Commentary: The Steel City’s Spice via Bicycle

 ========= Old Image Removed =========1Array
(
    [_wp_attached_file] => Array
        (
            [0] => 2015/05/john-bike-e1433863279614.jpeg
        )

    [_wp_attachment_metadata] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:5:{s:5:"width";i:1920;s:6:"height";i:1003;s:4:"file";s:37:"2015/05/john-bike-e1433863279614.jpeg";s:5:"sizes";a:13:{s:6:"medium";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:37:"john-bike-e1433863279614-336x176.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:176;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:5:"large";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:37:"john-bike-e1433863279614-771x403.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:771;s:6:"height";i:403;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:37:"john-bike-e1433863279614-140x140.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:12:"medium_large";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:37:"john-bike-e1433863279614-768x401.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:768;s:6:"height";i:401;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"1536x1536";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:38:"john-bike-e1433863279614-1536x802.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:1536;s:6:"height";i:802;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:35:"john-bike-e1433863279614-80x80.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:80;s:6:"height";i:80;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:37:"john-bike-e1433863279614-600x338.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:338;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:37:"john-bike-e1433863279614-600x600.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:600;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:37:"john-bike-e1433863279614-595x311.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:595;s:6:"height";i:311;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:37:"john-bike-e1433863279614-470x246.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:470;s:6:"height";i:246;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:28:"ab-block-post-grid-landscape";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:37:"john-bike-e1433863279614-600x400.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:400;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:25:"ab-block-post-grid-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:37:"john-bike-e1433863279614-600x600.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:600;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:37:"john-bike-e1433863279614-125x125.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:125;s:6:"height";i:125;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:12:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";s:11:"orientation";s:1:"0";s:8:"keywords";a:0:{}}}
        )

    [_wp_attachment_backup_sizes] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:8:{s:9:"full-orig";a:3:{s:5:"width";i:3264;s:6:"height";i:2448;s:4:"file";s:14:"john-bike.jpeg";}s:14:"thumbnail-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:22:"john-bike-140x140.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:11:"medium-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:22:"john-bike-225x169.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:225;s:6:"height";i:169;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:10:"large-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:22:"john-bike-451x338.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:451;s:6:"height";i:338;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:22:"john-bike-451x338.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:451;s:6:"height";i:338;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:23:"wbhm-featured-home-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:22:"john-bike-415x311.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:415;s:6:"height";i:311;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:27:"wbhm-featured-carousel-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:22:"john-bike-353x265.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:353;s:6:"height";i:265;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:19:"post-thumbnail-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:22:"john-bike-125x125.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:125;s:6:"height";i:125;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}}
        )

    [_imagify_optimization_level] => Array
        (
            [0] => 1
        )

    [_imagify_data] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:2:{s:5:"stats";a:3:{s:13:"original_size";i:1404841;s:14:"optimized_size";i:396997;s:7:"percent";d:71.739999999999995;}s:5:"sizes";a:10:{s:4:"full";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:65:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2015/05/john-bike-e1433863279614.jpeg";s:13:"original_size";i:1193903;s:14:"optimized_size";i:242873;s:7:"percent";d:79.659999999999997;}s:9:"thumbnail";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:6:"medium";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:5:"large";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:73:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2015/05/john-bike-e1433863279614-771x403.jpeg";s:13:"original_size";i:76676;s:14:"optimized_size";i:54897;s:7:"percent";d:28.399999999999999;}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:71:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2015/05/john-bike-e1433863279614-80x80.jpeg";s:13:"original_size";i:3307;s:14:"optimized_size";i:3304;s:7:"percent";d:0.089999999999999997;}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:73:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2015/05/john-bike-e1433863279614-600x338.jpeg";s:13:"original_size";i:52421;s:14:"optimized_size";i:38179;s:7:"percent";d:27.170000000000002;}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:73:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2015/05/john-bike-e1433863279614-595x311.jpeg";s:13:"original_size";i:47323;s:14:"optimized_size";i:34607;s:7:"percent";d:26.870000000000001;}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:73:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2015/05/john-bike-e1433863279614-470x246.jpeg";s:13:"original_size";i:31211;s:14:"optimized_size";i:23137;s:7:"percent";d:25.870000000000001;}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}}}
        )

    [_imagify_status] => Array
        (
            [0] => success
        )

    [_media_credit] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

    [_navis_media_credit_org] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

    [_navis_media_can_distribute] => Array
        (
            [0] => 1
        )

