I would love to be able to bike to work.  It’s not possible now because (a) it’s pretty far (15 miles each way) and not a good bike route (over a major bridge, for instance) and (b) I can’t figure out how to do the kid-juggling when I’m biking not driving.

But one really key thing with biking is that biking and public transit supplement each other—people want to have the independence of biking, which Ezra discusses in his post, but they need public transit for times when biking isn’t practical:  say, in really bad weather, which happens all too often in the Philly area where I am.  Or when you’re not physically up to strenuous biking.  You can even combine biking and public transit on a single trip, by taking a train and then biking from your station to your destination.

I noticed your aside in your Libertarian post the other day about selling the pickup, and remembered your post a while back asking for advice about what to do with the vehicle.  I’m glad to read that you’re happy with the decision to sell.

I also got a bike this year, but that’s more for exercise and weight loss more than any other practical reason…and have enjoyed it quite a bit.

GAVE AWAY my old (but still very functional) king cab truck with cap to local elementary school janitor in exchange for helping me empty my barn this fall- he has been making extra money hauling things for other folks, too. He and son live in a very small trailer and I hope the truck helps him make enough extra money to heat their home come winter…

I’ve noticed that over the past 6 months or so NYC has started to make an effort to become more bike friendly.  Certain major thoroughfares now have bike racks (which are almost always full to capacity), and they’re trying out this new initiative over several weekends this month where some of the north-south avenues that traverse Manhattan will be closed to traffic so that people can bike, walk, skateboard, etc more efficiently.  The fact that the NYPD is officially getting in trouble for police brutality to bicyclists is also a good thing. 

Yay bicyclists!

(Though I have to say, to Pesto’s idea of taking your bike on public transit so that you can then bike to your destination—this is absolutely taboo in my opinion, unless maybe it’s a very slow time of day.  Never rush hour.  Unless, I guess, cities started putting bike storage on buses.  Does anywhere do that?)

(Though I have to say, to Pesto’s idea of taking your bike on public transit so that you can then bike to your destination—this is absolutely taboo in my opinion, unless maybe it’s a very slow time of day.  Never rush hour.  Unless, I guess, cities started putting bike storage on buses.  Does anywhere do that?)

I can’t speak for everywhere, but I can assure that buses in Fresno, CA and Portland, OR have front-mounted bike racks, and have had them for quite some time.  Portland’s light rail trains also have bike storage.

I live in NYC, as previously mentioned, and have never seen a bike rack on a bus thus far.  And I take my fair share of buses. 

But I’ll cover my own ass and cheer about the cities that really do offer bike racks, and add that if you live in one of those cities (or use a folding bike), more power to you!

Part of the biggest problem with biking to and from work is not the biking itself,* nor the bikes themselves.  A huge part of the problem is the makers of the accessories for bicycles.  Most of the people who do panniers and such like assume that you’re going to be carrying a sandwich and a coke or just a t-shirt and a puptent.  Makers of side panniers which can, for example, fit a barrister’s bag or thick files are found only in unicorn land.  When I bring work home I can’t just slide it into a slim folder: I bring the laptop, my padfolio (which is about three inches thick), very thick files and a book or two.  It won’t fit into any standard size backpack and certainly not into the pissant panniers which are available at most stores.  (We won’t even discuss the fact that almost all panniers are softsided, and when you ask for something hard-sided—akin to those found on a motorcycle—the clerks often look at you as if you just asked for condoms in a Catholic bookshop.)  You can find some, but they are expensive, internet only and frequently of second-rate plastic. 

* - Except for the fact that some of us don’t want to arrive at work covered in sweat, looking and smelling like we just did our 10k run.  Funny that.  If truckstops can have clean showers then why can’t office buildings?

The problem with biking is not biking.  The problem with biking is that so few people—including those in the bike industry—don’t give a tiny shivering rat fuck about making biking compatible with the demands of getting to and from the workplace.  Wanna scoot around a bike trail?  They’re your friends.  Wanna actually use the bike as a commuting vehicle if you need to carry stuff?  Then they turn into the fucking North Dallas matrons so wickedly portrayed by Molly Ivins, who look at you with pity and ask, “oh, I’m sorry, darlin’, but do you, well, you know, work?”  The sad fact is that almost everybody associated with the bike accessories industry sees the bike as a recreational vehicle; that makes them as stupid and narrow-minded as a GM planner.

The fact that the NYPD is officially getting in trouble for police brutality to bicyclists is also a good thing.

Okay.  Good news, admittedly.  But what about the other 84.2% of Zoo Yorkers?

The problem with biking is that so few people—including those in the bike industry—don’t give a tiny shivering rat fuck about making biking compatible with the demands of getting to and from the workplace.

I agree with this, but then I also wonder how bad it must be to live in a world where people only ever go to and from work.  Most of my bike commuting friends (which is gradually tipping over to be most of my friends) mainly use the subways and buses for work-related travel, and use their bikes for just about everything else.  I’ve had 10 people show up to a dinner party at my house which they’d just biked 3 or 4 miles to, and nobody smelled like they’d just come from the gym. 

But what about the other 84.2% of Zoo Yorkers?

Yeah, wow, you’re so right.  I don’t think there’s ever been a documented case of police brutality in New York that wasn’t a cyclist.  I mean, there are rumors about digging in one’s pocket while black, but they’re just rumors, right?  Come on.  The idea that the city cares about cyclist brutality but turns a blind eye to all other instances is bullshit.  Things could be better, but then I don’t think something like the Shawn Bell or Amadou Diallo cases ever would have come to light in my home city of New Orleans.

Amanda:
Hallelujah.  Maybe it’s just where I am.

Got links for your makes/styles?  I found this one…
http://ucycle.com/node/149
after doing my post.

Dark, ironic humour is another country to you, isn’t it, Opoponax?

Champaign-Urbana (college town in Illinois) has bike racks on all their buses, and they’re used frequently too.

I like this idea ALOT of bike-sharing in large cities:

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080627/NEWS07/806270412/1009

I must admit that the rising gas prices have been the slight kick in the rear that I have needed to be prompted to purchase a road bike and commit to commuting the 54 mile round trip once a week.  Actually, I take the bike on the car to work and then bike home and back the next morning.  It takes a bit less than 2 hours each way.  I would disagree about the bike not being commuter friendly, I can bring more than most would need in rack mounted panniers.  The main issue is not being able to shower at work.

Thanks, Ms. Kate.  I already have a wonderful bike; it was the accessories which I was kvetching more about.  Your links were quite helpful in that respect, leading further on to some pretty good panniers and such; thanks again.