Commuting - How many people commute by bike to actually save time?

I'm wondering how many people commute to actually save time on top of other things. Even against the subway, I still find that 80% of the time, I'm faster by bike getting to most places in the city.

It's not faster overall for me. I'm sure it would be against public transport, but given the lack of quality public transport alternatives in Denver that really isn't an option. My alternative to riding is driving the car. If I didn't bike, that would mean buying (plus insuring and maintaining) a second car.

My commute home often takes about the same time on the bike as in the car. In the morning, it takes at least twice the time (50 mins compared to 20-30). That being said, I don't have to do any other exercise on days I commute, so in essence it does save me time over going for a separate ride or the gym after driving to/from work..

it takes me 4 minutes longer to get to work by bike than by car. i use the bike since 4 minutes isnt a big deal and im saving a whole bunch on gas

Commuting by bike is much faster than public transit.

Commuting by bike is slightly slower than the car. I'd maybe save 5 minutes a day by driving at the cost of thousands of dollars in parking fees and fuel annually.

It's an easy calculation.

[edited for clarity]

Well I don't have a license, so biking is much faster for me. I could take a bus, actually 2 buses which would take about an hour. I could get my wife to give me a ride, which not only would piss her off, but would get my to work in 30 min. Or I could ride my bike, which gives me exercise and gets me to work in 25-30 min depending on traffic and wind. Not really a difficult one to figure out here...

Phil

Biking takes me about the same amount of time to get to work. I ride the bike because my truck, which I have since sold, was getting abysmal gas mileage, and the bike was a more economical choice. So, I get to work in 40 minutes instead of 45, and I don't have to buy gas for the trip.

The only detractor is safe bike parking. There are bike lockers here, and I can fit my recumbent into them, but they fill up frequently, and talking to the Facilities department reminds me of mental patients screaming at the walls.

I'm wondering how many people commute to actually save time on top of other things. Even against the subway, I still find that 80% of the time, I'm faster by bike getting to most places in the city.
Well, I don't save time by bike, not on the surface of things. I take an hour, instead of 45 minutes by car.

But you know how it really is--time is money, and money is time. The money I save is worth far more than the 15 minutes I save, and the health benefits can't be bought. As for the high, that's only available on a bike at morning light.

For me to take public transit, if I catch the bus is a 40min total trip. Biking is 20 min on average. Driving is about 12-15.

I'm faster in the evenings. Possibly a little slower in the mornings, but not enough to make any significant difference.

My commute, door to door is:

- 12 minutes by bike (incl. time to lock or unlock the bike);
- 15-25 minutes by bus (6 minutes in the bus, 8 walking, the rest waiting);
- 20 minutes by car (finding the parking spot takes the longest);
- 25-30 minutes on foot.

Cycling takes a bit longer in downpours (I have to dress accordingly) and car driving takes much longer in a snowstorm (deicing a car takes much more time than deicing a bike).

Here are some interesting statistics gathered by the Seattle Dept. of Transportation.

http://www.ci.seattle.wa.us/transportation/bikefacts.htm


Time to drive from University District to Pike Place Market in light traffic: 15 minutes

Driving time during rush hour: 35 minutes

Cycling time, moderate pace: 30 minutes

Time to park car: 5 - 25 minutes

Time to park and lock bike: 1 minute

I know I save time - tonight was great, I was cruising with a great tailwind and totally passing the cars and buses. It wasn't the kind of passing where they're all gridlocked or anything, either - they seemed to be moving at a normal pace, and I just flew by :)

You factor in the red lights that I go through when the cross traffic clears, and I probably cut the time it would take in a car in half - it was probably only about 12 min total.

The true amount of time it takes to drive, should have the time cost of earning the money to drive figured into it. If I drove every day, I'd have to ask my boss to change me from 4 days per week to 4.5. With 4.75 more hours per week, added to the car commute, It would take me 55 minutes to drive. I bike to work in 25 minutes. Let's face it, I bike because I'm too lazy to work more.

I'm wondering how many people commute to actually save time on top of other things. Even against the subway, I still find that 80% of the time, I'm faster by bike getting to most places in the city.

It takes me longer to commute on my bike, but I still save time. How you ask? 1 hour car commute + 2 hour training ride = 3 hours. 2 hour bike commute/training ride = 2 hours.

