Biking to Work Isn’t Gaining Any Ground in the US

[Jim1348]

I have never biked to work. My e-bike is for recreation. I am less than 14 miles from my work and it is almost straight north of me.

I was only four miles from work at my previous job. I never rode it to work then, either, but I always thought about it.

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[mrgold35]

I have two his/her 2016 Radrovers I purchased for weekend fun rides. I decided to work commute with a test run on a weekend (12 miles round-trip). It was so easy and only took 20-25 minutes being a more direct bike route compared to driving in 10-15 minutes by car hitting lights and driving a further route. I did it 365 days a year as long as the weather wasn't raining or snow/ice on the ground. Put around 7000 miles switching between both ebikes in 3-4 years. I ended up stop work commuting because of lock-down after 2020. We are just now getting back to normal 40 hours per week after +3 years. Thinking about getting back to bike to work (want to upgrade my 16 Radrover first).

 

[mschwett]

lots of unfortunate factors at work here, no doubt.

1. the continued hegemony in urban planning and infrastructure of the automobile and their drivers, manufacturers, etc. many american cities are simply not safe, convenient, or pleasant for the uninitiated to bike around for anything other than limited recreational purposes. there’s a thread here in EBR discussing infrastructure and many opinions are “my city is great!” because it has a few pretty mixed use paths and trails. imagine if you could only drive places along a few routes.

2. work from home. for 100 years we built cities with offices, amenities, and transport to serve them, and then everyone decided they’d rather “work” in their pajamas. this trend has reversed but will take a long time to sort out.

3. general migration away from more expensive, denser, more bikeable cities to cheaper, more sprawling, less bike friendly regions.

4. aggressive, violent behavior by a very small minority of automobile drivers, resulting in well publicized deaths and injuries.

5. aggressive, tribal behavior by a very small minority of cyclists and cycling advocates, resulting in general disdain for anyone on two wheels.

6. general migration towards places with unhealthy climates for outdoor activity. it was over 110 degrees for over 50 days in phoenix this year.

7. the continuing crisis of obesity in the united states. we’ve normalized being enormously overweight, which makes physical activity extremely difficult for most.

i would guess that the bike commuting rates in the handful of cities where it’s always been somewhat feasible are the same, but population shifts and declines elsewhere have significantly lowered the overall rate, as bloomberg documents. our bike room at the office is getting full again post pandemic.

 

[Slaphappygamer]

I bike to work, most days. My daily commute is 8 miles. Home to work, work to home. Traffic isn’t too bad. I feel safer with lights, bright jacket, and front & rear turn signals. I also use hand signals, if a car is too close for them to see my blinkers. I also have a mirror that I check religiously. I don’t listen to music or travel very fast (often). So I feel pretty safe. Though, I know I’m not the average biker. (Looking at you emoto kids pulling wheelies).

 

[fooferdoggie]

bikes are thought of toys in the us and thats most of it. I commute 17 miles day and tend to ride 30 miles a day between commuting and the tandem.

 

[PedalUma]

I commute daily and have since I sold my car in January of 2018. I was commuting by bike before then. I am guilty of being one of those 'My Town is Great' folks. We cannot keep doing what we have been doing while expecting different results. Severe weather events are increasing in frequency. My town is not perfect but at least has plans for improvements. This plan was released yesterday. Any town can use it as a template to launch from. It is 112 pages, so you might just breeze the Executive Summery and see if something stands out in the Index.
I am volunteering at a free Community Wellness Festival on Saturday. My group will be washing bikes and giving tune up demos. Cycling to the event is highly encouraged. Less cars in front of you at a light is also nicer for drivers.

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[sc00ter]

My commute by ebike is dangerous, and I said I'm done doing it. But I've been riding more and more before work (I work nights) and on the weekends so I might try the work commute again. That being said, if I commute to work on my ebike, it won't be on crazy hot days or during rain threats. I really need to exercise as well.

 

[Slaphappygamer]

I am volunteering at a free Community Wellness Festival on Saturday. My group will be washing bikes and giving tune up demos.

You are awesome for volunteering for an event like this. Such a positive community event. I wish I had more time to get involved. Maybe when I retire, I can commit to such an event.

