You know what kills me? We have perfected a transportation technology that could make a huge dent in CO2 emissions and in liquid-fuel consumption -- and it's barely utilized. I know it gets tiresome hearing bike enthusiasts harp about their passion, but if you could eliminate most of the reasons people don't ride bikes, you would have an awful lot of bike riders.
Safety is the biggest one. The potential of getting hit by a car in Seattle is very real. Compared to a lot of cities, we have a lot of bike lanes and trails, but even so, they are grossly insufficient.
You can rarely go anywhere without having to mix it up with cars part of the way (and the testosterone-pumped fools that drive so many of them). Politicians give lip service to squeaky-wheel bike organizations, feeding them just enough to get them to shut up.
The roads here in Seattle are absolutely terrible. You need to keep your tongue out from between your teeth, shock absorbers, and a keen eye to avoid the cracks and holes. Swerving to avoid the numerous bad spots in the road that would cause a wreck adds to the danger.
There is nothing you could commute to work in, or buy groceries with, that comes anywhere close to the carbon neutrality of a bike with a trailer on the back. Riding bikes isn't a form of sacrifice for the good of the planet. If I found riding my bike unpleasant, I wouldn't do it. I love riding my bike. I hate driving my car. It is a win-win situation for me, and for most other riders.
According to numbers gleaned from an EPA site, if an average American could put half of their miles on a bike, they would emit 6,000 pounds less carbon into the air. That is about the same amount a Volvo running on pure soy biodiesel would emit.
I didn't ride my bike for many years after my children (snot-encrusted virus vacuums) were born. I felt I couldn't spare the time it took to get my bike from point A to point B. That all changed with my hybrid electric bike (and once my kids got older). It gets me to most destinations in the Seattle area faster than a car and without having to change clothes before or after I get there.
Riding my bike down Capitol Hill at night or along the Burke Gilman trail with a tail wind is exhilarating. When was the last time you used that adjective to describe commuting in your car?
Comments
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bookerly Posted 11:37 am
15 Aug 2006
Agreed! I biked for many years in San Francisco, and faced homicidal car drivers daily. Here in Beijing, drivers don't have the hatred for bicyclists that affects Americans (is it a virus?).
Changing zoning laws to allow mixed use developements (so shopping and work are closer anyway), plus bicycling, will make a huge difference!
Just got on mine yesterday after a month off (travelling), the first few strokes were wobbly, but soon it was as if my sore bum had never left the seat (grin).
Forever biking!
patrick
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KathyF Posted 5:20 pm
15 Aug 2006
(Fortunately I don't commute to work, so it's a theoretical argument.)
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Icelander Posted 10:36 pm
15 Aug 2006
This isn't an issue for those lucky few whose employers have showers available for them, but most Americans don't. And most Americans don't want to take the time to shower once they've gotten to work.
Then you've got the problem of sweaty errand running and/or errand running in those rediculous bicycle outfits. (Yes, they're rediculous, admit it.) I don't want to walk the mile to the grocery store or to work when there's a 100+ degree heat index, let alone bike that distance trying to keep up with traffic. And when I get there, I'd like to not look and smell like I just ran a marathon in hot pants.
And then you've got the inevitable "My little Brent or Ashley might get a boo boo at school and I'll have to get out to the suburbs to pick them up! How will I do that on a bike?!?"
And, finally, you've got the technology. A good commuter bike is over $700. That's too much of a leap for someone who isn't sure if they'd like it. I'm sure a lot of people, my wife included, are intimidated by having all those gears. She's never sure which one she should be using. (An automatic bicycle would solve this problem.) And then there's the maintenance involved to keep it in running condition. Most people just put gas in their cars. A bike needs its chain lubed, its brakes adjusted, its wheels checked. The investment in time isn't worth the savings.
And the last bike that a lot of people had was one of those banana seat ones, and their butts are probably still sore from it.
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bhurley Posted 10:41 pm
15 Aug 2006
The crown jewel of Québec's bike system is La Route Verte, with more than 2,200 miles of bike paths that run through many of the most picturesque regions of the province. It's safe and well-maintained, and a joy to ride on.
The City of Montréal has several times been voted the most bike-friendly city in North America by Bicycling magazine, despite the fact that our roads are even worse than Seattle's (I've ridden in both cities, so I know). Montréal also boasts La Maison des cyclistes, a three-story oasis for bikers where you can find maps, guides, decent bistro food, bike gear, and free air for your tires.
