I live about a 20 min drive from work, that’s why I use my bicycle.
It’s about 15km one way and takes me about 40-45 min. Normally the car takes 15-20 min, but in rush hour traffic it can easily be 30-40 min. So for my office commute the bike isn’t even that much slower. And if there has been an accident or something like that, I could easily be stuck on traffic for over an hour. With my bike I get there in 45 min, no matter what. I love the fresh air, the exercise and the feeling of being outside.
Ah yes, because those are definitely viable options for everyone. Sarcasm aside, I’m not saying that these aren’t the ideal modes of transport, but they simply aren’t viable options for a large portion of people (including me).
In my city, the school buses only pick up kids that live more than 1 mile from the school. I live in a pretty dense (albeit still single-family) neighborhood, so almost everybody who goes to my kid’s school lives too close to ride the bus.
It’s amazing how the majority of the parents are apparently willing to spend five or ten minutes clearing the frost off their car windshield only to drive half a mile and then wait another ten or fifteen minutes in line at the car drop-off, when my entire round trip by bike is maybe ten minutes total.
Frankly, the “large portion of people” in my anecdote are just flat-out doing it wrong, to both society’s and their own detriment.
The number of people who do have alternatives are a lot higher than many of them are willing to admit.
Yeah people will use bikes or public transit if it’s a better option for them than driving. But decades of carmaker lobbying, terrible zoning laws and bad urban design makes driving the only available option for most Americans.
Cities who invest in good public transit and sensible urban design always see a huge decrease in car traffic.
My wife takes the car, and I transit because she works closer but in a corner of the city, while I work in a highly transit centric part of the city. It only takes me like 35-40 mins to walk, bus, and walk. Plus my dog can come with and we get a nice little walk in for the morning!
Pro-tip: you don’t have to defrost a windshield if you walk, bike, or take public transit instead.
I work over 2 hours away each way by bus or 20 minute drive. I’m gonna drive. Not everyone has the option.
I live about a 20 min drive from work, that’s why I use my bicycle.
It’s about 15km one way and takes me about 40-45 min. Normally the car takes 15-20 min, but in rush hour traffic it can easily be 30-40 min. So for my office commute the bike isn’t even that much slower. And if there has been an accident or something like that, I could easily be stuck on traffic for over an hour. With my bike I get there in 45 min, no matter what. I love the fresh air, the exercise and the feeling of being outside.
My E-bike allows me to cover the same distance in about half the time, and no sweating at the end of the trip
Ah yes, because those are definitely viable options for everyone. Sarcasm aside, I’m not saying that these aren’t the ideal modes of transport, but they simply aren’t viable options for a large portion of people (including me).
In my city, the school buses only pick up kids that live more than 1 mile from the school. I live in a pretty dense (albeit still single-family) neighborhood, so almost everybody who goes to my kid’s school lives too close to ride the bus.
It’s amazing how the majority of the parents are apparently willing to spend five or ten minutes clearing the frost off their car windshield only to drive half a mile and then wait another ten or fifteen minutes in line at the car drop-off, when my entire round trip by bike is maybe ten minutes total.
Frankly, the “large portion of people” in my anecdote are just flat-out doing it wrong, to both society’s and their own detriment.
The number of people who do have alternatives are a lot higher than many of them are willing to admit.
Yeah people will use bikes or public transit if it’s a better option for them than driving. But decades of carmaker lobbying, terrible zoning laws and bad urban design makes driving the only available option for most Americans.
Cities who invest in good public transit and sensible urban design always see a huge decrease in car traffic.
I was about to say. Imagine driving to work.
My wife takes the car, and I transit because she works closer but in a corner of the city, while I work in a highly transit centric part of the city. It only takes me like 35-40 mins to walk, bus, and walk. Plus my dog can come with and we get a nice little walk in for the morning!