Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Poll Results for "What keeps you from commuting by bicycle?"

Thanks for joining in the poll everyone. The question was "What keeps you from commuting by bicycle?" The answers were:

- 3 - Have to use car during work hours
- 9 - Live greater than 4 miles from work
- 2 - No place to clean up at work
- 3 - Too dangerous in Tulsa
- 4 - Would take too much time
- 0 - Can't balance
- 0 - Afraid of dogs and/or people on trails
- 1 - Too lazy
- 7 - Other

I would like to ask those who do bike to work how they deal with these challenges. I know one commenter who goes by Cap definitely lives more than 4 miles away from work. He has an interesting blog at byk2wrk.blogspot.com and is clearly fearless about commuting by bicycle.

8 comments:

  1. Let’s see, I live over 10 miles from work and depending on my work and my wife’s school schedules I try to commute 2 to 4 days a week. I have to use a car during work hours but I have an older car that I can leave at the office on the days I ride. I’m fortunate that my office building has a shower and I’m able to keep my bicycle and gear inside but the new downtown YMCA is close to my work and they have excellent facilities and you can even rent lockers and store your bike there. I have found that commuting by bike is no more dangerous than commuting by car. In fact, in the last couple of years I’ve had only 1 major close call on my bike (someone turned right in front of me and I nearly hit their car) while I’ve had several close calls in my car (the scariest one was where I was nearly t-boned by someone who ran a red light doing a full 40 mph at least). It takes me about an hour to commute one-way depending on the weather and traffic (versus 20-40 minutes by car unless there’s a traffic jam on Hwy 51 in which case it takes me considerably longer). But, I figure I’d spend an hour at the gym working out at least three days a week if I wasn’t riding regularly so I feel the amount of time spent evens out. I’ve been commuting regularly for the last 4 years and haven’t had a single run-in with a menacing dog or people on the trails. I have no answer for people who are “too lazy” or fall in the “other” category. All in all, I save a good amount of money on fuel and mileage (not to mention I get a discount on my car insurance for driving fewer miles), I get a good workout and it helps me manage my weight (without having to pay to go to an expensive gym), and it’s just fun.

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  2. Thanks for the great comment. Do you have to pay the full YMCA price in order to keep your bike there and rent lockers? That is cool that you keep an older car at work for those days when you have to use a car for work.

    It really sounds like you have figured out how to overcome most of the reasons people have for why they wouldn't ride. Way to go!

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  3. FYI, it has been reported to me that Lee's Bicycle is moving into a large building somewhere downtown in the Bluedome district...I am told that they have plans to provide secure Bicycle parking, lockers, and showers/dressing rooms for commuters to use. Hope its true!

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  4. I've been watching there progress. I didn't know about the showers/dressing rooms for commuters. That would be awesome. They are a little far away from most of the office buildings, but not a terrible distance.

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  5. those who work in downtown tulsa should become "friends of TCC" It offers members real cheep gym memberships and with that membership comes a shower :-) plus, of course, you have the added benifit of having a gym to go work out, do yoga, etc
    Great Blog, by the way!

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  6. If TCC wanted to do the real right thing about encouraging stdents and faculty to commute to school by bicycle they would use the security desk to provide walk-in secure bike parking. Walk the bicycle up the ramp and use the automated doos, walk over to the security desk, provide identification, no need to actually be a student sign in and pass the bike across.
    Secure bicycle parking at the point of destination is one key to bike commuting. I am talking secure indoor bike parking. Utilizing facilities, security desk, ramps, automated doors, makes secure indoor bike parking only a matter of will on the part of TCC administration.
    Parker, 43
    Commute to by bike five times a month on average and you leave your car parked at home for 60 days or two months!

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  7. Thanks for the comment. I agree that secure bicycle parking makes a huge difference. At the old City Hall I brought my big old mountain bike up the elevator and parked it in my office. It was pretty embarrassing but I had to do what I had to do. At the new City Hall I and other bikers bugged the mayor enough that she put a secure bicycle cage in the parking garage with limited card access. It is wonderful.

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  8. March 14, 2010
    Howdy Nate, I forgot to say how much I enjoyed the story Matt wrote. I had a chance to work with Matt on a story he wrote about the E. Field Bike program that provides rebuilt bikes to the kids who successfully complete the six days of riding. The program has been rolling over ten year. I do wish he had left out the comment about, "She finished that Jan. 7 blog
    post with a simple plea: 'Cars, Please don't hit me. that's enough. I'm getting more nervous.'"
    I am involved in a program that trains bicyclists how to use their bikes appropriately on the streets as a vehicle. Cars, actually motorists, do not want to hit bicyclists. The motorists simply do not have enough experience with bicyclists on the roadway to treat riders as they do all other slow moving and/or stopped vehicles. Bicyclists often do not know how to ride their bicycle as a vehicle. Then we have the problem with Tulsa Police lack of knowledge in this regard. But when Matt writes comments like,"Cars, please don't hit me," it sends an incorrect message.
    I am wondering what was your wife's and your actual experience with motorists when driving your bicycle on the roadways? I find Tulsa motorists, for the most part, to be able to pass me as they do all other slower moving or stopped vehicles by using the adjacent lane.

    Further I find that streets take me where I want to go as opposed to not bicycling because there is no bike trail. Bike lanes are a waste of resources and right of way.

    I encourage those who ride a bike recreationally to consider riding a bike to work on average once a week plus 8 more days over a year's time, or 60 days. That equals leaving one's car parked for two months out of a year. I am currently meeting a lady on a weekly bike to work commute from the 21st and Yale area to 103rd East Ave and 55th Place. We use all public Tulsa streets and roadways.

    Do you watch Green Planet HD, Cox Ch:768. They have a show called "The Woman Who Stops Traffic." You can find the show on the internet. Her idea, in England, was to convince a town of over 10,000 to not drive for one weekday. The sell was if everyone would do this it would make traffic be like it is on the weekend. There was opposition, especially from officials, businesses, and parents taking kids to school, but they gave it a try and it worked. Many had a 180 degreee change of opinion.
    What an idea for Tulsa. Everyone not drive one day per weekday.
    Ok, ok I have rambled on for now.
    If you know Sandra Crisp at City Hall she can provide a bit of background as can Richard Hall.
    I would choose something other than anonymous, but I will need instructions.
    Wouldn't it be grand if there was free walk in bike valet parking at the ONEOK Ballpark?
    "Advantage bicycling and you will see more bicycling."
    Gary Parker
    gandbparker@cox.net

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