diary

So yesterday, while biking home on the PATH, I passed President Jimmy Carter, also on a bicycle. I didn't recognize him at first (he had sunglasses and a helmet on), but as I passed him, I smiled, he said "hello," and well, that voice is fairly unmistakeable. The fact was confirmed shortly thereafter by the Secret Service agent on bicycle right behind him, followed by a large black SUV, that hopped right up onto the PATH to follow the President.
Which leads us to ask....what kind of bicycle does Jimmy Carter ride? (I was too awestruck to notice.) And is he interested in being celebrity endorser of the Atlanta Bicycle Campaign?

[This is first in a series of Things I See On My Bike Commute That I Would Not See In A Car.]

I've spent the last three days in Houston, Texas, attending a professional conference. The city reminds me of Atlanta with a central business district, outlying areas of highrise development (think downtown/midtown/Buckhead), and it has a lot of crazy car traffic. It also has the flavor of Savannah with oak trees framing major roadways, lots of parks, churches, and several universities, and generally flat terrain. The humidity is also as high as the temperature...and it's been hot! What's struck me most is the direction Houston is taking their transportation system, and how the cycling community is behaving around town.

The Atlanta Bicycle Campaign started because a couple of in-town riders, Jeff Tiller and Greg Ramsey, called a meeting to talk about the problems of biking in Atlanta.