This feature is designed to discuss, highlight, and inspire alternative transportation in our community. It is a cool thing to be able to use this forum as a means of showcasing those in our area who are, for various reasons, committed to an alternative transportation way of life. In coming months, we are going to meet some folks who have shunned the single occupancy motor vehicle as a primary form of transportation. We will learn why they have chosen this path, how they are accomplishing it, and delve into other ways means to reduce our reliance on the passenger car or truck in ways which that will be practical, and hopefully, entertaining. This column will also post upcoming events from the alternative transportation realm which may help to motivate us all to make those changes in our lives necessary to wean ourselves from the automobile and to, as Edward Abbey once put it, “help the world get back to normal.”

If you are looking for events which are bicycle focused, check out the following websites:
http://www.bikemoscow.org/announcements.asp
http://villagebicycleproject.org/
www.pcei.org/

This month’s inspiration is Victoria Shortt. Victoria is a completely automobile-free person. She commutes to her job by bicycle when our wacky Palouse weather permits and by foot when necessary. She is also an occasional user of public transportation, but only when absolutely imperative.

A quiet and unassuming woman, Victoria grew up in southern Idaho and has lived in Moscow for 20 years. She has no plans to leave and states that she simply loves the accepting ways of the community. “It is OK to be different here in Moscow. If you want to bike, you bike; and, if you want to walk, you walk.” Victoria’s choice to remain car free was made in part because of health considerations. She has a lack of visual depth perception that has kept her from behind the wheel of an automobile her entire life. That said, the increased level of fitness derived from bicycling and walking have also provided a great boost to her recovery from cancer some years ago. Victoria says, “It was extremely difficult to come back to a level of fitness, but the biking and walking were essential. Plus, I just love to be outside in the air and experience a little bit of nature.”

The first time I noticed Victoria on her daily commute was a couple of months ago when I spotted her calmly, albeit slowly, making her way along Sixth Street. Naturally, she was on her bike “experiencing” a driving, late spring rain and dressed head to toe in her yellow slicker. Even her panniers were wrapped in plastic.
Her main ride is an older, solid Roadmaster hybrid, rigged up with wire frame panniers that are nicely sized to allow her to carry all of her groceries plus a few other things. They are located low and alongside the rear wheel to not detrimentally affect the handling of the bicycle when loaded. Her other ride is a newer Raleigh that is currently sidelined with mechanical problems. Victoria plainly states that she doesn’t fix bikes and simply hasn’t had time to get the bike to the shop for the repairs.

When pressed, Victoria will elaborate on a few points she deems essential elements of bicycle commuting. Underscoring the obvious, she mentions that car drivers don’t always see bicyclists. Having experienced a few close calls in her years of bike commuting, she brings the point home by stating that bicyclists must always take care of themselves by not allowing themselves to be in harm’s way. Also, be sure to enjoy your time outside, she advises. In other words, always be aware of where you are both in traffic and in your environment.

John Dunn, land surveyor and a Latah County resident, lives limits in a house he built of straw. He can be seen biking from home to town and everywhere in between. He is pursuing a life dream of biking around the world and has ridden across much of Southeast Asia, including Thailand, Laos and Myanmar.