More people riding their bikes than driving their cars?

[Trek420]

Refrigerated Bob Trailer?

[Blueberry]

Soft sided cooler for the ice cream??

[runner2]

I have been commuting since there is light out in 7am, like everyone else I am still trying to find out why the gas price is sky high, and as you know most of the reasons are out of our control. I will commute to work even the price is 99 cents per/g, because a easy morning run and commuting are the best way to start my day, and I live close to the office.

And I would like to see more commuters on the road, that means less cars around me.

Be safe all.

[TahoeDirtGirl]

I find when I ride in the morning I can deal with the rest of my day better.

I notice people riding in the a.m. but I'm not sure they are commuting though. I live in a rural area of Mass and if I see someone wearing a bike jersey I'm not sure if they are commuting.

You know, when people start complaining about the gas prices, I say there is a silver lining- people are more mindful of what they buy now, they don't waste food because heck, you can't afford it and they are taking to the roads by walking or riding. More exercise means people might be a little more laid back, and less crappy air too!

[mimitabby]

wow, today riding home i went the long way because i had to go to the library.
I passed an invisible cyclist going up the hill (he was on the sidewalk), and a couple of school kids on bikes (walking their bikes up the hill) then i went left a couple miles to the library, did my thing and continued home, where I passed the invisible cyclist again, still riding on the sidewalk. While passing him I was passed by a younger woman on a bike (no helmet) barreling through traffic. As i passed a bunch of stores, I saw yet another cyclist, a 60 something man, looking very happy on his bike on the sidewalk. That's a lot of bikes for a commute day!!

[GLC1968]

It's interesting. I see a ton of people on bikes. TONS...every day. I'm sure this is partly due to being in the Portland metro area where bicycling is hugely popular to begin with...but I'm sure part of it has to do with gas prices. I find myself thinking about the 'wave to other cyclists' debate and now I see how there could be too many people on bikes to make waving at each one utterly impossible. It's a very different cycling world here from what I experienced in NC!

I will say that while I see way more cyclists here than I ever did in NC, I also see many, many more of them riding without helmets. It was a very rare occurance to see a cyclist without a helmet in NC, but here it seems fairly common place. I wonder why the difference?

[Grog]

I will say that while I see way more cyclists here than I ever did in NC, I also see many, many more of them riding without helmets. It was a very rare occurance to see a cyclist without a helmet in NC, but here it seems fairly common place. I wonder why the difference?

Portland DOES have a whole lotta cyclists. Vancouver, BC, has lots of commuters, but I noticed when I first visited Portland last December, and again just recently, that the Portland ones seem more numerous, and more dedicated, too. And they have much more cool gear (like YELLOW fenders).

I think the helmetlessness (!) you observe may be similar to that seen in many European commuter cycling meccas like Amsterdam. Just like driving, for North Americans, is not perceived as something that's dangerous (despite enormous evidence to the contrary!!), cycling also feels less dangerous when there's a mass of people practicing it, when it's practiced daily, and when there are some proper infrastructures to practice it.

Whether or not it is true that it's safer is a complex statistical matter. My own take has been to wear a helmet for commuting and road riding here in my corner of the continent. However if I was riding a Dutch bike in the middle of Amsterdam, I'm not sure what I'd end up doing. Our social mind plays tricks on us...

On the thread topic: I have just started commuting in my new area so it's hard for me to make an enlightened observation, but my father-in-law who's been road riding (not for commuting) for years on a few of the local bike routes says he's never seen so many cyclists around 4 p.m. on that route...