Commuting - Where do you all commute from?

I'm fairly new, and fairly curious--where do you all commute? What states, cities are represented? Is your commute mostly urban, suburban or rural? I commute in NYC. I ride from Queens to Lower Manhattan--about 7.5 miles each way. Feel free to go into detail.

I commute from Fishers Indiana (north east suburb of Indianapolis) to Fortville Indiana, a east northeast suburb of Indianapolis.

My route starts out residential, and at around the 3 mile mark turns almost completely rural. It's nice that the highway I ride in on was just re-paved, and they paved a 4' wide shoulder into both sides of the road. Here's my route: http://tinyurl.com/28tuoye

Once you turn onto Greenfield Ave. it's all rural. Although most of 126th street is pretty open as well.

Colchester Vermont to Burlington Vermont. 6.5 miles one-way. Begins suburban, goes to lakeside MUP (bike path) through woods and more suburbia, with nice views of the Adirondack Mountains beyond Lake Champlain to the west. Ends up in downtown Burlington, Vermont's largest city (not saying much.) I don't take it for granted at all. It's a nice ride.

Well there are a few international members, not just stuck-at-home Americans. I do try hard to stay away from stereotypes, but you are making it difficult....

Sichuan province, riding from crowded suburbs, to the outskirts of Chengdu.

z

I commute from Falls Church, VA to Arlington, VA - roughly 6.6 miles each way. I ride on a MUP for 4.5 miles of it and bike lanes for the remainder. Very easy and mostly flat commute.

From the northermost suburbs of Columbus, Ohio to downtown and back. About 28 miles round trip. Come in in the morning right down the main North-South surface street, very little traffic, so I pretty much have a lane to myself. Come home either mostly by MUP (pleaseant ride), or up back streeets, depending on whether I need to save a few minutes (faster, but not as much fun).

I commute from Fishers Indiana (north east suburb of Indianapolis) to Fortville Indiana, a east northeast suburb of Indianapolis.

My route starts out residential, and at around the 3 mile mark turns almost completely rural. It's nice that the highway I ride in on was just re-paved, and they paved a 4' wide shoulder into both sides of the road. Here's my route: http://tinyurl.com/28tuoye

Once you turn onto Greenfield Ave. it's all rural. Although most of 126th street is pretty open as well.

Looks like a beautiful, peaceful ride--very nice. Appreciate the link. Seems like you don't have much trouble finding space on the road--is that true?

Looks like a beautiful, peaceful ride--very nice. Appreciate the link. Seems like you don't have much trouble finding space on the road--is that true?
That's correct. Very little traffic on the majority of the commute. The only part that still makes me nervous is the short stint on Olio road (the first North south bit) as it's two lanes at 45mph, with most drivers doing 50+ and I need to turn left across the works. Of course at 6am or so it's not much of a problem at all.

Well there are a few international members, not just stuck-at-home Americans. I do try hard to stay away from stereotypes, but you are making it difficult....

Sichuan province, riding from crowded suburbs, to the outskirts of Chengdu.

z
Sorry. Like I said I'm new here and I didn't realize there were so many international members. However, I am curious about what it is like for cyclists outside the US. Are bicycles considered mainstream transportation or not? Are there any accommodations made for them? Are they still on the bottom of the transportation totem pole?

i start my commute in a rural area of pensacola, fl called beulah, fl. the short way takes me straight up the hwy into the outskirts of the city, but the safer way, which is the way i go, takes me about 2-3 more miles, goes all the way through rural and suburban area.

From the northermost suburbs of Columbus, Ohio to downtown and back. About 28 miles round trip. Come in in the morning right down the main North-South surface street, very little traffic, so I pretty much have a lane to myself. Come home either mostly by MUP (pleaseant ride), or up back streeets, depending on whether I need to save a few minutes (faster, but not as much fun).

You've got a long ride. Guess you've been riding a long time. What does MUP stand for? Do you have showers at work? I've been to Cleveland, Akron and Canton, Ohio--what is Columbus like? Do they make accommodations for cyclists? Is there a big difference between your suburban and urban ride?

