John Siqveland

Lives: South St. Anthony Park, St. Paul

Works: Metro Transit, Marketing Project Manager

What sort of trips do you take by bicycle?

I ride anywhere in the metro and around the state. I take all sorts of trips, but this is what my occasional home to daycare to work trip looks like: My 4-year-old and I will attach the trail-a-bike and pedal up to the nearest bus stop. Then we break down the trail-a-bike, bring it aboard, and put my bike on the bus bike rack. We get off the bus after about 4 miles, reattach the trail-a-bike and pedal for about a mile. Then I drop my son off, pedal to the LRT station a couple of miles away, bring the bike on for the trip downtown, and pedal the last leg to work.

How often do you bike?

Several times a week

How long have you been riding your bike?

I have been riding for the past 2 years.

What keeps you pedaling?

I ride for a number of reasons and the more I ride, the more I discover. One of them is that I'm asthmatic and have been since I was very young, when I used to be admitted to the ER for severe attacks. I have been inspired by the 2001 CDC study on the effects of dramatically reducing automobile congestion in Atlanta during the 1996 Olympics. The study showed that the number of asthma acute care events decreased over 40% due to reduced automobile emissions. If getting on the bike instead of in the car means that I could keep even one kid out of the ER even once, why on Earth would I drive for trips that I can just as easily bike?

What kind of bike do you ride?

I ride a Rivendell Bleriot, which is the first bike I have built up in 25 years.

How do you stay safe when you ride?

I stay safe by riding well-lit and well-armed. By that I mean I use lights, bright clothing, and my arms for signaling turns. And I assert my rights as a vehicle.

Do you have a shining moment with a motorist, or something you really appreciate from motorists?

I like when motorists treat a bicycler with the same respect they do another automobile - and the vast majority do. I'll take that over any shining moments.

What are your pet peeves, either from motorists or other cyclists?

The overly nervous or hyper-polite motorist who fails to respect right-of-way and tries to wave me through an intersection, even though they arrive first. Not unrelated: bicyclers who blow stop signs and stop lights.

What is the most unusual thing you do on your bike?

I have found myself singing aloud on occasion.

Last updated Oct. 21, 2011