Biller’s Bikes opens officially May 26, but owners of the fledging bicycle rental business already have proven themselves good neighbors in Harford County and Havre de Grace.

Bel Air and Havre de Grace are now stops on the East Coast Greenway, a non-motorized trail that will link urban areas from Maine to Florida, thanks to a commitment made to state officials by Walter Biller. Also benefiting from their goodwill is Havre de Grace tourism.

Biller’s Bikes opened at 817 Juniata Street in Havre de Grace in 2007 for just one month of the summer season. Not to be delayed in his vision by zoning and permitting hold-ups, Biller, with the blessings of co-owner and wife Maura, got busy designing bike racks that would blend in, rather than detract from, the historical maritime feel of Harford County’s waterfront gem.

“We didn’t want our customers to break the rules,” said Biller. City Council approved his plan to place fortified hemp rope and plank bicycle racks at three points along the Havre de Grace Promenade, a half-mile waterfront deck that connects Tydings Park, the Decoy Museum and Concord Point Light.  Bikes are not allowed after 10 a.m. on the Promenade.

After a request from state transportation officials, Biller’s Bikes agreed to drive bike riders and their equipment across the Thomas Hatem Bridge, which spans the Susquehanna River on Route 40.

“I was out here one day and the official car drives up,” Biller said of the day he was asked to consider providing the service. “Being new, I was like, ‘Yes! Cookies, tea, whatever you want’.”

Biller described a March 11 meeting of state and local bicycling and tourism officials, which was scheduled to be held at his business, which is also his home, but was moved ot a roomier site.

“It was supposed to be about 20 people, and it grew and grew to about 80,” Biller said. “All of the paid bike people were here, like a who’s who… I had heard of them. It was a historic meeting, as far as cycling in Maryland goes.”
The resulting agreement single-handedly resulted in the rerouting of a Maine-to Florida bike trail that now will meander through Harford and Cecil counties.
“It’s not that (trail planners) didn’t want to come here,” Biller said. The previous trail route crossed the Susquehanna on Route 1 at the Conowingo Dam, the area’s only legal bicycle crossing. About that, he said, “It may be legal, but there’s no room for error, for the car or the bike rider.”
Biller noted some bicycling enthusiasts bemoan the fact that transportation officials won’t allow bicycles to cross the Hatem Bridge.

“Anybody’s who has seen it knows it is not a safe place, especially with them about to resurface it,” he said.

Tourism officials expect serious cross-country bikers as well as biking tourists to eat in local restaurants, stay in local hotels, browse and buy in local shops and otherwise get to know both Havre de Grace and Bel Air.

“This has been a long-running need,” said Brigitte Layton, director of tourism for Havre de Grace. “Cycling is a natural fit for Havre de Grace, and it’s very bike-friendly.”

Biller’s Bikes charges $12 per bike/rider combo to cross the bridge, and asks for 24-hour reservations to ensure all their amenities are available. These include parts for requested repairs and tune-ups, snacks, chargers for iPods and cell phones, and Internet hookups. Go to www.billersbikes.com for more information.