I lost my car a result of a bad car accident and decided to become a carless citizen in Tulsa. To be able to commute to school, I had to take bus 105, transferred to 112 and then walked from bus stop to school, and vice versa. Since the bus schedule was so out of my convenience, I had to carry a bike for back up. If I missed the transfer bus, then I would ride my bike to school. For a good day, I would put my bike at the front rack of the bus for a long bus ride then pedaled my way to work; or I would enjoy a nice walk without the bike when the weather was nice. Usually a 20 minutes car ride would take me an hour and half to reach my destination. I lost the count how many times I missed the bus simple because the bus had never arrived. I commuted for 6 months until the weather turned too warm to ride a bike. I eventually bought a car, ending my love hate relationships with Tulsa public transportation.
This was not the first time I used a bike for transportation. I arrived in Tulsa twenty years ago with two young kids and I rode an upright no gear bike everywhere in the downtown area and my 4 years and 7 years would run with the bike. The Gallagher power house produced two Tulsa elementary Triple Crown runners and one tough mama. However, my biking experience really hit the bottom low when some truckers rolled down their windows throwing garbage at me and trying to squeeze me off of the road. Tulsa was not bike friendly. It is hard for me to imagine Tulsa redesigning the city to accommodate disabled, bikers, and pedestrians, being aware of road condition. Our city is hosting Tulsa Tough this weekend and thousands of bikers will try to challenge the epic Grand Fondos. This doesn’t come close to my back pack, winter boots, and ear muffs diva survival ride!
Here is my top 10 to do and not to do list when taking the bus in Tulsa:
#10: know the bus schedule. Get the Ride Systems GPS app on your smart phone; you can trace all buses where they are actually at. If you don’t have a smart phone, go get a print out one. Don’t count on other people to tell you.
#9: wave to the bus if you are not right on the bus stop. Don’t wave under your waist, which means don’t stop for me.
#8: Wait until the bus completely stops then move to the exit door. This is not New York City; you do not have to fight your way out.
#7: Keep the bus conversation (such as time, place, temperature, and greeting) in the bus. Never talk loud and never curse inside the bus.
#6: Leave your groceries at the front rack, your stroller under your seat, and never keep your cell phone in your back or side pocket.
#5: Always check your seat to make sure nothing is left behind. Actually the best way is not to take anything out when you are in the bus.
#4: Practice how to put your bike up and down and over other bikes on the rack as smooth as possible.
#3: Get correct money or ticket ready like a pro. Don’t ever try to get your coins from more than three pockets.
#2: Have many back up plans and numbers to call if you missed the morning bus or the last bus home. Never ride a bike in a snowy or raining day. Time to find a ride home.
#1: Be polite, be polite and be polite. Thank you and Have a nice day.
In a very early and cold morning.
Having just come from a city with really amazing public transportation system to a place in OKC where the system is that they stop the buses running at 7pm, I’m amazed at the stigma around public transportation. I rode the red line in Chicago every day there were people who were still insistent on having a car in Chicago because apparently public transit was for “poor” people. As we move to a world with less material possessions and more focus on what really matters, we’ll see that transportation will become less and less important. I had no problem riding the bus when I was carless. I find Oklahoma buses infinitely more talkative than Chicago buses. My view of a bicycle is that it’s a health program and a transportation system all wrapped up in one. I hope to have one someday.