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Do people use bikes to get anywhere faster? I would use one to save on emissions and/or get some much needed exercis edit: so many replies! I guess I stand co

Do people use bikes to get anywhere faster? I would use one to save on emissions and/or get some much needed exercis edit: so many replies! I guess I stand corrected, although the more I think about it, the less I'm surprised. I live in Japan, obviously known for its public transport. Interesting to note though once I travel abroad, thanks for the replies everyone :-)

VeejayRampay 9y ago
Traffic congestion and red lights often make it so that it's actually just as fast to go anywhere on a bike (at least in major cities, I know for a fact that it is in Paris at least). Though, it really depends on the ability to go between lanes and pass through red lights (which is actually legal in Paris on some corners if you take a left/right turn).
dschep 9y ago
Absolutely! I'm in DC, not NYC, but.. Driving means: walk 1-3 blocks to my car, drive it in slow(and extremely variable based on time) traffic, circle the block a half dozen times to find a parking space, probably having to pay. Biking on the other hand means: I walk outside, bike where I'm going at the same speed every day, and lock up when I get there. I've frequently beaten my friends when going places in the city and I have my bike and don't wanna leave it behind so I bike and they cab/drive.
leoedin 9y ago
My commute in London is faster by bike than any other mode of transport. The distance I cover in 30 minutes of cycling would take 45 minutes to drive (most of that stuck in traffic) and around 50 minutes on public transport. During the day cycling is very frequently the fastest way to get somewhere. Driving is also incredibly variable - one broken down bus or accident and you're looking at a 30 minute delay. Cycling is incredibly consistent - you do get slowed down by more traffic, but only slightly.
aidos 9y ago
Definitely. I've cycled in London for a long time (though I'm slightly out of town now) and depending on the time of day, it can be the fastest way to get across the city. There are a few factors to consider. There are places you can go by bike that aren't always available to cars (cycle paths through parks, for example). You'll get from the exact starting point to exact finishing point. And general congestion will take care of the rest. In a slightly different way, where I am now, the fastest way to get to work is to cycle 20 minutes to a more convenient train station and take the train in. The alternative is a) much less reliable and b) takes an extra 45 minutes (minimum).
rich_ard 9y ago
I live in a much, much smaller state-university city - but I bike between campuses and beat my coworkers in cars every time.
nether 9y ago
In Seattle, many trips of 3-6 miles are fastest by bike. Faster than transit or car even without including parking time. There are quite a few dedicated bike paths that make it smooth sailing for most of the trip.
- delecti 9y ago
  Unfortunately Seattle is also not an especially flat city. It makes it hard to get started.
  - pjmlp 9y ago
    If it helps as motivation, it is quite common to cycle on Swiss cities, and the Alps aren't properly flat. A light bike with a good set of gears helps a lot.
    - mmirate 9y ago
      Novice American cyclist here: what makes a set of gears "good" for usage in Swiss cities?
      - pjmlp 9y ago
        For example 3 gears on front and 6 behind, allowing for a relatively good combination of cycling effort (18 levels), which permits not being wasting too much energy when going upwards.
hprotagonist 9y ago
I do, for sure. It's the only sane way to get around Boston without going totally insane.
jnty 9y ago
Absolutely - it's fair to say that in many cities bikes will often get you there faster (or at least, more reliably) than vehicles at rush hour (and for a lot of journeys, most other times too.) If I had to prioritise the reasons I cycle to work, speed and cost would come above the other things you mention - although they're nice bonuses.
ahoy 9y ago
My girlfriend started commuting by bike last year and cut her travel time by almost half. There are real savings to be had in congested cities.
adam-_- 9y ago
Yes. My door to door commute by bike takes about 30 minutes but by public transport takes about 60 minutes. In fact, being able to commute by bike is the reason I moved out to a nicer, larger place than I would have considered if constrained to public transport only. For reference, this is South West London to West London (6 miles).
jdavis703 9y ago
On my skateboard I can commute through SoMa in SF faster than cars during rush hour. Actually my 30 mile commute between Palo Alto to Oakland is 10 minutes faster by taking a train and skateboard than driving.
maccard 9y ago
Used to cycle in Dublin - My journey was usually 40 minutes, sometimes 15 minutes, and sometimes an hour. Cycling was pretty much consistently 15 minutes.
shazow 9y ago
Anecdote in Toronto: I bike to a beach volleyball game with some friends from the same place in the downtown core. It takes me 16 minutes to get there by bike, it takes the rest of the team about 30-45 minutes to get there by car.
mmirate 9y ago
At a medium-sized, college campus with no internal roads, my bike is the only way I can reliably travel the 1.5 miles from one side of campus to the other, in less than 15 minutes, laden. And generally speaking, bikes are just like any other non-public transit method: the purpose is to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible, fsck everything and everyone else.

