Why do you bicycle?
I bicycle for recreation, work, errands, and to visit friends. Much of the time, it is need-based; I need to get somewhere or pick up something. Other times, I go mountain biking and enjoy the great recreation and mountain biking trains in Marin. I find it fun to ride a bicycle and it is great exercise.
What prompted you to stop by the WalkBikeMarin.org booth at the Marin county Fair this year, and take our short survey (which automatically registered you to win a Mike's Bikes of San Rafael Blobe Vienna 3-Disc Commuter bicycle?
I had not heard of the WalkBikeMarin Program and I wanted to learn more about it, and what projects where happening in Marin county. It has been really exciting to see many projects such as the Cal Park Hill Tunnel and Puerto Suello Hill Paths completed. While many other counties are cutting back on expanding their bicycle infrastructure, Marin is still moving ahead with many new projects in the pipeline. I took the survey because I have been thinking about buying a new bicycle for community, and thought it would be nice to win one!
What is the best ride you've ever gone on in Marin and why?
One of my favorite rides is riding up to the Nike Missile site from China Camp and following the ridge to the mocrowave towers. There are places where you can see the Richmond-San Rafael, Bay and golden Gate bridges with San Francisco, Oakland, and Mt. Tam in the distance.
We understand that you'll use your new Mike's Bikes Globe Vienne 3-Disc bicycle while attending UCLA this fall. Will this be your only means of transportation?
The Globe Vienna and my old mountain bike will be my only personal transportation options in the Los Angeles area. This is mainly because owning and maintaining a car is expensive and this would add a lot to my general expenses at a time when tuition keeps going up every year. Since I'm in the middle of a city, parking a car will not be cheap and there are a lot of places where there's no space to park. Riding a bicycle means I get free rock star parking everywhere I go. Lastly, because I'm in a city, everything I need will be close by, so commuting by bike will not take much longer than using a car. It is also a grea way to get my daily exercise.
What are you studying at UCLA and does bicycling/non-motorized transportation have a role in your studies?
I am studying urban planning with a focus in transportation studies for graduate school. Bicycling and non-motorized (some call it active transportation) will play an important role in my studies. Many cicites in the country are realizing that most people live close to work, schools, grocery stores, shopping, parks, and friends but they drive to all of those places. Studies have found that where there is a lack of inviting sidewalks and safe bike lanes, people do not feel comfortable walking or biking. You can see this in a city like San Rafael which has a lot of streets you can drive on, but many key routes are not safe to bike and many sidewalks are uninviting. All cities and town in this country have a complete network of streets to drive on but very few have a complete and direct network of inviting sidewalks and safe bike lanes. So, we will see a lot of this type of planning and infrascrutcutre improvements being done in the future.
