Eugene’s Bike-Culturalism

Flux decided to find some of Eugene’s über-bikers and find out what made them choose the bicycle way of life.

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Paul Adkins is no stranger to media attention. His car-less family of six was recently featured in Momentum magazine as an example of a family that can make a biking lifestyle work. I caught up with Paul over coffee the morning after he celebrated passing the torch of the presidency of the local riding and advocacy group Greater Eugene Area Riders.

What is your current occupation?

I am the community outreach person for Paul’s Bicycle Way of Life (but he’s not “the” Paul.) We try to get more people riding in the community, and get businesses to do commute-by-bike workshops. I am licensed by the League of Certified Instructors to educate people on traffic skills, laws, gear and maintenance. I actually have three jobs, since I have a family, but I only get paid for one. I just finished a two-year run as president of GEARS.

Can you explain what GEARS does?

GEARS is like inviting hundreds of friends on a bike ride. We have organized rides from beginner, or “Low-gear,” to some pretty serious rides. We also host the Blackberry Bramble and Jamboree in the summer for riders with children. All summer we host classes on skills and maintenance. I recommend the Street Skills class. For ten bucks, you go on a guided tour of the ins and outs of riding through Eugene and Springfield, with all the through-town networks and bike streets. GEARS is also in partnership with neighborhood businesses that support bikers. If you get a GEARS reward sticker for your helmet, they give a ten percent discount. Most of the bike shops in town are involved. You can check the complete list on the Web site. We also started a ride called Kidical Mass, that’s unique to Eugene, to try to get as many kids on the road as possible. More people riding makes the road safer.

GEARS helmet sticker is available at local bike shops and is good for discounts at participating Eugene stores.

So you have a whole family of bikers?

Yes, I have four kids, ages 8, 6, and twin 4 year-olds. They’re pretty brainwashed! We haven’t had a car for two years, so my wife and I both have Xtracycles, and we have a bunch of different Burley trailers when we need to haul stuff. The older kids have been riding their bikes to school since kindergarten, probably averaging about 10 to 15 miles a day. My kids could ride 20 miles without knowing how far it is.

Doesn’t that make life difficult?

No, I think they would be disappointed now if we got a car. Our family is trying to figure out how to spend less. We probably spend about one-eighth of what an average family spends. Eugene is a great place to ride a bike, when I’m riding with my kids I feel like we get the royal treatment. It’s like feeling beautiful to have all eyes on us. We’ve really had no bad experiences with drivers; actually drivers in Eugene are too polite sometimes. More than half of Eugene bikes on occasion. The size of town helps, nothing is too far to ride by bike.

Paul Adkins in Paul’s Bicycle Way of Life, where he works as Community Advocate, increasing bike awareness and safety.

So, would you say bicycling is a lifestyle choice?

Bicycling is a simple, poetic way of solving all kinds of problems, all of the things that plague our culture: health, stress, emotional fatigue, traffic, congestion, pollution, the climate. It’s about community involvement and knowing your neighbors. I’m on the Whitaker Community Council, and we want to make it the most bike-friendly neighborhood in Eugene. We’re looking at making Blair and Van Buren (Streets) a bike boulevard, lowering car traffic and speed. In Europe, cities make biking a priority. We can look to Copenhagen as an example. Portland is doing a great job at obtaining that synergy. They’re at the platinum level, almost all of the elected officials are bike riders. The only other cities in the U.S. at that level are Davis (Calif.) and Boulder (Colo.). I do the work I do to let Eugene be a model place for those kinds of things. It certainly is already.

Do you see any area for improvement?

Well, people are learning what to do about leaf removal. Right now it’s pretty dangerous out there — bikers either have to ride in the road in traffic or pick up the leaves. If everyone would pick up their own leaves, it would be easier, and less costly for the city. It seems crazy to have the city pay.

Any words of encouragement for beginning riders?

People don’t have to buy a bunch of clothes to ride a bike. Hop on in the clothes you have on and go places! A lot of bike people in town are certainly not fashion statements, or they’re making they’re own statements. And we’re not afraid of getting wet.