It takes me 5 to 10 minutes longer to get to work by bike. Then add the time to change/cool off plus getting up earlier to pack the bike (I have to do a bit more than just put lunch on the passenger seat of the car). Total added time is a bit under half an hour. I feel this is well worth saving the stress of rush hour, the gas money, and the wear on the car (stop and go in town is the worst kind of driving for me and the car). Toss the excercise in as a bonus.

It takes me longer to commute on my bike, but I still save time. How you ask? 1 hour car commute + 2 hour training ride = 3 hours. 2 hour bike commute/training ride = 2 hours.

Same here. Only problem is I find myself taking longer and longer detours. What was once a 1 hour ride (total both ways) often winds up being a 3 hour (1 going in, 2 going home) trek. And when I get home I'm feeling so good I'll wind up jumping on the Fixie for a 45 minute whirl around the park.

But then again, it beats sitting on the couch.

Riding is quite a bit faster than public transport for me, but it's about the same speed as being in a car.

Driving would be about 1 minute faster, but that's only because I have to ride about 2km uphill before I get on the main roads. Once I'm there, I keep up with the traffic the rest of the way.

From out the door to in the door, it takes me anywhere from 60-90 minutes to get to work if I take the subway and anywhere from 50-80 minutes to get home.
By bike, I can get to work in 45-50 minutes and get home in 55-65 minutes and it's consistent every time. Factor in 5 minutes to clean up and I actually end up saving time by bike plus I don't have to worry about being late because of things out of my control.
Driving seems to be the most erratic. Coworkers who live almost the same distance away report taking anywhere from 30-90 minutes to get to work. Ironically, people who live out in the suburbs take 60-90 minutes, seems to be about the same no matter what.

I do love getting a seat on the subway and being able to sleep my lazy ass all the way to and from work in a nice air conditioned train though.

My work commute is actually slightly faster by car (as long as the weather is good) even after factoring in the time required to park in our private basement garage. However, parking is $6 per day there. Metro is vastly slower than either riding or driving.

Many of my shopping and restaurant trips fall into the "drive for 5 minutes, wait 15 for a parking spot" category. Bike is better -- no contest.

Paul

All but a bit of my commute is through rural areas. And by big city standards, the whole thing, including one stop light, is rural. When I drive, it's 8.5 miles in about 12 minutes. When I ride it's 10.2 miles in about 45 minutes.

So, saving time is not really a motivation, but I do get to ride my bike, and it's better for me and the world, and sometimes I can take long detours and get in extra miles.

It takes me about 35 minutes to bike to work and 20 to drive to work. (I go against rush hour traffic. I live in the city and work in the suburbs.) There are some local errands to the store that are faster by bike.

It takes me about 35 minutes to bike to work and 20 to drive to work. (I go against rush hour traffic. I live in the city and work in the suburbs.) There are some local errands to the store that are faster by bike.

Wouldn't it be a better idea to find a new route where you ride with traffic?

I agree. It is the same for me. It kills me when people drive to the gym to work out. WTF?!


It takes me longer to commute on my bike, but I still save time. How you ask? 1 hour car commute + 2 hour training ride = 3 hours. 2 hour bike commute/training ride = 2 hours.

Same here. Only problem is I find myself taking longer and longer detours. What was once a 1 hour ride (total both ways) often winds up being a 3 hour (1 going in, 2 going home) trek. And when I get home I'm feeling so good I'll wind up jumping on the Fixie for a 45 minute whirl around the park.

But then again, it beats sitting on the couch.


Are you Married?

I agree. It is the same for me. It kills me when people drive to the gym to work out. WTF?!

I guess you don't really think these escalators are necessary either then do you!

That's hysterical! (Unless, of course, one is injured and/or needs to go for physical therapy.)


I guess you don't really think these escalators are necessary either then do you!

Overall on teh mornings I save time.

If I drive to work here's how it goes:

- 45-90 bike ride in before morning ritual
- 30 dress/shower time
- 35 drive time

If I ride to work
- 45 minutes ride to work
- 30 minute dress/shower time

NO drive time, so I figure I save 35 minutes - thats assuming I would ride each morning which I usually do.

now on teh way home the ride is 10 mintues longer than the drive - go figure, but I think its a worthwhile 10 minutes.

Are you Married?

Yes, hence the reason I relish those long rides.

