At least in Chicago and L.A.... two feature pieces in two major cities on the same day! http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-bike-surge_bdjun15,0,129187.story More commuters choose to pedal right past pumps By Robert Mitchum |Tribune reporter11:36 PM CDT When Chris Glynn's Ford Explorer was totaled in an accident last year, his first thought was to replace it with another Ford, or maybe a Honda, for daily commutes and trips to the store. But after browsing car lots and watching the numbers at the gas station roll higher and higher, he turned to a different option: his bicycle. "Given the way gas prices were going, the way traffic is, the difficulty of parking, I realized a car just wasn't that cost-effective," said Glynn, 41, a 5th-grade teacher in Bucktown. "So I never got around to buying another car." To judge by the packs of cyclists streaming down Milwaukee Avenue every morning, the overstuffed bike racks at suburban train stations and the cash registers of area bike shops, many in the Chicago area appear to be choosing life in the bike lane this summer. Bike shop owners around the region say business is booming, including sales of commuter-style bikes and accessories—baskets, racks and attire-protecting fenders—that suggest uses that are as much functional as fun. Requests for service are also up. "People are finding that bike down in the basement or in the garage and bringing it in, getting new tires and tubes and whatever else to get it running again," said Tom Jones, who has owned Midwest Cyclery in Wheaton for 28 years. "They're getting the idea of riding it to run short errands instead of taking the car." Participation in last week's Bicycle Commuter Challenge, where workplaces compete with their bike-commuter rates, attracted 350 companies, up from 205 last year, and 8,000 new commuters. And despite 11,262 public bike racks in Chicago and thousands more in surrounding towns, officials report unflagging demand for bike parking, with designated space at Metra stations and downtowns filled beyond capacity. Official statistics—those that exist—are too slow to reflect a surge that observers attribute to a swirl of factors, including the perennial benefits of fitness and newer motivations such as gas prices and global warming. That lack of data may change this summer, said Ben Gomberg, bicycle program coordinator for the Chicago Department of Transportation. He said the city will conduct in-depth measurements of bike traffic on heavily used routes for the first time with French technology that has never been utilized in the United States. Similar to the thin, road-spanning tubes that are used to collect data on automobile traffic, the new equipment is designed to measure bike tires without being triggered by cars. Officials plan to test the equipment this week, with an eye toward doing all-season, round-the-clock measurements on several city streets. Gomberg was confident those numbers would back up what he sees along his commuting route. "It's changed from one to two people to a parade of cyclists," he said. "When there's a parade, people not only pay attention, they say, 'Hey, I want to be part of that.' " Not everyone loves the parade. Where the number of bikes rises, there is bound to be more tension between motorists and bicyclists who are not wild about sharing the pavement and are not impressed with each other's comprehension of the rules of the road. Safety is apparently on the minds of some who are buying new bicycles. "What's selling is more of a commuting-based bike," which favors stability and durability over speed, said CC Cunningham, marketing manager at Evanston's Turin Bicycle. Accessories commonly used by commuters, such as travel bags and lights, are also being bought in higher numbers, Cunningham said. Service is up 16 percent for the first five months of 2008 compared with 2007, which Cunningham attributed to people bringing in dusty, dormant bikes. While some look to refurbish, still more are buying new, she said. At the McDonald's Cycling Center in Millennium Park, demand is high for the indoor bike racks, and the waiting list for membership has been at its longest since the weather warmed. Josh Squire, owner of the center's operator, Bike Chicago, said that every summer brings a rejuvenated commuter crowd, but this year he has observed an influx of riders in their 30s and 40s who may be motivated more by fitness than money. "These are people who do have a busy life, yet they want to build exercise into their commute, want to be outdoors and take advantage of summer," Squire said. "Where with younger folks, it's purely economical." The burst of bicycling enthusiasm is definitely not contained to the city limits. The Udder Century, an annual recreational ride in McHenry County, attracted 1,600 bikers on June 1, a record high. In Naperville, the number of bikes parked at the two Metra stations has increased by 11 percent from last year, said Jennifer Louden, staff liaison to the city's Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. Ed Barsotti, executive director of the Aurora-based League of Illinois Bicyclists, said more suburban commuters are seeing the wisdom of riding bikes to train stations, where parking spaces for cars can be especially scarce. He observed that more suburbs are developing bike plans and applying for state and federal funds to add facilities and bike lanes. But even with the buzz and the optimism around cycling, not every cyclist believes this trend has wheels. Steve Bradford, 56, who has been commuting by bike since he moved to Chicago in 1997, was skeptical about how dedicated the new commuters would be when the weather become less ideal. "I think, for a lot of people, it's like a gym membership," Bradford said as he lifted his bike off a rack at the Millennium Park lot. "People will do it for two or three months, then you won't see them anymore. It's probably more work than they thought." Yet nearby, Lisa Murer, 35, said her first week of regular bike commuting along the lake from Lincoln Park to the Loop was a breeze compared with crawling down city streets in a crowded CTA bus or a car burning pricey fuel. "It's been pretty smooth sailing. I don't see any reason to change," Murer said. "When it gets tough, I think about how much money I'm saving." Freelance reporters Andrew Schroedter and Brian Cox contributed to this report. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And in Los Angeles http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/sunday/commentary/la-op-gottlieb15-2008jun15,0,7833402.story: Another run at biking in L.A. Before the freeways, the bicycle ruled the road in L.A. It could be that way again. By Robert Gottlieb June 15, 2008 Five years ago today, thousands of bicycle riders and pedestrians converged at the entrance to the Pasadena Freeway at Glenarm Street and Arroyo Parkway for an extraordinary event: ArroyoFest. Although it seemed improbable, the freeway would be off limits to trucks, autos and motorcycles for four hours so the crowd could ride and walk on the road. In one sense, the bikers were reclaiming what was once theirs. At the turn of the century, Los Angeles was considered the bicycle capital of the nation, and portions of the route taken by the Pasadena Freeway had been a bikeway. For many bikers, the experience that day was revelatory: Riding a bike not only provided pleasure but it also represented a viable form of transportation. Several bikers who traveled the entire 8.5-mile stretch of the freeway between Pasadena and downtown Los Angeles reported that they completed the trip in less time than it had taken them by car during the previous week's rush hour. With traffic congestion worsening and gasoline prices continuing to rise, it's no longer necessary to stage an event to show that the bicycle is a serious transit option. Dozens of newspaper articles and blogs report that an increasing number of commuters across the country are leaving their cars in the garage and using other forms of transportation, especially bicycles, to get to the store, school, bus or rail stop, even to work. Members of the L.A. County Bicycle Coalition, for instance, say they are getting dozens of inquiries requesting information on the best bike routes to various locations across town. Meanwhile, several dozen new bike groups have formed in Los Angeles to increase biking opportunities for commuting purposes as well as recreational. These groups see the bicycle as an especially efficient transportation option for trips of less than a mile. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Caltrans and the city of Los Angeles' Department of Transportation all have bike coordinators, and a new bike master plan for the city, the first in more than a decade, is near completion. And bike riding is becoming more visible in the urban landscape. Midnight rides, many organized spontaneously and sometimes willing to be disruptive to lay claim to the streets, have become a monthly occurrence in some neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles. In addition to providing route information, organizations such as Bike Oven and the Bike Kitchen fix bicycles and offer places to store them. Unfortunately, the increased interest in the bicycle as a commuting option exceeds the city's capacity to handle it. L.A.'s bike-riding infrastructure -- bike lanes and dedicated bike boulevards -- is abysmal and compares poorly with those in cities such as Portland, according to a recent Urban and Environmental Policy Institute study, a research and advocacy organization based at Occidental College. For instance, about 6% of Portland's 3,949 miles of street lanes are for bikes, compared with just 0.6% of L.A.'s 28,000 miles of street lanes. For a bicycle to become a viable mode of travel in L.A., we need to do a number of things. First, we need to build more bikeways, create more bike lanes on surface streets and install more bike racks near transit stops. Transportation planners need to more fully integrate biking with public transit. Land-use decisions should aim to encourage biking as an option. To explore these and other issues, a bike summit organized by bike groups, researchers and policy experts is in the works in Los Angeles. If bike riding can reassert its place in Los Angeles -- as it briefly did five years ago -- we can begin to reduce our dependence on the car. Imagine a city in which Griffith Park would be car-free, in which the Los Angeles River had a bikeway stretching its length, in which there were dedicated bike boulevards connecting Pasadena or Santa Monica to downtown. We could call the bike ride the "pleasure ride," as the car ride on the Pasadena Freeway, the first freeway in the West, was once touted. Robert Gottlieb's latest book is "Reinventing Los Angeles: Nature and Community in the Global City."
The obstacles to bicycle commuting have far more to do with laziness and inconvenience than intelligence. Nonetheless, more people riding bicycles instead of motor vehicles is a good thing! :clap: There may be a lot of positive solutions that come out of high gas prices yet.
