I can afford to drive around all week on $3.50 gas, but it certainly seems as if the thing to do right now, as a good citizen, is to minimize or eliminate fuel consumption for a while (always a good idea, but especially now). I like to ride my bike anyway, and I've always meant to ride to work on a more regular basis.

I'm a consultant, and I rarely work in the same place two days in a row (), but I work on a number of long-term contracts that are 1-2 days per week. My commutes break down like this:

Monday: 6 miles round trip. No parking available (hospital): I always either walk, bike, or take the bus if it's pouring rain.
Tuesday: 38 miles round trip driving; only 33 by bike, since 12 miles each way is along a very straight, direct, flat, paved rail trail through the woods, past swamps, and actually right over I-95 on its own dedicated bridge!
Wednesday: 24 total miles. I work in two different places in opposite directions from my home.
Thursday: same as Tuesday.
Friday: I go to my office. 15 miles round trip.

I'm pledging to bicycle every mile of my commutes both Friday this week and every day next week (I have Monday off, but I never drive on Mondays anyway). I'll save about 115 miles of driving, 4 or 5 gallons of gas, give my car a rest, get a good workout, and arrive at work much more awake. My two farthest-away workplaces both have showers, and I've got clothes stashed there to change into. I'm going to reinstall my bike rack on my road bike this weekend, so that I can get my panniers back in action to carry stuff. This is going to be fun!

Anyone else have a similar plan? Other than sending aid money, this seems like the best way to do my part to help ease the current crisis.

Here's my trusty steed, circa 1990, with about 20,000 miles on the original derailleurs, brakes, freewheel, bottom bracket, and front wheel:

Edit: by the way, mods, please don't merge this with 20 pages of gas prices. I'd really like to hear from others who may be doing this. Thanks!

 

Other stats on chrisnl's commutes :

Monday: 45 minutes each way if I walk, 15 if I bike, 30-40 on the bus.
Tuesday/Thursday: 30-40 minutes each way if I drive, 60 to 70 minutes if I bike.
Wednesday: uh, complicated.
Friday: 20-30 minutes each way if I drive, 40 if I bike.

I'm stupid not to be doing it more, especially now that the weather has started to cool.

 

Well, after Part One of my Four Part Dental extravaganza (see Dental Chickens thread in OT), last Friday, I didn't leave my house until yesterday! I did drive about 50 miles related to business appointments. I left the house to fill up today ($3.15) and went to the market, roundtrip of about 3 miles. So I'm at about 53 miles for the week.

If I'm not working and attending far-flung art openings, I don't motor that much. Well.....there is also the matter of my spring roadtrips....LOL!


Clover

 

It's always funny using the shower at work, and arriving in non-work clothes, because people are so thrown off by it, and they can't help but make a truly silly big deal out of it. Is it really so bizarre to be carrying a towel down the hall? Seriously, people. Then again, other crazy behavior that elicits banalities of surprise here includes bringing in a home-cooked meal for lunch and making double-sided copies.

Come on, nobody else opted to ride their bike to work today in light of the fuel crisis?

Clover, I hope you and your mouth are returning to normalcy! For some reason I haven't checked into that dental thread...

 

I highly doubt riding a bike to work is practical for 99.9% of US workers. We have time constraints, many need to carry things with them, most do not have a shower or locker room, and many simply have long commutes.


You have a very unique set of job requirements, that allows you to do such a thing, but it's simply not feasible as anything mainstream.

 

I've seriously considered riding a bike to work, but working nights, it might not be the safest thing to do. Right now my daily (nightly) drive to work (I work at a UPS hub) is 13 miles each way on the freeway. Taking back roads through the country would make itsomewhere around 15 miles each way on bike, but I would have to leave around 9:30pm to go to work and around 4am to return home. There are enough stupid innatentive drivers out late at night, that I'd have to light myself up like a Christmas tree to feel safe.

-Keith

 

Not me, driving is my one vice in life.
Steve

 

I definitely think twice before driving somewhere these days. Last weekend (since I meant to dive into the last Harry Potter book anyway and it's still in the upper 90s here) I decided to park it and stayed home most of the time. I suppose if I had a life I'd have more places to go, but since I don't (apparently) I'm happy to cruise the neighborhood and my favorite local haunts.

I kinda got the message w/ gas rationing back in the '70s....I'm a long time rider of the commuter rail. I love it and have met many dear friends among the "straphangers" I see each day. Ridership is up by 10,000 now, or so they say (along with some very bizarre and unnatural parking antics at the now-crowded park and ride).

I also drove a (beloved) '91 Geo Metro back in the day...45 mpg!!!...although the Cooper is still pretty darn good! With gas prices as they are, driving a MINI is cool all over again!!

