Sunday, February 24, 2008

Why Don't You Commute By Bicycle?

Over the years I've learned some interesting things from the comments folks leave on this blog, so I figured I might as well ask a couple of questions here and see what answers you come up with.

In this post the question is:

Why Don't You Commute By Bicycle?

Use the comment section to post as much or as little as you'd like about why you don't commute by bicycle. If you do commute by bike, please go to the companion post Why Do You Commute By Bicycle? and comment there. If you sometimes commute by bicycle and sometimes don't, feel free to comment on both posts.

Thanks.

59 comments:

brother yam said...

(I commute by bike, but this is what I hear when I ask)
* it takes too long
* I don't wanna come to work all sweaty
* I have carry too much stuff
* it's too {hot,cold,rainy,snowy}
* I don't have a bike
* there's no way to get here from my house in Deepest Darkest Suburbia
* I can't bike that far, are you nuts?
* I don't have time
and my favorite:
* "biking is for kids and nutball hippies"

kit said...

Because I run a business from home and it seems kind of silly to bike 15 feet through the living room.

It wouldn't be silly to unicycle it, though- I'll look into that.

lynnef said...

I've got a co-worker who unicycles in sometimes. When he's not riding the recumbent pulling the kid trailer. His route is not flat.

Vik said...

When I don't commute by bicycle it is because:

- I'm working at home [happens a lot]
- it's winter and the 25kms of highway I need to ride don't have a plowed shoulder
- I've got a number of places to be in a short time over a large distance

When I don't commute by bike I do try and do something multi-modal like riding my Tikit to the train station, meeting up with a colleague and carpooling the rest of the way to work.

If I'm staying at home working all day I'll often jump on my bike once or twice to run errands and get some fresh air.

NobbyNick said...

Home office and a company car that I use when I need to visit clients.

Unknown said...

I'm a construction superintendent. I'd love to commute by bike, but unfortunately this is a job I'm extremely qualified for and it's not bike condusive. I carry a lot of tools and supplies every day and I run multiple jobs around town and need to get from job to job during the day. Whenever this topic comes up people throw out the reasons that the excuses don't hold water, but the simple fact of the matter is, some times it has to happen. Even though I know there's no choice in my situation I still feel the liberal guilt and try to ride for the majority of my non-work related chores.

cyclotourist said...

I've tried, but the two hours each way eats up too much of my day. Only eighteen miles but a lot of elevation gain (two sets of foothills so I get it both ways). That plus narrow back roads with no bike lanes and huge amount of commuter traffic either backed up for two miles, or racing by at 75mph on said narrow back roads. It's just not pleasant or efficient use of time. Work is in a different county, so bus systems are different. Riding a bus to a shared terminal still leads to a two hour commute. If I worked in town, it would be a no-brainer, but I work in a different city in a different county. Can't find a job in the small insular town I live in, and no way want to live in the suburban hell of a town I work in.

Paul said...

Unfortunately I don't commute because I've got a knee problem that the doc can't figure out. Fortunately the physio has given me the thumbs up to start building up the miles again (man, I'd forgotten how uncomfortable a road bike's saddle is!)

Once I'm recovered I think I'll commute 3-4 days a week. I live 16 miles from work, and there's likely to be 1 or 2 times a week when I need to get home quicker than the bike will allow (my wife's work schedule is very variable), and even if I get a clear week I guess I'd want one car day to take in shirts and other supplies.

Anonymous said...

Typically, I have to drive to sales appointments and client meetings in the metropolitan area (approx. 30 mile radius) of my city. Pretty much means I need to drive my car. Otherwise, I have an enjoyable 20 mile round-trip bike commute.

I'm actively looking to change careers/jobs, so that I can get rid of the expense of my car (and earn a bit more money). Spouse has a job outside the home and has a car; two school-age kids). I'd like to become a one-car family this year. Reduce expenses, simplify my mind, get away from "the rat race," brighten my overall outlook on life -- key benefits I expect when I can begin biking to/fro work

Seems that bike commuters *typically* need a job situation in one location that either does not require workday driving or that provides a company vehicle.

