There’s something satisfying about riding the same trail everyday and suddenly noticing flowers blooming by the trailside that you haven’t seen in a year. These subtle rhythms of the seasons are likely to go unnoticed from behind the wheel of a car.

The Kid’s Wheels – A Breezer Uptown 7

I’m surprised by the number of young people who are not getting their driver’s licenses as soon as they turn 16. Our kids are waiting, and a number of their friends seem to be in no hurry either. Our son, who is 19 and attending college, is not driving yet and he appears to be in no hurry to take on the responsibilities and expenses that come along with car ownership. He’s been getting to-and-from school using a mix of walking and transit, and now that he has a new bike, he’ll be working it into his multi-modal mix. We’re proud that he recognizes car ownership would mean taking on a full-time job, resulting in less time and energy for school and other activities.

We’ll have more on his commuting adventures in future posts.

And finally, the #1 reason to commute by bike (if a sunrise like that won’t get you out of your car, I don’t know what will). Captured this morning on the way to work…

I was enjoying the commute home this evening so much I couldn’t resist shooting a few pandas. The rains are coming back tomorrow, but we’ve been soaking up as much sun as we can by doing a lot of riding during this beautiful stretch of weather. We don’t mean to rub salt in the wounds of the folks who are snowed in; we’re just sharing a little bike joy.

I’m a big fan of bike lockers (aka boxes). They’re secure, they hide your bike from view, and they protect your bike (and other belongings) from the elements. Usually they’re grouped together in busy public areas, so they’re unlikely to get broken into. And since a potential thief can’t see inside the box, there’s no way to know what type of bike is in there, or even if there’s a bike in the locker at all.

I feel a little guilty because I just obtained a second bike locker, so now I have one on both ends of the train portion of my multi-modal commute. I wouldn’t have been so greedy, but according to the City, there are approximately 10 bike lockers in the area near my work that are sitting unused. It’s hard to believe this resource is not being taken advantage of.

If bike storage is an issue for you, you might consider checking with your local transportation department to see if they have a bike locker program. I get the feeling that these programs may not be well publicized (they certainly aren’t in my city), and I suspect that many people aren’t even aware they exist.

Honking in Traffic published an article yesterday about the “unseen” portion of the bike commuter population made up of people who commute by bike not by choice, but out of necessity. Here’s an excerpt:

It’s an excellent article that’s well worth a read.

Honking in Traffic →

The Daily Beast has assembled a list of America’s 75 worst automobile commutes. Here’s the top 10 to whet your appetite:

• Hollywood Freeway, Los Angeles, CA
• Lunalilo Freeway (H-1), Honolulu, HI
• Capital Beltway, Washington DC
• I-35, Austin, TX
• James Lick Freeway (US 101), San Francisco, CA
• Cross Bronx Expressway, New York, NY
• I-5, Seattle, WA
• I-95, Bridgeport, CT
• Kennedy Expressway, Chicago, IL
• Airport Expressway (State Road 112), Miami, FL

View the full list @ The Daily Beast →

The League of American Bicyclists report, American Community Survey – Bicycle Commuting Trends, 2000 to 2008, is an excellent source for bicycle commuting statistics. LAB used data from the Census Bureau’s ongoing American Community Survey to create their report.

Here are a few highlights:

• 0.55 percent of Americans use a bicycle as their primary means of getting to work. This is up 14 percent from 2007, 36 percent from 2005, and 43 percent from 2000.
• The 70 largest cities in the U.S. had higher bicycle commuter levels and larger increases than the national average.
• The average bicycle commuter share for the largest 70 U.S. cities grew by nearly 50 percent since 2000 (to 0.93 percent).
• On average, larger increases in state spending on bicycle and pedestrian projects are correlated with larger increases in bicycle commuting levels.

Overall, even though our numbers are still low, the picture for the future is looking pretty good if this trend continues.

Bicycle Commuting Trends, 2000 to 2008 [PDF] →

This Morning’s Reward

I commuted by car for 10 years and was never treated to anything like this. The crazy thing is that I had no idea what I was missing. It’s the inverse of the old saying, “You don’t know what you have until it’s gone.” For the sad souls stuck in traffic on the freeway every morning, I suspect it’s more like, “You don’t know what you’ve been missing until you have it.” Seriously folks, if you haven’t tried bike commuting, and there’s nothing other than indecision keeping you from it, give it a go; you can’t even fathom the rewards you’ll get from it. And the kicker is that beautiful sunrises are only the tip of the iceberg!

I missed my shadow; it’s been quite a while since I’ve seen it.

We’ve only had brief interludes of sun and rain between what feels like interminable stretches of fog blanketing the Valley. I saw on the weather report this morning that they’re calling for rain tomorrow which, for once, will be a welcome change. Unfortunately, once the front passes the fog is supposed to settle right back in. My wife, who would never consider such a thing, only half-kiddingly threatened to go to a tanning salon just to get some UV (don’t worry, she wasn’t serious). I know we have no right to complain as there are people under 10 feet of snow somewhere, but it sure would be nice to see the sun one of these days!

Here’s a little urban energy for you. Captured this evening under the train tracks downtown.

I was off for two weeks and almost forgot why I commute by bike, then I rode home tonight and thought, “Ah yes; that’s why.”

As much as I’ve enjoyed leisurely sitting around sipping coffee each morning on my recent vacation, I have to admit it was nice to get on the road early this morning for the first time in a couple of weeks. For all of you coming back from vacation today, have a great first day back and enjoy your ride!

Frosty Morning

We’ve had record or near-record lows each of the past few days, including even a bit of snow down here in the Valley. I know we’re weather wimps here in California, but when you’re not accustomed to these temps it feels like a deep freeze out there. Throw on an extra layer or two and watch out for black ice on the road! (I’m sure all of you folks in the Midwest and Places Far North are chuckling at us lightweights about now… )

Captured this evening, December 1

‘Tis the season for gorgeous sunsets. It seems I always encounter the most intense sunsets in December (here’s one from exactly one year ago today). I think many people miss these light shows, either because they’re still at work, they’re trapped in a car, or it’s too darned cold to be outside at dusk in December. There’s yet another reason for ya’ to bundle up and keep riding through the winter… :-)