Commuting - How early is TOO EARLY to commute?

I'm thinking about accepting a job where I have to be to work at 3:00 am. I love to ride to work but I like the idea of making substantially more cash. I live about 5 miles from there. My concern is late night drunks and dark streets. Opinions??

Invest in a really good lighting system, and go for it. In the winter my commute is in the dark both directions (20 mi round trip). I've also ridden late at night - it's really peaceful.

But get great lights. Not good ones; great ones.

Powerful lights and a lightweight reflective vest. You might want to affix an additional blinkie on your helmet.

I love riding at night--fewer cars on the road, it's cool and refreshing after a hot summer's day, and it's a different way to see the city.

Your bike should help you get places, not constrain you.

I'm thinking about accepting a job where I have to be to work at 3:00 am. I love to ride to work but I like the idea of making substantially more cash. I live about 5 miles from there. My concern is late night drunks and dark streets. Opinions??

I think you answered your question. :D

But on a more serious note, if there aren't any adult establishments/neighborhoods along the route, then it more than likely is ok.

i think sharing the road with the very occasional drunk to be better than sharing with thousands of rush hour commuters. the best thing about riding in the dark is that cages are less likely to sneak up on you, assuming they have lights on. also, you are actually more visible, assuming proper lighting/reflective gear.

go for it.

I agree with this ^^^^

Yeah, give it a try. I actually prefer riding at night. It's quiet, cool and usually very little traffic.

The times I had to start work at 4AM were the most uneventful commutes ever.

I crossed half the city on major arterial roads and saw maybe two cars.

I love riding before the sun. Incredibly peaceful, and much faster.

I will echo the "lights, lights, lights" sentiment, and add another suggestion: get a mirror. It's no substitute for looking over your shoulder, but you can't do that constantly. A flash of headlights in your rearview will let you know that something's coming and to be on alert.

People ride 24-hour brevets and live through it. Then again, whenever I read about bicycle fatalities, it seems about half of them occur between midnight and 4am and frequently involve drunk driving. Personally, I would still do it, but ride extra carefully. You may find yourself getting stopped by the police, though, since they typically regard 3am bikers with suspicion.

when's closing time where you live? That might influence the number of drunks on the road.

Thanks everyone for your ideas. I'm still torn. I guess part of my hesitation on this issue is the lifestyle change (disruption) that will have to be made in order to be to work that early. The commute just makes it that much earlier. I guess that's part of it... if I really have it in me.

Riding at 3:00AM does seem really close to the time when bars close for the night in most areas.

A flashing tail light on your bike would obviously be a requirement, but it is also a concern. I was a kid in driving school the instructor was a former cop. He said during the night if your car breaks down never use your emergency flashers unless you are blocking traffic. This reason for this is the flashing lights tend to "attract" drunk drivers. I really would not let this stop me from riding during that time, but it is some food for thought.

If you start work at 3am, then YOU can go straight from the bar to work :D

Seriously though, it does depend on the area. But with proper lighting, I generally feel safer at night in very light traffic than I do in the daytime, when I'm probably less visible and cars are all around.

I love riding in the dark. IMO with proper lighting it's safer than in the daytime, and CERTAINLY it's safer than at dawn. In fact I intentionally shift my schedule to ride in the dark as much as possible.

The drunk driver situation is something you'll have to evaluate for yourself though, it's going to be different for every person.

O' Dark :30 starts does make lights important. now with Hub mounted dynamos,
thats a pretty reliable light source .

you will certainly be awake when you arrive.

To tell you the truth im scared more riding during the day at 2;30ish in the morning yeah they might mostly be drunk but theres a whole hell of lot less of em. Like everyone else has said get some good lights but some reflective tape on stuff and ride

Personally, I'd rather ride past a bar at 2 a.m. than an elementary school at 8 a.m. Of course, YMMV.

Riding at night/ pre-dawn are my favorite times to ride. I feel much safer, and riding is definitely more peaceful. Getting up that early is the toughest part. When I had work that early and even overnight, it took me a week or two to get acclimated to the new sleep patterns.

Impaired drivers are on the road 24/7.

I thought all drivers are impaired:)

I agree with others that riding late at night is no big deal as long as you are well lit. There's usually very little traffic and you end up being a lot more visible.

OTOH, I don't think I could handle starting work at 3am. Sleep is important to me.

In some ways, I feel safer riding in the dark. With a good lighting and visible clothing, tires, etc., you should really stand out more than you would in daylight. The biggest danger, in my opinion, is that it's harder to see sticks, rocks, potholes and other obstacles in the road at night -- which is part of the reason for good lights. When I have left for work extra early (5-6 am), there are very few cars on the road, which lowers the risk factor. I would consider it much more dangerous riding in rush-hour traffic in daylight.

It depends on where you're at. From a safety standpoint getting to work at 4:00 am instead of 3:00 would make all the difference for me. I'd probably still do it at 3:00. Five miles with no traffic makes for a pretty fast commute though you need bright enough lights. Leaving at 2:30 would leave me plenty of time and most of the people who might cause trouble would have gone home by then.

