Climate Connections: Celebrating the not-so-humble bicycle
Abby Huseth
The beginning of May is an exciting time, with May Day celebrations of labor rights, Missoula Gives (there’s absolutely still time to support us and local nonprofits!), and the opening of the outdoor farmers markets.
Each May, I also celebrate an anniversary that marks the start of a new era for my family. No, not the birth of a child - but something else that changed my life in unexpected ways. I’m talking about the decision to purchase an electric bike!
Four years ago, my husband and I decided to invest our tax refund in an electric cargo bike. We’d always been a one-car family, and after our second son was born and as we emerged from Covid, our transportation needs grew but our budget didn’t. An e-bike was just the solution.
I’d been a regular bike commuter since moving to Missoula in 2014, and I didn’t expect e-biking to be much different – just a way to arrive at the same places faster and less sweaty. But now with precious kid cargo in tow, I became suddenly much more aware of everything that made biking feel doable and safe – or not – and what my kids were absorbing simply through the experience of riding along with me.
As a parent, I’ve tried to show my kids how to live their values, while also helping build a future that works better for everyone. Our biking adventures have been perfect lessons in action.
Today, the odometer on my trusty e-bike reads almost 4,500 miles. My kids, now 5 and 8, can still squish on the back, though they prefer to speed around on their own two wheels. And I’m still telling anyone who’s willing to listen about the benefits of bikes (electric or otherwise) and how Missoula can continue to invest in infrastructure that makes biking an easier choice for more of our community.
Auspiciously, my own e-bike anniversary lines up with the national Bike Month. Whether it’s by hopping on a bike yourself or advocating for bike lanes that make our city safer for all modes of transportation, Bike Month is a great opportunity to remind ourselves of the many benefits of this not-so-humble form of transportation.
We at Climate Smart Missoula are big fans of bikes of all kinds. When it comes to climate solutions, getting out of our cars is one action that can have a significant impact. Here in Missoula, over a third of our community’s emissions come from transportation, the majority of which stems from personal vehicles.
That’s why we love to participate in Missoula in Motion’s annual Commuter Challenge, which starts May 3rd and runs for two weeks. Dozens of employers from small to large, and hundreds of employees, come together for a friendly competition all about commuting sustainably. With lots of prizes, and benefits even for those who participate for just one day, it’s not too late to join this fun community-wide event! Learn more here.
The Commuter Challenge is more than just two-wheel travel. Our air and health and happiness also benefit from walking and riding our free, all-electric buses. My colleague Amy’s favorite mode of travel: ride down the Rattlesnake to our office and then put her bike on the bus for the quick (uphill) ride home—it’s easy and a perfect way to meet neighbors.
Another way to celebrate Bike Month is by riding with us during our 4th annual Resilient Homes Tour on May 16th, this year in the Target Range neighborhood. This fun, informal tour is a chance to hear from neighbors about the practical steps they’ve taken to electrify, go solar, add more climate-resilient landscaping, and more. All three host homes are close together, so we encourage you to sign up and join on bike if you’re able.
Maybe you’d like to get more comfortable biking around town or getting to the farmers markets. Check out Missoula Parks and Recreation’s new Bike Path Tours every Wednesday in May, designed to introduce you to the city’s extensive network of bike paths and trails with a different route guided by instructors each week. Join for one or all!
And, when it comes getting more of our community out biking, the adage “if we build it, they will come” is spot on. Good bike infrastructure – like dedicated and protected lanes, clear signage, and features that slow surrounding traffic speeds - is critical for increasing the safety and ease of biking, which in turn makes all other modes of travel safer, too.
Thankfully, our downtown area is slated for a much-needed makeover via the upcoming Safety, Access and Mobility (SAM) project. This project will improve vehicle traffic flow and safety by reducing lanes and converting Front and Main from one-way to two-way, while adding new bike lanes on Front St and all the way down Higgins to Brooks. We think this will be a massive improvement, making the heart of our community much more appealing, accessible and safe for visitors and businesses alike. Personally, I’m excited for more areas of town where my kids can bike safely alongside me.
This spring, I hope you can venture outside and give a new way of travel a whirl. And, if you’ve never given to Missoula Gives, give that a whirl too. Joining together with our community to do or give what you can makes all the difference in sustaining organizations like ours -- and building a healthier, safer Missoula that works for everyone.
Abby Huseth is the Deputy Director at Climate Smart Missoula. Climate Smart Missoula brings this Climate Connections column to you several times per month. Learn more about what we do, sign up for our e-newsletter, or support our work at missoulaclimate.org.