Preface
I have been successfully commuting via bicycle for over ten years. I have used my bike to get to work, school and other locations in all seasons during all times of day. I have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to do so, as it has given me a sense of doing something positive to better our environment, not to mention saving money that would have been spent on motorized transportation. I have used my bicycle to commute in relatively harsh environments, like Minnesota’s winter or Missouri’s humid summer climates. I have learned how to dress, select the best route, carry my necessary gear or cargo, and how to do it all safely. The following is being written to pass along some of the knowledge/wisdom that I have gained in an effort to teach others how to commute by bicycle.
Most of this text will describe bicycle riding in the context of riding to and from work. The bicycle is just as efficient in long, daily trips as it is in short, variable trips. That is, the bike is great way to go to the local grocer, bar or any other short trip. While most of the tips will be formatted toward bike commuting, they are definitely worthy of assisting someone in using the bike to shop and socialize.
Why would anyone want to commute by bicycle?
This is a great question, and one that you may have to address from time to time from various people, whether co-workers or passersby. Since the act of biking for reasons other than recreation seem difficult to formulate for most Americans, I have written down a few advantages to bicycle commuting:
-Daily exercise integrated into your daily commute
-Avoid the stress of highway traffic
-Relieve stress before and after work
-Save non-renewable resources
-Reduce pollution
The most obvious reasons for biking to work are to get exercise, reduce pollution and reduce resource usage. I thoroughly enjoy integrating my daily exercise into my commute to work. While it may seem inefficient to bike 30 minutes to work instead of driving 15 minutes, considering that if I were to work out after getting home from work for 1 hour, I would have spent 30 minutes driving in traffic and 1 hour in a gym. Instead I choose to spend an hour of my day riding to and from work. In total I save 30 minutes of my day! By biking to work I exercise and commute at the same time, effectively killing two birds with one stone.
Pollution and resources are a hot topic these days. There are theories that gaseous pollution may be making our planet hotter or colder. There are conspiracies that wars have, are being and will be fought over natural resources like oil. Despite the strong feelings and political divide, most Americans tend to drive a lot regardless of their political leanings or beliefs. Nothing depicts a hypocrite like a “no war for oil” or “don’t drill for oil” decal on the back of a four wheel drive vehicle. It is very easy to say what you believe, however it is much more difficult to do or live what you believe. By biking to work, school or to the store, you are living a lifestyle that does not depend so heavily on non-renewable resources. If environmental degradation or resource based conflict is a concern of yours, by biking instead of driving, you are literally putting your money where your mouth is, by not giving money to the industries that generate revenue from oil.
The highways are a very stressful place these days. Road rage and other motorized acts of violence are the result of highway systems that are over tasked, and people incapable of accepting their choice to sit in traffic with everyone else. By biking to work you eliminate the stress of highway gridlock from your life. In fact, since exercise elevates stress, you will actually reduce your work/career induced stress by commuting via bicycle. You will arrive home, exercised and relaxed, ready to spend time with your family.
If you bike to work, the queuing theory states that your karma will improve. According to Queuing theory, a mathematical model used to study and complex waiting lines like internet traffic or highway traffic, by biking to work you will be making everyone else’s commute on the highway easier. Queuing theory states that long and short term impacts on the system (read: traffic) are felt exponentially by any single variable. So, by choosing to drive to work, you make everyone else’s commute exponentially more difficult. Conversely, by getting out of your car and onto your bike, you make everyone’s highway commute exponentially easier. While this may not be a major factor in your decision to commute, it may build your karma or brotherly love with everyone else in your community by simply knowing that by biking to work it makes it exponentially easier for everyone else on the highway to get where they are going.
So, by biking to work you get the benefit of exercise, reduced local and global pollution, reduce the demand for non-renewable resources, reduce the stress in your life and put one less car in the daily traffic jam, making you and everyone else healthier and happier. Now, it is time to go get a bike!
Part 2 in the Series: Choosing a Bike for Commuting
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