I have recently stopped my 1:00 a.m. commute home, not because of drunks driving, but drunks shooting blowdarts at me and general drunken harassment. The driving is fine. I have also been chased by stray dogs and encountered a bear and a family of foxes who seemed keen on a spontaneous dining experience. Just know your route intimately, know your bail-out options and be well-lit.

Personally, I'd rather ride past a bar at 2 a.m. than an elementary school at 8 a.m. Of course, YMMV.

+eleventy billion or so.

Most dangerous part of any commute I've EVER ridden was passing a school. *shudders*

Usually there is minimal if any traffic. A commute on Monday at 3am is usually different from a commute on Saturday at 3am. Lights both front a rear and some reflective clothing and you should be good to go.

I would ride it without hesitation. Get a REALLY bright tail light like a Dinotte. You want one that is so bright the drunks (and other drivers) can't just focus in on it because it is burning a hole in their retina. It is illegal to do so, but I would add a blue tail light to my helmet (I have done this many times). Most motorists know a blue light means cop and they always wake up and drive better when they think one may be near. Of course, if a cop should come upon you he/she may take exception to your color choice, but will probably let you slide since you are doing it to improve safety.

Dark is a fact of life unless you work banker's hours. I get to ride to work entirely in the light for about 3 months a year.

The drunks are a bigger concern for someone who has to be on the road at that time. In Michigan the bars close (by law) at 2:00 which makes 2:00 to 2:30 the absolute worst time to be on the road.

After weighing in the pro and con, I came to a conclusion. I would take my chances with the small amount of coffee drinking and drunk motorist than with the gazillion cellphone driver in later commute hour.

Now I am not on the road at 2-3 in the morning but instead leave at around 5. It's a very peaceful and tranquil ride in and very different from the trip home when everyone and their brother are trying to get home also. Enjoy the time on the bike and go for it.

I can agree with every one else regarding night riding, I work third shift 11pm-7am. The ride in to work usually has a lot less traffic than the ride home. Having said that, I will also agree that GREAT lights are required.

Personally, I'd rather ride past a bar at 2 a.m. than an elementary school at 8 a.m. Of course, YMMV.

Agreed. I think drunks are safer than soccer moms :P

Not only great lights as others have specified, but backups. Nothing worse than your one and only light going kaput mid-ride.

Great lights.. a good recommendation. We talk a lot about driving with drunks, but IMHO a bigger danger is riding into a deep pothole. It's so hard to see potholes at night without good lights.

If you don't have good lights, you really need to slow down.

OP: do you already do shiftwork? I've never done it full-time but a buddy does and it really beats it out of him.

I see what a prevcious poster is saying about 2 - 2.30 in Michigan. Lord knows Michiganders love their cars and love to drink heavily before jumping in them.

FWIW, while drunk drivers are a consideration, my personal suspicion would be that the middle of the night commute would be safer than the rush hour commute. With fewer cars, one could also be more cautious/distrustful of those that are on the roads.

In my 20's working at night was no big deal... In my 40s now, staying up all night puts me off balance for much longer... ymmv

otoh, I too love riding at night :)

Granted, I didn't work as early as the OP but I used to have to be at work at 0530 and would ride to work about 0400. As stated above, get the best light system you can. My biggest pet peeve was that folks let their dogs loose in the early hours, but a can of HALT fixed that problem. I rode down the same route everyday so people got used to my presence at night and dogs did too. It got to a point that I could ride in complete silence. The dogs knew me and would'nt bark anymore. Drivers that pulled out of their drive-ways half asleep knew to watch for me 'cause they saw me every morning.
Ernest

I too prefer to ride at night. My morning commute is in the dark for about 10 months of the year, so I've got the lighting thing pretty well worked out; dynamo hub and LED's permanently on. All the reflective clothing you can think of. Go for it, it's fun.

If you have to go at 3am, then you have to go....no choice. I feel anything before 9am is to early to commute...but thats just because im not a morning person. That being said,I have to get up at 6am for my commute....its always brutal

Riding at 3:00AM does seem really close to the time when bars close for the night in most areas.


...I'd like to add to what this person said...

I have worked that same shift and leaving the house a little after 2am was simply a nightmare. I never had any close calls with drunks driving, but twice I had a bunch of drunk turds (and they weren't the same set of turds either) get out of their vehicle and try to jump me and kick the crap out of me for no better reason than they were drunk and thought they could get away with it.

In terms of the ride itself...it is not bad if you don't mind going to bed really early.

5 miles should take 15 to 20 minutes max that time of day. So time wise this is only 10 minutes more time than driving so you might as well go for it. You won't be as tired once you get to work either.

Of course, if a cop should come upon you he/she may take exception to your color choice,

A bit of blue Scotchlite on the helmet and bike would have the same effect while being less likely to get the cop's attention.

FWIW, I commute to a midnight shift, and the ride home with the herd of people who are running late to work is much more stressful than the ride to work with a couple dozen cars on the whole route.