The link to my ride: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=59th+St&daddr=250+Broadway,+New+York,+NY&geocode=FaSqbQIdSEeY-w%3BFb86bQIdGbyW-ymlara_GFrCiTHuxAlJf6HPfQ&hl=en&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=0&sz=14&dirflg=b&sll=40.730739,-73.916874&sspn=0.030244,0.055189&ie=UTF8&z=14&lci=bike

My place to work (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=lebanon,+oh&daddr=3375+Madison+Pike,+Fort+Wright,+KY+41011&geocode=FUm8WQIdECr7-ilJTnBIJ_RAiDGUOyKUM23opQ%3BFbKoUwIdLCr2-ikxqmTRT7dBiDFJWn5-vjr8Vg&hl=en&mra=ls&dirflg=b&sll=39.233317,-84.368134&sspn=0.66376,1.150818&ie=UTF8&ll=39.236508,-84.36676&spn=0.663729,1.150818&z=10&lci=bike) - Lebanon, OH to Ft. Wright, KY - usually take a bus for 30 of 45 miles

Girlfriend's place to work (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Cincinnati,+OH+45223&daddr=3375+Madison+Pike,+Fort+Wright,+KY+41011&hl=en&geocode=FcOlVQIdtOT1-iltkyoP7LRBiDHeEK18gBoSbA%3BFbKoUwIdLCr2-ikxqmTRT7dBiDFJWn5-vjr8Vg&mra=ls&dirflg=b&sll=39.167202,-84.527435&sspn=0.083048,0.143852&ie=UTF8&z=12&lci=bike) - Cincinnati, OH to Ft. Wright, KY

<-- place: what it says there

We have pretty good cycling infrastructure. I believe all new street construction and planning projects must include a grade separated MUP running along the street. It's been like that for decades already, I think. Existing streets are upgraded wherever possible. There are maybe 10 citycenters in the whole country so old and tightly built there's no space for the required MUPs. I've seen some creative designs in those areas, not all of them work well.

In addition to MUPs along the streets, most municipalities build additional MUPs to connect places more directly than existing street network. All city buildings are legally obliged to have "adequate" provisions for bike parking. All new shopping centres that I've seen have plenty of rack space. In downtown areas there are several bike parking spots with proper racks. Our railway operator is working towards making multi-modal commutes easier, by providing secure parking for bikes. They have reasonable or good bike racks in most stations already, but I wouldn't leave a good bike there for all day.

For long distance, it's fairly easy to just toss your bike into a bus (no racks) or train (limited space). Our local buses don't take bikes anymore, citing "security reasons". :rolleyes:

Where I work, we have maybe 250+ employees and rack space for about 30 bikes. In summer, racks are full to capacity. In winter, not so much.

--J

I live on Söder, Stockholm, Sweden, Europe and work just across the Årsta bridge some 3-4 km away. When I'm up for it (and when I'm less pregnant) I go the long way home or there.

Plenty of people use their bikes all year round, but yeah -- there's an significant increase as the light and warmth returns each spring. I'd say at my office, maybe 20-30% or so commute by bike all year, and we can all store our bikes in a locked garage along with the cars. Bicyclists and bikes are considered normal and healthy in general, but obviously in downtown Stockholm, there's a war going on between buses, commuters, cars, and hipsters and messengers... (We're doing our best channeling NYC, for some reason ;)

I start form Macomb Township, MI (northern suburb of Detroit) and 16 miles later end at work in Rochester Hills, MI (not really all that hilly) Half of my commute is on busy roads in suburbia and the other half is on an old rail trail.

I ride on a MUP for a big section of my commute starting in the city, then on some residential streets in a nearby suburb.

I commute from Winchester VA to the heart of DC.

Bi-modal commute, drive 50 miles with the bikke on a rack, park the car and start riding what is now an additional 28 miles on the W&OD/Custis trail and DC city streets. Then reverse in the evening.

