Father takes to bike to save gas

FLORENCE - Children sat on the sidewalk and waited patiently for their parents to pick them up after school on a recent sunny Friday afternoon.

SUVs and minivans circled around the parking lot at Kilby School, and parents darted back and forth to collect their children and buckle them in for the ride home.

With one exception.

Scott Infanger walked over from his nearby office at the University of North Alabama, greeted his 7-year-old daughter and unlocked the family trail-a-bike, a tandem bike with a junior seat.

Dad and daughter, in reflective vests, cycled away as her classmates looked on. About 11 minutes later, they arrived home.

With gas prices hitting record highs, what's a family to do? In Infanger's case, leave the minivan at home and take to the road on his bicycle.

Across the U.S., families are feeling the pinch of higher prices for almost everything, but fuel prices, at $3.50 to $4 a gallon - and whispers of reaching $5 this summer - really sting.

By commuting to work by bicycle, Infanger combines saving money with exercise.

"If you're filling up your gas tank about $100 a week, you've bought a good bike in a week," he said.

On his walk across campus from his office, Infanger, a Spanish instructor, pointed out a bike rack with a single bike locked to it. "I'm disappointed that more students don't use their bikes. But we're working on that," he said.

Still, the challenge remains as to how students, let alone families, will adapt as fuel costs increase as expected this summer.

Lesa Calvo picked up her daughter at Kilby School in an Xterra SUV, which gets a fill-up every week. When asked whether she could commute via bike, she said, "There's no way." Her son attends the Florence Freshman Center.

But for Infanger, biking only makes sense.

"In the Shoals area, everything is very close," he said. When Infanger lived in Idaho 10 years ago, he commuted 70 miles each day. "I wasted many hours of my life sitting in my car."

He now wants to pass the biking habit to his children.

"I wanted to teach my kids at an early age that biking is a legitimate form of transportation," he said. To that effect, next year, his now 4-year-old son Ian will take Elizabeth's place on the trail-a-bike as she rides her own bike on their way to Kilby.

"It's exciting to bike, and my friends all like to see us ride," said Elizabeth, who, after some cajoling added, "It's exciting because I get to be outside and I like seeing people walk to work; it might be breezy in the mornings."

After Ian starts riding, next in line will be 2-year-old William. "That's still a few years away, though," Infanger said.

In a town with no commuter bike lanes, few bike racks and a biking community that focuses on recreation, Infanger's family stands out.

"I think that's why people recognize and remember my daughter and me because we're the only ones that people see" commuting, Infanger said. "We would like to see a more bicycle-friendly community."

Ten people in Florence commute to work by bike, according to 2000 Census data, a statistical blip that decreased from 25 people in 1990.

Across the state, the numbers look similar. In Alabama, 1,656 residents bike to work; that's far fewer than the 1,611,160 residents across the state who drive to work, according to 2000 Census data.

Another issue for cyclists: The Shoals lacks a dedicated bike repair and supply shop, although some members of the Shoals Cycling Club offer bike repair services.

Bike trails are the domain of parks such as Deibert, McFarland, Veterans and the off-road path in Wildwood Park, said street manager David Koonce.

Cynthia Infanger, a stay-at-home mother, recently bought a bike, and uses the Winstar minivan for shopping trips and errands about four or five times a week.

The family estimates it saves about 12 trips per week from bike commuting, about 25 miles per week along with the trips they consolidate with the minivan in an effort to save fuel money.

The Infanger family budgeted one and a half tanks of gas per month, about $150.

As Scott said, "There are so many better things to spend money on than ..."

"Gas," Cynthia chimed in.

For details about area cycling visit the Shoals Cycling Club at shoalscyclingclub.org.

Trevor Stokes can be reached at 740-5728 or trevor.stokes@timesdaily.com.