Thanks for your blog and help moving in this direction.

Anonymous said...

The trip to work takes me from Thurston county across the Nisqually delta to Ft Lewis. The only way across the Nisqually is via I-5. The I-5 shoulder is garbage right now (winter debris) and it narrows to less than a foot going over a bridge. Too nerve wracking for me. I would gladly add a few miles to avoid I-5 but the next best option is going out to Yelm and Roy. This takes the trip from 12 miles to 28 miles one way, not something I'm willing to do.

Anonymous said...

I only commute occasionally. So take these comments with that in mind, please.

At 10.5 miles one way, it takes twice as long as an automobile commute.

Have to get up a half hour earlier to ride into work.

My wife carpools with me so it takes her longer to get to work by bus when I bike in.

Unlike others, am not able to eat more when I ride. Still trying to lose more weight and it can't be offset with extra riding. Sadly.

I sweat a lot while riding and my co-workers do not like my sweaty wool clothing hanging around the cubicles.

Just disovered today on a casual ride a new abudance of potholes that will be extremely tricky to negotiage very early in the morning with only a bike headlight.

I do ride in because -

I am able to again after not riding for 15 years.

Occasionaly get to see beautiful sunrises

In summer, can turn it into a longer ride and not have to go out again later in the evening to ride.

I'm able to buy more gadgets for my bike and use commuting as an excuse. "I need that (rack, pannier, light, bell, internal gear hub) because it will help my commute."

Dan Gurney said...

I don't commute right now because my house is in remodel mode.

When I resume commuting, I will only ride home.

I catch a ride to work with a coworker who lives near me. I throw my S&S coupled bike in the back of her little car.

It's how I avoid what I never liked about to-work bicycle commuting: darkness, fog, cold hands, sweaty work clothes, unpleasant encounters with over-caffeinated rush hour drivers, and having to get up early.

I get all the good stuff about bicycle commuting: the sunny afternoon ride home, the longer, quieter back road routes home, the more relaxed pace, and the shower upon arriving home.

I help pay my co-worker's gasoline expenses ($1 for the 8 miles) and her car's mpg per passenger doubles to single-occupant Prius levels. My Subaru stays parked, totally unused, and not contributing to global warming that day.

Anonymous said...

Retired.

Only meetings I attend can be reached by skiing or by public transport.

Waiting for Spring for cycling to re-start.

James Bigler said...

The only days I don't commute by bicycle are when there are long intense thunderstorms forecasted for my ride home. I don't mind getting wet, but I am scared of the lightning. I have tried to ride home through it a couple times, but it is too much for me. I admire those that can do it though.

Bill Gibson said...

I'll be posting on both the why I do and why I don't entries, because I am in both camps. The main reason I don't is because I have to get up at 5 am to even drive the 16 miles to school, and that cuts into my sleep and family time too much anyway. I tend to be about an hour short of sleep; so why don't I just go to bed earlier? I read too much at night...(no tv for me!)

Other reasons that come up when I have to choose a mode of transport tends to go toward a lack of secure bicycle parking and theft. Even the Whole Foods Markets locally are clueless about what would encourage utility cycling. I love my bikes too much, they are just things after all, but I have been traumatized by thefts and it haunts me when I park some places.

This may be a national problem, but in Southern Arizona there are many inattentive, aggressive, low-skilled, and hostile drivers on local roads. They can usually be predicted and avoided by skilled cyclists, except at some key intersections. It is a serious life or death issue, but that doesn't stop me when I want to ride, but definitely not what I knew when I lived in Ballard.

Finally, while there are some OK routes that are reasonably direct, aesthetic, healthy, and especially, safe, there are major barriers to cycling longer distance regional routes that include high speed urban/suburban arteries with no shoulders, and interstate highways with no bike/pedestrian access or crossings.

