6 ms·

I applaude this effort. I think many people discount how capable they are of making the switch to commuting via bike to work. Almost any commute less then 10 mi

by dkhenry 11y ago

I applaude this effort. I think many people discount how capable they are of making the switch to commuting via bike to work. Almost any commute less then 10 miles can easily be done via bike, and making a "safe" route to connect the metro area is a great first step. The unfortunate situation is that if you are over 10 miles to your office ( which many are ) you will have a hard time making that commute in a acceptable amount of time, unless you actually make an effort at going fast.

buckbova 11y ago
I don't want to show up to work sweaty. And I want the utility of a vehicle if my plans change. So I'll drive regardless.
- lukeschlather 11y ago
  That really depends on your speed. Like dhenry says, if you're going at a moderate pace, a 5 mile commute ends up being about 30 minutes door to door, and you don't really work up a sweat, definitely not in the winter, maybe sometimes in the summer. If you're going full-tilt you can get that down to 20 minutes door-to-door and then you sweat and you have to take a shower. So really it's a question of if you're trying to get some aerobic exercise during your commute or not. I am of course speaking for Seattle where it's usually cool but not cold and damp but not really raining.
- ethanbond 11y ago
  Honestly it's a great way to wake up to get some exercise in, then drop by a gym for a shower (if your office doesn't have one). Showers at the office are probably one of the most underrated perks ever. As a sidenote, the whole point is that "the utility of a vehicle" shouldn't far exceed the utility of a bicycle/public transit in an area as developed as Silicon Valley.
- andy_boot 11y ago
  I travel ~ 5 miles to work (takes about 30 minutes). I dont push myself to hard and I keep a spare t-shirt in the office. Arrive, swap t-shirt. Done. If my plans change I leave my bike at work and arrive on mass transit the next day.
- rconti 11y ago
  You're welcome to your opinion. I bike 8 miles each way in Silicon Valley with a backpack on my back. I ride in a t-shirt and jeans (unless it's really hot, in which case I wear shorts). I ride moderately hard, so I arrive with a bit of sweat on my body and on my face. Sometimes I wipe the sweat off my face with a paper towel. 10 mins in my air-conditioned cube and I'm back to normal temp, all dried off, and merino t-shirts don't smell. Driving a car is convenient, sure. My bike commute to work takes about twice as long as driving on 101, though my commute home is often about the same, time-wise due to traffic. I enjoy the bike ride more, for the most part. Occasionally I wish I had a car. Once I had vertigo so I called an Uber to take me to the urgent care. If I had a car, I would have driven, but that's probably not the best shape to be in while driving a motor vehicle. So I suppose you'll trade sitting in traffic for the convenience of having a car on the rare occasion you need one. You're welcome to the choice. I welcome the addition of more bike infrastructure.
  - zurn 11y ago
    Just curious, why do you prefer a backpack to a pannier (or backpack-inside-pannier)?
    - dkhenry 11y ago
      I like the backpack better as I can bring it with me on the last 100 ft and into my building where I shower and change, where if its pannier's I either need a backpack inside of it, or I need to carry my stuff around. Also people steal stuff, so I don't like leaving things on my bike.
      - Symbiote 11y ago
        Try choosing "Office bags" from https://www.ortlieb.com/en/produkte/radtasche/ https://www.ortlieb.com/en/produkte/radtasche/ There are pannier backs with backpack straps, or shoulder straps, etc. Although I have the more basic "back roller" standard detachable panniers. They take a second to attach/detach, nothing remains to be stolen. Best £50 I ever spent! They still look new after 2 years of daily use.
    - 11y ago
_delirium 11y ago
Even in Copenhagen, 10km (6 miles) tends to be about the furthest most people bike. A few do bike further, but it really drops off past that. For the longer commutes, people do a hybrid bike/rail trip. If you're 5km from work, often it's easiest and fastest to just bike directly. If you're 20km, it's more common to bike to the S-train. Depending on your job location, you either take the bike with you on the S-train and continue biking from the other side, or you park it at the station and just take the train in.
- IkmoIkmo 11y ago
  Absolutely, same here. Amsterdam for example, most distances are about 4-5km. Inside the 'ring', which is a highway running in a circle around the centre of Amsterdam, is considered to be Amsterdam the city, outside is mostly considered Amsterdam the suburban area, and the ring has a diameter of about 8km, which is probably a good measure for what people are willing to bike. Up to 10km still makes sense, too, but beyond that it tapers off really quickly. It really depends how long that takes though on a few factors. For example, in the Netherlands you can separate two distinct groups. One are those who cycle between cities, usually these are either old people for recreation, or much bigger, teenagers (12-18) who cycle from a small village to a nearby larger village or town to go to secondary school. Those people have two things in common, 1) they have nice bikes with gears and 2) they have very long stretches of fully separated cycling paths without any traffic or stop lights. They can pretty easily get speeds of 20 km/h and do a 10km trip in half an hour. The other group of people are mostly inner-city people who don't take their bicycle outside of the city and use it for shopping, seeing friends, cycling to work, to a station etc. They usually have what are called 'opa' and 'oma' bikes without any gears. And their trips consist of mixed traffic (quite a lot of separate lanes, but not everywhere) with a lot of traffic stops every minute or so. They get speeds around 14 km/h or so, and with the constant stops some effectively get more like 12 km/h. Their 10km trip suddenly takes 50 minutes, and that's just not really acceptable for a lot of people, particularly when you're in your suit for a morning meeting and it either rains or gets really warm. So it really depends. In big cities though, you'll rarely see 10km trips, 8km is the reasonable limit for most, 1-5km is typical (for example 1km for shopping, 2km for sports, 2-5km for friends or work or a station).
TulliusCicero 11y ago
> The unfortunate situation is that if you are over 10 miles to your office ( which many are ) you will have a hard time making that commute in a acceptable amount of time, unless you actually make an effort at going fast. OR, unless you get an eBike. Which, while more expensive than a regular bike, are still vastly cheaper to purchase and operate than a car. A good pre-built eBike will probably sell in the $1000-2000 range and uses a negligible amount of electricity.
- Pxtl 11y ago
  I think it's tragic that ebikes have become the domain of drunks and losers. We have the perfect solution to global warming and urban intensification right there, and no self-respecting person will use it because it's a tool of the underclass.
  - tyrust 11y ago
    I've never heard of this stigma in the US. Where is this coming from? edit: I see in your other comments you mention Ontario, interesting. Seems so strange that a mode of transportation could carry such a stigma.
    - Pxtl 11y ago
      Must be local. I live in Hamilton, Ontario, and you'll see e-bikes frequently in the rougher parts of town.
    - bbarn 11y ago
      Several of my friends are bike shop workers in Chicago, I can confirm this is quickly becoming the preferred "DUI Bike" for those with the means.
  - sliverstorm 11y ago
    I think ebikes are just seen as cripplingly uncool, and there is a bit of a feeling that it's the lazy way out.
  - 11y ago
ryandrake 11y ago
And if you're over 30 miles from work, forget it unless you're in fairly good shape. My 45+ mile commute to Silicon Valley laughs at any attempt to get me on a bike. Better to support improved mass transit.
- jkyle 11y ago
  There's no single policy that solves the problem. It's a combination. Building public transit extends the longer commute. Building out local cycling options extends the area that the public transit options can serve. It also relieves congestion on those same public transit options since some of those living 5 or 10m away are more likely to bike.

