By Brandon Phillips

Most days I get on my electric cargo bike, often with my two kids in the back, and set off on various routine expeditions around Bethany—preschool, grocery stores, libraries, cafes, doctor visits, you name it. And potentially to help others, I have been recording my journeys and making the videos available on YouTube, with overlaid GPS map and elevation information. My goal is to augment trail/road maps with a first-person perspective of how I use a mix of different infrastructures to run my daily errands.

Also, some of the videos serve a public good purpose—it is an eyewitness account of infrastructure issues that may otherwise go unnoticed by County officials. Recently, I used footage to report a 4+ inch sidewalk lift at THPRD’s Bethany Lake Park entrance; quite a treacherous obstacle for anyone on wheels. And the County fixed it within three weeks, thanks! (Request a Road Service here.)

It is also a way to share these little suburban adventures with curious folks who often inquire about my bike and my routes. My hope is that I can help others better understand the extensive network of trails and paths that exist in our area. And if that gets more folks out on bikes, it could create a ripple effect of change.

If you are interested in following along you can find my videos here. And if you have an interest in utility cycling, please drop a comment on that page and get in touch.