I'm slowly learning the little local-knowledge-based tricks that experience teaches the regular rider, and hope to find a good on-line way for local cyclists to collaborate and compile their local knowledge, maybe with the hope of informing the local authorities. Something like www.mapmyride.com, http://www.routeslip.com/, www.bikely.com, http://phoenix.therightride.org/,
or even and maybe best, Google Earth. I'd like something that could take a gps waypoint upload, and could take a database approach to hazards, useful info (bathrooms, water, parking) and even accident info.

CSA said...

I don't commute to work by bicycle because my job doesn't allow for it. I have to visit customers and suppliers and getting there by bicycle is not even remotely practical.

I live in metro Detroit ... and in this area cars are the vehicle of choice. Many people in this area have insanely long commutes, with a few coworkers driving 60 miles one way. I'm comparatively close to my work, at only 11 miles.

With that said ... if I had a job that would allow for bicycle commuting, allowed casual clothing and was close enough to home, I would certainly consider it an option ... at least from April - November.

Commuting by bike is either a nice option or an only option ... in between, there are cars.

Anonymous said...

Pete says:

"The only way across the Nisqually is via I-5."

Pete, I noticed the same thing but then found Steilacoom Road SE. Check it out. It runs parallel to I-5. Going north you can get to it from Marvin Road. Then turn on 7th Ave SE to get to Nisqually Road which will take you back to I-5 and then to the Fort entrance at Dupont. I encourage you to try it.

Cheers, Gene in Tacoma

Anonymous said...

Mad that I have to post in both sections, but the new job is 25 miles from home, bus service is hideous, and just can't afford the 4hr round trip on the bike every day so approx. 2 days per week I'm an SOV and not proud.

Mr. Fusion Jazz said...

Same as brother yam I commute by bike but this is what I hear when I ask:

*I live too far away.
*The roads are too narrow and the cars pass too closely.
*There are no showers at my workplace.
*The are too many hills.
*I don't have a good bike.
*It is too dark when I leave in the morning.

Anonymous said...

Safety. Traffic safety. I sometimes commute to work and love to ride but would ride a lot more often if I felt that Seattle/Bellevue was really bike friendly (and I know it's better here than elsewhere in the US).

There's a lot we could do, just check out Making Walking and Cycling Safer: Lessons from Europe

http://www.vtpi.org/puchertq.pdf

for some examples.

(You've probably seen this one before, Kent, but other folks may have not...)

the Scarlet Manuka said...

My roommate thinks that cycling would be unreliable. She fears that punctures or thrown chains or something would get her to work late. Not often my experience - it's usually a combination of laziness and optimism that get me to work late.

I have heard this a couple of other times, so thought it worth mentioning.

Anonymous said...

I cycle to work. I'll allow for people with genuine excuses, as most of the above seem to have, they are still excuses though. I work with a guy who does a round trip of some 80 miles. Every day. (go to: http://www.tredzblog.co.uk/2007/09/cycle-commuting.html )

That's pretty extreme but it just goes to show what is possible.

Anonymous said...

Too far for me and also would take up too much time. I think about 30km each way which would take me approx 2 hours each way (at least to start with).

I would like to try it as a one off one day though.

nollij said...

I hate that I'm posting in both sections. Grrr.

The woodworking shop I'm a part owner in is in SF, 28 miles one way (south) by car and roughly 33-36 miles by bicycle via the shortest routes I can find (using bikely.com). I don't go there very often as I try to work from home, but the round trip would be around 5-6 hours a day by bicycle (it took 3 hours on my xtracycle to get MOST of the way there), and that's not feasible with a wife and young child. So, when I go in, I ride my motorcycle (40mpg average) and it's about an 1 hour 40 minutes round trip.