by dkhenry 11y ago

buckbova 11y ago

I don't want to show up to work sweaty. And I want the utility of a vehicle if my plans change. So I'll drive regardless.

lukeschlather 11y ago
That really depends on your speed. Like dhenry says, if you're going at a moderate pace, a 5 mile commute ends up being about 30 minutes door to door, and you don't really work up a sweat, definitely not in the winter, maybe sometimes in the summer. If you're going full-tilt you can get that down to 20 minutes door-to-door and then you sweat and you have to take a shower. So really it's a question of if you're trying to get some aerobic exercise during your commute or not. I am of course speaking for Seattle where it's usually cool but not cold and damp but not really raining.
ethanbond 11y ago
Honestly it's a great way to wake up to get some exercise in, then drop by a gym for a shower (if your office doesn't have one). Showers at the office are probably one of the most underrated perks ever. As a sidenote, the whole point is that "the utility of a vehicle" shouldn't far exceed the utility of a bicycle/public transit in an area as developed as Silicon Valley.
andy_boot 11y ago
I travel ~ 5 miles to work (takes about 30 minutes). I dont push myself to hard and I keep a spare t-shirt in the office. Arrive, swap t-shirt. Done. If my plans change I leave my bike at work and arrive on mass transit the next day.
rconti 11y ago
You're welcome to your opinion. I bike 8 miles each way in Silicon Valley with a backpack on my back. I ride in a t-shirt and jeans (unless it's really hot, in which case I wear shorts). I ride moderately hard, so I arrive with a bit of sweat on my body and on my face. Sometimes I wipe the sweat off my face with a paper towel. 10 mins in my air-conditioned cube and I'm back to normal temp, all dried off, and merino t-shirts don't smell. Driving a car is convenient, sure. My bike commute to work takes about twice as long as driving on 101, though my commute home is often about the same, time-wise due to traffic. I enjoy the bike ride more, for the most part. Occasionally I wish I had a car. Once I had vertigo so I called an Uber to take me to the urgent care. If I had a car, I would have driven, but that's probably not the best shape to be in while driving a motor vehicle. So I suppose you'll trade sitting in traffic for the convenience of having a car on the rare occasion you need one. You're welcome to the choice. I welcome the addition of more bike infrastructure.
- zurn 11y ago
  Just curious, why do you prefer a backpack to a pannier (or backpack-inside-pannier)?
  - dkhenry 11y ago
    I like the backpack better as I can bring it with me on the last 100 ft and into my building where I shower and change, where if its pannier's I either need a backpack inside of it, or I need to carry my stuff around. Also people steal stuff, so I don't like leaving things on my bike.
    - Symbiote 11y ago
      Try choosing "Office bags" from https://www.ortlieb.com/en/produkte/radtasche/ https://www.ortlieb.com/en/produkte/radtasche/ There are pannier backs with backpack straps, or shoulder straps, etc. Although I have the more basic "back roller" standard detachable panniers. They take a second to attach/detach, nothing remains to be stolen. Best £50 I ever spent! They still look new after 2 years of daily use.
  - 11y ago

