How Was Your Commute Today?

[Tri Girl]

When will I learn to NOT listen to the weatherman? Ugh. I didn't commute today because they said severe storms would be moving into the metro around noon. Tornado/hail type severe storms. I'll ride in rain, but lightning/hail/tornadoes will definitely keep me of my bike, and I knew my DH was working late so he wouldn't be able to come get me if they did move in. It was sunny and beautiful when I left work at 3:45.
Well, they were right. There *were* tornadoes in the southwestern part of the state today, but they didn't even happen until about 3- and they are just now getting to my place at 8 pm. Sigh. I just need to ignore them and ride.... will I ever learn?

[redrhodie]

When will I learn to NOT listen to the weatherman? Sigh. I just need to ignore them and ride.... will I ever learn?

No, you did the right thing. Better safe than sorry when it comes to severe storms. You don't want to end up telling your story on "I Survived" (if you're lucky ).

I'm going in an hour early so I can leave work while it's still light. No reason to ride in the dark if I don't have to. I'm lucky to have a flexible job.

[malkin]

I dawdled and ended up in the nearly dark yesterday afternoon.

I left work in time, but remembered to stop by my old condo to leave a garage door opener out for the BUYER!!! It is pretty exciting to have an offer on the place. And the little piece of darkness will prompt me to find my lights and reflectors and stuff.

[HillSlugger]

It's not so enjoyable now after the time change I enjoy starting in the dark and riding into the sunrise, but I don't like riding as much after dark.

[Tri Girl]

It's not so enjoyable now after the time change I enjoy starting in the dark and riding into the sunrise, but I don't like riding as much after dark.

I feel EXACTLY the same way. I don't mind morning darkness when drivers are awake and just starting the day. In the evening when they've had a stressful workday and are tired, night riding makes me FAR more nervous.

Plus, I feel like I'm running late in the morning when it's bright as daylight. I've found myself riding faster because I feel like I'm late. No worries- in a month it will be dark both ways.

[7rider]

I feel EXACTLY the same way. I don't mind morning darkness when drivers are awake and just starting the day. In the evening when they've had a stressful workday and are tired, night riding makes me FAR more nervous.

Funny. I think this is common. I was just having this discussion with a co-worker as we approached the return to standard time -- that I'd much rather ride in the morning when it's dark than in the evening when it's dark. The one bright spot is (this week anyway), I've been able to wake up and get out the door earlier than normal. Couple with NOT lifting at the gym when I get to work in the a.m., and I'm clocked in early so I can leave early in the afternoon and get home before full dark. But, next week, that likely won't be the case.

Stopped at CVS after lunch today to pick up some AA batteries for my balky rear light. WOW! Guess my light wasn't working properly because it needed new batteries. That certainly made me feel a bit better about the ride home (and my day-glow road worker's/crossing guards' vest - I get no end to the ribbing from my co-workers over that ).

[malkin]

I'm kind of the opposite.
I want to be home when it is dark. Stay home until it is light and hurry home when it is dark.

[carlotta]

I'm definitely in the group that would rather ride to work in the dark.... I had almost a month where it was fully dark when I was leaving before the time change, now it's still pretty dark until I'm almost at work and that will change to dark, dark, dark soon.

There are many fewer drivers out in the mornings, and just fewer people/loiterers in the pre-dawn than in the evenings (a short stretch is through some not-so-nice bits of town) which is also better. Also fewer ninja runners/cyclists out at 6am than at 6pm......

Plus, getting home after dark (and leaving in the am before it gets light), is just a bummer......I have flexible hours and can work from home in the evenings, I'm just not very good at leaving work by ~4pm....

[carlotta]

Today reminded me why I like leaving at 6am (even if I hate getting up at 5....).

First couple miles of my commute are on decently busy, fairly narrow streets. At 6am, it's me, a few buses and a few cars. Not so at 8am. I don't mind riding in traffic, but it completely messes up my timing in hitting green lights.....I've got it down so I don't have to unclip unless something really random happens for the first 1.5 miles, but not today. Stop. go. stop. go.

Then I've got ~6 miles of MUP, not too bad at 8 vs 6 (more general public, but fewer obnoxious crew teams who will run 4 across and NOT yield). Had to deal with a headwind, but hopefully it won't shift during the day and I'll have a nice tailwind tonight.

Lastly, it's back into the streets for a mile or so. That stretch is fairly busy regardless of commute time, but bikes on the street go from me plus one or two (early), to me plus 15 obnoxious students (late). Running lights (when the oncoming lane has a green left turn arrow), passing me on the right when I'm stopped at a red light, and (my favorite) passing me when I'm at a light, only to ride REALLY slowly in front of me, so we play leapfrog for a couple lights....