The other times I don't take the bike? When I have to travel long distances (over 15 miles) in a hurry (30 minutes or less), or when I have to take my kid and it's raining (easy to deal with rain myself, but harder to keep a little person dry and warm and if they're sick, forget it) Public transit in my neighborhood is abysmal (well, at least compared to London, Stockholm, Seattle and Portland, which are all cities I've visited and ridden in in the last 2 months), so the bus isn't much of a help. I

Also, I managed to tear my calf muscle in January and then again in February, and the doctors and therapists have told me not to ride for a while: pain and permanent injury are a big deterant to riding: DOH!

Anonymous said...

I do commute most of the time, but when I fail to do so, here's how it usually adds up: The weather is cold (in the 20's or lower) and there's some kind of precipitation. The roads are icy or snowy or some other kind of slick. I have to take my 2 year old to day care. What I usually do then, is take her in my wife's car and then drop the car off for my wife and switch to the bike (day care are work or in opposite directions.) But some days in those conditions I get taken with the lazies and use my truck for the day-care run and then just keep on going to the office. I'm never proud of it, but it does happen.

In weather above freezing with decent road conditions I take the kid on the bike.

Mehtul... said...

I miss the commute when I oversleep (I am a nightowl) and have to drive but I try to commute as much as possible.

Unknown said...

I work from home, yo.

Anonymous said...

I have to wear a suit to work and make multiple trips during the day miles from the hospital I work in. There are some days that I could make it work, but time with my small children is priceless.

Anonymous said...

I work part time and do my own art work in a studio part time. Winters here are tough and the no-shoulder on the road is reduced even further by snow drifts so I generally do not bike commute November through April. The studio is too far to commute by bike - but I have it through a grant and cannot afford to rent anything closer to home. To take a bus is 1.5 hours each way - to drive is 25 minutes. Biking doesn't work because I have to haul large/large amounts of materials back and forth from studio to home almost every day I'm there - plus I don't have the extra time to ride to the studio and back. I would prefer to not own a car and commute exclusively by bike - I'm considering moving back to NYC for this reason - don't know if I can afford to do that...

C said...

For me it cuts into time with my child. I usually have to be in the office by 8:30. My daughter wakes up at 7:00. If I take the bus my commute is only 25 minutes. If I ride it's over an hour counting in time to shower once I get to work. Riding means losing 35 minutes with my daughter every morning. It takes even longer to ride home (uphill much of the way) so if I left my office at 6:00 I wouldn't make it home until after 7:00. Our daughter usually conks out around 7:30 so riding would mean not seeing her at all in the evening. Just seems very selfish to put my needs ahead of hers.

Anonymous said...

Sometimes I'd rather walk. Walking works my brain out differently.

~s.

Scott Clark said...

I usually do, but when I don't, the main reason I drive is that there isn't another viable option. We have a bus system, but the buses are not frequent enough or reliable enough to get to work on time. So my two choices are riding or driving.

Shanybu said...

I am lucky- I live close enough to my job that I don't have to drive! On the days I don't commute by bike, it is usually because of recent snow- debris piled up by the snow plows, icy streets, etc. If that is the case, I walk to work. I laugh when co-workers say "you walked in this??" It takes me far longer to dig the car out (on-street parking), scrape the windows, warm it up for 10 minutes, drive >1/2 mile, park, then hike to my office- on snowy days it takes me twice as long to get into work then if I walked!

Anonymous said...

I commute most every day but if not, it's likely because:
- extreme weather (usually only stops me one-way) like ice, lightening, extreme wind.
- Meeting people after work and no idea when I'll be able to get on the street to home
- Dr. appointments or other appointments in remote locations and at odd times.
- Too much stuff to carry in my panniers for some reason or other.

Anonymous said...

We've had 80 inches of snow here in South-central Wisconsin this winter and the roads are icy and narrow as a result. My 8-mile commute is a pleasant though vigorous (hills and usually windy) ride 6 months of the year, but this time of year only someone younger and crazier than me would ride it.

