Does this mean I will be a partial Duck?

 It all started for me on the back of my parent’s bike in a child seat. I later graduated to my own bike with training wheels, then I was allowed the freedom to bike around with friends as I got older, commuted to swimming lessons, and adventured around town. I later drove my car in high school as getting to sports practice early in the morning across town, then to school, and to music lessons after school on a bike was not in the cards for me.

Once I became an Oregon State Beaver, I left my car at home and traveled by foot everywhere as bikes were constantly stolen on campus.  After a few years of engineering school, I realized I needed an outdoor outlet that could not only provide a mental break from engineering but also provide the exercise I desperately needed.  One day as we were waiting for our professor to start class, I overheard a few guys talk about their mountain bike adventures they had over the weekend in preparation for a mountain race they had coming up. I pondered the idea for a few days and thought, why not? I just need to find a used mountain bike, start training, and go for it. What an amazing experience traveling to gorgeous parts of Oregon, racing, and meeting incredible people. I continued racing out of college and used commuting to work as part of my training choosing the route to work with the biggest hills and each day trying to beat my time from my previous record. Unfortunately, the route did come with some compromising areas with semi-trucks and cars a little too close for comfort.

As I became pregnant with my first son, I could not wait to put him in the bike trailer and ride on the bike paths. Now with this precious cargo, my comfort level quickly changed. I no longer felt comfortable riding on the road, as texting became more popular and distracted driving seemed to be more prevalent (maybe it was more that I was no longer an invincible youth and now was responsible for another human). After I had my second son, we had such a great time continuing our bike path adventures with both snuggled together in the trailer. As they grew older, I taught them to be defensive riders as physics class really teaches you a thing or two about who will win in a crash. To this day I just don’t feel comfortable riding on the road, dang physics. I now commute to work on my bike during the daylight savings time of year for safety reasons and casually ride a cruiser with family and friends to grab a bite to eat or a glass of wine on the river. Yes, I am that person that also has an SUV, who carts around a carload of kids to practice and games, large dogs, kayaks to the lake, bikes when we want to bike out of town, and construction supplies for house projects. 

As an engineer for a local municipality, we have been lucky enough to implement bike facilities on corridors where they never existed, as well as change the type of bike facility that previously existed. For me, this is fun and a great opportunity.

When I think about designing and constructing bicycle infrastructure, many questions come to mind such as.... 

• How stressful will this ride be, or will it be enjoyable? 
• Can a cyclist traveling with a child in a bike trailer use this facility?
• Will a kiddo with training wheels be safe? 
• Will a commuter feel this facility is efficient? 
• Would an elderly person on an adult tricycle have enough room? 
• Would someone who doesn’t ride a bike feel comfortable trying this facility? 
• Does this facility connect with an overall bicycle network? 
• Does this facility negatively impact other modes of transportation? 
• Is this facility safe? 

As we design and build more and more bike facilities in our community, I want to provide a bike network that allows the opportunity for people to commute and recreate in a safe, low-stress, efficient, and enjoyable environment. Maybe even a person who has always driven a car asks themselves "Would I rather get on my bike instead of driving?".    

When a co-worker approached me about a study abroad program she had been a part of in one of the most bicycle advanced/friendly parts of the world, I was intrigued and thought this was something I would like to look further into. The University of Oregon’s Sustainable Bicycle Transportation Study Abroad program in partnership with the Scan Design Foundation will be sending a group of students and 3 professionals to Denmark, Sweden, and the Netherlands to be immersed in bicycle planning, design, policy, and culture and bring back knowledge that may be able to be applied in our community. I applied for the program (even though I am an Oregon State Beaver) and was lucky enough to be selected.

 I am excited about this great adventure so here we go! Feel free to follow along as I share my experiences on my trip this summer.