Same here. Only problem is I find myself taking longer and longer detours. What was once a 1 hour ride (total both ways) often winds up being a 3 hour (1 going in, 2 going home) trek. And when I get home I'm feeling so good I'll wind up jumping on the Fixie for a 45 minute whirl around the park.

But then again, it beats sitting on the couch.

I hear ya! I don't often detour since I use up the "saved" time swimming and running for my triathlon training :)

I hear ya! I don't often detour since I use up the "saved" time swimming and running for my triathlon training :)

Triathlon training is the whole reason I started commuting by bike. If I had to ride the bus home first, I was a lot less likely to hop on the bike or head to the gym. No excuses when you've got your bike right there.

Wouldn't it be a better idea to find a new route where you ride with traffic?

Err, no. I don't ride my bike against traffic. Since I live in the city and work in the suburbs my commute is opposite of the normal rush hour traffic (busy in the morning going in to the city and busy leaving the city in the evening). Because of that I can get around quickly be car (and don't have to sit in long lines or a lot of stop and go traffic). If I lived in the suburbs and worked downtown, hence rode with rush hour traffic, I'd probably have figured out the bike commute thing long ago.

My car commute is slightly more than 8 miles and so is my bike commute (even though I take completely different routes). 35 minutes by bike. 20 minutes by car.

I agree. It is the same for me. It kills me when people drive to the gym to work out. WTF?!

What gets me are the people that circle the parking lot looking for the closest spot to the door possible. I'll often pull into the lot at the same time as someone else and grab a spot near the rear and walk past them in their car while they're waiting for a spot or still looking for one.

I work only 6 miles from home. My wife is disabled and so she needs to have the car. Buying a bike to commute on ($100) some gear ($100) and riding to work does a number of things:

- Gives my wife the car for the day
- Saves fuel (10-12mpg car!)
- Give me independance I don't have w/ the car (high fuel costs, maintenence etc)
- Gets my butt in shape.
- Saves buying a beater to commute with ($500) insurance ($60/mo) fuel ($100/mo) which in my family is a huge expense.

I usually take 20 minutes to get to work because of traffic and lots of stoplights. In the morning it takes me 25 minutes to get to work, and in the afternoon it takes 25-30 minutes. Morning is slightly downhill, back home is a bit uphill.

What I didn't mention is the awesome feeling that I get from riding, its a rush when I have a good ride and am pumped when I get home.

Err, no. I don't ride my bike against traffic. Since I live in the city and work in the suburbs my commute is opposite of the normal rush hour traffic (busy in the morning going in to the city and busy leaving the city in the evening). Because of that I can get around quickly be car (and don't have to sit in long lines or a lot of stop and go traffic).

Oops, hehe I took it literally as you riding on the wrong side against traffic the whole way.

What gets me are the people that circle the parking lot looking for the closest spot to the door possible. I'll often pull into the lot at the same time as someone else and grab a spot near the rear and walk past them in their car while they're waiting for a spot or still looking for one.

We're regulars at this sushi place in downtown brooklyn. My girlfriend and I can park our bikes at the pole right outside using a cheap cable lock (we always get the window seat) in less than 2 minutes. We usually see the same exact cars passing by the windows over and over and over again looking for parking as they circle the block. The longest was when we just ordered we saw this car go by and about *45 minutes* later while we were finishing up, we saw the same car go by for the 8th time. Pathetic sometimes and sad.

The true amount of time it takes to drive, should have the time cost of earning the money to drive figured into it. If I drove every day, I'd have to ask my boss to change me from 4 days per week to 4.5. With 4.75 more hours per week, added to the car commute, It would take me 55 minutes to drive. I bike to work in 25 minutes. Let's face it, I bike because I'm too lazy to work more.
The local Atlanta news claimed the cost of operating the average 2004 four-door sedan to be about $0.60
per mile.

According to that calculation, I save about $18 every time I ride my bike. Wait, I didn't count parking...

Anyway, saving only $18 per day, if I ride my bike to work only half the time (11 days per month,) I would save $198 per month, not including parking.

A recent car ad said I could lease a nice car for under $200 per month.

Hmm...

My wife and I would reguarly ride our bikes to Raley Field to see our local minor ballclub, the River Cats. With free valet bike parking right at the gate, we could be home by the time most fans were still fighting their way out of the parking lot.