I do drive-by's and throw rocks at jhhalls house when I'm bored. He's still trying to figure out what the noise is at 5am :P

Downtown Bremerton, WA north out to the submarine base. This is a quiet, hilly-ish ride through rural to suburban landscapes over a couple bridges, along the Tracyton waterfront, through Silverdale, and onto the Clear Creek Trail (MUP). I only see maybe a dozen or so motor vehicles on the way in (4:30am-ish) and moderate traffic on the afternoon ride home. All in all it's a really nice commute, 15.85 miles each way.

Sorry. Like I said I'm new here and I didn't realize there were so many international members. However, I am curious about what it is like for cyclists outside the US. Are bicycles considered mainstream transportation or not? Are there any accommodations made for them? Are they still on the bottom of the transportation totem pole?

Here are a couple of threads about biking in China :)

Traffic in China (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?650464-Starting-3rd-Year-of-commuting!&p=10896445&highlight=#post10896445)

Commuting in China (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?553074-Back-again-now-in-China-after-a-long-break.)

Nothing like shamelessly plugging one's own threads :)

z

I live on Söder, Stockholm, Sweden, Europe and work just across the Årsta bridge some 3-4 km away. When I'm up for it (and when I'm less pregnant) I go the long way home or there.

Plenty of people use their bikes all year round, but yeah -- there's an significant increase as the light and warmth returns each spring. I'd say at my office, maybe 20-30% or so commute by bike all year, and we can all store our bikes in a locked garage along with the cars. Bicyclists and bikes are considered normal and healthy in general, but obviously in downtown Stockholm, there's a war going on between buses, commuters, cars, and hipsters and messengers... (We're doing our best channeling NYC, for some reason ;)

God bless you and the baby to come! Seems that you have a nice healthy bicycle environment. I can certainly relate to the traffic wars. I try not to engage on the road. I try to be like water, I see a crack in the traffic and I fill it. If a truck wants to pass, I move with the wave. It's the buses thatI find unreasonable--a menace to cyclist and motorist alike. Who's winning the argument over there?

My commute is a accross the southern suburbs of Denver. About a mile along a busy street with excellent bike lanes to get to the bike path, then about six miles on the path next a state highway, then another mile through an office park. 8 miles total, and about 50 minutes (more when windy). Can't think of a better way to get a good work out twice a day, every day.

Here are a couple of threads about biking in China :)

Traffic in China (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?650464-Starting-3rd-Year-of-commuting!&p=10896445&highlight=#post10896445)

Commuting in China (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?553074-Back-again-now-in-China-after-a-long-break.)

Nothing like shamelessly plugging one's own threads :)

z

A bike lane 10m wide! That's a sight to see! Take a picture and post it. It seems these are shared with pedestrians, is it a boardwalk of some kind or actually meant as a bike lane? Is the Petrol bike ban working?

I commute from Winchester VA to the heart of DC.

Bi-modal commute, drive 50 miles with the bikke on a rack, park the car and start riding what is now an additional 28 miles on the W&OD/Custis trail and DC city streets. Then reverse in the evening.

I do drive-by's and throw rocks at jhhalls house when I'm bored. He's still trying to figure out what the noise is at 5am :P

Is that better than using the metro? Is it expensive? I know parking in DC is a pain, or so I've been told. I wnated to visit, but lack of parking is a problem. Is the ride a dangerous one?

I live just outside of Boston, MA- my communte is Somerville to Cambridge. Only 2.5 miles in but I have a lots of options to lengthen my ride home - looping around the Charles River for about 10 miles home or combining the Harborwalk trail (coastal Boston) with the Charles for about 23 miles. I can also combine the Charles River with the Minuteman Trail (Somerville - Bedford back and forth) for about 40 miles.

There are a few other trails I want to try.

I bike from east Portland using a bike boulevard mostly. Then across the river. I usually cheat and take the Tram http://www.portlandtram.org/ up the hill, but on occasion I ride up. About 6 miles each way. Mostly urban residential with a little downtown/ urban industrial.

I commute 7 miles each way from Alexandria, VA to downtown DC. Most of the ride is on the Mount Vernon Trail, w/ a little street riding near my apartment and then a crossing of the National Mall before I arrive at my office.

