6 Myths About Commuting By Bicycle
Reader Comments
bike commute - takes some planning
This is the thing about bicycle commuting... it takes some planning, and some creativity. Getting in the car and driving myself to work is easy. Riding the bike takes more planning. I started a new job. These are things I needed to plan.
1) find a place to park my car. Like Sam mentioned above, I can't ride the whole way. I have to go over a major bridge - and bikes aren't allowed on the highway. My other option is to ride around the lake. The lake is huge, and that will triple my length - so I drive part way and park my car at the trail-head of a bike trail - even though I don't use the bike trail for my commute
2) find a place to shower - I shower at a different building. I work at a company that does some manufacturing. They have showers down on the plant floor. I use them
3) find a place to park my bike - Fortunately my company has a little bike rack
4) find a good route to work - Google maps. Then do a dry run on a Saturday
5) pack your stuff the night before. I use a backpack - and I just shove all my stuff in it the night before. I keep shoes in a desk drawer at the office.
6) get your bike ready - this may mean a tune-up or you may need to replace some gear. Either way, this is relatively inexpensive. I'm still riding my Schwinn I bought for $200 used in 1992. It is a 15 mile ride each way.
Truth is, it took me a couple weeks before I had done enough planning and I could take my first dry run. After that, I was hooked. Now, work is just something I do in between bike rides.
Too Dangerous
Biking is always going to be a more risky form of transportation because a bicycle doesn't provide the structural safety of an automobile. But if you look at the raw numbers, this risk is not high enough to prevent me from commuting by bike. The US DOT data cited in the Rutgers study show that there are 109 biking fatalities per 1 billion km. Inverting this statistic reveals that on average cyclists travel about 9.2 million km (5.7 million mi) between fatalities. That very long distance indicates a level of risk that I am ready to accept. This average distance doesn't mean that you can travel that far before you are at risk - it's the total for all cyclists. However, through the use of safe biking practices you can further reduce your risk of becoming part of this statistic.
Ken Kifer
It's nice that you mention Ken Kifer's web site, but you might also want to mention that he was killed by a drunk driver while on his bike in 2003.
BIcycle Commuting
Nice article and I agree with both sides. Some people (like myself) are champing at the bit to commute by bike. I have already done it once round trip - 20 miles each way. I felt a tremendous sense of accomplishment when I completed it. And I can't wait to make it a regular thing; there are a LOT of big hills here in upstate New York and I have to work hard to get in shape. But I feel that I will whittle away the time that it will take me to commute; just in two sessions on the road, I have shown an improvement. But it's not for everyone and I don't put down anyone who doesn't want to do it. And I still own and need a car. But this is going to be a real adventure for me, along with saving some cash. There is no greater freedom than arriving at a destination of 20 miles distance under your own power !! I can understand why cyclist will spend months cycling cross country - it's a great feeling. I feel those who can manage it owe it to themselves to give it a shot - you have nothing to lose but high gas prices, stress, and the constant feeling of having to put 'pedal to the metal' in the car, in order to get somewhere. And the more you do it, the better you will get. Prior to my decision to bike commute, I used to cringe at the gas pumps; now I hardly even think about it. I have become more relaxed about this whole gasoline thing. When you don't have to depend on something, it's a great feeling of release. And I am not an environmentalist nor am I concerned about carbon footprints and other such things - I just want to save some money, get into shape, and have some fun. Just my thoughts on all of this - good luck to all, no matter how you commute !!
biking to work
Edwin, you big baby. I live in the center of the pickup-driving/bicycle-hating universe, by-God Texas. Each day I ride my 15 mile round trip commute to work, I save a gallon of gas that would be sucked up by my truck, which not only saves me now $4, but frees up a gallon for you, Edwin. You're welcome.
Now some math. It takes me about twenty minutes on a good day to drive the 7.5 miles to work, the same home. It takes me about 35 minutes each way to ride. For an investment of about 30 minutes of time I would ordinarily use for some purpose other than commuting, I receive a health benefit of 110 minutes of exercise when I ride to work. That's a net health benefit of 50 minutes.
If I were to stop at the gym for an hour long spin class on the way home from work, I would have to drive an additional 15 minutes out of the way, reducing my net health benefit of the 60 minutes of spinning, down to 45 minutes.
Total net time investment of commuting versus driving and spin class?
Driving - 40 minute commute, 15 minute gym travel, 60 minute class = 115 minutes
Commuting - 70 minute commute
I actually gain 45 minutes per day by commuting.
Saving a gallon of gas, $4 per day.
Saving gym fees for spin class, $50 per month.
Smiling as I ride past traffic jams of drivers with miserable looks on their faces? Priceless.
Bicycle Commuting
Check out
http://www.ski-epic.com/amsterdam_bicycles/
to see a bike commuter culture in action.
great feedback!
i was searching the web to find out how long it will take to bike commute. I live nearly 40 miles from my job and the price of gas is insane! I have a beautiful bike that has just been sitting around and I figured I should start using it.
I have found a place about 10 miles from work that will let me park my car in their lot (I found that this is a big thing! Most places won't let you park your car in 'their' lot. I live in the sticks and mass transit is not an option...bummer!) and I can 'cycle' the rest of the way. I was figuring it would take about an hour to get there and from what I have read, that seems about right.
In my mind I have big dreams of being able to cycle the whole distance! Crazy? Maybe. But after reading what Ryan posted, I certainly can see me getting to a point where I can bike half of my commute.
Check the numbers
Just checking that some of the numbers make sense. If the ratio of car/bike fatalities/hour is .47/.26; and the ratio by distance is 11x (bike>car), that would imply the difference is distance/time (mph) is 20. That would mean if the average bicycle travels at 15 mph, the average car travels at 300mph; or inversely if the average car travels at 60mph, the average would only make 3mph (a slow walk).
Admittedly these numbers come from different sources, but it implies that at least one of these numbers is meaningless, and leave all the rest of the statistics meaningless.
US News should know better than to publish articles without checking the sources.
You can afford a commuting bike right now.
To expand on the cost of a commuting bike, this article compares the cost of a commuting bike with the cost of gas or a car
You can afford a commuting bike right now
http://www.progressivewaynecounty.org/blog/mark_stosberg/2008/06/you_can_afford_commuting_bike_right_now
I just started a 12 mile each way commute and...
am really positive about the experience. I worry about my defensive biking skill set, but, thank God, I've found a bunch of stuff on the web, including videos, that I am learning a lot from. I am in reasonable to poor shape for my age (50), but with time I think that the trip will get easier. The 12 miles takes me 60 minutes and it is mostly flat. I'm pretty wiped by the time I get home! I don't know how many Americans are fit enough to do a bike commute. I also wonder whether our society's image conciousness will allow broader take-up of biking to work.
I recently learned a new phrase from a friend: "demand destruction". He claims it is what the oil suppliers fear most of all. Destruction of demand for their product. It will be interesting to see if Americans get used to the idea of $4 per gallon gas or if the short term behaviour changes we've seen, such as Ford pickup sales off 37% so far this year, GM closing plants that make large SUV's, and the reduction of miles being due to trip consolidation take hold in the long term.
I don't think that there is a magic bullet out there, but biking is one component available for reduced fuel use, lower carbon emissions, and improved health through increased physical activity. Further, biking does not require huge Governmental investment: Merly a bully-pulpit from political and corporate leadership would be sufficient.
Nice article Adam.
