"Why I don’t ride my bike to work anymore"

[consularrider]

No time to bike commute, but he can particpate in Ironman distance triathlons? When does he get time to train for that? Just a question of setting your priorites, and clearly bike commuting lost.

[TwoWheelsDC]

Could use a different cover photo…jeez.

[jabberwocky]

Meh. Some of his reasons are legit (its hard to deal with errands and kids on a bike), and some seem like excuses (I don’t have a shower at work). His comment about how he always has negative interactions with motorists while “always riding the curb” says that maybe he isn’t that experienced a road cyclist (riding the curb is, almost always, a really bad idea).

I disagree that you need to be some sort of superman to bike commute. My commute “costs” me about 10-15 minutes (how much longer it is to cycle versus driving). I don’t have a shower at work either, and I manage just fine. Most things people pull out as insurmountable obstacles to bike commuting are fairly easily dealt with.

The article has overtones of justification; he didn’t like his commute or didn’t feel like doing it, and is sort of justifying not doing it anymore. He should just say “I didn’t enjoy it, it didn’t work with my life” and that would be fine. Bike commuting ain’t for everyone.

[DismalScientist]

The author say unreliability (due to flats, whatever) is a problem with bike commuting. I would suggest that other modes of commuting tend to be much more unreliable.

[dasgeh]

Agree with jabberwocky.

Though the kids and errands thing is completely BS. Kids LOVE riding. There are lots of options for bringing them along. You could even do something like a trailer and leave it at daycare, so as not to impact the rest of the ride to work. Driving is a lot more variable than riding. I know when I’ll get home every day when I ride. Driving, depends on traffic, and can range from 10 minutes to 45…

[TwoWheelsDC]

On a more substantive note, his justifications seem a bit weak, meaning they could easily be overcome if he put some effort into it. That said, I do get annoyed by the US-based Copenhagenizers. “oh, you just need some infrastructure and some trendy clothes!” Well, yeah, infrastructure and clothing are an issue, but seriously, Copenhagen is flat with a mild climate, as is pretty much other European city we’re told we need to be more like. Again, I don’t disagree with the larger point that creating a casual bike culture (through education, infrastructure, etc…) is key, but too many times people forget that geography (meaning hills, sprawl) and and climate are legitimate barriers that can’t be overcome with infrastructure (unless you build a bike lift on the Custis) and style.

[Subby]

Bike commuting is not an all or nothing proposition. Riding two days a week is still better than nothing.

[lancito brazofuerte]

[ebubar]

It sounds to me like the guy concentrated on the negatives. For every crazy driver that almost hits me and makes me mad, about 10 leave me alone.
Occasionally, there’s that one driver who actually encourages me at a stop light!

I personally look at the positives of the bike commute and relish in the feeling that i’m getting away with playing in traffic on my bike. In particular
I love when I manage to accelerate from a stop light and keep pace with a line of traffic. The looks of shock from drivers is great!

I wish this guy would’ve had more of those positive experiences to focus on.

[Greenbelt]

Action wipes — lots of ’em.
That said, Kansas City sort of sucks. Very spread out and crisscrossed with freeways. Perfect example of post-war car-only development. Few accessible or compact neighborhoods. I used to live there. I got out.

[UrbanEngineer]

“Now I have kids and daycares are not interested in you being 30 minutes late because of a flat bike tire”

In the DC area, anybody who bike commutes to an office filled with drivers and metro users as I do is probably use to being the most punctual person in the office as biking is easily the most dependable and consistent mode of transportation in the area.

“The workplace is a fierce place and if you have an office job, you are expected to be on time, dressed appropriately, not smell and not have chain grease on your slacks. If you come in disheveled or late from a flat tire or slow bike ride, then you will have plenty of time to cycle while looking for a new job. It feels as if 90% of US employers are more focused on making profits and succeeding instead of contributing to environmental conservation and assisting employees with commuting options. It’s a different world and US companies as a majority are not equipped or interested in making cycling to work an option.”