When your trusty steed bites the dust or you want to upgrade, you can call Eco-Vélo, a local nonprofit that trains disadvantaged youth to refurbish used bikes. It has trained 350 kids so far and sells 1,000 refurbished bikes each year to Montréalers. You see Eco-Vélos everywhere, it's a heartwarming sight.
Maybe it's our more European perspective, or the huge immigrant population, or the fact that gasoline's more expensive here, or maybe we just need to burn off the fat we've gained from eating all that poutine, but in any event Québec has a remarkably strong biking culture. I'm happy to be part of it.
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amazingdrx Posted 11:06 pm
15 Aug 2006
Although the purists seem to still look down on the full suspension bikes, I prefer them. You can go faster and ride safer. So it's a little more weight? We ride for the endorphin high as much as anything. The work out is the thing.
Would more people commute on bikes if bike lanes and trails were expanded? Or would safer, more comfortable, electrically assisted bikes be necessary?
I think some combinationof both, including actual bubble topped recumbant electric bikes would really boost the numbers biking to work.
A nice protective inflatable insided lexan bubble that lifts up on a front hinge. Protection from rain and cold and enough crash protection to make helmets unecessary.
http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog
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kmp Posted 1:31 am
16 Aug 2006
Please don't feel that I am chastising anyone here - mostly chastising myself. On backroads, my job is 14 miles from my home. I started at this job in December of last year. So, ever since late Spring or so, I've been toying with the idea of riding my bike to work, even just one day a week. Here are some of the obstacles to that plan, many also outlined above:
14 HILLY miles. I took a test-drive on a Sunday and it took me 2 hours one-way. This means getting up at 5:30am to dress, grab a banana and pack a bag of clothes, lunch, etc., to get out the door by 6am, get into the office by 8am.
Safety. About half of my proprosed bike commute is relatively untraveled backroads, not much traffic, quite beautiful & pleasant actually (there is a gorgeous lake, you often see deer, etc). Unfortunately another half is quite busy roads through Ridgefield, CT, and a couple of hills in particular are scarily narrow with no shoulder at all on which to ride one's bike. In addition to this, unlike the fine folks in NYC who learn (after a while) to simply let bikers do their thing in traffic, the big-ass SUVs in the suburbs tend to move ALL THE WAY into the oncoming lane of traffic to avoid a biker. (I've encountered this in my car many times, as well as on my bike). Thus, one of these days, I fully expect to either cause an accident while on my bike (one SUV bashes into another as one is avoiding me by being completely in other lane of traffic) or to be in an accident while some SUV is avoiding a biker. Neither thought is appealing.
Shower. There is no shower at my office (a new situation for me - generally, in my industry, there are lab spaces, and therefore mandatory showers, but none of either exist in this building). The best I have is a handicapped bathroom stall with a sink, so I could take a sort of sink/shower once I got into work, and have a little room in which to change. Luckily I am not big on the whole makeup/hairdryer thing, or that would add more time and difficulty.
Time. All our lives are busy, mine no less so. A 4-hour commute is definitely a time commitment that would require some discipline to manage.
Other commitments. Like I said, busy life. In a typical week, after work I may drive to Mt. Kisco (22 miles) for acupuncture, drive to Valhalla (32 miles) to go to the climbing gym, drive to NYC (65 miles) to play soccer, drive to Cortlandt Manor (29 miles) for dinner with a friend. In addition to this, swinging by the farm to pick up the CSA, getting groceries, dry cleaning, the pharmacy, etc... all these little things happen nearly every day after work.
My bike. My bike is a totally sweet beauty, but she is set up for mountain biking. I've already switched her knobby tires to a pair of slicks for road riding, raised the saddle, adjusted the handlebars.... but that's about as much as I can do. I still have a heavy suspension fork and still not quite the configuration, nor the handlebars, I would like for road riding. So I contemplate buying a road bike... and the $1000 or so investment helps to keep me in limbo.
Fitness. After my 2-hour test drive on the bike of a Sunday, I was pretty beat and needed a nap. I immediately decided that I needed to log more hours on the bike in order to prepare for a 4-hour commuting day, lest I really injure myself.