 

I'm not driving more, but I'm not driving less, more or less.

 

I disagree. Most people, probably, but not 99.9%. Lots more companies have shower facilities than most people who work there even realize, and there are millions of people in cities who live within 5 miles of their jobs. Assuming that you're physically capable of riding, it just comes down to being willing to change up your routine a bit. Once people try it, they realize that it's not all drudgery and sweatiness and pain. There's quite a bit of upside to it. You get to work energized instead of half asleep, and if you commute by bike instead of going for a daily run or other exercise, you're actually being very efficient with your time.

After dark it's slightly hairier, but I still do it. For $25 you can get a set of super-bright blinking front and rear LED lights that make you very visible in the city. Outside the realm of streetlights, though, where you actually need to illuminate the road for yourself, you need a bit more serious lighting system, which can be pricy. I have a roommate who works a night shift, 7 PM to 3 AM, and bikes about 9 miles each way. It can be a very addicting lifestyle change.

I realize that I'm unusually accustomed to riding on dangerous roads and in less-than-optimal conditions, though, so I can understand how most people would be nervous about riding at night or on busy roads. Some cities, like Phoenix, are very dangerous to ride in (not that anyone in their right mind would ride a bike in Phoenix for about 6 months of the year anyway...).

Just trying to get people to think about it!

 

Still about the same driving for me - I'm just beetchin' about the cost more now than before.

With us, too, riding isn't feasible - my wife has a 140 mile RT commute, takes the MINI if she needs wheels, the express bus if she doesn't. I have a 50+ mile RT commute along a pretty dangerous 2-lane road - bikes are targets on that one. . .I'll take the motorcycle, weather and cargo requirements permitting.

Of course, anytime we need to drop off/pick up the daughters, all bets are off. No way can you get 3 people, a skating bag, briefcase, two backpacks, and various sundry girl stuff on a bicycle - even a tandem. That and the fact that we live on the north end of town, I work east, mom works in a different city, and the kids do school and sports on the extreme south end of town. . .bikes ain't happenin', no way.

I agree with Kaelaria - pedal transport isn't practical for the majority of us.

 

Yeah, I guess kids would have a pretty major impact on the feasibility of it...

 

i drive about 60 miles roundtrip for work, and all my friends live about 10-12 miles from my work... which is about 40 miles from home. I don't go out with friends but a couple work days out of the week now, but weekends i drive alot.

Riding a bike? No way. I love driving alot... and maybe i shouldn't be driving as much as i do, especially in my spare time... i'm 20. I gotta get out the house some time!

 

I commuted by bike three days a week for a couple years, when I first moved to Southern California. It was pretty easy since I lived on the beach at the time and could ride the bike path in to work. Now my bike route would be highly convoluted.

At the time though, here's how I worked it: I would drive in to work on Monday with three sets of clothes, which I stored in a company provided locker near the showers. Then I would ride my bike in Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday I would drive in to work and pack home all my dirty work clothes in the car. That way I didn't need to pack anything special with me on my bike.

 

That's a great system! I wish I could do that, but I work all over the place. As it is, I take advantage of rainy days to drive and switch out my supplies at my various locations. If it rains next week, though, I'm still biking! I'll carry clothes in a big zip-lock in my pannier if I have to.

 

i don't have a bicycle...

 

I'm picturing you like Tim Taylor and his 'suit-in-a-bag' I can imagine how nice it must look to have clothes on you folded up to put in a bag on your bike

 

Does a scooter count? I picked up this Aprilia Sr50 about a week ago. Gets around 80mpg, and 55mph w/o breaking a sweat. I probably look goofy on it, but it's alot of fun

 

My bike has 4 wheels and a 170HP supercharged engine...

driving less? no I have been driving more lately almost a tank in a week now when it use to last me 2 weeks...

-Josh

 

I can buy a lot of gas for $3,000.
http://www.speed-sports.com/shop/def...Path=23_79_132

-Josh

 

It was $950 used.

 

I have been searching for a deal like that for weeks - out of pure fun - but now, it's looking to have other benefits!I agree the new prices for scooter is REDICULOUS, but $950 is a great price, I'm very jealous!!

 

try www.apriliaforum.com or www.craigslist.org (where I found mine)

 

I'm riding my bike to work more now. But mine has a 600cc powerplant. I get around 55mpg so it's better than an MCS and almost as much fun. I can't even entertain the thought of pedaling 75+ miles a day in central PA terrain. Plus it takes almost an hour each way on the Katana, what does that equate to on a bicycle?

 

You're getting 55mpg on a Katana 600? You must have better throttle hand control than I do - I average about 44 on my Honda 919 - but I get to work a lot quicker than I would in my Jeep or Pilot. :smile: