They're totally addictive.
Right now, if I want to commute by car, I get in, drive to work, park, get out, and walk into the office.
If I want to commute by bike, I have to throw my office clothes, wet-naps and deodorant into my backpack, lug my bike downstairs, ride, hoping everyone is patient and observant and not all road-ragey, put my bike in the bike rack, lock it up, hit the restroom, towel/wet-nap off, change clothes, comb my hair, pack up my riding clothes, and walk into the office.
When you work in a job that has a tendency to be a bit stressful already, all those extra steps get a bit tedious, which is why I haven't been riding to work nearly as much as I should be lately.
Now, if there were a few more bike lanes, and my office had a locker room, or at least a shower, it would be a totally different story.
It's always interesting to see how the existing infrastructure influences our choices. It wouldn't cost very much to stripe a few more bike lanes around town, and adding a handful of showers would be a rounding error in the usual annual cost of building new office configurations for an office building.
These expenses would probably be offset over the long-term by lower health insurance premiums, a fitter and more productive workforce, less motor vehicle traffic, etc., etc.
Or maybe I'm just making excuses for my own slackness (especially since I blew off a Santa Monica City Hall meeting at which I COULD HAVE ENCOURAGED THE VERY THINGS I'M RECOMMENDING HERE. I suck.) The roads are out there, I just need to ride them. But I'm feeling tired and lazy today, we'll see how tomorrow works out.
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3 comments:
Yes, the blowing off was noted. 7 or 8 other people also blew it off. Was it the overcast thing, or was it just a coincidence, or a lack of charisma on the organizers part?
It is true that biking is less easy in certain situations. Once you lose the car though, it becomes the only option. The thing that most impedes me in cycling, is the fact that I treat all my trips the same. I go through the same routine whether I'm riding 3 miles or 15 . . . but I really don't need all that crap for the short trip.
Careful what you wish for on bike lanes. Are they really so helpful? Often cars park on them, so you have to zig zag around--more dangerous than taking the first lane and holding your line. If they place them a car width from the curb to allow parking, as they do sometimes in my town, you are set up perfectly to get doored. Again, much safer to take the first lane--only now the presence of a misleading and hazardous 'bike lane' has convinced drivers that you are an insane lawbreaker if you aren't riding in it. Finally, even when there is no parking, the bike lane is the most dangerous place to be at every intersection, because you will get right hooked by right-turning cars. They couldn't have right-hooked you if you had taken the lane, but the bike lane didn't tell you that. The only time a bike lane is even minimally safe is when the road has a wide flat shoulder with no parking permitted, but when you have that, who needs the little painted line?
Alex - It was certainly no lack of charisma on the organizers' part, more the fact that I had a birthday happy hour for a work colleague that has slipped my mind. I don't know what everyone else's deal was.
Scott - Bike lanes are a mixed bag. There is the zig-zagging issue and the dooring issue.
On the other hand, for cyclists like myself that are not particularly fast, it's nice to have some extra reserved space, so you're not "taking the lane" at 5mph. The "right hook" is not an issue if you get out in front at stoplights, or at least make your presence known (at least for me, I can see how it would be an issue if I were moving faster).
Based on personal commuting experience, I'll take the Venice Blvd. bike lane over taking the lane on Pico Blvd. any day. YMMV.
There needs to be more done to educate motorists about cyclists' right to use the entire lane, but there also need to be more bike lanes, etc. for slower / less experienced folks to use.
Also, arguing semantics of road use does not negate the fact that a broader implementation of bike lanes / sharrows / bikepaths would encourage a far broader range of people to begin using bicycles as a means of transportation.
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