You know, my husband does a "park and ride" and I can tell you he's not a "sissy"! I think it's the wave of the future, in some ways. I can also tell you that even without the full commute, he reaps the benefits - 100 fewer miles in the car, exercise, fresh air, closure on the day, well-being. So I'd march up to that church and ask about parking. Imagine if they liked the idea and recommended it to their members. What a revolution you'd start!

Ohiobiker, I used to have a commute that went through some notorious crime areas. I was okay riding in the dark in the cold, but not in the warmth of summer. There's a lot of hanging around in the summer and not much in the winter. I didn't know the actual statistics of stranger-crime in that area, but that's what worked for my personal comfort level.

My no-go commute: in that same job, I discovered that the driving in downtown on sunny summer Friday afternoons was so crazy and horrendous - I switched to public transit on those days even though the weather was perfect!