| ||||||||||
 
Dr. Ronald P. Rogers CHIROPRACTOR Support for your body's natural healing capabilities 270-384-5554 Click here for details 
  
Columbia Gas Dept. GAS LEAK or GAS SMELL Contact Numbers 24 hrs/ 365 days 270-384-2006 or 9-1-1 Call before you dig 
Visit ColumbiaMagazine's Directory of Churches Addresses, times, phone numbers and more for churches in Adair County Find Great Stuff in ColumbiaMagazine's Classified Ads Antiques, Help Wanted, Autos, Real Estate, Legal Notices, More... 
|
Commentary: For more cycling in Columbia area Commentart on: Advantages of slower transportation. The need for bike racks and bike security. The proposals for revitalization of Downtown Columbia. By Tami Wilson I'd love to see bicycling be more encouraged as a form of transportation in the Columbia area. I know some bicyclists from Lindsey, and maybe some others do bike around, but being truly accepted without an attitude of not belonging on the road is something I'd like to see. Advantages of cycling are many and wonderful The advantages of cycling, though, are many and wonderful.Often, out on my bike, I have found myself smiling without even realizing it. I get fresh air, feel the wind in my face, get exercise, and hopefully, not get broadsided by a semi. Careless drivers, unmindful of cyclists, still a problem I do get frustrated by those who use their cells while driving, often not paying attention to bicyclists, or treating them as if they should not legally be on the road. What is the legal status of bikes on the road there? Here, motor vehicles are legally supposed to give a 3-foot clearance when passing. I am also wary of people who neglect to signal before turning, and pull into my path without warning. Four years ago, I was thrown over the hood of a car, that, while traveling toward me, turned directly into my lane without warning, giving me zero time to brake. I was traveling at about 15 mph. Not fun. Fortunately, my injuries were limited to a lot of bruising and a cut into my shin. Would love to see Downtown Columbia a slow zone As a bicyclist, I love the idea of having the Downtown Columbia area as a "slow zone". As a person who visits without my bike, I'd miss being able to drive around the square, as I love to do, for old time's sake. I really hope that Columbia's downtown can continue to be revitalized. I miss the old days, I love small businesses, and would love to see a shopping/cafe/arts/artisans/ bakery/restaurant/farmer's market area brought right into downtown. I don't know if this is too idealistic for the area to realistically support. It's what I think of as "Wal-Mart syndrome. I like Wal-mart myself, for some things, but love the community, mom-and-pop, small-business spirit that it has played a role in reducing. On bike security, bicycle racks I don't mean offense, but I'd also be hesitant to lock my bike on the new bike rack in town featured recently, for this reason: on that style of bike rack, only a wheel fits into the rack, unless you pick your bike up and straddle it over the rack. If only your wheel fits in, you must lock your bike by the wheel. Most recently-made bikes are standardly come with "quick-release" wheels. Around here, if a bike is locked by the wheel, the wheel is released, and the bike is stolen in no time at all. Yes, a sad state of affairs for where I've lived in California. It's really pitiful, at least in some respects. While it would be less likely to happen in Adair County, I think Columbia is not immune to that possibility. Carrying cable lock another alternative Another possibility is to carry a cable lock and to lock the wheels onto the bike, as well as the bike onto the rack. My initial thought when I saw the bike rack, is to get more modern bike racks, that allow the bike to be aligned so that the front wheel - often the most desirable to have as quick-release - can be locked on with the same U-lock as the bike, by turning the wheel at a sight angle. Is it legal to lock one's bike on a parking meter in Columbia, so long as it's not blocking the sidewalk or the person's entry to get to the car door? That's what many people have been doing in San Francisco for ages, but now, the meters there are being taken away, and being replaced by machines on each block where you pay for parking by cash or credit/debit card, then leave the receipt on your dashboard. A little crazy, I think. The up-side of this is that if you have time left over, and you need to park somewhere else, you can still use the time that's left on the receipt (it prints the expiration time after you pay for your parking). I realize Columbia is not Oakland, or Berkeley, or San Francisco, where there's a high crime rate -and the recession has not helped matters. The idea of one's bike being stolen there, sans a front wheel, may be ridiculous. I don't know, but if I were on my bike in an area that had parking meters, I'd be prone to parking it there- unless there were another style of bike rack available. Again, I don't mean to ruffle any feathers. I am considering moving back to Columbia, or somewhere in the area, before too long, so things will be more my business then. This story was posted on 2009-06-14 09:59:38
Printable: this page is now automatically formatted for printing.
Have comments or corrections for this story? Use our contact form and let us know. More articles from topic Commentary:
One Columbia icon saved spurs interest in another Commentary on future of Old Adair Courthouse, Downtown Rev. Joey N. Welsh: Small town virtues Commentary: Tearing down courthouse thing makes her angry Margaret Taylor: Thoreauvian experience in Pulaski Co., KY The Message Mitzi taught me: Just be glad we're still here. Enjoy Looking Ahead 2009: For remaining dry, for civil discourse OP-ED - Pinewood: It's not just about the golf course Question: Is a local Cell Phone Directory needed? Rev. Joey N. Welsh: Lessons from those Burma Shave signs View even more articles in topic Commentary |
 
115 Jamestown St. Columbia, KY. 270-384-2496 
  
   
 Provided by the Adair Co Fiscal Court and the Adair Co. Emergency Mgt. Agency 
|
||||||||
|
| ||||||||||
|
Quick Links to Popular Features
Looking for a story or picture? Try our Photo Archive or our Stories Archive for all the information that's appeared on ColumbiaMagazine.com. | ||||||||||
|
Contact us: Columbia Magazine and columbiamagazine.com are published by Linda Waggener and Pen Waggener, PO Box 906, Columbia, KY 42728. Please use our contact page, or send questions about technical issues with this site to webmaster@columbiamagazine.com. All logos and trademarks used on this site are property of their respective owners. All comments remain the property and responsibility of their posters, all articles and photos remain the property of their creators, and all the rest is copyright 1995-Present by Columbia Magazine. Privacy policy: use of this site requires no sharing of information. Voluntarily shared information may be published and made available to the public on this site and/or stored electronically. Anonymous submissions will be subject to additional verification. Cookies are not required to use our site. However, if you have cookies enabled in your web browser, some of our advertisers may use cookies for interest-based advertising across multiple domains. For more information about third-party advertising, visit the NAI web privacy site.
| ||||||||||