I have to be at work early tomorrow, so no choice on commute times, but I will definitely be leaving at 6 on Wednesday......ugh. Sorry...needed to vent. But it's still (and always) better than the train

[7rider]

A pet peeve of mine of other bike commuters.
I'm waiting at a light (or stop sign, but most often a light), just standing there, minding my own business, waiting from my turn to go.
A cyclist comes up behind me - usually unannounced, usually male - and proceeds to go around me and park himself in front of me. Often, it's to run the light/sign, or to "jump" the light (cross light turned red, but our light is a mere second away from turning green).
What makes one think it's okay to come up to someone waiting and cut ahead? Would you do that in a car? Or if I were waiting for a teller at a bank? Would you cut in front of me at the checkout line of a grocery store? Why can't you wait behind me and wait your turn like I am doing? Pass me when we're through when it is safe to do so, as I expect every other vehicle on the road to do.
Grrrrr....

[redrhodie]

That's a justifiable pet peeve. I haven't had that done to me, but I bet I wouldn't like it, either.

[carlotta]

I hate getting cut off-- especially by people aiming to run the light, and by guys (agree, almost all male) who think they're super fast and I can't possibly be faster than they are...then I pass them, then they cut me off at the next light, etc, etc. I've mostly decided that I'll take it easy for the couple miles between the end of the MUP to work and avoid any of it.

I will stop alongside/slightly ahead of another rider--with the intention of passing them when the light changes, especially when:

a) they're too far right/not far enough forward to block people trying to take an illegal right-on-red at a particular intersection. The green for straight travel (including a nice big wide bike lane) occurs when the right turn lane has a red arrow, so I'll park myself in front of the right turn lane if their arrow has already turned red-- I commute through there in both directions everyday and know the light cycles.

b) I'm also guilty of doing this when the stopped bike has a half-flat back tire, rusty chain, or any of the other common indicators of a student bike....I won't cut them off, but use the bike lane as if it has two lanes and I'm in the left lane waiting to start out. 99.9% of the time I start/travel faster than they do, and I feel like it's safer to pass them when they're not weaving all over the bike lane as they tend to do...

On that note, it's time to ride home

[Tri Girl]

I'm off work this week, and I'm really going to miss commuting. I've already planned an epic ride for later in the week to make up for missed saddle time. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

[Melalvai]

Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and today I did something unusual for transportation. I didn't bike. For the most part, I didn't walk either. Yes, I drove a car.

If I'd had a great experience with it I wouldn't write about it on this thread. But I'm going to tell about because it was such a NOT great experience. Once in a while, I try to turn to the car, I'm not sure why. It seems like cheating and sometimes I want to indulge in cheating, eating crappy food and using crappy transportation. Why does it feel like indulging when it's really not?

My daughter was in the school play, and performed this weekend. The last week of rehearsals have gone at least 6 hours a night. Several times we picked up her and her bike. Toward the end of the week, after her bike was tampered with late at night while she was at rehearsal, she left the bike home and either walked to school or we drove her.

This morning, the play is over, no more rehearsals, but she was exhausted. Her backpack is ridiculously heavy so she doesn't like to walk. (It's less than a mile.) So I drove her to school.

Then I was supposed to meet some people at the state park (10 miles) and I hadn't gotten around to arranging for a ride. It's ridiculous that all 6 of us drove separate vehicles out there. But...we did. Usually at least some of us carpool. I thought we were walking through the 0.5 mile section of the future trail, which is not exactly a path but we have at least been through it and tied ribbons on the trees and cleared away the brush so it really doesn't take too long to hike it out and back. But it turned out we were walking the other part, which is 4 miles, and the purpose of today's walk is to get information so we can decide on a route.

It was a LOT of fun, but it took 5 hours. And I wasn't back in time to pick her up from school. I had no cell phone signal most of the time. Eventually I got a little and sent a text to her dad asking him to meet her there and help her carry her books.

We all survived, but driving back I wished that I hadn't encouraged her to ride in the car this morning, and that I had carpooled (which would have involved biking to meet someone), instead of driving. Then the car would be at home and neither of us would have been depending on it.

So it's not a huge big deal but just enough of an inconvenience to push me back to wanting to bike instead of drive.

[7rider]

Saw a bumper sticker on a car in my office's parking garage:
"Hate driving in traffic? You ARE traffic!"
Funny, I think that line would work better on the back of a bike jersey than the back of a car.