Everyone who heard about the bike situation last weekend at Hardy Strictly Bluegrass had the same thought: "what went wrong?"
What was supposed to be an upgrade in bike parking turned into a repeat of last year's deficit: With bike racks overwhelmed early in the festival, concertgoers were left to chain their bikes to anything they could find: trees, fences, even roots protruding from a hillside. It's a good thing the festival wasn't happening down by the windmill, or bicyclists might've been forced to chain their rides to the cruisy men lurking in the bushes.
Ride a bike in San Francisco? Are you crazy?
The breaking point came sometime early this year. Remember when Muni was talking about cutting service? Again? I was shelling out fiftysomething bucks for a pass that would let me ride a bus that never seemed to come and I paused, looked at my life and my choices, and thought, "what, what, what am I doing? I simply cannot bear to spend any more money on this."
And so, after a nervous few bike shop visits, I bought a fabulous turquoiseish Bianchi, and I was off. And suddenly, I was getting to appointments on time. I didn't have to build in an extra 20 minutes to every trip just in case Muni had the flu. And, of course, I was saving the Earth.
