Why Bike to Trinity? Interview by Alex Perez

Alex Perez, a Hartford bike advocate and Trinity College student, interviewed me for his blog, Two-Wheeled Hartford, and my responses are re-posted below, with additional photos.

Jack Dougherty’s favorite bike parking spot in McCook Hall at Trinity College

Alex: Why do you choose to commute to Trinity by bike?

Jack: There are so many different reasons to bike to work. One is that I’m always trying to lose weight, since I spend so much time in front of a computer. My time is limited, so it makes more sense to exercise on my way to and from Trinity, rather than driving somewhere else to exercise. Another reason is that parking a car at Trinity can be a nightmare, but there’s always room to park my bike. Even on those days when someone else has taken “my” favorite bike parking spot, I’m smiling inside because it means travel by two wheels is becoming more popular. It’s always easier to make more room for parking bikes than cars on campus. Still, another reason to bike is that you see and hear so much more around you than from inside a car. Biking sets the right pace for me to notice what’s changing as I pedal through different neighborhoods, or to say hello to kids and crossing guards along my route. But the most important reason is that I’m having fun. For me, the best way to end a long day at Trinity is to hop on my bike, zip down the hill, and silently shout ”WHEEEEE!” to myself as I ride away from campus. Makes me feel like a kid again.

I smile when this Trinity College parking lots starts to fill up.

Alex: How long have you been commuting to Trinity by bike?

Jack: For me, biking to work has been a gradual process that changed with my family responsibilities. A decade ago, I rode only occasionally to work during the summer months. As my children grew old enough to ride on my bike’s child seat (or trailer bike, or the back half of our tandem), I began cycling more often when the weather was good, because I could drop them off or pick them up at child care and elementary school. Now that my youngest is a teenager, I ride to Trinity about 3-4 times per week during most of the year. But I don’t ride every day. When the forecast calls for heavy rain, or tall snowbanks block my visibility, I drive my 1998 Honda Odyssey minivan, which has over 190,000 miles on the odometer. Riding your bike to work also cuts down on car payments.

Riding with daughter Eva on a trailer bike in 2004, when I began cycling to work.

Alex: What are your thoughts on getting around Hartford by cycling? Any major obstacles during your commutes?

To comfortably ride your bike, you need to feel safe about traveling on two wheels. To some degree, safety comes from creating bike lanes and passing laws to protect riders, which we’re seeing more of from local governments and bike advocacy groups. For example, cyclists from West Hartford and other suburbs often are surprised by the growing number of bike lanes in the City of Hartford. But your personal sense of safety also increases by trying new routes and expanding your comfort zone. I’ve learned so much about cycling around the Hartford region from official tours (such as the BikeWalkCT Discover Hartford and Discover CT series) and informal group rides (such as the wonderful HTFD Slow Roll events). Exploring new paths by bike, especially with more experienced friends, helps us to grow and learn what’s possible. And it’s a hell of a lot of fun.

To see different sides of Hartford on two wheels, join us on a Slow Roll event

Alex: What suggestions do you have for making the campus and/or the city more bike friendly?

I’m impressed by the energy of Hartford’s brand-new bike shop, BiCiCo, a Spanish abbreviation for Bicicleta y Comunidad (or Bicycles and Community). This non-profit organization recently opened its doors at 95-97 Park Street, and currently provides do-it-yourself workspace and build-a-bike training, with retail sales/repairs to come. Thanks to its parent organization, the Center for Latino Progress, and their youth program coordinator, Tony Cherolis, BiCiCo has raised thousands of dollars through grants and affordable memberships. Plus, it’s a happening place. Over the past week, my daughter Eva and I visited three times to build her next bike from used parts, and we met more than a dozen members (including Trinity Professor Dario Del Puppo, who taught us how to replace the fork of a bike). With the growing number of riders on campus, I wonder if the Trinity community would be interested in a one-hour basic bike repair workshop on campus, or student memberships at BiCiCo.

Tony, my daughter Eva, and a few of the new members we met at BiCiCo

PS from Jack to Alex: A few years ago, there was a left-turn green arrow at the northbound stoplight on Zion Street at Hamilton Street, near the base of Summit Street. For some reason, someone turned off this arrow, which makes it much harder to turn left on a bike, when facing oncoming traffic, to head toward Pope Park. Do you know anyone at City Hall who can bring it back?