Living Car Free - Again the car loses...

Had a work meeting across town. Left 5 minutes after the car dependents on my slow bike, up hill, arrived 10 minutes before the car dependents. "Oh that traffic on Massachusetts Avenue was rough." I didn't tell them I took side streets through the neighborhoods and never got on Mass. I don't want to encourage more car traffic on my route. After the meeting a guy saw me unlocking the bike - "Your bike reminds me of when I lived in Germany and didn't drive for several years, got everywhere by bike. I sure miss it."

I have to say that taking a car around Des Moines is always faster... or so it seems. It's just that it isn't as much fun. I haven't completely figured out why.... must be the endorphin rush or something.

Same old story: Given dense traffic, the bicycle is always faster.

Of course, the car driver hasn't had to spend time slowly getting him/herself into shape to be able to ride on a daily basis and make good enough time for it to be worth while. To the majority out there, having to actually exert physical labor is too inconvenient, way more inconvenient than sitting stuck in traffic while the heater/air conditioner is keeping him/her comfortable.

We've got the better way, but it's too much trouble for most people to adopt.

Of course, the car driver hasn't had to spend time slowly getting him/herself into shape to be able to ride on a daily basis and make good enough time for it to be worth while.

I think you overstate this. You don't have to be in very good shape to match the average city car speed of 12 mph. The exertion level isn't any greater than a moderate walking pace. The average person could get in shape in a month or two at the most.

I think you overstate this. You don't have to be in very good shape to match the average city car speed of 12 mph. The exertion level isn't any greater than a moderate walking pace. The average person could get in shape in a month or two at the most.

Wow thats low there. Around where I live you need around 18-20mph to hit all the green lights.
The speed limit is 45mph in a lot of areas though. Thats probably why. If it was 30mph I could see 15mph needed to get the lights.

maybe I am not factoring in traffic....Yeah that would slow things down alot.

I think you overstate this. You don't have to be in very good shape to match the average city car speed of 12 mph. The exertion level isn't any greater than a moderate walking pace. The average person could get in shape in a month or two at the most.

Roody's right here. When I go to a work meeting I don't hustle, I take it slow. No sweat. But, also if the I had to travel between two suburbs rather than across DC the car might be faster. For example Alexandria to McLean or Germantown to Silver Spring rather than Cardozo to Georgetown.

Wow thats low there. Around where I live you need around 18-20mph to hit all the green lights.
The speed limit is 45mph in a lot of areas though. Thats probably why. If it was 30mph I could see 15mph needed to get the lights.

maybe I am not factoring in traffic....Yeah that would slow things down alot.

Yes, traffic is an important factor in why I tend to ride slowly.

Another factor is weight. Us carfree/carlight types are often carrying 15 pounds of "essential" stuff (that we could probably do without), but also often much more in terms of groceries and other cargo. Our bikes are often pretty heavy too. I ride a relatively light MTB but the bike's top speed is still only 22 or 23 mph in the hardest gear with the pedals flying.

A third factor is the constancy of our riding. Unlike fitness riders and fun riders, we can't take rest days or recovery rides. Many of us ride 365 days a year. Some days, I'm riding 16 miles to see a sick friend, 20 miles back to work, work a full shift, then ride 4 miles home. Then 8 0r 10 hours later I'm ready to put in another 40 mile day. If I didn't take it pretty slow, I'd crap out by the middle of the week.

The automobile is still much faster overall in my local area, but that's not really the reason I ride the bike in the first place. Stress level reduction at the workplace through excercise from bicycling is one of the immediate benefits, along with reduced expenditures when compared to vehicle maintenance and operation, and then helping in a small way in the reducing the US dependance on foreign oil.