Published: May 15, 2008 09:38 pm            

Residents pedaling away from high prices at pump?

BLUEFIELD — Gasoline prices climbing toward the four-dollar mark are prompting more people to consider bicycles as a way to cut the cost of that increasingly expensive daily commute.

In Mercer County, prices for a gallon of regular gas were ranging Thursday from $3.74 to $3.79 a gallon, making going to and from work and running daily errands a more costly task. West Virginia’s average price for regular hit another a record $3.92 a gallon, according to the AAA’s Daily Fuel Gauge Report. Last month’s average was $3.45 a gallon, and it was $3.14 a year ago. In Virginia, the average price was $3.69. The national average was $3.78.

Across the nation more commuters are considering a return to two-wheeled transportation, the bicycle. More bicycle riders are being seen on local roads, and one bicycle retailer has heard more members of the public express an interest in this older mode of transport.

“We’re still seeing more of our sports riders who are interested in doing it for personal health,” said Richie Mullins, owner of Adventures Bike Shop in Bluefield. Bicycle traffic in places like Bland County, Va., and Bluefield City Park continues to grow, he said.

However, getting on a bicycle for the daily commute is another matter. Local riders have to share the roads with motor vehicles, Mullins said. People are expressing more interest in bicycle commuting, but “it hasn’t hit the area yet.” He did say he expected to see more riders doing it by midsummer.

“I think that’s [lack of trails] the biggest factor limiting it,” he said. What the Mercer County area could use is a trail similar to the Huckleberry Trail cutting through the Virginia Tech campus.

According to the Montgomery County, Va. Parks and Recreation Department, the Huckleberry Trail is an asphalt pedestrian and bicycle trail extending from the Montgomery/Floyd Regional Library in downtown Blacksburg, Va. The six mile route goes from there to the southern portion of the Virginia Tech campus and ends at the New River Valley Mall in Christiansburg.

Transportation departments in both Virginia and West Virginia offer enhancement grants to building bicycle trails, Mullins said.

— Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.