Can you tell us about your biking experience growing up in France?

I learned to ride the bike when I was about 3 or 4. You learn to speak, walk, swim and bike. It is a normal part of the education, nothing exotic.

When I first started school I took the bus. Later, when I was in High School and College, I walked.

Once we moved to Paris a bicycle was a good alternative to the subway. Either you walked or for longer trips you rode your bike. Well, I also took the train when I went to college.

What is different in Roseville?

I really had to think if I wanted to continue to bicycle at first. Everything is so convenient for the car. Going to the stores, doctors etc. It’s just designed for cars. Especially in West Roseville, there are a lot of 6-lane boulevards so it’s pretty fast and easy to go by car.

It is interesting – the first two months in Roseville I didn’t have a car. And I realized it was a pain to rely exclusively on biking, with the nearest grocery store over a couple of miles away on “high-speed” streets.. We then moved in to a more central location in town so that helped a bit. I now ride about 10 miles a day, with an 8 mile round trip commute to work and the rest of it running errands.. I drive a car occasionally if there is no better option, for example for long distance trips and then I always try to carpool. Unfortunately that happens more often than I wish since public transit is very poor in the region.

I do understand people, though, when they say they are scared of riding a bike here.

To me a “bike-friendly” community is one where young and old use the bike for transportation and running errands, not just the hard core commuters and off-street bike path users. Roseville isn’t quite there yet.

Do you use bicycling as a means of exercising?

I didn’t used to. I was a trail runner and I did rock climbing. In Roseville running is not convenient, unless you drive to the Foothills. So I am doing more recreational rides now. It is very easy to get to the country side from Roseville. I like riding towards the Loomis/Auburn area. And I have been to the American River bike path. I go on a rec ride about every other weekend.

What was your longest ride?

Going to downtown Sacramento via the American River bike path. It’s about 90 miles from my place. I’d really like to do a century, but I’d like to start with one that is not hilly and I also would need a better bicycle. Mine is fine for what I do ride now, but if I am going to do a century I’d want to make it easier on me.

How did you get started with the bike advocacy in Roseville?

I started to become involved when I realized that many people around here had never experienced a different life style than what the car-based culture. I felt with my experience in the different places I lived in I could bring some new and fresh ideas to the table. I just wanted to help make a difference one step at a time, so connected with other people (like you) to create BikingRoseville and also met with Mike Dour, the city’s bike way planner. Now we just need to get the word out!

What is your top priority?

We’ll have to distinguish between short term and long term issues.

The long term issue is urban planning, as Roseville was just not planned from a bike- and pedestrian friendly point of view – at least not past the core downtown area. And even downtown presents some challenges, with the railroad crossing at the Washington underpass. I’d hope future city plans include some road retrofitting for example to reduce the lanes from 6 to 4 or even 2 in some areas.. Because even if some of the newer developments will be very bike friendly, as they are being planned better (“smarter ?”), it doesn’t necessarily make Roseville as a whole better. There will be pockets of bike- and ped friendly areas, but most people would still use a car to go from one part of town to the next. We should strive change this and make the whole area, including connections between Roseville and adjacent cities, like Rocklin, more bike-friendly.

Talking to Mike Dour about these details I realize that we won’t see this happening any time soon, but maybe the next generation can profit from it.

Unfortunately due to the many issues like property right-of-way even simple projects take a very long time.

I think in the short term we just need to work on changing the culture . I don’t think there was too much in Roseville concerning bike advocacy before our group, so we are just getting started. It was interesting to have a couple of interviews with the Press Tribune. We need to gain more visibility, go to the transportation meetings and maybe to schools. I do feel there are more and more people interested, but I also think that riding your bike for transportation in Roseville is still a bit awkward. Too many people here associate the choice of bicycle transportation with crazy behavior or even with lack of money to buy a car…

Oh, one of the quick short term improvements I can see is the signal timing. Every day I have to cross Junction twice, on Porter Dr. And every day I wish twice that the phase would be just half a second longer…

What is your take on school kids commuting?

Talking to colleagues I realize that it is “uncool” for High school students to ride a bicycle. You are actually considered a “looser”. Which is too bad as the areas around many High Schools here are actually bike-friendly.

And kids in middle school could either ride with their parents or ride by themselves if they live in the neighborhood.

Also noticed most kids only ride rec/stunt bikes like BMX (that’s the “cool” factor). We would just have to work with them to change their mind. And of course with the parents to show them that on many cases it is very safe for the kids to ride to school.

So I think education is very important and it is good that BikingRoseville is trying to do bike Ed at schools.

Speaking of Bike Ed, you took the Road I Class. How was it?

It was very helpful. I felt more like another vehicle afterwards, and I am less likely than before to avoid the high-traffic areas. I just feel more confident now. I can really recommend it for people who are not confident. Or, even if they are confident, if they feel they need Class I bike paths everywhere I can just advise to take the class.

You are French so naturally you follow the Tour de France.

No, not at all. I was living in Grenoble for a while and I saw the Tour then. Actually, all I had to do was walk out the door, as the route went right past our work place.