_delirium 11y ago

Even in Copenhagen, 10km (6 miles) tends to be about the furthest most people bike. A few do bike further, but it really drops off past that. For the longer commutes, people do a hybrid bike/rail trip. If you're 5km from work, often it's easiest and fastest to just bike directly. If you're 20km, it's more common to bike to the S-train. Depending on your job location, you either take the bike with you on the S-train and continue biking from the other side, or you park it at the station and just take the train in.

IkmoIkmo 11y ago
Absolutely, same here. Amsterdam for example, most distances are about 4-5km. Inside the 'ring', which is a highway running in a circle around the centre of Amsterdam, is considered to be Amsterdam the city, outside is mostly considered Amsterdam the suburban area, and the ring has a diameter of about 8km, which is probably a good measure for what people are willing to bike. Up to 10km still makes sense, too, but beyond that it tapers off really quickly. It really depends how long that takes though on a few factors. For example, in the Netherlands you can separate two distinct groups. One are those who cycle between cities, usually these are either old people for recreation, or much bigger, teenagers (12-18) who cycle from a small village to a nearby larger village or town to go to secondary school. Those people have two things in common, 1) they have nice bikes with gears and 2) they have very long stretches of fully separated cycling paths without any traffic or stop lights. They can pretty easily get speeds of 20 km/h and do a 10km trip in half an hour. The other group of people are mostly inner-city people who don't take their bicycle outside of the city and use it for shopping, seeing friends, cycling to work, to a station etc. They usually have what are called 'opa' and 'oma' bikes without any gears. And their trips consist of mixed traffic (quite a lot of separate lanes, but not everywhere) with a lot of traffic stops every minute or so. They get speeds around 14 km/h or so, and with the constant stops some effectively get more like 12 km/h. Their 10km trip suddenly takes 50 minutes, and that's just not really acceptable for a lot of people, particularly when you're in your suit for a morning meeting and it either rains or gets really warm. So it really depends. In big cities though, you'll rarely see 10km trips, 8km is the reasonable limit for most, 1-5km is typical (for example 1km for shopping, 2km for sports, 2-5km for friends or work or a station).

TulliusCicero 11y ago

> The unfortunate situation is that if you are over 10 miles to your office ( which many are ) you will have a hard time making that commute in a acceptable amount of time, unless you actually make an effort at going fast. OR, unless you get an eBike. Which, while more expensive than a regular bike, are still vastly cheaper to purchase and operate than a car. A good pre-built eBike will probably sell in the $1000-2000 range and uses a negligible amount of electricity.

Pxtl 11y ago
I think it's tragic that ebikes have become the domain of drunks and losers. We have the perfect solution to global warming and urban intensification right there, and no self-respecting person will use it because it's a tool of the underclass.
- tyrust 11y ago
  I've never heard of this stigma in the US. Where is this coming from? edit: I see in your other comments you mention Ontario, interesting. Seems so strange that a mode of transportation could carry such a stigma.
  - Pxtl 11y ago
    Must be local. I live in Hamilton, Ontario, and you'll see e-bikes frequently in the rougher parts of town.
  - bbarn 11y ago
    Several of my friends are bike shop workers in Chicago, I can confirm this is quickly becoming the preferred "DUI Bike" for those with the means.
- sliverstorm 11y ago
  I think ebikes are just seen as cripplingly uncool, and there is a bit of a feeling that it's the lazy way out.
- 11y ago

ryandrake 11y ago

And if you're over 30 miles from work, forget it unless you're in fairly good shape. My 45+ mile commute to Silicon Valley laughs at any attempt to get me on a bike. Better to support improved mass transit.

jkyle 11y ago
There's no single policy that solves the problem. It's a combination. Building public transit extends the longer commute. Building out local cycling options extends the area that the public transit options can serve. It also relieves congestion on those same public transit options since some of those living 5 or 10m away are more likely to bike.