Dan S.

Anonymous said...

I have a 2 month old, and a 2 year old. Wife needs me at home as much as possible before and after work. My commute is 15 miles, takes about 55 minutes on my road bike.

I tend to do aggressive lunch rides, and before work rides early in the morning, 5:45AM or so to get in 3 hours of riding, starting and ending at my workplace.

veloben said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

It's cold and wet, and I have to look reasonably nice for work. I have too many things to do and too many things to carry to do them. It's too far, on scary roads. I lack health insurance -- I'm covered by car insurance but have no backup if I get hurt on a bike.

I miss biking. I don't miss it enough to make my life more complicated than it is in order to feel virtuous than I am.

Anonymous said...

I am a Field Service guy which means I could be anywhere that day. I also have to cart around a fair amount of tools, test equipment, parts. Top this off with the area I service is Hospitals and Health Care centers and some of them need their equipment fixed right away.

Otherwise I would. Ugh, I do miss the bike commute.

Wreck said...

No good excuses, but these are the ones I use...

- I like to sleep. With a hour commute each way that means waking up around an hour or two earlier.

- I work in a suit and tie, so it is either bathroom showers or finding a new job.

Anonymous said...

Safety. Too many blind curves on a very narrow road in my rural environment. If I want to ride I have to take my bicycle to the greeenbelt path.

I used to commute eight miles each way when I lived in a different location.

Anonymous said...

I typically carpool and sometimes bus in or SOV. A few excuses...

Due to distance, I have to take a bus for part of the trip. Coupling the bus route with the bike would add about an hour to my daily commute time.

Second, bike riding along the routes I'd have to take does not seem safe. I'd be biking for sure if in the Netherlands, but Seattle has crowded roads with grumpy drivers that are occasionally armed. No thanks.

Finally, I rationalize. My driving impact is light as I typically carpool and drive a del sol. Plus, I'm vegetarian and give lots of money away every year. So there.

Emily said...

I don't use the bike when I feel like walking.

I don't use the bike when it is too icy for me to ride safely without studded tires. I don't have studded tires yet, and it's silly to take damnfool risks.

I don't use the bike when the roads are a recipe for diversion falls. I'm getting better at dodging them, but 3" thick intermittent ice sheets are hard to manage.

I don't use the bike when the roads are so narrowed by snow that 2 lane roads are turned into one lane roads. If there's not enough space for car drivers to share with each other, they're not likely to share with me.

If I need to get around and the roads aren't safe for me, I walk or take a city bus.

Jason Black said...

Well, having read through the comments so far, my excuse seems to be a new one:

It makes me cough.

When I was in college, I came down with a really bad case of strep throat, which being as I was in college and had no health insurance (yay, America!), never got treated. It got better on its own after several very uncomfortable weeks, but ever since then my throat hasn't been as robust to exercise as it used to.

When I bike now (or run, or anything, really), my throat gets immediately dry and I start coughing. It feels like sandpaper in my throat. I've tried the obvious: taking a water bottle with me and sucking it down as I go. No good. I've tried putting other things in the bottle--mint tea, sweetened mint tea, a strong honey / mint / lemon concoction, all with no real results. They help, but even though it's only 2 miles to work, I'm still hacking and miserable by the time I get there. It usually takes a couple of hours for my throat to forgive me and let me get on with my day, too, which is just too much pain for the gain.

Anyone have a similar problem? Any help?

C said...

"Seattle has crowded roads with grumpy drivers that are occasionally armed."

You need to ride in other cities. Seattle drivers are incredibly polite compared to Boston, NY, San Francisco or Phoenix! When I first moved here I couldn't believe how nice/attentive drivers are in this town. A little different in the rural areas though still better than anywhere else I've ridden.

AMIE said...

I"m scared of the crazy drivers.