VeejayRampay 9y ago

Traffic congestion and red lights often make it so that it's actually just as fast to go anywhere on a bike (at least in major cities, I know for a fact that it is in Paris at least). Though, it really depends on the ability to go between lanes and pass through red lights (which is actually legal in Paris on some corners if you take a left/right turn).

dschep 9y ago

Absolutely! I'm in DC, not NYC, but.. Driving means: walk 1-3 blocks to my car, drive it in slow(and extremely variable based on time) traffic, circle the block a half dozen times to find a parking space, probably having to pay. Biking on the other hand means: I walk outside, bike where I'm going at the same speed every day, and lock up when I get there. I've frequently beaten my friends when going places in the city and I have my bike and don't wanna leave it behind so I bike and they cab/drive.

leoedin 9y ago

My commute in London is faster by bike than any other mode of transport. The distance I cover in 30 minutes of cycling would take 45 minutes to drive (most of that stuck in traffic) and around 50 minutes on public transport. During the day cycling is very frequently the fastest way to get somewhere. Driving is also incredibly variable - one broken down bus or accident and you're looking at a 30 minute delay. Cycling is incredibly consistent - you do get slowed down by more traffic, but only slightly.

aidos 9y ago

Definitely. I've cycled in London for a long time (though I'm slightly out of town now) and depending on the time of day, it can be the fastest way to get across the city. There are a few factors to consider. There are places you can go by bike that aren't always available to cars (cycle paths through parks, for example). You'll get from the exact starting point to exact finishing point. And general congestion will take care of the rest. In a slightly different way, where I am now, the fastest way to get to work is to cycle 20 minutes to a more convenient train station and take the train in. The alternative is a) much less reliable and b) takes an extra 45 minutes (minimum).

rich_ard 9y ago

I live in a much, much smaller state-university city - but I bike between campuses and beat my coworkers in cars every time.

nether 9y ago

In Seattle, many trips of 3-6 miles are fastest by bike. Faster than transit or car even without including parking time. There are quite a few dedicated bike paths that make it smooth sailing for most of the trip.

delecti 9y ago
Unfortunately Seattle is also not an especially flat city. It makes it hard to get started.
- pjmlp 9y ago
  If it helps as motivation, it is quite common to cycle on Swiss cities, and the Alps aren't properly flat. A light bike with a good set of gears helps a lot.
  - mmirate 9y ago
    Novice American cyclist here: what makes a set of gears "good" for usage in Swiss cities?
    - pjmlp 9y ago
      For example 3 gears on front and 6 behind, allowing for a relatively good combination of cycling effort (18 levels), which permits not being wasting too much energy when going upwards.

hprotagonist 9y ago

I do, for sure. It's the only sane way to get around Boston without going totally insane.

jnty 9y ago

Absolutely - it's fair to say that in many cities bikes will often get you there faster (or at least, more reliably) than vehicles at rush hour (and for a lot of journeys, most other times too.) If I had to prioritise the reasons I cycle to work, speed and cost would come above the other things you mention - although they're nice bonuses.

ahoy 9y ago

My girlfriend started commuting by bike last year and cut her travel time by almost half. There are real savings to be had in congested cities.

adam-_- 9y ago

Yes. My door to door commute by bike takes about 30 minutes but by public transport takes about 60 minutes. In fact, being able to commute by bike is the reason I moved out to a nicer, larger place than I would have considered if constrained to public transport only. For reference, this is South West London to West London (6 miles).

jdavis703 9y ago

On my skateboard I can commute through SoMa in SF faster than cars during rush hour. Actually my 30 mile commute between Palo Alto to Oakland is 10 minutes faster by taking a train and skateboard than driving.

maccard 9y ago

Used to cycle in Dublin - My journey was usually 40 minutes, sometimes 15 minutes, and sometimes an hour. Cycling was pretty much consistently 15 minutes.

shazow 9y ago

Anecdote in Toronto: I bike to a beach volleyball game with some friends from the same place in the downtown core. It takes me 16 minutes to get there by bike, it takes the rest of the team about 30-45 minutes to get there by car.

mmirate 9y ago

At a medium-sized, college campus with no internal roads, my bike is the only way I can reliably travel the 1.5 miles from one side of campus to the other, in less than 15 minutes, laden. And generally speaking, bikes are just like any other non-public transit method: the purpose is to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible, fsck everything and everyone else.