I Meet the Cobb County Bike Patrol

Imagine my surprise to learn the Cobb County now has a bike patrol for the Cumberland Galleria area. This makes perfect sense because this area probably has the highest density of mixed use development in Cobb County. So I ran into these officers today riding home from Borders (still no bike rack) and guess what, they were having a great time. In fact one them pulled behind me and made the wooo-wooo siren sound while laughing.

Yeah life is better on a bike.

Ride Review: Rottenwood Creek Multi-Use Trail

The Rottenwood Creek multi-use trail runs from the corner of Interstate North Parkway and Cumberland Boulevard to the Chattahoochee Palisades West Parking lot near Hwy 41 and Paces Mill Road. I rode it today and took some pictures.

The parking lot at Palisades West.

It runs right under I-75

There's lots of dog doo so you have to be on the look out.

Rottenwood Creek looks pristine here.

But don't let that fool you.

Hey here's a hill.

Evidently there's a dispute between the feds and Cobb County about who is responsible for trash pickup.

Under I-285

With graffiti

The parking lot at Cumberland Blvd & Interstate North.


So how was the ride? Short. It's actually not a bad way to skip riding on Cumberland Blvd and 41 in Cobb County as it dumps you right by the river. They seem to have built it as cheaply as possible, instead of the smooth concrete it's made of the rough stuff you see in the dog doo picture. But if you want to practice climbing a hill on a mup I'll doubt you'll find a better opportunity in Atlanta. One word of advice, unlike the Palisades West parking lot, there's no charge to park at Cumberland & Interstate North.

I Get a GA DOT "Motorist" Survey

So I got this survey from the Georgia Department of Transportation. They want to know what I think of the quality of our roads, the DOT's performance in managing traffic flow and congestion, assuring highway safety, and what I think about possible DOT priorities. You're probably not surprised to find bicycles weren't mentioned once. At least they had a question about building more sidewalks. Of course they had three different questions about adding more lanes to existing roads, which we all know is only a temporary fix.

Today's Rides

Well I'm unemployed so I decided to take a ride on the local MUP. It's officially called the Rottenwood Creek Multiuse Trail. What it should be called is practice your dog doo dodging skills. I've never see so much crap in such a small area and I've been to Congress.

After returning home my wife called and asked me to go to Macy's and pickup some things for her. So back on the bike and off to the mall. There was a bike rack right outside Macy's but it was one of those old fasioned wheel benders. Then on the way home I decided to swing by Borders where I saw many books I wanted but since I'm still unemployed I thought I had better wait.

Carfree?

My wife and I are having a difference of opinion about whether or not our family could go car free. Since we don't live in-town, I realize it would be difficult but with flex-car now in Atlanta I think it could be done.

What do you do with an unemployed commuter

I've just passed one month of unemployment. So there's been no commuting but I have been doing the usual errands by bike. In fact I just back from publix where I decided I really need an xtracycle. Filling the panniers just isn't working anymore.

Fewer Bikes More Riding

Due to the fact that I'm currently unemployed, I've sold all but one of my bikes. In the end I choose to hold on to the commuter/tourer/do everything bike. It doesn't do anything particularly well but if I'm only going to have one bike, this is it. It began life as an early 90's rigid mountain bike, then it acquired slicks, fenders, racks, lights, and trekking bars.

It's not that I didn't love my other bikes but the mountain bike was rarely ridden, the hybrid was never ridden, and the Centurion went to a good home. The other part about being unemployed is that I have plenty of time to ride. So now the miles are adding up.

Putting Thinngs in Perspective

Here's an update on Sheldon Brown's health problems. It reminds me that my silly little ankle is just a minor annoyance.

I've got to admit it's getting better

I did a short very flat ride yester day in the 100+ degree heat. And I loved it. I still can't climb but at least I'm going in the right direction.

New Ankle Therapy

Give me a couple of new anti-inflamtories and wrap up my ankle so it looks like it comes from the Valley of the Kings. We'll see how this works.

Why You No Post?

Here's the deal. I've been off the bike since my last post. Riding along one day I felt an incredible pain in my ankle. Three doctor's visits have resulted in three different diagnosis quite frankly I think they have no clue. Oh, and I still can't ride. It's really getting old.

New Job Means New Route

I start a new job on Monday, so I'm currently searching for the best route from Vinings to Lenox Square.

Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head

I never thought I would miss riding in the rain so much, but I literally can't remember the last time we had a good soaking. We went to screen on the green last Thursday and I was thrilled to see dozens of bikes filling the racks at Piedmont Park. It gives me hope for the future.

More MARTA Woes

You may have heard that MARTA's 190 million dollar Breeze card system decided to flip-out yesterday. Yeah, I hate the whole Breeze card system and I hate using the same gates for entrance and exit. Come July you will need to tap your Breeze card to exit a station, MARTA claims this is to better track ridership, to quote the Mighty Thor, I say nay. I believe that tap in/tap out is the first step to variable fare pricing. Right now you can ride from the Airport to Dunwoody for the same cost as a trip from Five Points to Arts Center. With tap in/tap out the gates could be programed to charge more for longer rides. In a city that needs to do everything in its power to increase transit usage this would be a monumentally stupid idea.

Smokey

Absolutely horrible air quality today as smoke from the wildfires in the south enveloped Atlanta. It looks like LA out there.

Rising Gas Prices

Gas topped $3.00 a gallon in Atlanta over the weekend which brought the usual news stories about people cutting back in order to fill their tanks. And yet still I see cars racing from stop light to stop light, driving far in excess of the speed limit, and being used for the shortest of trips.

Not one of the reports I saw mentioned bicycling as an alternative to driving. Let's see, I don't remember the last time I put gas in my car, I'm in great shape, and I don't have to pay for parking. Bicycling, good for my heart, good for my wallet, good for my city.

P.S. As gas prices have climbed I have noticed a slight increase in transit use which is a good thing.

Bike to Work Day

MARTA is promoting Bike to Work Day on their electronic signs in the various stations around time. Good job MARTA.

Two Days Two Flats

I anticipate I'll be writing a very negative review of Ritchey Tom Slicks very soon. Today's flat happened right in front of Jett's building.

Not One TdG Post

Between school and work I've been so busy this week that I've let the Tour past without comment. So let me say for the record that the Tour de Georgia is great, and I wish I was able to attend every single stage. :(

APD Doing Their Job

The other day I rode down to Peachtree Center to do some banking.  When I came out I began unlocking my bike but because some dofus had chained his bike nearly right on top of mine. I was having a problem getting at the lock. That's when an APD foot patrolman came up on me and asked me what I was doing. I explained the situation and surprisingly he asked for proof the bike was mind.  

And you know what I can see why he did, he must have been watching me trying to get at the lock for at least two minutes, for all he knew I was just a well dressed bike thief. I told him that my name and address were etched on the seat post. Then I pulled it to show him where it was at. That satisfied him but with all the thievery that goes on I'm glad he showed enough interest to check me out.