivers, gaps in sidewalk coverage, trees, shrubs and cars blocking sidewalks and a lack of places to park bicycles.
Designed around cars
In Casper's early days, the town was small enough you could get anywhere by walking.
With the growing popularity of the automobile, city planners began designing the town around cars and trucks. As a result, many places are accessible only by car, leaving pedestrians and bicyclists to cross bridges without walkways and intersections without crosswalks.
Some bicyclists are so terrified of certain areas they will go miles out of their way to avoid them, according to interviews with cyclists. Others resign to the car culture and leave their bikes at home.
The Platte River Parkway Trust and other groups have worked to improve the riverfront area by building bike and walking paths along the North Platte River and plan to expand the river walkway network.
Tom Smyth has been riding his bike to work in Casper for more than five years.
"The new bike paths have been great to avoid traffic," Smyth told the Star-Tribune in an e-mail. "Generally Casper motorists are aware of cyclists and will move over if they have the opportunity."
Smyth said the biggest cycling hazards are drivers who crowd bicyclists or don't see them.
"If a cyclist rides as though they are invisible and doesn't allow themselves to get into a position to be hit, then they should be okay," he said. "It is very important to remember to allow for the few red light runners at every intersection before proceeding."
According to the city's municipal code, biking on sidewalks is legal except in the downtown area. Pedestrians have the right of way on sidewalks. Bicycles are required to have headlights after dark, but there is no helmet requirement.
The city does not currently have any codes regarding canoe traffic, however.
Governanti said he was so excited about canoeing to work, he could barely sleep Wednesday night.
He wore a suit jacket and tie over his life vest and made sure to bring an extra set of dry clothes, which came in very handy.
He said he was impressed by the level of participation by his co-workers.
"There were quite a few folks today who took different methods of transportation," he said. "I think it's been a successful week and a fun day."
The city held a lunch for people who participated and held a drawing for prizes.
Governanti won a free car wash.
Reporter John Morgan can be reached at (307) 266-0614 or john.morgan@casperstartribune.net.