I was smoking Vado, listening to music and detailing my bike thinking “I wonder if there are any bike cleaning parties. People can talk shop and share cleaning tips as well as their favorite concert or Vado strain.” Think of it like a pop up auto show. Dozens of cars and people talking about their beloved rides. Maybe get a food truck involved?

I can see it now, kids with emotos might even show up. Safety tips and rules of the road can be shared. Maybe a plain clothes officer or two. After all, everyone on e-bikes just wants to have fun.

 

[PedalUma]

I was smoking Vado, listening to music and detailing my bike thinking “I wonder if there are any bike cleaning parties

Wow! This is a perfect example of what I was just thinking about regarding the EBR thread "Is Anyone Going Crotchless?"

Just like 'Vados' the term 'Crotchless Rims' didn't exist. Now it does. It is too fun to say so that cat cannot ever be put back into the bag. It has been launched into the world of cycling. People are doing searches, so the engines are getting trained.
Here is more on the Wellness Festival, Saturday:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/petaluma-community-wellness-festival-tickets-724321644537? aff=oddtdtcreator

 

[Brian-s]

I would love to be one of those that would bike to work except for two factors. 1) a cousin of mine was struck by a deer and has permanent brain damage while biking to work. 2) I work at a dirty factory with no place to store the bike indoors and don't want to leave it outside.

 

[AvalancheRun]

The worst thing about riding a bike, or walking, or even driving, is cars.

Until that changes only the hardcore riders will use bikes to get to work.

On Nextdoor in my area it is often insinuated that only poor people undeserving of decent cycling infrastructure ride bicycles, all the while complaining endlessly about traffic.

 

[Catalyzt]

lots of unfortunate factors at work here, no doubt.

1. the continued hegemony in urban planning and infrastructure of the automobile and their drivers, manufacturers, etc. many american cities are simply not safe, convenient, or pleasant for the uninitiated to bike around for anything other than limited recreational purposes. there’s a thread here in EBR discussing infrastructure and many opinions are “my city is great!” because it has a few pretty mixed use paths and trails. imagine if you could only drive places along a few routes.

2. work from home. for 100 years we built cities with offices, amenities, and transport to serve them, and then everyone decided they’d rather “work” in their pajamas. this trend has reversed but will take a long time to sort out.

3. general migration away from more expensive, denser, more bikeable cities to cheaper, more sprawling, less bike friendly regions.

4. aggressive, violent behavior by a very small minority of automobile drivers, resulting in well publicized deaths and injuries.

5. aggressive, tribal behavior by a very small minority of cyclists and cycling advocates, resulting in general disdain for anyone on two wheels.

6. general migration towards places with unhealthy climates for outdoor activity. it was over 110 degrees for over 50 days in phoenix this year.

7. the continuing crisis of obesity in the united states. we’ve normalized being enormously overweight, which makes physical activity extremely difficult for most.

i would guess that the bike commuting rates in the handful of cities where it’s always been somewhat feasible are the same, but population shifts and declines elsewhere have significantly lowered the overall rate, as bloomberg documents. our bike room at the office is getting full again post pandemic.

View attachment 163927

Great breakdown of many of the factors!

I love that bike room-- and that speaks to another big obstacle. For me, the big one is safe storage. I would absolutely use a subway/bike combination to get to the beach for body boarding if there was a secure place to lock my bike, and some very well-trained and (sorry) armed security guard keeping an eye on it.

Same for my health care provider-- I get blood tests once a month, and seems like I'm there for something every two weeks or so. Wish they had a safe place to lock the bike.

Of course, I am a bit concerned about the aerodynamics of carrying a body board in a case backpack style on an eBike. I wouldn't mind being airborne for part of the trip if there was even a remote chance of controlling rate of ascent and descent, etc.

 

[PedalUma]

carrying a body board in a case

Can you figure a way to Velcro strap it to the side of a Thule Pack 'n Pedal Tour rack? These are for bikes without rack bosses. Do color code and label the orange key that comes with it. You don't want to loose that key or the rack can never be removed. In the vid it is blue, now they are orange.

 

[PedalUma]

A friend noted today that it is no one's job, not schools, not gov; to educate people on a better way, given STRODEs, big box, cars, gridlock, and global warming. I imagined a kid's book series along the lines of Magic School Bus from thirty-years-ago where a kid and his cargo bike mom with their friends and other characters have adventures that can explore these topics either lightly, as just action story narrative, or go deeper with charts and diagrams that kids can point to and ask questions about. It is not just the kids, it is their parents and grand parents who will be reading them the fun illustrated adventure stories.