When I have to go out to a job site, I’ll ride my bike. Those who cab it, they’ll bill those cab rides to the job. $10 here, $20 there, over the timeline of an entire project, many workers doing it…That’ll add up. I might have some sweat on my brow at the project meetings, I might not be dressed in a suit like most everybody else, but my commute is charging the client $0. That sounds profitable to me.

[rcannon100]

Boy, I dont know…. lots of the author said struck true to me.

Two essential for me to bike commuting: good parking and showers. Almost every job I have had for 25 years has had that. In my last building, we didnt – therefore management had an agreement with the local marriott – I think it was a $100 a year membership to the marriott fitness center and I got to park in the marriott basement. Walked a couple blocks to HQ and boom. But um nooooooo….. It would not be appropriate for me to work without a shower after a work out.

Kids and schedule. Oooooooh yes. When the replicants were young, my wife and I would play tag team. I would get the replicants to school – delivery the car to the wife – and then she would pick them up. We are a one car family. Biking the replicants to school was not an option and timing didnt give me a lot of choices. At a recently Health Fair at work, the number one reason I heard from people who wanted to bike to work but didnt was family commitments.

I will say I agree with the “its not an all or nothing choice.” During the period when I had to drive… when I didnt not have to drive, I jumped on a bike. I could manage a ride once and again and was always glad. When I did.

Appointments??? Oh, I completely agree with this one as well. I will go through contortions to avoid appointments that conflict with biking to work. Generally this involves some industry meeting somewhere on the city with speakers – where the event organizer is car centric making a choice of location that not even public transportation is all that viable. I never get that – why have an event where it is difficult to get to?? Anyway, my choice lately is just to blow off the event (could not do that last week).

Negative interactions with motorists – I agree with that as well. 95% of my commute is on bike path. After I got hit by a car a few years ago, I promised myself it would never ever happen again. One of the ways I keep that promise is adjusting my route to the safest path possible. We did a survey at work of where our commuters came from – what do you know – they came primarily from where the safe bike paths are. If I had to go through traffic regularly…. I probably would find a different way of getting exercise. I have seen too many bad things. Cars get dents; cyclists get blood and broken things (see Rod’s post from today about getting rammed by a truck).

The author than goes on to extrapolate, transforming his personal experience into a general statement about the population.

Commuting to work by bike just is not feasible for a family and in most US cities.

Bullsh…. er, invalid. People confuse micro-decision making for macro decision making all the time. What is true on a micro level is not necessarily true on the macro level – an ad hoc personal experience does not make a rule.

I think there is something to be taken from the authors article. There are strong variables that facilitate bike commuting. They include
* Bike parking
* Shower Facilities (see discussion threat of what to ask for from employeer)

Other important variables include
* Safe Route to work

These are solvable problems, and demonstrates the important role of management, government, and Sir. Tims. On the macro level, want to promote smart growth and smart transportation? Then solve these problems…. which ArlCo, DC, and the local govts have been doing – yup, govts did it. And good management dedicated to smart employee commuting, installing showers and racks, will improve numbers. And govts building things like the WOD, the CCT, the other CCT, the Custis, the MVT, Met Branch, Rock Creek… many of which are still being built…. directly promotes cycling.

On the macro level, he makes a good point – if you want to promote cycling, look to these variables.

On the micro level, he’s a whiner who is making excuses. No shower in his building. Um, what about the building next door – or the building down the block? Again, lots of hotels will let you buy shower memberships to their fitness facilities. Need to take work home? (a) get better bags and (b) this is the age of cloud computing. Every ride he’s been on he has a negative interaction with drivers? Um, am I detecting a Type-A personality here, prone towards conflict???? Even when I have to drive in traffic, its usually easy to switch from primary crowded roads to secondary calmer roads that are much safer.

Finally, the weather in KC ranges from 20 degrees to 100 degrees?? Really??!! Someone wanna tell this guy about Freezing Saddles? Whiner!