Sweet.

My wife and I would reguarly ride our bikes to Raley Field to see our local minor ballclub, the River Cats. With free valet bike parking right at the gate, we could be home by the time most fans were still fighting their way out of the parking lot.

Sweet.
At Stone Mountain Park, there has been a huge fireworks display on the 4th of July for decades. People gather on the streets and parking lots for miles outside the park to see it. After one visit inside the park by car, I never went back. It took an hour to leave the park with all the traffic.

But bikes are free in the park, and I could get in and out in no time.

:D

bikes are free in the park, and I could get in and out in no time.

It's a quite a nice little racket that we have, isn't it? We should moan about how we have to ride bikes. If cycling got too popular, we most likely would lose our perks.

It's a quite a nice little racket that we have, isn't it? We should moan about how we have to ride bikes. If cycling got too popular, we most likely would lose our perks.

Somehow I doubt it. Just imagine how much extra space we'd have with a few less cars clogging the parks.

8.6 mile ride with many traffic ights, etc., best time is 32min, average 35min.
The same trip by car is 18-20min as I can hop on the freeway and commute opposite of rush hour traffice.

But the total life time savings is better with bike as I don't need to exercise after I get home.

Al

90 seconds by car or three minutes by bike. Only "problem" is on a nice day I go the scenic route it takes about 10 minutes longer. I understand taking the car to the gym.
My gym is 8 miles UPHILL. When I get there, who needs a gym?

I compare against light rail anymore, since I decided against buying a car anytime soon.

Only reason my commute is slower than light rail (and only by about 20 mins, counting clean-up), is that i'm a very slow rider. If I could hold 20mph, i could actually beat the train itself....if I could hit 25, I would be even faster than using the rail and biking to and from it....if I could hit 30...I would be as fast as if I didnt do clean-up at all (EEW!!!)...but i doubt anyone runs 30 to work, or at the least it's uncommon.

90 seconds by car or three minutes by bike. Only "problem" is on a nice day I go the scenic route it takes about 10 minutes longer. I understand taking the car to the gym.
My gym is 8 miles UPHILL. When I get there, who needs a gym?

When I was at university I used to commute by bike and go to the gym. That was awesome! The ride home was a great "recovery" workout, or I could go flat out on the days I wasn't going to the gym. Of course, during the summer of 1999/2000 I was cycling to the gym three times/week, riding on the other days, and helping a friend remove banana trees from his backyard using very agricultural methods. All up, that added up to just about the best training I've ever had.

It's a quite a nice little racket that we have, isn't it? We should moan about how we have to ride bikes. If cycling got too popular, we most likely would lose our perks.
Dang. It's quite a Catch-22.

I guess I prefer my perks, to heck with changing the world.

Seriously, if biking ever catches on as a fun, fitness, money-saving, pollution-free, traffic-unclogging form of transportation, someone will find a way to make it cost us our a$$.

Seriously, if biking ever catches on as a fun, fitness, money-saving, pollution-free, traffic-unclogging form of transportation, someone will find a way to make it cost us our a$$.

My bank balance right now would seem to suggest they have. :p

they have...it's called parts and upgrades :p

Flavor of this week....trigger shifters and powergrips.

Flavor last week....niterider trailrat 2.0 lamp, and a louis garneau t-bone helmet....

Fortunately this week is cheaper.....later on a threadless fork with lockouts and a better rear derailer....alivio at the very least...freaking generic shimano "mega-range" derailer.....grr....

It takes me 15-20 minutes to drive vs. 45 minutes + 15 minute cool down/wipe down to bike each way. No time saved but pedaling to work increases my saddle time dramatically.

When I drive to work, I average 6 miles on a weekday. Commuting by bike increases my weekday average to 17 miles. I need to exercise twice a day for 30-40 minutes to get that endorphine effect that we all love.

My gym is 8 miles UPHILL.

I find that hard to believe! On maps, Maryland appears so flat.

90 seconds by car or three minutes by bike. Only "problem" is on a nice day I go the scenic route it takes about 10 minutes longer. I understand taking the car to the gym.
My gym is 8 miles UPHILL. When I get there, who needs a gym?

How's the commute working out for you? I know you came here for advice a while ago and I recall it was a really short commute. Have you tried jogging or walking to work? I find jogging helps me a lot when I stand up on those hills.