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I love this story that All Things Considered aired last week.
I've become an amateur bike commuter since moving to a less "car-dependent" part of town. I have to be honest though.. it can be depressing pedaling the 8 miles to work at 7am on a weekday morning and not seeing any other cyclists on the road. I ride a few year old mountain bike with hybrid tires. I can't ride particularly fast and I don't own a single piece of spandex. I am by no means a pro.
My honest opinion is that bicycle commuting is really not that difficult. I've heard people give every excuse in the book for not doing it, but there is one that I rarely hear, "I tried it for a week and it just wasn't for me." I don't think its because everyone who gives it a shot falls in love with it - I think its because so few people, at least around here, actually try.
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Comments
09.15.09
Wellll... I have to play devil's advocate here.
I have looked into commuting to work via bike, just as an experiment. But I'm not sure it's going to happen any time soon.
Most people don't bike to work simply because they live too far away. I myself live 16 miles from work. It takes 45 minutes by car, and I don't think I could beat that on a bike.
Then there is the issue of personal hygiene. I've heard that baby wipes in the restroom are an option, but that doesn't address the issue of haircare.
On top of that, most of us would have to carry an extra change of clothes, buy a special backpack for our laptop, and forget about running any errands over lunch.
It just seems like too much pain for not enough gain. That is, until gasoline shoots up to $10 a gallon!
09.15.09
@Scott Messinger, I hate to say it, but you are exactly the person I described in the post: haven't tried bike commuting and have every excuse in the book for never trying.
All I'm suggesting is to give it a try. Even once or twice. If it doesn't work out, then you can come back and tell me that it didn't work out. Yes, bicycling will take you longer than it will to drive your car, but the quality of the time will be much different. You may show up at work with messed up hair, so pick a day when you don't have meetings; or warn your co-workers in advance that you may show up looking a little goofy. I carry everything in a backpack I bought years ago - clothes, books, laptop, groceries. You don't have to buy special gear if you can be resourceful.
I'm not debating your analysis of cost vs. benefit - but I am questiong how you derive those calculations, since you've never actually tried bike commuting, it's only based on what it "seems" like it might be like.
09.15.09
I'd like to point out that, really, no one is a professional bike commuter.
Also, @Rob, depending on where you live, it's possible that biking is only one part of your commute. For example, my husband rides a few miles to catch a bus that takes him quite close to his office, and then bikes the rest of the way from that stop. And we live in a city famous for its mediocre public transit.
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