| commuting quickStart |
| why commute by bike? |
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planning your route |
| safe cycling |
| bad weather |
| basic maintenance |
planning your route
The route you currently take driving to work may be a good bike route. But chances are, there may be better alternatives. Especially if part of your driving route is on the freeway. So what route should you take?
You want the route that will get you there safely, in a reasonable amount of time, and with the least effort. But compromises have to be made since there isn't perfect balance between these three considerations. I manage a team that writes software documentation. There is a saying about writing documentation, "You can have it on time, on budget, or 100% complete. Pick two." The same thing applies when evaluating a commuting route. The triad for evaluating a route is: commute time, physical effort, and comfort level. Pick two and make some compromises with the third.
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Commute time. To shorten your commute time you might take a route with heavier traffic than you would normally be comfortable with. Physical effort. To reduce the physical effort of climbing a steep hill you might choose a longer route that takes a little more time. Comfort level. To increase your comfort level you might take a route that takes more time, but avoids the heavy traffic of the most direct route. |
I am not suggesting sacrificing safety in favor of time or effort. But your experience level has a lot to do with your comfort level. Statistically, riding on a main street in traffic is safer than a quiet residential street. But, if one is not experienced with riding in traffic, it may not be safer for that person until gaining more experience. Consider your experience level when choosing a route.
finding a route
If you are sure you know a good route, go for it. If you are not sure, then start with a little research.
A map. A bike route map showing bike routes and paths may be available for your area. Check with your city's transportation department and bicycle advocacy groups in your area. Some bike route maps may not show all the streets, so you might need a street map as well.
Ask people. Ask co-workers who commute by bike what they would recommend. Check with the local bike shops for suggestions.
Go online. Visit a site like MapQuest.com. Enter your “from” and “to” locations and when the directions come up, click the “Avoid Highways” button. This will give you the shortest route to work on surface streets (well, at least according to MapQuest).
evaluating a route
Figure out two or three different routes you might take, then evaluate each of them. You may have to drive each of the routes by car to fully evaluate them unless you are familiar with them. This is where the route evaluation triad comes into play.
Hills. Do any of the routes have hills that you would have climb? You may want modify your route to avoid the hills. Even if the resulting route is a bit longer, it may be faster or at least easier. Are there routes around those hilly areas? When I first started commuting by bike, there was a pretty tough hill coming back home, but if I went just one block farther out of my way, I found a much easier, only slightly uphill route.
Prevailing wind direction. In some areas that are particularly windy, you may want to consider routes that minimize riding against the wind. It can be very discouraging to constantly fight the wind on your commute. On the other hand, you may be able to find routes that use the wind to your advantage (if it is at your back).
Early morning or late evening sun. Riding directly into a rising or setting sun can compromise your vision. It's even worse for drivers looking through a windshield. A dirty windshield and direct sunlight can blind a driver. So consider sun direction for both yourself and the drivers you'll be cycling alongside.
Traffic or signals. The shortest route may be congested with traffic or may have traffic signals to slow you down. A longer alternate route may be faster. The shortest route for my current commute would be about 7.5 miles, but it includes a long stretch of main road with a lot of traffic signals and a fair amount of rush hour traffic. Instead, I ride ten miles, but over half my commute is on a bike path with no signals and only a couple of stop signs. My commute time is about the same.
Bridges, overpasses, or bicycle restricted roads. Be sure that your route doesn't include roadways that do not allow bicycles or are so narrow as to be unsafe.
Schools. You might want to avoid schools if you pass them just before morning classes start. Especially high schools that will be surrounded by young, inexperienced drivers.
test drive the route
Once you have selected a route or two, drive those routes by car on your way to work. That way, you can observe traffic, road conditions, and potential hazards. Once you have settled on a route, try riding the route on a weekend as a test run. After that, there is nothing to do but start commuting to work.
The first week of commuting by bike, make sure you allow more than enough time to get to work until you have a good idea of exactly how long the commute will take you.