[baiskeli]

Funny, those are the same reasons I don’t participate in Ironman triathlons. Plus an extreme lack of athletic ability or motivation.

[Amalitza]

@rcannon100 51013 wrote:

Finally, the weather in KC ranges from 20 degrees to 100 degrees?? Really??!! Someone wanna tell this guy about Freezing Saddles? Whiner!

As far as that goes, he didn’t whine enough. The weather is more extreme in MO than here. Summers are marginally hotter and more humid, and winters are definitely colder. I don’t know what he’s talking about 20 degrees. When I lived in Missouri, the coldest days had highs between 0 and 5F. Lows were more like in the negative 20s (not counting wind chill). I know, global warming, but still. Highest highs in the summer usually between 105 and 110F, humidity just a bit higher than here, and more of the hottest days.

Ok, more to the point, I think most of his reasons-slash-excuses are actually pretty valid reasons, and even if I thought they were a bunch of BS, I don’t see much legitimacy in judging someone else’s transportation choices.* Despite my post over on brendan’s thread about working after a ride without a shower, no I would not ride 20 miles in a business suit and 100 degrees to give a sales pitch. For example. The problem I see is his conclusion, that because he makes this choice for this reason, the government should not invest in infrastructure. First of all, as Subby says, biking for transportation is not an all or nothing proposition. I don’t bike to work. I most certainly do not bike from my house to my boyfriend’s house (Alexandria VA to Waldorf MD). I do bike to yoga. And pottery class. Sometimes to the grocery store, usually to get my hair done. And I drive the pick-up when I want to get a load of mulch. The fact that I use a gas-powered vehicle to haul lawn supplies or travel through suburban sprawl doesn’t negate the benefits of safe biking infrastructure for trips to the grocery store. And the fact that *I* drive to work doesn’t negate the benefits of safe biking infrastructure to those of you who ride there, and it doesn’t negate the benefits to society of fewer cars driving fewer miles.

It is easier to bike for transportation in the DC metro area than in the KC metro area. Despite what I said above, the weather is only a bit more extreme, not dramatically so. (on average, at least. my family probably would argue otherwise based upon the past winter’s respective snowfalls). The real reason is that the infrastructure is better and the work culture is more supportive. Which kind of negates his conclusion. Not just DC. People don’t bike more in Minneapolis because the winters are mild, or in SF because of the how nice and flat it is.

*I am talking on an individual level, not as public policy. There are obviously benefits to certain forms of transportation over other in terms of externalities and costs to others and all that, but you can’t judge a person by one of their lifestyle choices. I am good for the environment by using limited air conditioning and recycling and sometimes biking for transportation. I am bad for the environment by living too far from work and having a larger house than I need. I am not going to pick and choose someone else’s individual choices for judgment.

[vvill]

I think a lot of things he says may be true for his circumstances and geography, excepting showers for which I don’t really agree – I don’t have access to those either and get by fine – and changing a flat which takes 10 mins not 30 mins, and happens infrequently (unless maybe he’s riding on racelight 19mm tires in the gutter).

When you find yourself in that situation I guess you have to decide if you want to change things or not, and how much you value being able to get around by bike. For me, it’s a great way of putting in a daily balancer into the drudgery of Mon-Fri work and my kids usually also enjoy it a lot. In any case, I wouldn’t want to live somewhere that is absolutely horrible for cycling in general – since that’s also a reflection of the more urban 😎 vs. sprawling (ugh) environment (he even touches on this by saying “We would need to move back into the urban areas to shorten the commutes to gain acceptance on a much larger scale.“). I would’ve done what Greenbelt did! Of course if he really likes Kansas City he could also do the other thing and “be the change”, and try to be an example and agent for bike commuter advocacy, etc. Nothing would ever change if everyone applied his logic.

If he’s not using a bit of hyperbole talking about getting fired over coming in late from a random puncture (good thing cars/traffic are always smooth sailing) or appearing tired, then his work situation sounds pretty shitty too.

[Author]

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