When I stopped driving every day and started biking more, I started being on time. I can’t fully explain it, but I must underestimate how long it truly takes to drive and how efficient a bike, even an upright city bike, can be.
About the Bike Commute Diaries: In honor of National Bike Month, I’m sharing 31 short, sweet and surprising things I’ve discovered about bike commuting, one for each day in May. Happy National Bike Month!
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Alex
May 2, 2012 at 7:44 am
I started riding to work last year – I don’t ride every day, and I have such a long commute that I don’t ride the whole way either, but I still know what you mean. I drive until I hit the edge of the city (read: reasonable riding distance to work), and then I ride the folding bicycle I keep in my trunk. Most days.
On days when I ride and don’t have to deal with city traffic and parking, I am always on time. On days when I drive and park near the office, it is a toss-up. Sometimes it goes ok, sometimes doesn’t. I don’t know if it’s because I mentally budget an extra 5 minutes for the bike days, or if the heavy traffic/parking factor has something to do with it.
ladyfleur
May 2, 2012 at 6:22 pm
I find that my sub 30 minute bike commute is more consistent time-wise that my car freeway commute. An accident, bad weather or construction would grind the cars to a halt on the freeway. And even when the surface streets congested, I could squeeze past most of it on my bike.
Rachel Unger
May 2, 2012 at 8:41 am
What a nifty idea – I didn’t know about National Bike Month.
I find that I’m always a hair late when I commute on the bike. I overestimate how quickly I go, or forget that the real world is not perfect. On short trips, it’s great, but commuting is kinda rough.
ladyfleur
May 2, 2012 at 6:24 pm
I guess I think I’m slower than I am on the bike, or more likely, in the car I neglect the walk from the parking lot to the building time.