Give that lady a Bells

Approximately 12km, but I was having too much fun to actually measure.

This week I joined 9 other bicycle enthusiasts on a city ride from Josephine's Mill in Newlands to Bree Street in the city centre. It was exhilarating trying routes which I was completely unaware of, and new techniques I would never have dared to try. This adventure was organized by Bicycle Cape Town with guest appearances from some experienced local riders to even out the skill levels.

I was quite apprehensive about being the only participant on a fixed gear bike, especially not knowing the expected terrain and in seeing the range of machines I was expected to keep up with. My white wall tires and dynamo powered front light underscored my anxiety somewhat. Thankfully I was joined by one of my dearest friends who is as equally familiar with the area as much as my propensity to worry. It is one of my best qualifications for my least-likely-to-commute persona, so I embrace my bundle of nerves and hot-foot it!

Image by Leonie @ Bicycle CPT

The ride was a euphoric mix of tree-lined dappled corridors to multiple lane crossings with our fuel burning asphalt companions. Nothing I would dare do for the first time without assistance or a massive amount of saddle time behind me. The approximately 12km route took us through a series of zones where conditions, hazards and speed were similar. These zones are like a collection of outdoor rooms. They are nothing one is likely to find marked out on a map, they are patches of advocated continuity broken by larger order roads, hazards and remnants of dried-up funding. A simple change of surface treatment, path width or general traffic speed and a cycling environment is transformed. It was an incredibly eye-opening realization in urban design terms.
We were graciously informed at the briefing that the objective was not to break a sweat. My mind was so overwhelmed by the impilcations of what I was experiencing and how it will tie into creating a more authentic urban design response ... I did break a sweat. Or maybe it was because I had no gears?

I allowed myself to mentally relax after about 5km in, and after clearing the Saltriver overpass at the end of Liesbeek Park rd. In the midst of my self congratulatory thoughts, and the adolescent joy of freewheeling, there she was.

Salt River Circle. My first traffic circle on a bike.

Apologies to the cycling fraternity if I butcher the rules here, but this is how it appears to work.
You have just as much right to the road as a car. Behave like a car, be confident like a car and just GO! (..and feel free to use your bell). It was frightening, and I was hoping for some sort of group hug at the other side. Yet, we continued on, quietly appreciative of every safely negotiated intersection, enjoying the noise, the smiles and understated elation that is urban bicycle commuting.

Image by Leonie @ Bicycle CPT

My best nugget of advice after this ride would be to encourage less experienced cyclists to always ride in small groups when possible. Single file when on the road, of course, but a group-in-motion did prove to change driver behavior. It was of great assistance in The Circle and in every other situation where we aligned ourselves more with the rhythm of cars and by necessity were in the vehicular mix.
Finally on safety concerns, it would appear from a show of hands that all the ladies on the ride had found it important to have a bicycle bell. None of the male riders were sporting them. A thesis for another day perhaps, but an indication of how differently women perceive the potential dangers of cycling. In my opinion, at least half of our route covered would be unsuitable for a woman riding alone, especially in the late afternoon. Not to say these routes are unsuitable, but perhaps not designed with safety from opportunistic crime in mind.

All in all a great afternoon of exploration and encouragement. I am converted to urban bicycle commuting. The routes exist, the challenges can be overcome and friendships are waiting to be made. Half way through my self-styled cycle challenge to become a bicycle commuter, my next obstacle is possibly the greatest. It's overcoming 'the last mile'. T

he notion of city cycling is desirable and enticing, yet completing a full daily commute is a more complex challenge. 'The last mile' is a term used to describe the discontinuity in a daily commute between your transport mode and your home or your transport mode and your work destination. When the station is just too far or your place of work is outside of a transport corridor zone. The last mile is a substantial barrier to entry for city dwellers who commute in single passenger vehicles.

For the next 2 months I will endeavor to investigate the challenges of longer distance commuting and unlocking challenges of 'the last mile' with the help of a folding bike.

My sincerest thanks to Woodstock Cycleworks for providing me with the whitewall vintage 'fixie' used to complete this epic ride.

Follow Twitter @contestedspaces for updates and the life of "the least likely urban designer to get on a bike."