#CofCMoves: Brian Scholtens Moves by Bike

How do you move? Do you walk, bike, or use public transit? Join the Office of Sustainability and participate in the College’s first official event celebrating the different modes of transportation that the College community uses to commute to campus. On April 9th, during Sustainability Week, let us know how you move by using #CofCMoves and why you move the way you do.

We interviewed Dr. Brian Scholtens of the Biology Department about why he bikes.

Office of Sustainability: What is your role at the College and how long have you worked here?

Brian Scholtens: I am a professor in the Biology Dept, and have been at the College for 23 years.

OOS: Why do you bus, bike, walk, and/or carpool rather than driving?

BS: I bike to work when possible.  That ends up being dependent on my schedule and the weather.  I enjoy biking to work for at least two reasons.  It is a great way to build exercise into my day, and it also reduces my carbon footprint.

OOS: How long have you been doing so?

BS: About 5 years.

OOS: How far do you commute daily?

My ride was about 8 miles each way until we moved to Harbor Walk.  Now it is about 7 ½ miles.

OOS: What are the benefits to commuting by bike versus driving alone?

BS: Great exercise and reduced carbon footprint.

OOS: What do you value most about the way you commute?

BS: I like the exercise and time to think without electronic interruptions.

OOS: What is the biggest challenge you face as a commuter?

BS: The biggest challenge is my schedule, which varies enough that I can’t always carve out commuting time.

OOS: What are some improvements you’d like to see?

BS: My commuting route is quite nice, with good, off-road bike paths.  Others, that would like to bike, aren’t so lucky. Every street and road improvement project should include planning for safe bike paths, not just a lane marked on an already existing road.

OOS: Are there any myths about your method of transportation that you’d like to address?

BS: None that don’t have some grain of truth.  It can involve danger if you don’t have safe bike paths.

OOS: Would you recommend this method to others?

BS: With appropriate bike paths, absolutely.  Each person needs to carefully evaluate the route that they will ride.  Currently, Mt. Pleasant residents are very fortunate with the bike lane on the bridge.

OOS: Do you have any fun commuting stories?

BS: I sometimes keep track of the number of people using the biking/walking lanes on the bridge.  On nice days there are often over 100 people on the bridge at any particular time.  I think this illustrates how much demand there could be for other well-designed biking/walking lanes in and around Charleston.