I commute to work on my bike - no problem

In article <[email protected]>, Kolaga Xiuhtecuhtli wrote:
> I work at the University - parking stinks so three years ago I moth-balled my car...
>
> And if it rains, I take the bus...

This all sounds familiar.

> I don't change my clothes at work - no one complains and I don't give a flip anyhow - I'm a back
> office computer programmer...

I do this sometimes, but the U rec center is near my building and a shower feels good.

> I've got mostly bike lanes and sidewalks on my ride...

Well, that's a little different from mine, which is mostly lower traffic four-lane road (or,
parkways followed by an exciting jaunt through downtown Minneapolis).

Keep on truckin'.

-- Dan

--
Dan Cosley ([email protected] * http://www.cs.umn.edu/~cosley/) GroupLens Research
Lab, Univ of MN (http://movielens.umn.edu/ * 612.624.8372) *** Just a foot soldier in the Army
of Truth ***

> Five days a week - rain or shine - 7.5 miles each way - no problem. I work at the University -
> parking stinks so three years ago I moth-balled my car. I said to hell with sitting in traffic.
> Especially
>
> during the next couple weeks when the students return and the traffic will really ball up.
>
> And if it rains, I take the bus. The bus stop is two miles from my house. Sometimes I walk
> and sometimes my wife drops me off. The bus has a rack for two bikes and it stops very close
> to my office.
>
> I don't change my clothes at work - no one complains and I don't give a flip anyhow - I'm a back
> office computer programmer of the mainframe vintage data processing variety.
>
> I've got mostly bike lanes and sidewalks on my ride. My principal obstacles are crossing two four
> lane heavy traffic streets and one major intersection. I've always got to stay focused on the cars
> around me - this is no sightseeing trip - but it's safe if I do it right.

Get off the sidewalks, and beware counterflow bike lanes. Your two greatest dangers when riding on
the sidewalk are:

1) collisions with pedestrians: they are slow-moving, unpredictable, and can change direction (or
not) unnervingly quickly. Any collision you have with them in the sidewalk is *your* fault, as
most jurisdictions forbid the riding of bicycles on sidewalks.

2) Being struck by motor vehicles entering the main roadway. This is a particular danger if you're
on a sidewalk or bike lane that flows counter to the regular flow of traffic. Cars entering at
driveways and side-streets onto the main road will look for oncoming *vehicular* traffic in the
main right-of-way, and, unless they see pedestrians waiting, ignore anything else. You will be
crunched from the side.

Take my word for it: if the cars won't yield to you, they sure as hell will yield to the city bus
that's running before you, and the Escalade that's running behind you.

The crossings are less fun. On a four-lane road, turning left, congestion is actually your
*friend*--with all those cars stopped or slowing, it's actually easier to make the lane change and
establish yourself in the proper turning lane. Light traffic on high-volume roadways is a headache
for cyclists, since it increases motor vehicle speeds, thereby narrowing gaps (both space- and
time-wise). This at least has been my experience in London, since the advent of Congestion
Charging--less congestion, higher speeds, slightly more difficult lane changing.

If you can't position yourself in the proper turning lane, there's no shame in walking your bike
across one part of the intersection and continuing your ride on the proper lane in the next one.

Oh, and one more thing: Stay alert, don't take any unnecessary risks with narrow spaces. Even a
little nudge can hurt....

-Luigi

the road rash and bruises are healing up nicely!

I've got some beautiful Greenway trail on my way into Indiana University-Purdue University at
Indianapolis, where I am a part-time instructor. It's a scenic ride along the river all the way
to campus.

It's a bit far from my house to do the daily commute. But I put my bike on a bike rack and drive to
a golf course along the Greenway trail about 5 miles from campus. I leave the car and bike the rest
of the way in.

It's a great trip. The only traffic problems I encounter are when I get on campus.

The ride along the river isn't so hot at night, though. The bugs are terrible.

David

On Fri, 15 Aug 2003 12:13:22 +0000 (UTC), Dan Cosley tapped this on a keyboard:

> > I don't change my clothes at work - no one complains and I don't give a flip anyhow - I'm a
> > back office computer programmer...
>
> I do this sometimes, but the U rec center is near my building and a shower feels good.

I work in a petrochemical Laboratory. Almost everything there stinks more than I ever could.

--

QUIPd 1.02: (79 of 653) -> Be careful who you know. Life is not always a bowl of cherriez. ->
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##2097 #'Mandrake Linux.'

In article <[email protected]>, Johann S. wrote:
>
> I work in a petrochemical Laboratory. Almost everything there stinks more than I ever could.

Lucky you... I guess.

-- Dan

--
Dan Cosley ([email protected] * http://www.cs.umn.edu/~cosley/) GroupLens Research
Lab, Univ of MN (http://movielens.umn.edu/ * 612.624.8372) *** Just a foot soldier in the Army
of Truth ***