Here's my commute route (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=38.819582,-77.057505&daddr=SW+15th+St+to:Unknown+road+to:C+St+NW&hl=en&geocode=%3BFb5ZUQIdKY9o-w%3BFaltUQId4H5o-w%3BFcF3UQIdvXJo-w&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=0&sz=15&via=1,2&dirflg=b&sll=38.815001,-77.052183&sspn=0.02217,0.033388&ie=UTF8&lci=bike&ll=38.859093,-77.042141&spn=0.088624,0.133553&z=13) (minus an extra zig zag that Google Maps wants to put in for some Dog foresaken reason).

I commute from Layton, UT to Far West Utah a/b 20 miles 6 miles mup, couple miles urban and the rest rural.

I commute 7 miles each way from Alexandria, VA to downtown DC. Most of the ride is on the Mount Vernon Trail, w/ a little street riding near my apartment and then a crossing of the National Mall before I arrive at my office.

Here's my commute route (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=38.819582,-77.057505&daddr=SW+15th+St+to:Unknown+road+to:C+St+NW&hl=en&geocode=%3BFb5ZUQIdKY9o-w%3BFaltUQId4H5o-w%3BFcF3UQIdvXJo-w&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=0&sz=15&via=1,2&dirflg=b&sll=38.815001,-77.052183&sspn=0.02217,0.033388&ie=UTF8&lci=bike&ll=38.859093,-77.042141&spn=0.088624,0.133553&z=13) (minus an extra zig zag that Google Maps wants to put in for some Dog foresaken reason).

Looks like a lovely stretch from the airport right across the Potomac. Is it scenic?

I commute 28 miles round trip from Ortonville, Michigan to Waterford, Michigan. Mostly on road shoulders and Bike path. Not very scenic, but it beats driving. Somedays I take the back country road to escape noise and traffic.

The only MUP for me is crossing the Williamsburg Bridge, which I like. The rest of my ride is some streets with bike lanes and some without. I don't care for the bike lanes much. They're well intended, I think, but are not a good solution. There is often a little extra space on city streets because motorists need space to get out of their cars when parallel parked. This is the far right of the road and where the bike lanes are. It is the place to be most of the time, but definitely not all the time. The solid lines that make for a bike lane do not legally allow a cyclist they freedom of movement that is ideal. I use the edge of the left lane sometimes because I am the fastest vehicle when traffic is sluggish and snarled. Double parking is also an epidemic throughout the city, so there are always obstructions on the right. Also, passing on the right can be dangerous. I take care and usually feel safe.

Mostly rural, but not a shoulder to be found!:
http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/al/decatur/680389474743

My commute is from a small suburban city east of Seattle (Woodinville) to a larger suburban city east of Seattle (Bellevue).

One-way, my commute consists of:

4.5 miles - suburban roads
11.5 miles - MUP: first along a river (nice!), then along a freeway (ugh)
2.5 miles - urban roads

Overall, it's a decent ride and a good workout.

I ride from Charlestown Indiana to downtown Louisville Kentucky.

My short, direct route is about 33 miles round-trip. My wandering scenic route is about 40 miles round-trip.

The direct route is fairly flat, but involves a four-lane highway with high-speed traffic (and good shoulders).
The scenic route is hillier and runs along the Ohio River for a while. In the Spring and Fall, I get to watch the sun rise over the river.

San Jose, Ca

Simple flat commute 5 miles each way

more suburban than urban (San jose is 10th biggest city, but it takes me about 10 miles to be in the middle of farm and ranch land) most of commute has bike lanes on 4 lane streets (2 lanes each way) (Curtner and Leigh for locals) and a little bit of slip through neighborhoods.

I live in a residential part of Minneapolis and work in a section of town known as the Warehouse District. A couple of decades ago it was a pretty run-down area but now it's home to architectural firms, art studios, pricey condos and town homes. It's adjacent to the downtown business district. Some people would say it's part of downtown.

My commute takes me through some residential areas, then follows the light rail line into town. From there I ride along the riverfront into the warehouse district. It's all "urban" but made up of areas which are all very distinct from each other, - and that's what I like about it.

3 suburban miles and one rural mile, approx. I wouldn't call it really rural, but there is a ranch that has hay for sale and the occasional 1/2 beef and that ranch is across the road from the Extension Office, so it's got a rural feel in there.

