For the past few mornings, I've been working in a 45-minute walk before I head into work. I've dubbed this time "Big Dog Hour" because all my neighbors with dogs 100 pounds or more seem to be out and about.
But I've noticed a different trend as well. I've seen well-suited cyclists pedaling by in what feels like droves. The weather is not very pleasant in Phoenix right now. It's feels about 90 degrees at 5 a.m. and with the pending monsoon season, humidity is also pretty high. My conclusion is that these cyclists are trying to avoid the gas pump. Here gas is about $4.20 a gallon. In addition to the cost-saving benefits, they're obviously getting in a pretty good work out.
I would love to jump on the cycling bandwagon but given my 40-mile daily commute and the ridiculous temps, not sure if this is for me. Would you bike to work? What would be the incentive for you to jump on a bicycle?
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Hi Tina
Congrats on your walking regime!
The American infrastructure was designed with the automobile and mass transit in mind. So unlike many European countries (Holland being the best example) riding a bike can simply be dangerous.
Most cities and towns are not equipped to handle transit by bike which is a crying shame. Bike lanes are few and far between and most people who want a decent bike ride have to strap the bike to their car and then drive to a park or other bike-friendly area. How paradoxical is that?
I believe bike lanes need to be introduced into any street that is not a highway or administers to more than 4 lanes. This is for safety reasons. Other than that, bike riding should be highly encouraged and manic car drivers who act like they own the road should be ticketed. And bike riders need to remember that the same road rules that apply to car drivers also apply to them. Too often I see bikers tooling past stop signs and red lights as if they have free reign!
If both modes of transportation would co-operate with each other, and our local and state governments would shell out the money for bike lanes (and not to over-simplify but all it really takes is a change in where the roads are painted as road dividers as well as new signs) then it could actually be a reality.
And with gas prices climbing, the environment choking on fumes and obesity at an all-time high, this reality may be an eventuality.
July 2, 2008 - 12:41pmThis Comment
Unless one lives relatively close to work, it's not easy to opt to commute on your bike. Our local newspaper carried a story on how a lucky few are able to do it, one even drives across a busy highway to park where he can safely bike the rest of the way - a whole 8 miles. Another has mostly trails to follow and a shower at work. Downtown, our newest cycling shop started by our local cycling hero (7X Tour de France winner) has showers, a cafe and a place to lock down for a small fee. That's great, if you live and work in the downtown area.
I make a 32-mile round trip down busy roads to my client site. There's no safe route, no matter which way I've mapped it. Plus, with temps in triple digits, it doesn't make any sense to try a bike commute.
And, like I said: this is Texas. Everything is spread out, there are still huge vehicles on the road and our particular area, in spite of all the cyclists, pro and otherwise, is NOT cycling friendly! Go figure.
There are pockets of enlightenment; I just don't live in one of them, as long as I have to make this commute. My commute used to be 20 steps - down my stairs to my home office, lol! Now, that's a commute I really like. :)
July 2, 2008 - 4:22pmI just blogged about commuting . . . 100 miles one way over the Rockies. I did it for a year and a half - and learned an important about wellbeing (and wellness) in the process.
http://midwifeofchanges.blogspot.com/2011/11/is-commuting-your-favorite-...
November 4, 2011 - 10:34pm