By Lisa Klassen

The Bay Area has a higher-conscious heart that beats to the rhythm of hand drums, that sings while recycling and pumps out innovative eco-friendly ideas on a regular basis. And many Bay Area denizens are firm advocates of alternative methods of getting around town —without doing the standard, expensive, wasteful, single-car, single-driver procedure.

Some of the alternatives to driving in the Bay Area include using transit systems and ferries, car-pooling, car-share programs, and, of course, the bicycle.

Biking has benefits. It reduces strain on the environment; it’s a wonderful form of exercise and a way to be outside to experience the city firsthand, not from the window of a car. Best of all, when riding a bicycle you can stop and investigate any spot that catches your eye, without looking for parking for half an hour!
In our society, there is a general lean toward health consciousness and environmental awareness. Bicycling has a wheel firmly placed in each of these areas. Cyclists country-wide are demanding that their efforts to live a healthier life and to make an environmental choice be honored by making biking a safer, easier method of transportation.

And here in the Bay Area, where such an abundance of performance artists and Burning Man attendees live who use unicycles and high cycles, beach cruisers, art bikes, tandem bikes, tricycles, and low-rider bikes, skateboards, rollerblades, and other wheeled wonders to get around on bike paths and human energy, not gas!

As a result, bike paths are multiplying, and so are the methods of reaching them. Many cyclists already use existing transit systems to partially commute to work, to cut out the unsafe areas they have to traverse, or to reach those sweet spots to cycle. But now, in the Bay Area, a new tool has just been introduced to help cyclists in their quest for the perfect path. Welcome to the 511 BikeMapper.

The 511 BikeMapper was introduced on April 19th. It’s the first one-stop resource for bicycling maps and covers the entire nine-county, Bay Area, on-street bike lanes, off-street bike paths, and designated bike routes to travel across the Bay. The database covers over 3,000 miles of biker turf.

This brainchild of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) is a kind of MapQuest for cyclists.

Say you want to head from point A to point B and have never biked there before. Simply go to www.511.org and click on the “Bicycle” section. There, you’ll find information on transit systems that allow bikes, bridge access for bikes, trails to get you there, and a way to pick the ideal map for your needs. The maps can be printed, so you can take one along to guide your path on your biking adventure.

Best of all is the “Show Slope” feature, which allows bikers to look at the amount of hilly slopes on a route and decide what best suits their needs. Those seeking a challenge can opt for the steep inclines, while those bike enthusiasts who are still training their legs and lean towards gentler slopes can plan out a route with the least amount of hilly clout. Grades of 5 percent or more show up on the maps and are color coded by their degree of slope.

“511 BikeMapper helps bicyclists ride smarter and safer,” commented MTC Commissioner and Marin County Supervisor Steve Kinsey. “As a cyclist myself, I know how important it is to locate available bikeways. It’s especially important when you’re riding in an unfamiliar area, or if you’re looking for a new route near your home, school, or workplace.”

The 511 BikeMapper service is still in the process of being refined, so check it out and see how it works for you. Your feedback will help MTC fine-tune the free service so it works efficiently for Bay Area cyclists who don’t want to be confined by cars, fined for expired meters, or defined by pale skin and out-of-shape figures.

And, since May is National Bike Month, the timing of the birth of 511 BikeMapper couldn’t be better.

Happy cycling, safe trails, and enjoy celebrating your freedom during National Bike Month!