It’s “bike to work day,” so you drag out your Salsa Marrakesh drop bar touring cycle and optimistically roll out of the driveway. From 500 North you turn left at the library onto traffic-heavy N University Avenue and a mile later catch the College Connector Trail that makes the 130 ft. climb to the E University Parkway bike path, paving the way comfortably west. Then jumping over to 1200 South you soon arrive at Utah Valley University, a total of four and half miles completed in a half hour, start to finish. Now, consider doing this commute daily, summer, winter, rain, snow or shine with curricular materials strapped into panniers for the class you’re going to teach that day in the Science Building.
I sat down with Dr. Michael Rotter at the Provo City Library to learn more about his commitment to biking, not only to work but everywhere. Two years ago Mike and Chelsea decided their move to Provo, bringing along with them several bikes each; they had especially chosen Provo because of its “bike friendly community.” At one time Mike had lived in San Francisco, where he was working with the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and where he found a city well equipped with active transportation infrastructure. Mike has been actively biking since his college days and Chelsea is equally adept in cycling, bringing with her no less than three bikes of her own to the Utah Valley. Mike quickly tells me he likes two wheeling because it gives him a “break from studies and peace of mind…” he enjoys the “social activity,” as one soon “gets to know the other bike commuters.” I ask him if he has influenced any of his students at UVU, where he is presently teaching biology, and he acknowledges that today there are a few more riding bikes to classes.
“It’s a nice route, not monotonous,” he expresses with a smile about his ride home from work, “a nice end to the day” because it’s all paved trails or bike lanes with “good crossings and markings,” but if it’s an unusually bad weather day he’s not opposed to tossing his bike onto a UVX bus in either direction. Mike would like to see a few more markings at street crossings, though, wide green areas painted at the stops to further alert drivers (especially distracted drivers). He’s had problems on Canyon Road with drivers making right turns, looking the opposite direction and not seeing bicyclists, or pedestrians, right in front of them. Still, Mike is confident that Provo is a very accommodating city for cyclists, “that’s why we live here!” he volunteers as we finish our chat.
