The thing is, she doesn't teach on Thursdays, so I had to record the scene on Wednesday.
She extracts the bicycle, a cheap beater, from the garage.
She attaches massive panniers. That's a lot of student papers to drag around.
And she's off, helmeted and stunningly visible in her fluorescent lime green jacket. Let's hope the multi-ton steel competition for street space can see her. She says she feels safe.
I almost never feel safe riding my bike. I'm always on the lookout for danger -- and I think my wariness is appropriate. It's not much fun being so on guard.
But that's not the only reason why I don't ride much in the city. I'm lucky. I work from home, can walk to most stores I use, and go a lot of places by jumping on BART (the subway).
However there's one necessity for which I use a car at least four times a week: getting some place where I can run on softish (asphalt or dirt) surfaces without crossing traffic. The car serves as a mobile locker room, a repository for extra clothes and perhaps a post-run snack. You can't do that with a bike.
Perversely, if I didn't run many miles on foot for exercise and pure pleasure, I wouldn't need a car. What's wrong with this picture?
3 comments:
Great photos. Biking up four hills in SF twice a week is beyond my imagination.
While biking is good for the environment, the legs, heart, and lungs it is something I would never do (even if I could).
It sounds like torture to pedal on narrow streets in a hilly city. The professor is a courageous lady.
Cute photos :-). I never had the guts or the legs to peddle on those hills. Hurrah for the professor.
P.S. It appears I will be in town not this month, but next, late June. Will you be around? I'll e-mail you.
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