Living Car Free - When do you walk?

This weekend I did a number of neighborhood errands: 1mi RT, 1.5mi RT. I walked so as not to deal with hassle of locking up bike, taking off lights, storing helmet, etc. while shopping.

Just wondered at what distance will other people walk vs. cycle?

Al

I walk to work because I ride my bike everywhere else and I live so close to work. I've made 8 mile round trips for the store (I'll do anything for decent baked goods).

I live in a part of Little Rock that is a small valley. I will always walk to the convenience store at the end of the block, and sometimes further to the cinema, post office, restaurants and stores within a mile or so. On rare occasion I will even walk to work. But beyond the convenience store, pedaling is usually the preferred choice unless I want to go slowly and watch the fish in the creek and stuff like that.

I walk all the time. If I gotta wait for a bus for 20 minutes, when it takes 30 to walk to my destination, I'll just walk it.

I also don't own a bus pass (since I ride to work), so walking is an easy way to save 2.50$.

Me and my gf have developed a love of walking. It is such a nice moment to talk.

Walking to a restaurant is also a nice way to not feel so bad about getting that fattening meal you so love.

i walk or bus if going to a movie downtown, or spending a long amount of time where i don't want to leave my bike locked up alone

I walk for fitness and hike for recreation. Otherwise, I will ride my bike even if it's only a block or two.

I walk to work and back once a week to "crosstrain". Cycling overuses the muscles on the front of the legs (quadriceps) relative to the backleg muscles (hamstrings). My (crack-pot?) theory is that imbalance in the leg muscles can contribute to knee and hip problems. So I walk to prevent that.

Also walking is completely different mentally. If you're not in a hurry, it is even more relaxing than riding, perhaps.

Remember Bob Marley? "My feet is my only carriage."

I hate walking, its too slow. I literally drive myself nuts while walking cause its like sitting in a room by yourself and watching a documetary on sidewalks. Half the reason I ride my bike so much is because I hate walking. If I were to drive, it would involve some walking to and from my car.
Only time I walk is when its downpouring and I don't want to get soaked riding my bike.

I used to walk or skateboard everywhere, now I just bike everywhere. unless I'm with other people, it just doesn't do as much for me as riding does anymore. besides, I hate seeing someone cruise by on a bike and wishing I had mine with me.

I've been walking everywhere lately because my snow bike isn't quite finished yet, and there's quite a bit of snow and ice out there (though less in the past few days as it's been warmer). I nearly always walk to work; it's about four blocks, basically on the other side of a park. The exceptions are when I have something to do right after work that I want my bike for, or I was doing something right before work that I wanted the bike for. I live in a small town, so really everything is in walking distance anyway. I do need to finish my snow bike and transfer my trailer hitch (or finish building my other trailer!) so I can get groceries more easily.

i walk: 50 yards to the convenience store, and if i have a flat and my backup bikes are down for the count as well.

i, like mr. savvy, hate seeing other people on bikes go by me in those cases. i get rather jealous and it makes walking seem even slower. walking is a stupid way to use energy, i think...i mean, just consider how much speed you get out of a bicycle, compared with how much energy you put forth, and the efficiency and speed is something walking doesn't even begin to compare with. i dunno...sometimes i guess it works for a "stopping to smell the roses" sort of thing.

if alone i pretty much bike EVERYWHERE more than say 1/4 or 1/2 mile. mostly b/c i have found i underestimate how slow it is to walk as i always bike! and then i get annoyed if it is SO much slower than what i expect (i.e. "a short" jaunch to the local corner mart is only "across the bridge" but walking that takes like 7 minuntes each way!!)

i usually walk to lunch during the week -- although mostly b/c i go with work colleagues - if i go alone i usually bike as it's still a >10 minute walk to Subway Sandwiches or all the other local eateries.

i pretty much only enjoy walking if i am walking with others or "for walking's sake" -- as a few others have said, if i am walking to GET somewhere i find it painfully slow!

quite often i will jog home from a bar/club/disco or late-night event where i rode transit there and then it is so late that i missed that last one train/bus/trolley home.

i, like mr. savvy, hate seeing other people on bikes go by me in those cases. i get rather jealous and it makes walking seem even slower. walking is a stupid way to use energy, i think...i mean, just consider how much speed you get out of a bicycle, compared with how much energy you put forth, and the efficiency and speed is something walking doesn't even begin to compare with. i dunno...sometimes i guess it works for a "stopping to smell the roses" sort of thing.
oh i know what you mean!! a few months ago i ended up downtown after the last subway (during the week after 1:00 am or so). it's not THAT far from to my apartment (about 4km - so less than 3 miles) so i thought getting a cab was just a waste. but WOW did it take forever to walk/jog home!!! and many cyclists passed me and i was so jealous. i actually visualized "borrowing" (i.e. stealing) one of the thousands of bikes i passed, but i didn't! it was like 2:00am on a Tuesday night and i just wanted to be in my bed and without the bike i was just SO SLOW!!

it makes me appreciate the bike even more (of course in addition to the fact that biking is fun too! it's also efficient!)

I walk for fitness and hike for recreation. Otherwise, I will ride my bike even if it's only a block or two.

