Meet Jessica Alexander

Image: Shereef Moustafa

A bit about myself...I've lived and been an avid cyclist in Long Beach for 11 years now and have really enjoyed seeing how the City’s bike infrastructure has developed over the years (and hope it will continue). I started biking all over Long Beach because where I lived for over 10 years has horrible parking and would bike to places so I wouldn't lose my parking spot or have to deal with parking wherever I was going. Those trips became so frequent it became an automatic thing to ride my bike everywhere. Especially on the ride home, I found that it would take the same amount of time to ride my bike instead of driving - because once I got home I'd have to search and search and search for a parking space that was usually a 10 min. walk from my place. It was much more enjoyable to bike.

Over the years I was biking more and driving less. Plus my car was becoming more unreliable and I hated spending any more money to maintain it. I was so happy and grateful when New Belgium Brewing's Tour de Fat picked me to be their "Car For Bike Trader" for Los Angeles last October and took my car away. It's been a great experience and opportunity. I’m already 6 months (and over 1,700 miles) into this car-free adventure (which you can check out here... http://ofbikesandbeers.tumblr.com/ ) and I definitely don't miss my car.

I’m definitely interested in getting more people, especially women, to ride their bikes and show them it can be done for everyday errands, commuting to work, etc. instead of driving. I always try to encourage others to ride their bikes and am trying to inspire people even more since I've become car-free. I’m very excited to have the opportunity to give back to my community by showing others how practical it is to get around by bicycle. Sure, not everyone can give up their car (and I don’t expect them to) but just to have them really think about biking more and driving less is a start.

Through my association with the Long Beach Cyclists I found out about and took the League of American Bicyclists Traffic Skills 101 course. It really helped me become more comfortable riding around the city, teaching me the rules of the road and how to deal with certain situations in traffic. I think it is a great stepping stone to get more women out on bikes so they are more confident in their riding abilities. My hope is that they will take what they learn in the class and pass on the knowledge to their families and others in their community. Not only is it important to get more women riding their bikes but also to get them to ride correctly and follow the rules of the road. I think the course will have a good impact on how they drive as well. Hopefully they will begin to see cyclists as other slow-moving vehicles on the road. I look forward to being a part of teaching and showing them that getting around on their bikes is easier than they think. Plus, they don’t have to be a super-duper road cyclist and wear spandex. Ride safe and ride on!