I Love Riding in the City
NAME: Harvey Botzman
LOCATION: Rochester, NY
OCCUPATION: Writer
Where do you live and what’s it like riding in your city?
Bicycling in Rochester is a delightful experience. The city is actually divided into five distinct sections. Two sections suburbanites would never even venture into. The other three sections, East/Southeast, Charlotte and Downtown are wonderful areas to bicycle. I bike all over the city, even the most “dangerous” areas at night. I’m a bit fearless.
Most Rochester drivers are respectful towards bicyclists, although it seems that bicyclists are less tolerated in the poorer socio-economic neighborhoods. This is surprising since the percentage of residents in those neighborhoods who use a bike as their primary means of transportation is high.
Over the course of the last 20 years the city has redesigned and reconstructed its major thoroughfares to include an unmarked bike lane. Since the early 1990’s all Rochester Transit buses have had bike racks. Stainless steel at that, and they are not removed during the winter.
What was your favorite city to ride in, and why?
Chicago and Toronto are good places to ride due to the implementation of a valid bicycle plan.
Why do you love riding in the city?
There are wonderful places to see and explore in a city. I love to ride late at night (2am-5am), actually in the early morning before sunrise. It is quiet and I can hear the silence as well as the quiet noises of a city. The swish of air rushing through narrow streets; the clicking of sign switches going on and off; and the swoosh of my tires on a street.
Lights and reflections in store windows make everything look different at night.
Or just say whatever you want about riding in the city…
Bicycle in the most dangerous city areas. Bicycle in the finest city areas. It matters little long as you explore your city and mine.
Check out www.cyclotour.com |