My (crack-pot?) theory is that imbalance in the leg muscles can contribute to knee and hip problems.

Remember Bob Marley? "My feet is my only carriage."

If you have strong quads but week hamstrings, you're asking for a pulled hamstring the first time you play tennis/raquetball/basketball or climb stairs. I'm not sure about knee or hip problems, but it is probably best to maintain some balance.

"Hamstring exercises are important because over-development of the quadriceps, typical in most serious cyclists, must be balanced with development of the hamstrings to avoid hamstring tears. Also, hamstrings are used in the bottom part of the pedal stroke where a slightly backward force is applied."

http://www.ultracycling.com/training/centuries3.html

Now that I'm in Cali, almost never. The weather's too nice all the time for me to need anything other than a bike, with a couple exceptions:

I do walk to see the local Philharmonic, and anytime there's a movie I *need* to see in the theater (almost never these days considering the state of Hollywood films), because I don't feel comfortable leaving my bike locked outside. I need to get a true-blue piece of junk beater one of these days.


In Buffalo, I walked all the time in the winter for groceries, but also just because I liked to go for 3:00 a.m. walks through the snow in my little sleeping town with the balaclava and all the warm weather gear. The crunching of my boots in the snow, the otherwise silent darkness, and the diamond-like glimmer of the street lights reflecting off of millions of little snowflakes is something I'm going to miss this winter, but I think I'll get over it. :p

As stated with others I find walking painfully slow, and I only walk when I go to the convenience store which is a block away. While the walk is 3-6 minute depending on traffic(I need to cross a busy intersection.), I still think about how much faster it would be if I had biked. Also, I walk with friends, but sometimes I will ride beside them. I guess I do not like to keep my feet on the ground or I just like the bike too much.

I walk around downtown alot (easy to get around walking) plus when I'm at home I ususally walk just to get the bus, which is where the local convenience store is, about a 7 - 10 min walk...walking's good.

I reckon that firing up the bike (unlocking etc) takes about 100m of walking time. I generally walk if the journey is 200m (1/8 mile) but ride if it any longer.

When we moved to this small city 3 years ago we knew we would be taking classes at the college there. So we deliberately looked at apartments within a few blocks of the college. Found a nice one a 15 minute walk from campus (too close to ride the bike).
And all the students complain about parking - HAH!
On the way to the campus is a post office and a big grocery store. A block the other way is a bank. We can walk to most everything we might need in a pinch. The biking around town is good too and sometimes we'll go to places further away to get a few miles in.

Today we went out, walked to a medical clinic a half a mile away, after that we continued on to a grocery store another half mile away to pick up a few things (put in backpack), then we walked the long way home and stopped for lunch along the way. We probably walked about 3 miles.

A couple weeks ago we were walking home from classes and at an intersection next to the campus a neighbors vehicle died. We helped her push the heap off the road, and continued on our way. A little while after we got home she walked through the parking area complaining that she had to walk a mile in the freezing cold cause her car broke down. For the record it was only 1/4 mile and it was about 40 degrees that day. We still laugh about that.

I reckon that firing up the bike (unlocking etc) takes about 100m of walking time. I generally walk if the journey is 200m (1/8 mile) but ride if it any longer.

michael, did you do any experiements to figure this out? I usually have my bike unlocked, lock in my pants, and I'm clipped in ready to go in 30 seconds. or do you mean firing up to include putting the bag on, winter gear, taking the bike outside, etc etc etc?

I always ride. Closest destination is about a mile, which is much further than my knees are willing to handle at the moment on a regular basis. Biking puts much less shock stress on my joints, while still letting me get in a couple good sprint intervals, even on the shortest runs.

I have measured myself against unwitting pedestrians when riding in a fairly leisurely pace. If I sprinted I'm sure I could catch them up sooner but I dont usually sprint.
For startup I include fitting the pannier, removing and stowing the lock, fitting/switching lights, fitting my helmet, gloves and trouser-clips and putting my key away.

Everything here, aside from houses, is at least 0.6 miles away down a 200 ft. hill. So much fun going away and no harder coming home. About once a week the wife and I team up and use her car for shopping.

If taking the dogs, then walk.

Else, bike.

when my bikes out of action and i have to get repairs

i walk or bus if going to a movie downtown, or spending a long amount of time where i don't want to leave my bike locked up alone

This is why it's important to have a beater bike that you can leave "hidden" and locked up for a long amount of time.

If you live in the burbs or an area where there are no stores, supermarkets or shopping, then walking is boring. Since I live in the center of town, a bicycle actually gets in the way of everything.

Utility cycling requires a beater because you cannot feel comfortable leaving a $700.00 hundred dollar bicycle anywhere these days.

I walk if the combined trip is < 1 mile.

I walk and run for crosstraining, but my favorite exercise is cycling. I do take walks at midday from work, though, to get light in the wintertime- I'm prone to winter depression (S.A.D.) and can't get enough light exposure under all my winter cycling gear. Also walk if I want to zone out and think about something, which isn't good to do while riding a bike.

My friend lives about half a mile away, and we were going for a walk recently, so I rode the half mile there, then we walked for like 3 or 4 miles, then I rode the half mile home.

i live in the country and to walk to town takes me a hour and a half... so biking always wins...