I think about this every damn day though and try to figure it out.
I live in midtown Atlanta, and work in a little country town 18 miles (by interstate) away from my house away from the city. I often drive the back ways to try to figure out a safe route to ride, it ends up being about 28 miles through neighborhoods and there is a 7 mile stretch that has NO shoulder and ditches, not mention that it is a sketchy neighborhood.

The city has great bike lanes, while the country is NOT BIKE FRIENDLY!

I only have a road bike right now and am looking for a commuter that I can take on some dirt trails for some possible shortcuts.

I am also looking to get transfered to a project that I can commute to.

Cars suck. My boyfriend commutes on his bike, I'm jealous every day. He rides 6 miles each way in the city with bike lanes.

Ron Cobb said...

Short answer why I don’t bike-commute: A pinecone. What, you might ask, does a humble pinecone have to do with bike commuting? That is where my long answer comes into play.

I used to count myself as a bike commuter. 21 miles a day and over one-mile of elevation gain each week. Life was good. Wind in the face, fresh air, the invigoration of a good hill climb and the thrill of a big decent. Doing my part to lessen our dependence on middle-eastern oil, it was the challenge of dealing with the elements and the satisfaction of moving from place to place under my own power...building my fitness level while doing a small part to help preserve the earth's resources for future generations. Can't get much better than that. Until the pinecone. Two blocks from home and a warm dinner waiting. I'd just rounded the corner into my neighborhood at speed, following a screaming 1.2 mile 400' drop. And that humble pinecone, though no fault of it's own, lay there waiting for me. The centrifugal force that was supposed to set my bike upright from it's precisely carved corner, a maneuver successfully performed 1000 times over, had somehow been amplified when my rear wheel bounced towards the inside of the curve, a bounce set in motion by the lowly cone. And when the wheel finished it's bounce it had no purchase on pavement wetted from the day's storms. So down I went, hard on the hip, a complete fracture that left me immobile in the middle of a wet dark road, wildly grateful for a cell-phone I could reach and a loving wife just two-blocks away.

I will bike-commute again. The hip is healing but my confidence still needs bolstering. There are times I've wished a car had caused the crash, so I could blame someone else rather than pure dumb luck. But dumb luck it was, and if I've been able to make it through 50-years with only one such occurrence, maybe that's not too bad. So I count my blessings, and wish everyone safe passage, whatever mode of transportation you choose. And if you are able to choose, the bike is a fantastically fun way to get about.

LvilleTex said...

I haven't read all the answers. I'm sure mine will be redundant, but...

Sometimes I just don't have the time. Today I had lots of work. I sprinted home and scooped son #2 to go to soccer. Part of the parenting thing is offering things that don't always jibe with the bike schedule.

I don't b/c I'm lazy.

I don't b/c I have too much wine the night before.

I don't b/c I have work responsibilities in spring that require me to carry a bunch of shit in a truck.

That said, I do a pretty good job fall and winter when I'm not lazy, too busy, or feeling crunked from that extra glass I should have avoided. I'm one of those 'tweeners. I hope those non-commuters become 'tweeners like me and that 'tweeners like me give up the ghost and go whole hog.

kartiksrinivas said...

I usually commute by bike, but when I don't it's if I have to stay in town late or have plans with my wife in town (she doesn't bike as frequently) or if the weather is especially nasty. Or if I don't have my lights or gloves or some other such nonsense.

In this spirit, I'd like to encourage folks to check out the "Burn Calories, Not Carbon!" pledge sponsored by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (where I work): www.railstotrails.org/pledge

Thanks.

Gordon said...

I am a part time driver and part time bike commuter. Reasons I don't ride include:
- Taking kids to a rehearsal or practice after work and not having enough time if I ride
- It takes longer to ride, so I miss or make our family diner later than it should be
- Sometimes I get tired and need a day off of the bike (50 mile round trip commute)
- Sometimes I want to be dry
- If I have a series of mechanical problems I sometimes need a break

Jared said...