After all is said and done, however, these obstacles can all be overcome. I am, after all, only contemplating (at the moment) once or at most twice a week on the bike. I guess it is mostly laziness and the sheer joy of convenience that so far has stopped me from attempting the bike commute. Far easier to sleep 'till 7:30am, shower in the comfort of my own home, and zip to work in 30 minutes in the Beetle, while also knowing that, should I forget to bring my lunch, I can zip out in the Beetle and lunchtime and pick some up, should a friend email to meet her for drinks after work, I can zip on over in the car, etc.
I haven't given up though - there are joys to be had in the bike commute... the joy of early morning mist over the hills, riding while the world is asleep, watching the sky lighten and the world wake up. The joy of blood pounding through your veins, air rushing in your lungs and wind whipping past your skin on a thrilling downhill. The joy of knowing you are doing something good for your body, good for the planet and good for your very soul. One of these days, those joys will overwhelm the joy of snuggling back into the feather bed and, yet again, hitting the snooze button.
Kaela
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amazingdrx Posted 1:54 am
16 Aug 2006
Even at about a 1000 bucks it would pay off in gas in about 300 riding days I think? About 3 years of 2 day per week riding. And your heavier shock absorbed mountain bike is better for the electric assisted add on feature.
On the other hand, since I ride 6 days a week now my speed has gone up dramatically with my fitness. I wrecked my drive train, sprockets and chain, with my added strength. But I had a new stronger set installed.
You might reduce your 14 mile commute time in awhile from added fitness. It makes one feel like a monster on the bike, hehey.
But really the benefits from the endorphins alone are worth riding 6 days a week over 20 miles in the woods. No more pain, stress or any of its symptoms!
http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog
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kmp Posted 2:39 am
16 Aug 2006
So, I am trying to spend at least 2-3 nights a week in the park on the bike for at least an hour to up my biking fitness.... one of these days I shall drag my butt out of bed early enough to bike it to work (hence making the afore-mentioned butt lighter and easier to drag out of bed!!).
k.
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caniscandida Posted 3:54 am
16 Aug 2006
you know I love and admire you both, but frankly, on this bicycle business, I think you are both crazy, and setting very bad examples. : )
It would indeed be wonderful if the use of bicycles in the US can be encouraged. And, yes, made more safe: that is indeed a serious consideration.
But really, such expectations as two-hour commutes, the need for butts and thighs like iron, and the hope for a shower at the destination, are not going to encourage most of us.
A few years ago, when I was in the beautiful Tuscan hill town of Cortona, where the streets were at 45-degree angles, and nobody rode a bike, as a lark I bought a T-shirt that said "Cortona," and had a stitched design of a bicycle on it. Quite a joke, which anyone who knows Cortona can appreciate.
On the other hand, in the beautiful town of Ravenna, down in very flat Romagna, I was delighted to observe that nearly everybody was on a bike.
So I think the point is: Yes, it would be great if more of us rode bikes instead of jumping into cars etc.; but that is not going to happen unless the distances we want to travel are relatively modest (two-hour commute indeed!), and the effort of getting there will not kill us.
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mihan Posted 4:28 am
16 Aug 2006
(1) is a systemic problem. (This came up in the discussion of the woman in IL who was trying to go without a car for a while.) If you arrange your life in such a way that it relies on a car, you will need a car. Period. How many times have you heard "we had no choice but to move to the suburbs"? Of course there's a choice: a short commute vs. a large house. Sometimes people do need to commute a long way to work so they can live with their partners (are there any academics in the house?), but this is not the usual reason. Since I don't have a car, I automatically arrange my life so I don't need a car. Easy! Anyone could do the same, whether they have a car or not; I know many car owners who do.
(2) My favorite (G-rated) urban fantasy goes like this: All car traffic is relegated to a separate road (one or two lanes), like a bike path. Then, where the "road" was, there's a "big" lane for buses and trucks, a "fast" lane for fast bikers, and a "slow" lane for slow bikers, rollerbladers, and cute skate punks. The sidewalk is for pedestrians. slap slap [okay, okay, I'm awake now]
On enjoyment: I just moved to a transport-less town (not even a taxi), so I got a bike. I don't enjoy riding, as such; it's enjoyable enough but I wouldn't get on the bike just to ride. But I hate driving, so it works for me, despite the monster hill I scale to get to work (a mile uphill in the snow may be a teeny challenge). Buns of steel may yet be in my future...
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Icelander Posted 5:55 am
16 Aug 2006
Now if it took an hour by foot and a half hour by bike, that would make a little more sense.