)
1637572422 
1433800853

John Houser

When commentator John Houser lived in Indianapolis, the city built a bike and pedestrian path weaving through the city’s downtown cultural districts.  After trying bike commuting for just a few months, he sold his car — transforming his commute from a stressful ride on city streets into a leisurely jaunt past parks, public art, and along a downtown canal. You can imagine his concern when he moved to Birmingham two years ago…

Anxious about maintaining my car-free commute in my new city, I turned to the internet. Scant information was available, and most of what I found was concerning: Best I could tell, Birmingham was a city spread across mountain ridges,  with virtually no bike lanes or trails, minimal biking culture, scary road raging automobile drivers, and of course, the heat. The challenge appeared daunting, but I wanted to at least give it a try.

One year into my biking commute, I can say that my worst fears were unfounded. My family and I found a home in Crestwood, which, fortunately, does not require me to ride over any mountain ridges to get downtown. After a few hours on Google Maps, inquiries to helpful neighbors, and a little trial and error, I found a couple of safe and reliable routes to work. While bike lanes here are still limited, they are growing across the metro area as part of the Red Rock Ridge and Valley Trail System — a long-term plan for knitting Jefferson County together one mile of trail at a time. Even where there are not bike lanes or trails, Birmingham has plenty of roads with comfortable levels of traffic, filled, for the most part, with courteous drivers who don’t fall on their horns when forced to wait a few seconds behind a guy on a bike. And while the heat has certainly lived up to its reputation, it is dealt with easily enough with a leisurely pace and a change of clothes. Who knew khakis and a nice polo shirt fit so nicely into a bike bag?

However, there’s one thing I wasn’t prepared for in my morning commute, and that was the fragrance of biking in Birmingham.  The Steel City’s spice, if you will. The Iron City’s aroma. Riding along in the spring, for instance, I was struck one morning by bursts of fragrant wisteria in Crestwood, which faded only to be replaced in early summer with the honeysuckle which rambles   alongside 1st Avenue South. Some days it was so strong, I thought I was strolling through the perfume department at Saks Fifth Avenue.

The cool mornings of winter, however, were the best – allowing me to ride through heavy clouds of the day’s first bar-b-que. Heading downtown each morning, I pass first through the deep  smokiness that sits on top of LoLo’s in East Avondale, hoping for a soft breeze to come from the south and place the smoke squarely on my path. From there, I soon roll into the smell of campfire billowing out of Saw’s Soul Kitchen and down 41st Street. And when I’m lucky, I catch a mystery deliciousness that sometimes floats about Lakeview, seemingly coming from no place at all, before I finally arrive at work, just a block from the fire pit at Jim ‘N Nicks. Smoked pork isn’t generally regarded as a breakfast food, but on these mornings I am inclined to reconsider.

Bike commuters will tell you that one of the great things about riding your bike is that you see things you never noticed while in your car, even after driving past hundreds of times. But in Birmingham, seeing is just one of the senses by which you can discover your city anew. If I may humbly suggest: get out your old two-wheeler and take it around town one morning, The Iron City’s aroma awaits.

Commentator John Houser works at the UAB Civitan-Sparks Clinics and commutes to work daily from the Crestwood neighborhood.

 

United Nations nuclear agency again condemns Iran for failing to fully cooperate

The resolution comes after the agency said Iran has defied demands to rein in its nuclear program and has increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels.

Alabama carries out nation’s 3rd nitrogen gas execution

An Alabama man convicted in the 1994 killing of a hitchhiker cursed at the prison warden shortly before he was put to death Thursday evening in the nation's third execution using nitrogen gas.

Trump names former Florida AG Pam Bondi as his new pick for U.S. attorney general

After former Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew from consideration, President-elect Donald Trump named Pam Bondi, a former attorney general of Florida, as his next pick for U.S. attorney general.

Police report gives details, timeline of the sexual assault claim against Pete Hegseth

The woman who accused then-Fox News host of sexual assault in 2017 said that she "remembered saying 'no' a lot," according to a police report. Hegseth is President-elect Donald Trump's choice for Secretary of Defense.

Alabama Black Belt’s sewer crisis a tougher fix for residents in manufactured homes

Poor sanitation has long plagued residents in Alabama’s Black Belt. For people with manufactured houses, finding a solution has been more challenging.

In Birmingham, Black men’s groups work to save young men from the cycle of gun violence

As the city inches closer to its homicide record, community members are trying to address a sense of fatalism and lack of opportunity felt by some young men.

More Arts and Culture Coverage