Seems to be currently impossible. I have only 20 minutes from the time class gets out to the time I have to be at work.

Next quarters schedule seems like it would allow me to bike to work possibly 3 days a week.

Mel said...

I am a spring/summer/fall commuter. I know I'll repeat some, but I wanted to speak as someone commuting from Brooklyn to Midtown Manhattan in New York. Reasons I don't commute sometimes:

- Drivers. The volume of traffic in the city is wild, and consists mainly of psychopathic cabbies and FedEx drivers. While drivers in New York are quite aware of pedestrians, they sometimes have issues with cyclists. There are a good number of bike food delivery boys and bike messengers in NYC, but they tend to be reckless in the extreme and do little to smooth car/cyclist relations.

- The streets are not bike-friendly. While the current trend is towards fixing that, there are few bike lanes in the city. Those that exist are frequently rendered impassible by potholes, Con-Ed, or millions of delivery trucks parked in the bike lane. Biking is a pleasure for me, but biking in fear for my life (which happens) is a joy-kill.

- Seasonal issues: I don't do well in the cold weather, partially because I grew up in South Florida and went to college in Georgia. I didn't see snow until I was 22. So the cold weather, combined with the dark mornings and evenings that make me nervous to bike in Manhattan at rush hour, usually do me in for late fall through winter.

- A lame one: My office doesn't have showers. They would be nice tho! This only discourages me on meeting days.

When I don't bike, I have the luxury of being able to hop on the amazing NYC public transportation system. I have never owned a car in my life and am glad I am able to continue that. I am looking forward to spring and getting back on my bike to work.

Tammy said...

I did... last summer when I was house-sitting in Ballard. Then I was too tired to train :P

I'd say the reasons I don't use bike for short trips, like grocery store, etc, is no security for my ride when I'm not on it. I don't have a "cheap" bike... but how cheap does a bike have to be to be safe from being stolen... and would I enjoy riding that bike?... I'm sure someone will jump on me for this, but thems my thoughts on the matter.

And you and I have already had the "mass transit" conversation, haven't we?

See ya this weekend? Hope so!

Anonymous said...

When I don't bike it is usually because of the weather. Here in Toronto we just had a record-breaking amount of snow in February at over two meters.

A car is not an option since there is no car parking where I live or where I work. So like most people in Toronto I do not own a car.

I could get snow tires for my bike, but changing tires twice a year is too much work. So I take the streetcar after major snowfalls.

Within 24 hours of even the biggest snowfall, the city will have my route ploughed down to bare road. So I'm back on my bike again.

If I have to go somewhere very far away I'll take the subway and/or train.

M.J. said...

I have a new 3-month-old baby who requires a carseat.

I towed my now 3-year-old boy to preschool last spring before heading onto the office. Then I got too pregnant to keep it up. It still took quite a bit of time getting to and from the office since I had to take longer routes to be safer. Plus, I am a lot slower when I'm towing the kiddo. Still, I hope I have it in me to tow the two of them when they're both big enough for it.

Even with a "safe" route, I won't tow them in the dark winter months. The cargo is far, far to precious to risk in the dark commute hours with fast-driving car commuters.

Chole said...

I have a broken Collar bone.
for now, I take the bus.

March 18th, this changes, and my response to your question would be 'huh, what are you taking about... have you met me?'

Anonymous said...

I do commute via bike, but the best excuse I've heard for not commuting is this one:

"I race, and if I commute, the slow miles hurt my training."

Who knew that sitting in a car qualified as race training?

H

Montrealer said...

I do commute by bike most days in the warmer six months of the year. For the other six months I take public transit instead. Primarily this is because I do not feel safe cycling a) when the bike paths are closed (the barriers are removed, others with no barriers are not cleared of snow), b) in the snow and ice.

Anonymous said...

I do now every day but didn't when my kids were babies.

When my kids have special events at school I will not commute by bike