River Rail Causes Rough Ride for Some Bike Riders

Central Arkansans will have an easier way to get around downtown before long, when the River Rail opens for business. But the trolley cars haven`t even started running, and some downtowners have already had a rough ride. Local bicycle groups say quite a few of their members have taken spills while riding along the rail -- causing everything from a few scrapes to a broken collarbone. "It gets caught in the channel, you can`t negotiate the front steering back or forth and it causes a severe fall," explains Arkansas Bike Club president Marshall Singer. The River Market gets plenty of rolling traffic, from babies in strollers, bikers and more importantly, people in wheelchairs. For bikers, when wheels get caught, Marshall says there are ways to get out of the groove, without breaking your neck. "What you want is a controlled stop, you get stuck in the groove, use your back break and put your foot down. Do not try to ride out of the groove," Singer explained. Or even better, he says, just cross the rail at a perpendicular angle. "Just lift your tire up as you go over," said Singer. Bike coordinators with the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department say there haven`t been many reports of injuries along the River Rail. But they are collecting information to decide whether or not it`s a problem serious enough to conduct a study.