by Scot

Given my druthers, I’ll always take the bike ride that serves some sort of travel function over a mere “recreational ride.”

It’s just a personal thing. There’s nothing wrong with riding a bike to ride a bike, it’s just that I far prefer riding to work, riding to the next town in a bicycle tour (because if I don’t I’m out the money for the room and I’m far too much of a cheapskate to let that happen), or, like yesterday, riding to the Lowe’s in Los Lunas to buy a toilet.

No, it did not fit in the panniers.

If you’re like me, let me give you a good reason for a ride today. This afternoon the Greater Albuquerque Bicycle Advisory Committee, the principal area board/commission to hear about and discuss bicycle matters in the area, holds its monthly meetings.

I’ve been on the Committee for a couple of years now, and I learn something new (usually several somethings) at every monthly meeting. Not everything I learn is something I want to hear, of course.  Needed change comes too slowly; the so-called “pageant of democracy” isn’t always pretty.

Still, it feels good to be present, even if it doesn’t always feel like one is “doing something.”

Tonight we’re talking about…well, let’s look at the agenda:

It looks like we’re hearing about the latest concerning changes planned for Alameda Blvd. between roughly 4th Street and I-25, about “improvements” (always in quotation marks…you never know) on NM-14 and Frost Rd. out in the East Mountains, and a discussion regarding bicycle boulevards here in town, amongst other things.

If you care about any of the above, or want your voice heard on a totally unrelated bicycle matter, please do drop by the not-quite-beautiful Conference Room 7096 downtown at Fifth/Marquette. There’s good bike parking, including a nearby security guard. Meetings only last two hours, and you’ll most probably learn at least one something along the way. And that’s a good enough reason for a bike ride, in my opinion.

Meanwhile, this attempt at an invitation reminds me we really should have doughnuts at these meetings. If they fit in your panniers, please do feel free to bring some tonight.