I see lots of benefit to the shops we all patronize, I had been riding everywhere sine November but am now driving to use the A/C. Still though the commuter bike lives on with my Co-worker who takes the train from Hermosa to Irvine.
I was just talking with a friend about how in addition to the lack of bike lanes, etc. in Los Angeles, so many of the problems with biking/commuting in LA have to do with ignorance. Too many car drivers don't know the rules of bicycling. I once had a man in a car scream at me to "Get on the sidewalk, where that bike belongs!"
You have it right......we have the ability to adapt and overcome obstacles. This is just another problem in life that we must adapt to....we'll be fine.
I always ride on the sidewalks now because I seen someone get smacked by a car while riding on the street....Still paranoid....
You can get cited for riding on the sidewalks. And contrary to popular belief it is safer to ride on the road than on the sidewalk(and much faster). It's also safer for the pedestrians for you to be on the road where bikes belong. (some debate on the topic) http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=100823 Wear bright clothing and get a Delta Airzounds horn, use lights and blinkies, even in the daytime if you feel it will help. We need more people on bikes on the road so drivers get more accustomed to seeing bikes on the road.
Here is an article from a lbs Don's Bicycles in Rialto, where I purchased my road bike many years ago, it comments on the current bicycle boom. The shop is run by two brothers Scott and Wayne, but was originally opened by their father probably 50 years ago. I know them both very well, and if you are ever out in the area and need anything, they run a great shop. http://www.dailybulletin.com/ci_9598526?source=rss
Flashing lights, horns, etc... Good ideas (Bright clothes, flashing lights, air-zound horn)...I've tried a least half a dozen different bliinkers, the Planet Bike, "Super flash" red blinkers are by far the best I've seen so far. That air-zound horn is the most amazing bike horn ever invented...enough to startle cars with windows up...let along down. Although I realize bright-neon-green and orange clothing is best for visibility, even my committment to safety only goes so far. Can't quite bring myself to wear those things on my daily commute...even after a losing battle with the side of a minivan (100% her fault according to the police report). I also agree that riding on the sidewalk is more hazardous to one's health than on the street...pedestrians, driveways, light posts, mailboxes, dogs, trees, cars, etc are all just waiting to go, "Death Race 2000" on bikers when riding on the sidewalk. I remember as a kid launching over the hood of a car that pulled out of a blind driveway and stopped to look both ways just in time to send me and my banana-seated-gold-schwinn over the hood Dukes-of-hazard-style. On a side note, I just got back from Chi-town, just from 4-days of observing bikers out there, I think I saw about 5 wearing helmets (yes, there were plenty bike riders there too). With that in mind, I echo thephat's sentiment, I'm not sure the human species is intelligent enough to pull those things off... Lastly, I think I see more commuter type bike riders these days, than say two years ago. Ride hard, ride fast, and act like traffic, it's the safest way.:bang: Auk
in the past year or 2 I have riden into work on occation as it is a decent 18+ mile ride with some good climbs in there. But since may I have riden in 3 times a week (I work a 9/80 so in 2 weeks I work 9 days and ride in 6) Its not easy to figure it out. I think I finally found my best route to midigate climbing in the am (hell I'll climb and do extra mile sin the evening but in the am I just wanna get there) What bag to use, my tradition sling courier bag I used all thru college was hurting my shoulder under heavy loads, a courier pack I found is def a better route. Figuring out food, cloths ect ect is a pain but after about a month I think I got it down Lucky me I have a kitchen and a full lockeroom at work
I'd love to be able to commute on my road bike. But, I have to pick my kids up from school everyday after work, so riding my bike in is still way off in the distant future.
i've been riding my mtn bike 3-4 times a week, (full suspension, 2.3's, no rear lockout) it kinda sucks, i've been looking for a budget commuter type bike something on the lighter side, but no luck yet
I have a buddy that got hit by a car while riding his bike on the side walk. When the cops got there to take the report they wrote him about a $400 ticket and put the fault of the accident on him along with 2 pts on his record. Ride in the street is the moral of his story. oh yah it also totaled his road bike.
Pick up something off Craigslist. I have been riding a SS road bike that I picked up for $250, a Windsor "The Hour". They aren't that much even new. I don't have any climbs though and live 6 miles from work. The only thing I have to worry about is that fact that I cross like 6 sets of RR tracks. I can feel the wheels flex every time.... I added a brake and a freewheel hub. http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/windsor/thehour.htm