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kmp Posted 6:49 am
16 Aug 2006
Not surprisingly, I am often called crazy. As I generally take it as a compliment, thank you. However, I must in this instance disagree with the assessment. Is not one of the definitions of crazy to repeat the same behavior yet expect different results? Therefore if I continue my one-woman-one-car daily commute, yet somehow expect the status of global climate change to change for the better, would not THAT be crazy?
So, while my proprosed commute may be somewhat extreme, I would say it is most definitely non-crazy. (uncrazy? I guess sane would work, but it's such a tame little word).
And if I garner buns o' steel along the way, well I won't complain!
Kaela
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amazingdrx Posted 7:15 am
16 Aug 2006
And proud of it. But even I would balk at city traffic. Although I used to keep up with it when I lived in one city. I had a really high gear ratio bike.
The woods is safer. Especially for Arnie the wonder dog.
Buns of steel, hehehey.
I got it Kaela, a pump sprayer on your bike, shower the last five minutes of the ride.
Biking does seem to be a solution destined for the fringe element in its present configuration though Canis.
http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog
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David Roberts Posted 7:29 am
16 Aug 2006
But you know what the main impediment for me is? Not safety, and not effort, but reading time. Busing to work gives me a solid 45 minutes to read, which I never seem to have time for any more. I honestly hate giving it up.
Anybody figured out a way to read and bike at the same time? I can do it walking, but biking seems like it would be a tad trickier.
www.grist.org
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thollandpe Posted 7:32 am
16 Aug 2006
> I'm too lazy/it's too far/too hard:
Try the one-way commute. Drive to work with the bike and ride home, then ride in the next day. Having the car already at work is a great motivator for Day 2.
> There's no place to carry my stuff:
On the days you drive to work, bring and store your clothes (especially shoes, they're hardest to carry) for the bike commute days.
> Bikes are too expensive and hard to maintain:
This requires that you step outside the box. If you look at every mile you drive as saving 45¢, it's cheap. And that's only the IRS-approved personal car mileage rate. The benefits to your mental and physical health . . . priceless.
> There's not enough time:
Drive time is unproductive and usually frustrating. Commuting by bike reclaims that lost time. When you get to work you've already crossed something off your to-do list, and the time you've had to think (on the way in) or decompress (on the way home) is well spent. You may not need that trip to the climbing gym, acupuncturist, liquor store, etc. anymore.
> It's too dangerous:
Yes it is. But it beats being killed by poor diet, lack of exercise, and job-related stress. Learning how to ride well is one way to minimize the risk . . . I mean look at the video . . . those riders are taking insane chances but combine that skill and concentration with more common sense and basic road manners and you have dramatically reduced the risk. Lean to ride and ride well. And put it in perspective: 1) How many people do you know that have been hurt in car accidents? 2) A pretzel almost killed a US President, once upon a time.
> There's no shower:
I shower in the AM, get dressed in my riding clothes, ride to work, wash my face in the sink and change into work clothes. On hot days I'm forced to ride easy, but I think a difficult meeting registers higher on the BO meter than a 10-mile commute.
Toad the 12 sprocket
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caniscandida Posted 8:27 am
16 Aug 2006
I'm crazy for trying,
and I'm crazy for crying,
and I'm crazy for lo-oving you.
Or whatever.
No, no, seriously, of course I love you forever, dear Kaela, regardless.
So long as you don't bring up that disaster, when I tried to sing "Crazy" on Karaoke Night at that bar in the Village, and the madly jealous Celine-Dion-wannabe in the booth did her best to sabotage me.
Worry? Why should I let myself worry?
By all means, bike as you like. Miles and miles and miles ... I have no doubt that you are one of the sanest people on the planet.
Admittedly, though, this is a pretty crazy planet. And "people" are a pretty crazy species.
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Green fish Posted 9:04 am
16 Aug 2006
Of course there's also the biggest problem for biking regularly, Winter.
I bike all Summer, all Spring and all Fall. Unfortunately that's only a total of about seven months here in Minnesota. Black ice and sub-zero temperatures (especially in the early morning, coincidentally also when I need to be commuting) are a great discourager for the rest of the year. I try to bike for much of the winter but the occasional -20F mornings and the freezing rain make even me call it quits.
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Tokyowithtots Posted 9:48 am
16 Aug 2006
As much as a third of commuting trips are made by bicycle in many Japanese cities. It is no surprise that per capita energy consumption in Japan is really very low compared to the USA, Australia, NZ and other such places where life revolves around the car.
