Do you remember your first bike?

I grew up in Romania. My first bike was one my dad brought home from a business trip to Russia. It didn’t work too well… I remember the chain kept falling off. It did have training wheels. Later I got a foldable cruiser. It was very basic. There were really only one or two types of bicycles in Romania, so not very many choices.

What kind of bike do you have now?

A pretty clunky city bike. But it has lights and a rack and everything else you need to have for the rides in the city. I have a cargo net which I really like. I can strap on all kinds of things on my rack from books and groceries to my son’s toys.

How did you use the bike when you grew up?

The school was too close to ride. I used the bike for fun, but also for transportation. It was really useful in the winter, as there was a period of three months every winter where the Romanian government did not allow usage of cars for private purposes. This was to save fuel and so they wouldn’t have to plow the roads in case it snowed.

So people were dependent on public transit or had to use their bikes. Bikes were also used a lot in the rural areas, where roads often weren’t paved and cars would just get stuck in the mud. Bicycles worked a lot better.

Is that car ban in the winter still in effect?

I hope not. Although on the bright side the air was probably cleaner in the winter!

You have been using the bike bus combination in Roseville. How has that worked out?

Pretty good, actually. It does require some degree of planning, but I like the buses. There should be more routes, though. I have to ride 3 miles to the Galleria to get on the bus. I have seen other bus stops along the way, but there are no buses that stop there; so I am not really sure what they are for…

Placer County requested feedback recently on the Public Transit system, so I sent mine to them. We’ll see what happens!

My first time using the bus with the bike almost felt like an expedition. The drivers were really friendly. The first few times they helped me put the bike on and take it off the rack in the front.

Overall I would say it was really cool and I wish I could do that more often.

Have you ridden the whole way to work?

Once. The reason I prefer to take the bus is to avoid Roseville Parkway. I have to ride part of it just to get to the Galleria bus stop. Trying to go straight across Galleria Blvd is a challenge. I don’t like those right turn only lanes as people come up very fast and cut me off when I want to go straight. People don’t even think of the possibility of a bicyclist in the bike lane. It got to a point where I prefer to ride on the sidewalk in that area. There are areas where I just don’t feel comfortable on the road.

So you never have a problem on the side walks, then?

Well, I remember once we rode on the sidewalk, and this lady came out of a parking lot and didn’t see us. Once she noticed us she was almost in tears. Motorists don’t do this on purpose, but they are just not used to pedestrians and bicyclists.

Do you do recreational rides?

No, my rides have to have a purpose. I like to run errands on the bike. I get bored if I just go out for a purely recreational ride. So when I need to go somewhere I always ask myself “Is this a place I can ride to?” And if it is, I do it.

So my rides don’t tend to be very long. 12 or 13 miles was the longest I think.

Have you found BikingRoseville useful?

Some of it. I think people tend to discuss cycling in areas where I don’t ride. I also live in Rocklin, so BikingRoseville doesn’t seem to have the right focus.

Yes, we should have thought of that when we started. We’d really like to get more Rocklin people interested…

Do you go to the web site sometimes?

No – For the longest time I didn’t even know there was a web site! I do get the yahoo group daily digest, so I stay up-to-date on what is going on.

What would be your top priority to change in Rocklin or Roseville for bicycling?

It might be too late for major changes. Everything is so far apart, so I don’t have a great idea on how to solve this problem. If everything was closer together you wouldn’t have to ride six miles to get to the store – and you’d also be less exposed to the risks on the road.

I think what really would help is if neighborhoods were connected better. Right now a lot of times there is some sort of wall or barrier or other obstacle that prevents you from going from one neighborhood to another or even from one shopping center to another even when they are next to each other.

What is the nicest thing about riding in Roseville?

The Miner’s Ravine trail. I live close by and I feel really lucky. If that weren’t the case I’d probably ride less.

Do you ride in the winter?

Yes. The cold doesn’t bother me. I did get sick once when we had a flat tire in the pouring rain and had to walk home. We got really soaked. I guess it helps to have the right equipment like water-proof clothing.

I don’t really ride at night but I do have a light as it also helps with visibility in cloudy conditions.