Last week, I reverted to my middle school mode of transportation for Tupelo’s Bike-to-Work Day on Monday.

I borrowed a bike and a helmet and met up with Neal McCoy, the deputy director of the Tupelo Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The CVB was promoting a ride for workers who lived too far away to bike but still wanted to participate. Neal encouraged workers to bike with him at 7:45 a.m. from Rob Leake Park to the free breakfast downtown. A CVB shuttle was available to take workers back to their vehicles at the park.

Fortunately for me, Neal and I were the only ones who wound up at Rob Leake Park. I needed a few minutes away from a crowd to get the hang of the bike, considering it’s been years since I was on one, outside of the gym.

Neal led the way, starting on Joyner and crossing onto side streets.

Maybe it was the lack of the windshield or the slower pace, but I noticed a lot more about our community while I was on the bike.

I noticed houses I’d never paid attention to before last week. I also noticed the ease of navigation when it comes to our downtown area.

But I also noticed some problems that become very evident when you are walking or driving.

Because Neal and I were being considerate of motorists, we rode tire to tire on the side of the street instead of in the lane – like bikes are supposed to do.

It was a challenge because the bed of the asphalt road wasn’t even with the concrete gutters. I had to really pay attention to make sure I didn’t hit a big bump.

We also had problems at traffic lights. We waited at the intersection of Clayton and West Jackson and the light cycled but it never turned green for us. We weren’t heavy enough to trigger the sensor. So, we looked both ways, used our hand signals and ran the light.

Traffic cops, please forgive us.

I also worried about being run over because of the lack of space on the shared road. While the majority of the motorists were very considerate and slowed down and even moved into the opposite lane, I worried that I might fall and get run over or someone might be talking on a cell phone and not see us.

Neal and I did get a laugh out of one guy who drove past us downtown. He slowed down and gaped at us, turning his head to follow our progress past him.

We made it safely to downtown and then back to the park, but unless there are some changes with our roads, it’s not a trip I plan to do on a daily basis. I want to know I’m going to be safe when I travel, whether it’s by bike, car, plane, boat or train.

Safety improvements take money. Money typically gets spent on the most used modes of transit, which are automobiles in Northeast Mississippi.

I see more bike riders every day, but until there are enough of them to really have a voice, it is going to be tough to get the community to embrace spending the money to make the upgrades.

And without the upgrades, many of the bike riders won’t ride their bikes on the streets.

It’s the same old chicken-or-the-egg problem. But it’s one we are going to have to figure out as a community, considering the proposed plans for bike paths from the city of Tupelo and the Downtown Tupelo Main Street Association.

Contact Carlie Kollath at (662) 678-1598 or carlie.kollath@djournal.com. Also, follow her on Twitter at @carlie_kollath and on NEMS360.com/pages/bizbuzz.