Apex of Denver- Spotlight on Transportation

Good Day!

Today, I began to think about transportation in Cheesman, Capitol Hill, Uptown, etc. As mentioned yesterday, 60+ years ago, people were walking to work, riding bicycles into urban areas, and taking public transportation.

As mentioned yesterday, with the suburbanization, people began to buy cars, motorcycles, and hence, we are in a bit of a pickle, when it comes to dependency on oil. Highways are well-funded, and seemingly getting wider. But what about the urban centers?

I experienced a great thing yesterday. In my spare time (of which there is none), I am a pedicab driver. I have been riding pedicabs for 4 years. In the downtown area, people commute on all things wheeled- skateboards, bikes, wheelchairs, etc. Pedicabs have long been a staple of urban transit, specifically, in India and China. As of the early 90's, Steve Meyer, owner of Main Street Pedicabs, capitalized on an idea of having urban transportation, in a unique way.

As a pedicab driver, we provide transportation for short distances. We are never in competition for horse-drawn carriages or taxicabs. Cabs do not want to drive a short distance and horse-drawn carriages are more of a novelty than anything. In the downtown micro-economy, Pedicabs are the perfect mix of pedestrian vehicles disguised as cars. http://www.pedicab.com

My trip into downtown got even better- a 10 minute bike ride on my spiffy road bike on the Cherry Creek bike path. It was a seamless transport, clipping along at a good 25 mph. My brother followed me downtown and rode his bike to the Colorado Rockies baseball game. Lets examine the effectiveness of transportation, in the context of Central Denver.

One of the reasons I named this blog the Apex of Central Denver, is because the neighborhoods that I love so much are Cheesman Park, Capitol Hill, Hale-Mayfair, City Park, and Uptown. All of these areas are close to Downtown Denver, all of which being a maximum of 3 miles- which would make an easy commuting bike ride to 15 minutes.

The embraceable idea of bicycles as "green" transit is a little far-fetched, in my opinion. "Green" seems to be the hot marketing thing, which I don't necessarily like. I think that if The Cosmopolitan has now changed its latest summer colors to green, and people are buying it, the message is being perverted. But, I only change things I know how to change.

Riding a bike just makes sense. It takes relatively little money to maintain, fix, and operate a bicycle. You aren't pouring money into a car that eats oil, tires, and other things. You can find a bicycle for under $500, which is perfectly functional, and fun. For the money, $500 car repairs are far more headache-worthy. If you are a garage-craigslist junkie, look at http://denver.craigslist.org.

The next step up would be a mo-ped, Vespa, Scooter, or one of those really cool old trail motorcycles- these are also very easy to get into for under $2000. Unless your job requires you to drive, take a bike. It will make things much easier for you.

I am not advocating the jettisoning of one's car. I am a proponent of things that just make sense, like being able to have a vehicle that gets me to my favorite mountain biking or skiing spot. However, as an urban form of transit, it is almost moot to have a car.

Ahhh! The all important weather question. In Minneapolis, there is a movement to ride a Snow-bike. I am told that anywhere a snowmobile can go, a snow-bike can go.

Knobby tires, studded tires, and frame materials that resist corrosion (like my favorite, Titanium, or steel) are all alternatives. If it snows 3 feet, no one is getting to work. Don't give me the "reliable car" excuse.

Below is the photo of a company near and dear to my heart- Surly. They make primarily steel bicycles. This little gem is the Surly Pugsley model. It is a super-strange modified frame that requires special parts. However, notice the large, studded tires, and the 4" of snow on the ground. Enterprising? Yes. Absolutely.

A friend of mine said: Metal is too expensive to just go throwing away- FYI, I found 2 perfectly usable bikes in the garbage yesterday...

Bikes just make sense!
Here is where this ties to real estate. With new urbanization, people are starting to think about taking bicycles to work. They want a reliable form of transit, with low cost. A one car garage, off-street, or on-street parking might be a viable alternative. One must be careful of those parking restrictions, though.

However, a bicycle can be stored, locked, and secured within a relatively small space. It doesn't take an entire half-lot to store. In urban space restrictions, a bike just makes sense!

With current lending trends and the careful screening of buyers, sellers, and borrowers,
people are hopefully speculating smarter on their investments, therefore, buying within their means.

Therefore, these people are buying property in which they can afford the payment and maintain a reasonably good, stable lifestyle. My point is that for all of the foreclosure reports your popular media is feeding you, there are good people out there certainly buying within their means.

In perusing current foreclosures in Colorado, a majority of the mortgages and properties filed with the Public Trustee, are properties where few, if no principal payments are made. Lesson: buy within your means. And, I should add, buy smart. Always buy smart.

Thanks for reading!

ed