Brash. Brilliant. Controversial. Colorful.

These are just some of the adjectives that could be used to describe alternative transportation advocate Steve Schmitt. But they would fail to come close to capturing this Lehigh Valley pioneer. One of the four Lehigh Valley horsemen: Jeff Parks brought us Arts Quest; Tony Hanna slowly but surely has transformed Bethlehem's Southside; Alan Jennings has raised our poverty awareness. Schmitt made sure these other three always accommodated cyclists, pedestrians and the buses.

Unfortunately, Steve passed away recently. He is survived by son Eric, who lives in Allentown, and son Robin Spilner, of Philadelphia.

When you see a LANTA bus with a bike rack in front, that's Steve Schmitt. When those buses drive into Wegmans and other shopping centers, that's Steve Schmitt. When you see bike lanes in Bethlehem and pedestrian crossings throughout the Lehigh Valley, that's Steve Schmitt. He was a tireless advocate for life without cars. He was also the first director of the Coalition for Alternative Transportation, which he renamed and called the Coalition for Appropriate Transportation.

I knew Steve. I took bicycling safety courses from him, went across Fahy bridge on a bicycle for the first time under his direction, and learned the pitfalls of riding along a trai:. Blind spots. Steve taught me that lesson by letting me ride, bicycle and helmet and everything else, right into the Lehigh River after I failed to heed his warnings. Tough love, I suppose.

It was even tougher love for Joe DeRaymond, a local peace activist who also passed away well before his time. DeRaymond attended a forum sponsored by Schmitt when the federal government first pondered widening Route 22. But he made the mistake of driving there.

Schmitt had just finished explaining that people need to change a philosophy that glues them to their automobile, and DeRaymond made the mistake of asking for an example.

"Give me your keys," answered Schmitt. And that was it. DeRaymond walked home. Ten miles.

"He could have taken a bus," Schmitt later explained.

He was tough that way. He insisted everyone around him wear helmets for safety reasons, but always had ear buds when he rode, which made it impossible for him to hear traffic. He explained that he would rather get hit than get into an argument with some irate driver.

The low point for Steve came in 2009, when he was rejected by Northampton County Council as a LANTA board member despite pleas from Executive John Stoffa, who called him a "different thinker," and Ron Angle, who supported Schmitt's willingness to question everything.

But for this one low point there were many more high points. Teaching kids how to ride and repair their bikes. Providing bicycles for many people, kids and adults of limited means. Establishing a satellite shop on West Broad Street for people to learn bike repairs. Bartering with people of limited means, who might lack the resources to buy a membership but might have time to trade. Sitting next to a bike rack during Musikfest, watching the bikes of others so they could enjoy the music.

If you rubbed him hard enough, he was pure diamond. His passing is a great loss to this area.