 

[Taylor57]

I have never biked to work. My e-bike is for recreation. I am less than 14 miles from my work and it is almost straight north of me.

I was only four miles from work at my previous job. I never rode it to work then, either, but I always thought about it.

Bloomberg - Are you a robot?

www.bloomberg.com

I work from home now, but I used to have about a 3 mile commute each way. Not sure I would have ebiked though, it gets awfully hot around here even in the winter! I wonder how many people ebike because they have to due to circumstances?

 

[PedalUma]

I work from home now, but I used to have about a 3 mile commute each way. Not sure I would have ebiked though, it gets awfully hot around here even in the winter! I wonder how many people ebike because they have to due to circumstances?

I suspect that is a major assumption. I was making a left turn into a driveway last week signaled and slowed to the speed any car or truck would to make the turn, when a truck passed me on the left, in a 25 zone, yelling 'looser'. He was going to the next driveway, an egg store. He is the looser for being stuck in a truck to drive three blocks to the egg store and stuck at lights with traffic. Would that guy do the same thing to a bus or car? It looked like he was badly out of shape. Now I could have dented up his Coke can with a few punches to the seams while he was in the store, but didn't. Each punch to a seam does $1200 in damages. They are built like a disposable lasagna trays and POS trucks dent just as easily. Looser. He is driving in a $40,000 Dollar General turkey tray and thinks he is badass but cant touch his toes.

 

[Slaphappygamer]

I suspect that is a major assumption. I was making a left turn into a driveway last week signaled and slowed to the speed any car or truck would to make the turn, when a truck passed me on the left, in a 25 zone, yelling 'looser'. He was going to the next driveway, an egg store. He is the looser for being stuck in a truck to drive three blocks to the egg store and stuck at lights with traffic. Would that guy do the same thing to a bus or car? It looked like he was badly out of shape. Now I could have dented up his Coke can with a few punches to the seams while he was in the store, but didn't. Each punch to a seam does $1200 in damages. They are built like a disposable lasagna trays and POS trucks dent just as easily. Looser. He is driving in a $40,000 Dollar General turkey tray and thinks he is badass but cant touch his toes.

Nah, it’s not worth your time. You have greater things to do than to be upset at someone who is angry with themselves. And you know deep down he is just jealous of you and your kickass bike.

 

[AvalancheRun]

Nah, it’s not worth your time. You have greater things to do than to be upset at someone who is angry with themselves. And you know deep down he is just jealous of you and your kickass bike.

Truth! Nobody who is happy with how things are going in life yells at people from their car.

And of course they always pass to make the immediate next turn, lol.

 

[Taylor57]

I suspect that is a major assumption. I was making a left turn into a driveway last week signaled and slowed to the speed any car or truck would to make the turn, when a truck passed me on the left, in a 25 zone, yelling 'looser'. He was going to the next driveway, an egg store. He is the looser for being stuck in a truck to drive three blocks to the egg store and stuck at lights with traffic. Would that guy do the same thing to a bus or car? It looked like he was badly out of shape. Now I could have dented up his Coke can with a few punches to the seams while he was in the store, but didn't. Each punch to a seam does $1200 in damages. They are built like a disposable lasagna trays and POS trucks dent just as easily. Looser. He is driving in a $40,000 Dollar General turkey tray and thinks he is badass but cant touch his toes.

I dont get it. Coke can and Dollar General? Did life just pass me by?

 

[indianajo]

I walked to work to my last job. 2 miles from home. I was arrested and run through the national crime computer (~30 minute wait) 5 times in 8 years. I wore a uniform marked with the name of the employer. The policemen refused to recognize the name on the uniform as the one that was posted by the gate. The month before I quit, I forgot my badge. I told the supervisor before clock in time. The company gave me two points, half the value required to fire me. One for not clocking in, and one for not clocking out. One is supposed to keep his badge in his car at all times when not working. After a bad night when I was criticized for a mistake my newly hired supervisor made (defective part was installed in production equipment), I handed in my keys & quit, age 58.