Europe gives bikers, walkers space

MUNICH, germany — The Alps of Bavaria and Tirol may be well-known for phenomenal skiing and beer drinking, but in the summer, this place is an active, outdoorsy person's playground.

Thanks to its heritage, which includes two Winter Olympics, the place contains thousands of miles of paved and unpaved trails for mountain biking, hiking and running, as well as cross-country skiing in the winter.

The roads — both in the cities and countryside — are filled with cyclists of all ages, who get ample respect and space from motorists.

Both trails and roads run past small country inns, villages filled with small hotels and restaurants, and cities filled with even more.

In the past 10 days, I've spent time in Innsbruck, Munich and Seefeld, the latter of which is where my good friends Don Sparks and Katherine Saenger have lived this summer.

Sparks, an economics professor at The Citadel, has been an instructor with a program associated with Stetson University and based out of the University of Innsbruck for the past nine years. Katherine, a veterinarian at Bee's Ferry Veterinary Hospital, spends several weeks with Don every summer. Over the years, they have biked, hiked and camped all over Europe.

They are the most well-traveled couple I know and they say, for outdoor lifestyle, the Alps of central Europe can't be topped. I trust their judgment.

Don, who also is a longtime advocate for biking and pedestrian facilities and lifestyle in Charleston, has long touted Austria and Europe in pushing for a better community at home.

Frankly, I didn't have to go to mainland Europe (my first visit) to understand what he meant. But now that I have, I can understand his deeply held sentiments — and frustrations.

Efforts are under way, but always seem so hard-fought and grindingly slow.

In the Southeast, retrofitting our cities, suburbs and countryside is complicated because most of our development came after the rise of the automobile after World War II. Add to that the severe allergies Southerners have to taxes and fees.

The European model isn't just about bike lanes and walkways.

Closing streets allows people to shop, explore, and eat and drink — outside — without the fear of getting hit by a car. Where are all these closed-off streets in Europe? The historic 'old city' areas. The streets tend to accommodate cars and delivery trucks in the morning and then clear out by 10 a.m.

There is so much potential, not only for Charleston, but towns like us, such as Savannah, Asheville and Greenville. Each is making strides to varying degrees. And efforts are under way to link the cities, more conveniently, by trails, namely the Palmetto Trail.

One way to link up, European-style, may be more viable now that gas prices are starting to pinch. Why not restart our commuter train system?

Yes, I know, we aren't the Alps, we aren't Europe. But when I witness the quality of life and the sense of community and community-building, you can't help but be inspired and hope that we can be more like the modern "Old Country."

Reach David Quick at 937-5516 or dquick@postandcourier.com.