Carrie Peterson reports on crime for the Democrat Herald newspaper in Albany, Oregon, which is south of Salem about halfway between Portland and Eugene. Carrie’s beat includes burglaries, thefts, homicides, fires, car crashes, scams, court cases, drug activity. And for the next three weeks, Carrie is doing this without a car.
She’s been very honest on her blog about some of the difficulties she encounters that she’s never had to think about. Where to park the bike, for example, which she visits the police station as part of her job:
Parking my bicycle – does a person “park” a bicycle? – was a little tricky. The bike rack in front of the sheriff’s office was occupied by bicycles belonging to the inmate work crew so I circled back to the police station but discovered they don’t have a bike rack. I thought that was odd. I ended up locking my bike to a handicap parking sign.
She ponders if being car less makes you a homebody — if it’s a hassle to run to the store, you probably won’t shop as much. Errand running has its challenges and rewards. Carrie observes that you see more when traveling at a human pace. And this human pace of travel allows interaction with other individuals.
Props to Sioux in Urbana for the story. Sioux suggests dropping by Carrie’s blog and saying hello.