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Gas prices, I-5 work make bikes attractive
by Edgar SanchezMay 1, 2008
Sacramento Bee ARDEN CARMICHAEL section
By Edgar Sanchez - esanchez@sacbee.com
Published 12:00 am PDT Thursday, May 1, 2008
Story appeared in ARDEN CARMICHAEL section, Page G5
Some people are preparing for the closure of Interstate 5 in downtown Sacramento by buying bicycles.
"For the past month and a half, two, three or four people a week have bought bicycles from us, saying they want to be ready for that shutdown and the inconvenience it will cause," Christopher Davis-Murai, owner of Bicycle Chef Bicycles in midtown, said last week.
Shutting down I-5 is an impetus for people to buy two-wheelers before the series of closures that begin May 30, added Davis-Murai, whose store is at 2409 J St.
But at the nearby City Bicycle Works, the pending closure of I-5 for repairs hasn't affected sales, manager Bowen Doxsee said.
"I haven't had anyone come in saying, 'I need a bike specifically because I plan to use it for commuting during the I-5 backup,' " Doxsee said.
He believes motorists will start buying bikes in June, after they experience what may be the mother of all traffic jams.
"After a week or two of people being frustrated sitting in traffic …. they may wish to find different modes of transportation" to get to and from work downtown, Doxsee said at his 2419 K St. store.
"I would expect some people will start thinking about avoiding the twice-daily traffic jams if they commute," he added.
At Natomas Bike Shop, 3291 Truxel Road, no recent bike purchases have been attributed to the upcoming I-5 repairs.
"I haven't had anyone tell me that's why they're buying the bikes," a Natomas Bike Shop representative said.
All three stores, however, reported a recent spike in bike sales sparked by rising gasoline prices. The buyers rebelling against $4-a-gallon gasoline freely talk about their greater reliance on bicycles, store representatives said.
"I've had customers literally come in and say, 'I'm not paying $4 to drive two miles,' " said Davis-Murai of Bicycle Chef Bicycles.
No one knows exactly what will happen when the busy section of I-5 closes between May 30 and mid-July for major repairs to the road that was built in the early 1970s.
But with existing highways already clogged at rush hour, the potential exists for once-in-a-lifetime traffic jams. Then again, the closure may add only a few minutes' frustration to people's commute.
No one knows.
In any case, some people may indeed be putting off buying bikes until downtown I-5 is off limits to traffic, said Walt Seifert, executive director of Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates.
"People tend to put off doing things," he said, adding that some may be buying bikes without announcing they were motivated to do so by the I-5 repairs.
If timing is everything, the closure of I-5 may be coming at a good hour, Seifert suggested.
"May is bike month, so there will be efforts all month to (persuade people to) bike instead of drive," he said.
Groups promoting the bike-month message include the Sacramento Area Council of Governments and Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates, which represents about 1,400 bicyclists from the capital region.
Asked if he's disappointed that more people haven't been driven to buy bicycles because of the widely publicized I-5 project, Doxsee said:
"I'm not disappointed, be- cause no one knows what to expect. Everyone's just guessing on what's going to happen with the traffic.
"I guess what would be disappointing is that our own city and county planners don't embrace bicycle commuting more," he said.
For more details about the I-5 closure, visit www.fixI-5.com – a state Web site that will provide the latest updates on construction, lane closures and alternate routes.
The Web site also allows visitors to sign up for e-mail alerts and see live traffic camera views of I-5 through downtown.
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