urban cycling in tulsa

[ChicagoJoe]

Greetings. My wife and I are seriously considering a move from Chicago to Tulsa, and I've been reading up on the city's online buzz, trying to get a feel for the city. One part of life that I haven't heard much about is cycling within the city.  Here's what I'd like to know:

a. Do you feel that the city's infrastructure lends itself to safe cycling?
b. Do you or does anyone you know bike to/from work or school?
c. Is there any community group that promotes cycling or works with the city planners to do so?

Thanks! I hope someone can enlighten me!

[RecycleMichael]

Here is a bike trails map.

http://map.incog.org/website/trails/viewer.htm

Here are some local groups...

http://www.tulsabicycleclub.com/misc_tulsa_trails.php

http://www.tulsawheelmen.com/

Here is a group that organizes Bike to Work Days.

http://www.tulsacommuter.com/Bike.htm

[TheArtist]

a. Infrastrcture lends itself to safe cycling?  Probaby about as good as any midwestern city I have been to.

b. Know anyone who bikes to work or school? Not really, but they have just instigated a yellow bike program on the TU campus.

c. Any community group to promote cycling, etc.?   see above post.

My feel is that Tulsa is getting better and there are some woonderful biking trails and roadways around town.  But there are definitely some horrible parts of town where biking or walking simply was not ever part of the equation.  So If you like biking on a regular basis I would move to a part of town where there is easy access to the trail system, or be prepared to fight some traffic or drive to where you want to bike.  I used to live near Riverside and it was a joy to just be able to pop out the garage and be a block away from the River Parks trail system.  As a matter of fact there was a school parking lot near my house where one of the biking clubs would meet to start their rides all the time, 45th and Peoria.

Popped onto the link on your profile.  If that is your wife, she is an incredible photograper.  It will be great to have someone of that caliber in our town.  She may find that she can be the big fish in this small pond and be quite admired.  Judging from first glance, you and your wife are just the kind of people Tulsa is trying to gear itself up to attract.  Tulsa has had some rough times but is turning the corner.  There is a lot of buzz, new energy, and hope in the air.  You can see that Tulsa is looking and searching for a new identity and direction. There are many that will welcome you to our community for your presence will add to the gathering influences of like minded individuals which are spurring Tulsa towards that new and brighter future.

Good Luck []

[PonderInc]

I commuted to work by bike for years, and even lived without a car in Tulsa for about 6 months.  (Since back surgery, I'm not biking much any more.)

Bicycle commuting probably wouldn't have been so easy, except that I lived in midtown (and close to the river) and worked downtown.

As a cyclist, living near the river is a definite plus.  (If you live near Riverside, you have an infinite north/south bike route.)  Also, I personally think that living in older neighborhoods is always better b/c they tend to be scaled for pedestrians/cyclists in a way that the more car dependent areas are not. (OK, and they're more beautiful, too!...whoops! Personal bias!) I live within a mile or two from Cherry Street, Brookside and downtown, which means that I could even bike to restaurants after work without breaking a sweat.

Most roads don't have bike lanes, and there are a lot of streets that you wouldn't want to be caught dead on...or should I say: biking on some streets could cause death.  On the bright side, there are a lot of streets where people are more courteous and you can safely travel. (For example, I feel reasonably safe on Peoria, but not Harvard or Lewis...and no amount of money would cause me to bike on S. Memorial... meanwhile, 36th is a great east/west street for cyclists.)

As a cyclist, I figured out safe routes to get to most places I needed to go.  Usually, this would include a combination of bike trail, side streets, and the more bike-friendly arterial streets.

Some employers have bike racks and locker rooms...but I think most don't.  And, in fact, most places in the city don't have bike racks...so I always have a long cable for locking my bike to trees or whatever I can find.

Good luck and welcome to T-town!

[perspicuity85]

Everyone's been throwing out terms like Cherry Street, Midtown, Brookside, etc.  If you haven't already seen it, you might find this topic useful if you want to know a little bit more about those terms we're throwing around:
http://www.tulsanow.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=5613

[carltonplace]

This last summer Tulsa hosted a huge event: the TulsaTough. Cyclists from around the world attended and Tulsans came out in large numbers to support it in its first year. I would imagine that this event will only get bigger.

http://www.tulsatough.com/

We also have a bar in the downtown Brady District that is owned by enthusiasts called Sound Pony.

