Commuting - Commuting habitat -- what type of commute?

We bike-commuters know our commuting paths well -- even down to that nasty pothole or how best to time that miserable traffic light that somehow always seems to be red. Maybe you commute on country roads where the occasional hay truck is your biggest obstacle.

This led me to wonder how many other b-c'ers share your (our) type of commute?

Please respond to this poll by indicating the general nature of your commute. Provide details where necessary.

I start my commute in south San Jose. Once out of my neighborhood I'm into traffic, but for the first 7 or 8 miles, along a bike lane along a busy, high speed road.

Then it's time to cut through San Jose for the next 6-7 miles. There is no north-south route through SJ that is not (a) industrial or (b) populated with roads characterized by potholes the size of tank traps.

Eventually the industrial miles turn to "business" miles where busy, though far better, roads serving high-tech businesses line the trip for the final 6-7 miles.

I read of others' commutes in this thread and envy their trips. Still, there is nothing quite like bike-commuting.

5 miles of my ride is outside the Philadelphia city limits; 8 is inside. The suburban part is 50/50 2-lane residential streets and 2- or 4-lane arterials and industrial highways. The urban part is mostly 4-lane arterials through increasingly industrial areas leading into Center City, which I basically pass through to the opposite side to get to work.

Maybe 75% of the ride is on roads with paved shoulders or restricted bus/bike or bike lanes, and thanks be for that.

With 50+ controlled intersections it's not exactly fast, and with paint factories, sanitation facilities, and some terribly blighted neighborhoods, this is not exactly the scenic route. But the only alternative would be to ride around the city and come in from the west or northwest.

RichC

My route is a pretty straight shot (SE 17th / Milwaukie Avenue in Portland). Traffic is pretty heavy and the bike lanes are sporadic, but I have had no trouble the handful of times I've actually been able to manage a ride to work. I'm hoping my bike-commuting opportunities will expand in these summer months. :)

-Rob

my long route? along the san francisco waterfront from market st to fishermans wharf by crissy field to the base of the golden gate bridge (detour) and back up the [much] smaller hills to pacific heights. half of the way is bike pathed with a lot of sightseers, cyclists, joggers and the occasional boarder. 4 miles 1 way.

my direct route? through the broadway tunnel and along downtown streets. a lot of cars, delivery trucks double parked, taxis, peds and bike messengers. 2 miles 1 way.

bt

My current commute is only 2.5 miles through the outer part of a busy small town. The main arterial roads are very narrow so I take back streets when I can.
It starts with a big exposed downhill, then there is a big sheltered uphill, so Im never at the right temperature.

I usually suppliment the ride in the evening with a spin down to the seafront to get some air and do a bit of shopping. We have a nice seafront promenade which is empty except on sunny weekends.

I start my commute in the middle of nowhere, and drive to just a few blocks within a small town. (Population 3000.) If I take the direct route, it's all country highway without too much traffic...if I am in the mood to go a few miles out of the way, I can go on excellent back roads with almost no traffic at all.

I can't imagine biking in the city--I hate to even drive there! Green Bay is apparently planning to add bike lanes to their streets, in the course of regularly scheduled repairs, but people resist change here, and most of the people I've talked to believe the bike lanes will mainly be used for parking cars and passing on the right...:crash:

I start in the suburbs and head to the city.

Traffic obviously gets busier as I get closer to work but I work at the eastern end of the city where it's not as bad.

I ride on the road the whole way but there is a new bike lane being built along most of my route. I'll probably use it because it runs along a rail reserve so there'll be no annoying driveways and intersections.

My commute is 12.2-13.5 miles depending upon the route. I have a choice of bike paths/lanes to use. At 5:30 in the AM, the multi-use paths are only used by me and an occsaional deer.

I mostly stick to the paths, but lately, it is easier and smoother to take to streets in certain areas. Haven't had any problems, but I am sure they will arrise.

I chose the 'varied mostly rural' option but my commute route does vary.

I always start with 1.5 - 2 miles of town riding then generally have about nine miles of rural riding before a mile or two of suburban riding and then a mile or two of city riding. Somedays I cut the rural riding short after about 3 or 4 miles and join the dual-carriageway into Canterbury.

If I Cycle/Train commute I get exactly one mile of town and one mile of city riding each way.

Richard

My commute is about 14 miles, most of it on streets at or above a 35 mph. speed limit.

The strange thing is that I seem to get fewer impatient, aggressive drivers on my bike than I do in my car. Most drivers have learned how easy it is to pass a narrow, slow-moving bicycle.

When I'm driving my car, I frequently irritate the least mature drivers by going the speed limit. They typically get as close as they can to my rear bumper, as if they think my problem is I don't see them. Hey, I can't help it if they overslept--try getting up 5 minutes earlier...oh, well, that's my free advice.

Anyway, the beauty of taking the road is the number of different options I have. I have this road atlas of the Atlanta area that has yellow highlighter coloring various possible detours I have tried. I've learned that on the map, you have to pay attention to creeks: they indicate the bottoms of hills...

My morning commute starts early, I usually leave home around 5:15, so traffic is not much of a problem. The first couple of kilometers are along quiet residential streets, then through a pedestrian tunnel to a nice road along the shores of Lac St Louis where the speed limit is only 30 km/hr. After another five or six kilometers, I reach a very nice bikepath running through a beautiful lakefront park. Another five kilometers along the way I can choose between continuing along the St Lawrence river, or following the Lachine canal, both choices offering wide, well maintained bikepaths. I usually follow the canal, because it is about 5 km shorter, and the path is a little smoother. From the time I get onto the path, until the time I get off, I only have to cross two streets. When I get off the path, I am only about 2 km from my office, and since it is still only about 6:00, the streets are still pretty quiet in downtown Montreal where I work. The big plus to starting so early is finishing at 3:00 pm before the afternoon traffic is much of a problem. Morning distance is about 27 km, in the afternoon I usually extend my route to between 35 and 40 km. I ride every day, so weekly mileage from commuting is around 320 km. I figure that I do about 9000 km each year commuting, plus another 6-7000 km riding with my friends, training, and racing.