As we move into the colder months in Michigan, getDowntown wanted to highlight someone who uses sustainable transportation all year ’round. That’s why we decided to chat with Bill Merrill of Gordian Labs. Bill bikes, buses and walks to work all year long. Even when Bill was searching for a place to live, he made sure it was within walking distance from downtown. And he has the map to prove it.
Lest you think he’s one of those crazy Treetown commuters you see wizzing by you on the street with studded tires, here’s what Bill had to say when I asked him to be interviewed for this story:
“I’m not as hardcore as people I’ve read about in the past. I ride [my bike] year round, but I also mix it up with walking and busing when things get a little too messy for biking. ”
Well, that’s actually perfect. Since I bet Bill is like a lot of you. He’s not a zealot, he just wants to be able to go to happy hour and not have to worry about driving home.
So, a little about Bill. He’s lived in Ann Arbor for 10 years. He came here as a grad student and was a founding member of the engineering team at Arbor Networks. After 5 years with Arbor Networks, Bill set up his own company, Gordian Labs. Gordian Labs is a software services firm with staff in New York, San Francisco and other places.
Bill’s company set up shop in the Brickyard on Main Street this past summer. He really likes the space because all of the businesses complement each other.
In terms of sustainable transportation, Bill was always biking as a kid in Houghton. He remembers delivering newspapers on his bike in February in the snow (10 miles both ways!) so winters here don’t seem that bad.
Bill has also been road biking for 10 years. He just recently bought a fancy road bike, so he now uses his 10 year old Cannondale hybrid bike for commuting.
Since Bill lives really close to downtown (off of Pauline) his commute is really flexible. And fun. Bill tells me that one of the best parts of commuting by bike is finding some of the secret paths that allow you to get to places faster than having to go on the street. This summer in particular, he found a great route to get to the new Whole Foods on Eisenhower by way of Seventh.
Even now as the weather turns colder, Bill usually rides his bike to work. However, Bill doesn’t bike to work when there is fresh snow on the ground. He actually thinks that the worst time of the year around here is early spring when melting snow freezes and creates those great slick spots on the ground that we all love so much. During those times, Bill usually sticks to either busing or walking to work.
When asked what kind of accessories he recommends for winter bike commuting, Bill first mentions head gear–he wears a thin wool cap under his helmet and a fleece necktube to keep his neck warm. He also recommends some good neoprene gloves to keep the cold off your hands.
Beyond that, Bill recommends a velcro strap for your pants and some fenders. And definitely lights!
If you are just starting winter commuting, Bill says the best way to do it is to layer up until you are warm (but make sure you can still move!). And try commuting on nice days when it’s cold but not wet.
To help avoid the worst of winter weather, Bill recommends checking out the weather radar online so you know when the weather is ready to get bad.
Bill is one of the fortunate folks in the downtown to have a bike locker. He says he loves his bike locker because if the weather turns sour he can walk or bus home and leave his bike in a safe and secure location.
I asked Bill for some websites he might recommend related to bike commuting. He emailed me a link to a YouTube video that demonstrates the right way for bikes to ride in the road. He says one of the best things about the video is that its a very reasonable approach and shows you exactly how to maneuver all sorts of situations. Since oftentimes it is hard to have a level-headed discussion about sharing the road, this sort of tool can come in very handy.
Bill goes on to talk about how important it is to be part of traffic. He’s actually had very few issues with cars because he is out there in the road instead of hugging onto the curb for dear life. Although it may sound counterintuitive, putting yourself in the lane makes it more likely that people will treat you like a car. Which hopefully will result in fewer crashes.
In addition to working and riding his bike, Bill is into lo-fi photography. He’s got a mobile phone photo blog that’s he’s run for 3 years.
For all of you out there looking to transition from summer biking to winter biking, I hope this post has calmed some of your fears. For those of you who already bike all year ’round please take some time to share your wisdom as well.