[ChicagoJoe]

Hi everyone, thanks very much for the speedy responses, I really do appreciate it. Artist thanks for the kind words regarding my wife's work. I also agree that she's talented, but of course I am biased on that point. []

perspicuity85, thanks for the info. I actually lived in Tulsa back in the summer of '98 so I'm somewhat familiar with the layout. At the time I was driving to work every day (at the old BlueRose bar, RIP) but upon moving to Chicago I discovered how valuable a bike-friendly city can be for so many reasons. There is an amazing bike advocacy group that works closely with the Dept of Transportation to ensure that cycling is considered in the city's ongoing development. Maybe Tulsa is ready for something along those lines.. thoughts on that?

We are looking at property at the moment, and I do agree that living close to DT, Cherry St, etc. is important. The urban Sprawl of the south side seems best suited for SUVs. I've always thought Tulsa is a beautiful city that could be the perfect cycling community with a little work. The weather, the culture, it's all there!

[tim huntzinger]

The bad news is that most surface streets are extemely dangerous for commuting, with the good being that Tulsans have extensive bicycling opportunities free from traffic.  Ya'll can bike from far southeastern Tulsa County to far north Tulsa County with just a wee jog through the wasteland downtown.

I would recommend The Tulsan for links to event-related sights and thinks to do in T-Town.

[Renaissance]

Here's a story about the city extending a trail right through the urban core:

http://www.tulsaworld.com/NewsStory.asp?ID=070109_Ne_A15_Trail46385

I didn't realize they were extending this trail.  It's one more small but vital addition to midtown/downtown to make it more liveable.  If you were thinking about re-locating to anywhere along the Peoria corridor, this trail has got to encourage you.

[tim huntzinger]

I cannot say enough good things about the Osage Prairie Trail.  It begins at OSU (NE corner of NE lot) and goes to Skiatook.  Along the way some blighted neighborhoods are on display, but past 56th st N (with its new parking lot!) the ride is 100% country!  This is one of my favorite things about Tulsa.

[ChicagoJoe]

quote:Originally posted by Floyd

Here's a story about the city extending a trail right through the urban core:

http://www.tulsaworld.com/NewsStory.asp?ID=070109_Ne_A15_Trail46385

I didn't realize they were extending this trail.  It's one more small but vital addition to midtown/downtown to make it more liveable.  If you were thinking about re-locating to anywhere along the Peoria corridor, this trail has got to encourage you.

that's encouraging indeed. although I'm not sure what to make of this:

"The neighborhood didn't want this trail coming through, so we did our best to accommodate that request," said Glen Sams, a senior engineer with the city's Pubic Works Department.

Wouldn't most neighborhoods welcome a bike trail?

[ChicagoJoe]

quote:Originally posted by tim huntzinger

I cannot say enough good things about the Osage Prairie Trail.  It begins at OSU (NE corner of NE lot) and goes to Skiatook.  Along the way some blighted neighborhoods are on display, but past 56th st N (with its new parking lot!) the ride is 100% country!  This is one of my favorite things about Tulsa.

This sounds awesome. When I land in Tulsa, I hope to see some of you on the trails.

[Kenosha]

The neighborhood wanted the trail, but not on-street through the neighborhood.  They wanted it on the ODOT R.O.W. behind the neighborhood.  This was very difficult to get ODOT to agree to, but they finally did.

[AMP]

WWW.BIKERFOX.COM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj-dSPeyHd0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8wzVP_chdo&mode=related&search=

[tim huntzinger]

I am a bad influence.  Everytime I see either of them I scream like a groupie ('Gooooo Dan Chang!' and 'We love you, Bikerfox!!!')  Tay likes it, Bikerfox (Frank) kinda freaks out.

Kenosha says the neighborhood did not want on-street traffic.  The parking lot at 56th may have been in response to shared concerns about the neighborhood.

Chicagoan, if you ride the Osage I guarantee you will see less than a handful of riders each visit - including weekends.