So I’ve realized lately that I’ve become somewhat of a bike evangelist. I find myself preaching to friends and acquaintances about why they should bike as aggressively as if I were selling God (or food-processors) on some awful cable channel at 3 in the morning. And while I feel that a bike would be useful for some trips for almost everyone, I’m beginning to realize that biking makes more sense for some than it does for others. This post attempts to identify the factors that make for a “no-brainer” bike commute. If I were more anal I would ascribe a points system to each category and an overall total to ensure no-brainer status. But I’m not quite that obsessed with riding a bike. So here it is, my guide (in no particular order) to determine if you should absolutely, positively bike to work.
1. It’s flat between where you live and where you work. Good news New Yorkers, you live in a very flat city. Not quite Amsterdam, but pretty darn flat. Unless you live in Washington Heights, Morningside Heights, or somewhere else with Heights in the name, you likely have nothing but smooth flat sailing for your journey to work. This is not to say that you shouldn’t bike if you live somewhere hilly, but if it’s flat it makes it easier. I was out in San Francisco in September, and well, let me just say that I HEART NY.
2. You live more than .5 miles and less than 5 miles from your work. Again, this is good news for many in New York. Our city is very compact and in most cases the distances are not vast. Even inter-borough trips can often be less than 5 miles. Daily biking is a tough sell for people who work from home (zero miles) or live within a short 15-20 minute walk from their work. They are usually happy getting around on foot. On the other end of the spectrum, I’ve spoken to people that live 8 or 10 miles from their workplace, and its hard to convince them to make such a long trek each day. Trips greater than 5 miles are certainly doable (a few guys in my office make long commutes by bike), but they’re definitely a bit more strenuous. A bike trip of up to 5 miles can be completed at a leisurely pace in 30-40 minutes and is often faster than taking public transportation for the same distance. Check out www.ridethecity.com to determine your distance, time and best route.
3. You live in Manhattan and work somewhere crosstown from where you live. I love the New York subway system, but face it, its very limited for cross town trips. Whereas the Paris subway system is a web that can easily connect you to almost any point in the city, our system heavily favors north-south routes. Oh, you could take a crosstown bus, but then again you could also hop to work on one foot. A bike can quickly shoot you across town and get you there much, much faster than public transit. This same logic applies for people that live in Brooklyn but work in Western Queens (or vice-versa).
4. You live in a part of town inconvenient for public transit. Think the far west side, the deep Lower East Side, Yorkville, western Astoria, Greenpoint. There are many densely populated places in the city that require long, long walks to the subway. I can think of no worse commute than walking 20 minutes from York Ave just to hop on a congested 456 train. My heart goes out to you folks.
5. You live and work near a protected bike lane or a Greenway. Live in the West Village and work in Chelsea? Hop on the Hudson River greenway and have a safe and scenic ride. Don’t want to go out of your way? Bike on the protected bike lane being installed on 8th avenue and return home on the pioneering 9th avenue protected lane. The city just announced a redesign for Broadway, so soon someone living in South Harlem can travel through Central Park then down a protected and/or high visibility lane along Broadway all the way through Times Square to Herald Square. Sweet. More and more protected or painted lanes are going in each day and the network of regular bike lanes is expanding at an even more rapid pace. For a New York City Bike Map click here (The 2009 map should be up shortly.)
So that’s my basic guide. Any other ideas about what makes for a safe, convenient, and easy bike commute? Please litter my comments page, it’s feeling neglected.
Filed under: Why bike?
[...] short, “no-brainer” bike commute will not make you sweat. In fact, you might even use less energy biking to work than you already [...]