BY DAVID NORTH
Former Chair
Los Alamos County Transportation Board

Biking on the hill is somewhere from fair to good, overall. Main roads have mostly usable bike lanes and most side roads are sparsely used enough to be comfortable most of the time.

Plus, some rides are downright excellent! The mostly open Urban Trail is already a fun cruise. When the path down to Canyon is finally open it will be a real hoot! And of course the Canyon Rim Trail is a casual romp with the Co-op at one and Smith’s at the other.

So why only fair to good?

There are still a few problems to work on. Maintenance of the older trails has fallen pretty far behind in places, mostly because it just isn’t a budget priority. Still, Public Works makes headway here and there — a nasty gap in the trail between Hawk’s Landing and North Mesa Park got fixed a few years back, and now the collapse on the trail between the stables and San Ildefonso has been patched. Some of the other trails look pretty bad, such as the one along Diamond or from San I to the tennis courts, but they are still rideable.

Often, especially after snow, the bike lanes are filled with rocks and trash pushed over from the road.

Another problem kind of just goes with the territory: hills. That might be the aspect that puts most people off bike riding, especially those who live on Barranca, Quemazon or upper North Community. North Mesa gets honorable mention, but really the ride up San I is not that bad. I found Brisa Del Bosque in Quemazon to be kind of hard, but doable. The that really bugged me was from the circle up to Barranca — it gets harder as you go and there’s a temptation to overcrank at the bottom and get bonked at the top. Sandia and Trinity were easy enough and I found climbing Canyon and Central relatively pleasant. The surprise for me was Conoco Hill. Lots of people complain about that coming from either side, but I thought the harder part was pretty short. Maybe I was all prepped for something worse than it really is.

When you look at the various factors, the answer to pleasant riding for Hill Billies is route finding. There are choke points, for sure, but lots of options and little tricks. For example, when riding through downtown I stay off Central and use back roads or just drop over to Deacon Street. On Barranca, I slip out of the bike lane onto the sidewalk when going around the bend where Rendija cuts off.

Tip: it is legal to ride a bike on the sidewalk in Los Alamos. Bikes have to yield right-of-way to everyone else, but what else is new? Some sidewalks should be avoided, such as the one going down to the Circle from North Mesa Park (too narrow) but they can turn a scary stretch of road into a comfy ride.

So if you just want to go downtown, or visit someone, or just go for a ride, you have a lot of flexibility. But what about commuting? That puts you on the road along with a gazillion maybe-not-so-awake drivers.

To some extent the answer is the same: know your route and timing. Getting to the lab means dealing with perhaps long lights, the path across Omega Bridge, and probably some difficult traffic. Plenty of people do commute on bikes. Talking with them you get tips and tricks for the worst parts and optional ways to get there after a snow or lane closure.

Yes, it takes a bit more study than driving your car. Like all such problems, though, it’s more rewarding when you pull it off.

Plus, the Powers That Be in the county do want to see the biking infrastructure improve. The Urban Trail is tangible proof. As momentum builds, this is only going to get better.

Dave North spent four years dealing with bicycling issues during his tenure on the Transportation Board and rides bikes almost daily — yes, even this time of year. Next up in this exclusive series to The Reporter: White Rock.