What makes it possible for so many to cycle here? There are many reasons. Cities are compact for one. Mixed use zoning is the norm. My home is standard and within 5min walking distance are a supermarket, dentist, doctor, pediatrician, hospital, schools and just about everything else I could need. The centre of town is 6km away.
The second biggest factor, in my view, is the existence of lots of narrow lanes. It is possible to drive along these lanes, but it is slow going, so quite safe for cyclists and pedestrians. The number of young children cycling and walking about by themselves is testimony to this.
Thirdly, the sheer number of cyclists and pedestrians makes it very difficult for big auto to buy out government and planners. This is a big factor. Unfortunately, this is the dilemma for the West. The majority of people just don't seem to "get it". This makes it difficult to convince them to support better facilities/safer roads (which would lead to more people "getting it").
Possible solutions? A showcase road? - One great narrow walking and cycling lane lined with shops, trees, parks (with showers and lockers) that stretches through an entire city.
Even better - a showcase city? Find a city where the majority of people do actually "get it" and just support them democratically with federal funding.
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amazingdrx Posted 10:29 am
16 Aug 2006
Actually endorphins from biking tend to promote sanity! Kind of ironic. Bike 6 days a week and one can fire ones shrink and throw away those tranquilizers.
Alright, we need a virtual karaoke night here on the blog. Is that possible?
http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog
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bookerly Posted 10:35 am
16 Aug 2006
Distance is certainly a valid obstacle. At one point I had to bike for forty minutes to reach the ferry, ride the ferry (a lovely thing to do in the morning in SF), then bike another 15 minutes to the office. (This would be longer if there was a train stopped on the tracks, but I learned to climb over a flatbed carrying my bike. Not recommended for everyone!).
One of the reasons to be "against" the suburban lifestyle is that distance is designed in. Things are purposefully seperated so that people have to travel. This compartmentalization benefits the automotive and oil industry, but is killing the rest of us.
TokyoWithTots makes the point that "Mixed use zoning is the norm. My home is standard and within 5min walking distance are a supermarket, dentist, doctor, pediatrician, hospital, schools and just about everything else I could need. The centre of town is 6km away."
This is also true in China. It really changes the nature of movement within a city. (And bikes, as well as walking, are about movement.)
Showers at work are an obstacle. When I had none, I also showered just before biking. I carried with me a clean shirt (I sweat mostly in my upper body), a towel and a wet cloth (in a plastic multi-use bag). When I got to work, I went to the toilet, wiped myself down with the wet towel, applied deodorant (or whatever your heart desires), dried off and put on my clean shirt (and a tie if needed). I usually found that I could ride at a pace to avoid the worst of the sweat on all but the warmest days.
(At one point in Beijing, I was teaching an hour and a half away through a muddy countryside (summer only). I wore shorts, and when I got there, washed off my legs with a hose, then put on a clean pair of shorts. Not for everybody (smile), but possible).
A clean set of clothes can be left at work on days you don't bike commute. I never had trouble carrying one, they can be rolled up into a small space mostly.
Winter riding is tricky. In Beijing, I just have a one gear simple bike. In the winter my main concern is that my hands get really cold (even through two pairs of gloves) holding the amazingly cold handle bars. I stop at intersections and try to warm them. And endure.
There is something beautiful about riding in the winter at night. Even if it's cold (smile).
Traffic is trickier. In San Francisco, at one point I gave up bike commuting because the route involved too many homicidal drivers. There is something wrong with some parts of American culture.
I suggest joining (or forming) a bike coalition, and letting local police know that you expect your rights to be observed and you expect them to enforce them.
This is one reason so many cities have Critical Mass rides.
Let me suggest again, that while the practical obstacles can be overcome, there is no substitute for group action. An active bike coalition that pushes the rights of cyclists and makes demands on police and politicians is critical!
Ride one, but don't ride alone!
patrick
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mihan Posted 1:10 am
17 Aug 2006
I couldn't agree with you more. I read voraciously, and now that I don't have a 15-minute bus ride in to work, I miss that reading/coffee/quiet time. I used to have a "bus book" and a "home book." Given the choice? I'd still be bussing instead of walking or biking. Call me lazy if you will.
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LaliaTK Posted 4:40 am
17 Aug 2006
I especially liked the video. Ack! They all went so fast and zoomed right in between groups of people, etc. What was the song, though? I liked it and want to check out the artist/band.
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