I ride from Farmington to East Wilton, semi-rural two lane road to 4 lane. A pleasant commute most days.

I'm American, but moved to the French alps 4 years ago. I commute 35km each way to my job in Geneva, Switzerland, but sometimes take a more scenic route along very small roads in the swiss and french countryside. I cross the swiss/french border twice per day, but it's nothing like a border crossing in the U.S. Many of the crossings here are unmanned, so cars and bikes drive right through without even slowing down.

As for the terrain, it's mostly rolling hills, mainly rural, with a couple of urban areas in-between. Geneva is not a big city, but it's squeezed in between the mountains to the north and south (Jura and Alps) and Lake Geneva to the east, so it has a compact and urban center. The city is old and wasn't designed for high traffic throughput, so the car traffic is a nightmare most days. Consequently, commuting by bike is very popular. Based on the number of bikes I see in the bike racks where I work, I would estimate about 10-20% of our company commutes.

I am jealous...

I ride 24 miles one way from West Seattle to Redmond, WA. It's about 60% surface streets with the remainder being MUP. I generally take the bus most of the way home in order to spend some time with my family at night.

I live and commute in Mississauga, it's one of the suburbs in Toronto area. It's very car-centric around here.My commute is between 18-26 miles round trip, depending which route I take. Lot's of traffic around here especially during rush hour. Not many bike lanes around here, so I just have to ride with the traffic, but we do have few mup's , which I use often. I usually change my route every few days, I have few different routes which is a good thing. Winters can be very severe around here.

30 mile round trip: Huntington VA to Washington DC (NE) every day.

I do drive-by's and throw rocks at jhhalls house when I'm bored. He's still trying to figure out what the noise is at 5am :P
Ha - so I guess that means all that surveillance equipment I bought can be returned. I contacted a "great" security guard company from DC to install it ; )

I am jealous...

+1!

Another NYer here.I commute from 212thst in the Inwood section of manhattan down the beautiful greenway along the Hudson River to Times Sq. everyday a round trip of 20 miles a day.Sure beats the subway!!

Los Angeles..

detail :D
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=116910491985092319594.000483a78eff245619cd9&ll=34.069014,-118.41013&spn=0.134377,0.201187&t=h&z=13&iwloc=000483a78ff8f086dbbb0

Upstate NY here, on the cloudy shore of Lake Ontario.

I live in the city and work in the 'hood. I have three routes I like.

The first is 4.65 miles (7.5 km) each way, mostly on residential streets, with some mixed-commercial thrown in. Just one short section of four-lane crossing the river. This route is almost dead flat. Only about 200 feet (55 m) of climbing on the round trip.

The second is 9.25 miles (14.9 km) each way on my hills, parks, cemetery and trails route. This is just about my favorite route. It's virtually traffic-free, even mid-day. I climb along the sides of the row of hills that form the city's southern border, first through quiet residential streets, then through a couple of parks, and finally through the cemetery. Then a quick 100 yards on the sidewalk puts me on the University of Rochester's River Campus. I cross campus, and pick up the Genesee Riverway MUP south to the bike bridge across the river, then the Erie Canalway MUP for a couple of miles. Then I double-back through residential streets through the 'hood.

The third is my long loop, 16.5 miles (26.5 km) each way. I start by heading out a four-lane to the suburbs, six miles in the wrong direction from work. I meet up with the Erie Canalway, and head back west for nine miles to the same turn-off I use in the route above, then finish with the same 1½ miles of residential streets through the 'hood. This route is also nearly dead flat. Only 1,000 feet (300 meters) of climbing in the entire round trip.

I seldom take the same route in both directions on the same day.

I just lost my job so no commuting right now.

I commute from Lake Balboa, CA. Lake Balboa is a suburban community carved out from Van Nuys in the San Fernando Valley. It is within the city of Los Angeles but I am 29 miles from downtown. LA is a huge city of over 4 million residents. The SFV itself has a population of 1.8 million. My commute to work is just under 6 miles of flat riding. My commute home is the "scenic" route from 10 to 25 miles with some hills.