Going shopping? Take the bus!

This time of year, traffic can get pretty heavy at times and it's harder to find convenient parking near the places you are going. We've had some challenging weather this year too, that has made me not want to drive some days. A great solution is Asheville Transit - buses run every day and night except Sundays/holidays and frequently travel to and from downtown, West Asheville, North Asheville and the Asheville Mall area. I live in West Asheville and can catch a bus every half hour to/from downtown (route numbers 1 and 9; evening route 41).

Downtown is a great place to shop for gifts, especially for finding locally made items. The mall is also very popular for shopping, with a large variety of stores on Tunnel Road. Both of these destinations are well-served by public transit - see ashevilletransit.com for a complete list of schedules and route maps.

I like riding the bus for a few reasons. I can sit, read and enjoy the ride. I don't have to worry about finding a parking space or pay for parking. I have a sense of freedom using my feet to get around and not being "tied" to a car. And I get some exercise walking to and from the bus and around my destination. I invite you to try it - you might like it!

New Bicycle Safety Instructors

Congratulations to Seven New Bike Trainers in Asheville/Buncombe

During November, 7 local cyclists became League Certified Instructors. These people successfully completed a more than 20-hour course developed by the League of American Bicyclists. The new LCI’s join three other local LCI’s bringing Asheville-Buncombe a total of TEN LCI’s. Ten LCI’s increases our capacity for more educational programs geared to both adults and children. We hope to expand our educational programs to middle school students and our outreach to adult cyclists through more Traffic Skills 101 courses. We also plan to add training for commuters and families. We will contact businesses, clubs, social groups and religious groups and offer tailored programs to their employees and members. If you are interested in taking a class or have other ideas, please post a comment on Strive Not to Drive’s blog.