I have written several other posts about my change to commuting to work on my bicycle. Here are some details, both in the gear that makes it possible and the conditions that make it feasible for me.
I am a gear head. Always have been, always will be. Some of the first gears I fiddled with were on a bike; first a 1-speed, then my older sisters’ 3-speed, then a 10-speed which I bought with my own money from my paper route. You don’t hear things like that much these days — what kid has a paper route anymore?
So it was a natural for me to take my road bike that I had bought probably 15 years ago and trick that puppy out as a “commuter bike” with the gear, gadgets, tools and gizmos “needed” for my daily commute. Here’s my list, neatly organized into Safety, Warmth, and Fun. Then, some comments that make my bike commute safe and possible. (more…)
My bike commute to work is a lovely ride. My path takes me along the Charles River. I have seen the beauty of the New England autumn unfold, the crews one their morning rows, the Boston city skyline, the hustle and bustle of Harvard Square. Oh, and yes, Boston drivers really do suck. But when my head is down, I have noticed a few other things, too. Tire pressure, for example. (more…)
The distance from my home to work is about 7 miles. Every day I do ride my bike to work, I do not drive my car there or back.
So, I do not use 1/50th of a gallon of gas every time I do not drive a mile.
Over the last few months since we moved our office to Cambridge, MA (a city openly hostile to cars) I have not driven about 50 times.
So I calculate that I have not used 7 * 2 * 1/50th * 50 = 14 gallons of gas. My only regret is that I was not driving my Prius, since if I were not driving a Jeep Grand Cherokee 4WD, I would have not used 5 times as much gasoline, or 70 gallons!
Conclusion, I should be not driving a Grand Cherokee!
Now that my office is in Cambridge, I have been commuting by bike, about 6-1/2 miles one way. I have found routes that are smooth, on side roads or roads with a good margin, and figured out how to cross major intersections safely and quickly. The ride takes about 1/2 hour each way. And yes, it can be lovely.
This may be the first real means of incorporating exercise into my daily post-children life: it’s possibly faster to ride than drive, and it’s great to feel like I am getting in shape. But I also think this is a good additional step to reduce the amount of fuel I use.
I also bought various items for the bike including a flasher for the rear, a light for the front, some new wider, grippier, and tougher tires, and a very bright jacket. I still drop off my daughter at school in the morning, and pick up her and my son in the afternoon. My new office space has a shower and I have worked out the logistics of clothing and so on. I don’t think the cold or rain of Fall or Spring should bother me, but snow and ice will likely cause me to try public transit.
So now my car commuting is only a couple miles, twice a day for pickup and drop-off. (more…)
Our company moved from our bland, suburban, office in Needham, MA to a new space in Harvard Square last week. We picked this location not because it was more convenient, but because we all thrive on human energy, and Harvard Square is alive. But Cambridge is not a car-friendly place. There’s hardly any parking and what’s there is expensive. Driving to the office sucks. And I couldn’t be happier. (more…)
