My biking journey as an urban planner - part 1

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biking in Phoenix


I moved to Phoenix from Tempe approximately three months ago to pursue my planning internship at AECOM. I was excited and over the moon to start, but there was a problem. The office was 17 miles from where I lived, and I did not have a car to commute to in a very car-dominant city. The transit option to commute to work was one and a half hours long one way, which made the daily commute excruciating to even think of. I could have worked from home, but it was just not my thing. Thus began my move to Phoenix and my biking journey. 

The first week I walked to and from the office because I did not have my bike yet. The 30 minutes one-way walks would have been better if not for the sweltering 100 degrees heat in the open tree-less urbanscape of Phoenix and the uphill terrain. My routine was to get there early to avoid the heat and pat myself down before entering the office. I knew this was unsustainable, and I wanted to get out of it as soon as possible. I was scouring the internet to get my hands on a second-hand bike as I could not find something that fit my needs and budget. A week later, however, I had found my bike - a medium-sized Huffy All-trail bike that was on sale for just $50. I quickly asked my friend to do me a favor and buy the bike, and I said I would come to pick it up on the weekend. I quickly went on Amazon and ordered a bike helmet, a foot pump, and a handle before I laid my hands on the bike. Back home in India, I did my fair share of biking but never bought accessories because it was considered unnecessary and a waste of money. Phoenix is one of the worst cities for bicycle and pedestrian deaths, and I wasn't going to take chances even for a 1-mile bike ride. As I rode the transit back to Tempe that weekend, my heart jumped with joy - my first bike in the States, and I had everything ready to go. I picked it up and loaded it on the bus and the rail to get it back to my home, only to realize later that the front gear was stuck at 1, which was the hardest gear to bike on. Can you imagine going uphill in that gear during deadly summers in Phoenix and formal wear? I couldn't get to fix it until the following week - what was I supposed to do?

I agree, my excitement dipped a bit, but that did not stop me from continuing my biking journey. More on it in the following parts.

Location: Phoenix, AZ, USA

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