Libby's
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Originally written for the Carolina Tarwheels newsletter, The Cog Hauler, May/June 1995.
Tues May 16 is national Bike to Work Day.
In mid-March 1994, I began bicycle commuting partway to work. I confess that in the beginning, it wasn't by choice. I changed jobs at UNC-CH, lost my priority for a parking permit (usually distributed based on departmental seniority), and had to come up with an alternative. Since I have trouble making myself wait for a bus ("I Could Walk There By Now" Syndrome), biking was about my only other alternative. However, I live far enough out in the county that biking the whole way didn't seem viable. I would have to get up too early (the worst part), and I often get home later than I would want to bike out on a fast, dark country road. So, I drive into a park and ride lot and bike from there--Monday through Friday, rain or shine, no matter how cold. With a year of this short commute (4.8 miles roundtrip) under my tires and with Bike to Work Day coming up, this seemed like a good time to summarize what I've learned about bicycle commuting.
When I began biking last March, the weather was great.... mostly warm, sunny, light enough in the morning, light enough in the evening. I was too irritated at not being able to get a parking permit to let myself enjoy it, though! After about a month, I realized that there were benefits to getting on the bike every weekday, not to mention the benefits of saving the $30/month I would have to pay if I had been able to get a parking permit.
Listed below are a few of the lessons I've learned about commuting, at least for short distances.
Getting on the bike every day, even for such a short distance, is fun. Getting on the bike every day, even for such a short distance, is healthy. Getting on the bike in rotten weather, even for such a short distance, is a good martyr technique.
(Yes, some of these I already knew; commuting reinforces them.)
Stop at stoplights and stop signs. I can't tell you how many drivers I've heard complain about bikers who run red lights and nearly get hit by a car.
Stop behind traffic at lights and signs. Even though you'll still be behind the traffic when it starts up again, the same cars and drivers who have already passed you don't have to pass you again. It maintains their good humor towards all bikers. In addition, how many times have you seen drivers who don't use turn signals? How many times do drivers look to their right as they're turning right from a righthand lane? Passing traffic on the right after the line has stopped is a good way to risk getting hit by a car turning right without signalling.
Don't ride in parking spots. If you ride in a "lane" that's really a row of parking places, you end up having to weave in and out of traffic as you pass cars that are parked. It's better to ride a straight line in traffic. Leave the parking places for the parked cars.
Signal turns. If you've ever complained about a driver who didn't signal, remember bikers should, too. The purpose is to signal intent--not to show off that nice new wrist watch you just got!
After years of struggling with which righthand signal to use, I've settled on the "straight arm" approach. It isn't the legal signal in North Carolina, but the right angle arm is really hard to make visible on a bike. The angle is wrong.
Watch for opening doors in parked cars. I've heard of several bikers who got creamed by a car door. As you prepare to pass parked cars, look to see which ones have someone in the driver's seat. For those that do, move over to the left a bit to be sure they see you as they glance back before opening the door.
Can't trip the light? Try leaning your bike over the lines in the road which indicate where the trip signals are. The more metal you can get over those lines, the better the chances of tripping the light.
If on a bike path running parallel to street, remember cars don't always look for bikes. As you pass driveways and side streets, make sure you look for cars. Try to make eye contact with the driver to make sure he or she sees you. The absolute worst path I've ever been on for this problem is the one which goes down Franklin Street towards the mall. Airport Road, because of the traffic volume, is also bad.
When turning a corner, stay on your side of the road. It's easy to slip over to the other side, depending on cars to move over to give you room. That gives bikers a bad name, may cause you to have to adjust your position quickly in the face of oncoming traffic, and is generally a bad idea.
As the year progressed from spring to summer to (gasp) winter, I learned more about what I needed to cope with weather changes. My commute is not long enough either to warm up very well or to get very hot.
Fenders, in the rain, are an excellent idea. Otherwise rain and grime fly up and hit your eyes or glasses. I also learned, however, that buying fenders isn't enough. You have to install them, too. I remember that every time it rains...
Lights are a necessity for about any commute unless your job is so predictable that you know what time you're going to leave every day. I ended up with a Vistalight 420 headlight, swapping out the 10 watt bulb for a 6 watt so I could ride longer on some nights. With a 10 watt bulb, the battery lasted abot 1.5 hours--long enough for a commute, but not quite long enough for a 20 mile ride through town.
A rearview mirror is really useful in traffic. I usually commute on my mountain bike and use an eyeglass mirror Paul made for my birthday. (Thanks, Paul!) When I don't have it, I feel vulnerable. It's very hard to look over your shoulder and ride an absolute straight line. The mirror helps a lot, although you still have to concentrate to ride a straight line.
I love commuting on my mountain bike.
I hate commuting in clipless pedals.
Rain clothes are a necessity, especially in cold weather. In the summer, my biggest concern is keeping my hair dry so I don't have to deal with it at work. Cold rain is also worth keeping out, though. I still don't have a good rain jacket, but I do have Gore-Tex pants which work well. I have neoprene booties which work well for both very cold weather and cold rain. I have a jacket that's mostly waterproof ("water-resistant"), with a hood. I pull the hood up under my helmet. If I forget the jacket (and in the summer), I use a plastic shower cap under my helmet to keep the rain off my hair.
I'm lucky. I work in an office where I can wear my biking clothes all day if I want. I do try to change clothes, though, and I've found that it's a lot easier if I just keep clothes at work instead of trying to remember everything I need everyday. (I forgot some pretty important items when I was trying the daily grind.) I'm also lucky enough to have a place to hang clothes and a place to put a little chest of drawers. I take clothes home as they get dirty and replace them as necessary. At the beginning of each week, I take in a supply of underwear. I keep shoes at the office. I also keep a spare pair of socks and a spare t-shirt at the office in case I do get wet riding in. It's nice to have something dry to put on at the end of the day.
The worst parts of commuting are the clothes issue and not having a car during the day. Despite that, after a year, I hope I can "just say no" when I am finally offered a parking permit. I like the regular biking time, even for such a short distance.