I Love Riding in the City
NAME: David Hall and Kristy Dactyl
LOCATION: Raleigh, NC
OCCUPATION: Engineer and Transportation Planner
Where do you live and what’s it like riding in your city?
Raleigh, NC is a mixed bag for riding. There is an urban core which is great for cycling and a growing greenway system but once you get too far outside of the city it has all of the typical issues that come with suburban sprawl. The population is littered with transplants from all over and the cycling culture is unfolding as new people arrive with a bike in tow. We have sat through many city hall meetings and successfully advocated for new infrastructure, including bike lanes. Raleigh’s first on-street bike corral will be installed this spring. It’s a very exciting time to be in Raleigh.
What was your favorite city to ride in, and why?
We both moved to Raleigh from Madison, WI. Let me tell you that people who cite Portland as the quintessential biking utopia of America need to travel more. We love Wisconsin for riding, cycling culture, courteous midwestern drivers, multi-modal streets and some of the best bike shops in the country. If the city of Madison doesn’t offer enough, you’ve got some of the best road riding in the country right at your doorstep.
Why do you love riding in the city?
In downtown Raleigh nothing beats a bike for transportation. You go about as fast as a car but you never have to worry about parking. Since the weather here is mild in the winter, we can ride all year round.
One of our favorite things is giving the requisite “ding of the bell” as we pass friends’ homes. We like the attention that we get downtown when we ride our tandem to special events and restaurants.
Or just say whatever you want about riding in the city… Poetry anyone?
We like riding in Raleigh so much that we’ve spent four months with a bunch of our friends putting together a 10-day bicycling festival called “Oaks and Spokes.” We encourage all of our southernly neighbors to come to Raleigh and pedal around with us!
Check out www.oaksandspokes.com
