WonderMonkey

This morning I tracked the drive distance to work and it was 14.5 miles. I have not actually done this commute yet but google maps shows 18.1 if I go what I think is the safest route and 16.0 miles on the one that google suggests.

The differences:
Safest: 18.1 - 14.5 = 3.6 miles
Google Suggested: 16.0 - 14.5 = 1.5 miles

Either I think is ok but the second of only 1.5 miles difference is pretty good.

How is yours?

CJ C

My difference is actually less than driving, not that much less maybe .5-.7 of a mile. as i am able to cut though a forest preserve from a neighborhood street that is blocked off from the industrial park. If i drove i would have to drive around the forest preserve or the other side of the nieghborhood to get to work.

Doohickie

That's one of the coolest things about cycling: Finding the wormholes through your city.

tjspiel

I could bike the same way that I drive and it wouldn't be bad. In fact, that's what I used to do. Winter riding forced me to find a different route though. It's slightly longer but there are fewer stops so for most of the year I can get to work faster on my bike.

It's not a route I can drive on.

CACycling

Driving is 3.8 miles. Riding is 5 miles even. Riding the way I drive I'd have to take a lane on a 4 lane, 45+ MPH road with no shoulders or ride on RR tracks.

ItsJustMe

I already drive the most direct route. Actually I've started to take longer routes on the bike because the most direct route covers 4 miles of gravel road. In the past the gravel has varied between not bad and horrific to ride on. Right now it's towards the horrific stage. I find that my direct route over gravel is 11 miles and takes me 42 minutes, the less direct route over pavement all the way is 15 miles and takes 48 minutes, so I've been leaning towards the longer route. It's a lot more fun and more miles too.

CptjohnC

All the way from home to work, driving is 16 miles by the fastest route, or 15.5 miles by the most direct route, according to Google. Google's preferred bike route is 20.2 miles, and the shortest is 19.2 miles, for a difference of 4.2-4.7 miles. Cycling on the car route would be very unhappy-making, as it is all high speed, limited shoulder, no bike lane, etc... I can keep up at 25. I do fine with traffic at 35. But I'm not taking on cars at 45-60 without somewhere dedicated to riding, thanks very much.

*** Just reviewed the shortest 'bike' route, and it takes me on said high speed road for a mile or so -- probably all on service roads, but still a PITA, particularly as it means crossing very busy vehicular intersections ever couple of hundred feet, as folks are trying to get out on the main road. No thanks!

green427

10.5 miles and 20-25 min by car and 7 miles/50 min by bike. I have 2 steep grade hills to conquer that kill my commuting time.

L.L. Zamenhof

Identical. I ride the same route I drive with no deviation.

bhop

Mine's roughly the same, 10 miles, but on my bike I take slower speed residential streets that are parallel to a couple major high traffic streets.

yammay

My drive is shorter than my bike route. By car I travel on highways and narrow country roads that are heavily trafficked, and that's the most direct route. It's like the drive is the long side of a right triangle and the bike route is the two short sides.

martianone

About 17 km by motor, about 18 km by bike.
Bike is slightly longer as I take the long way to easy some hill climbs.

swwhite

About 6.3 by bike, 7.5 by car because I go on the highway which is longer but faster and therefor less hard on the car.

gjosuem

22 miles by car, 19 by bike, google likes to suggest a 18 mile route with 3% incline.

jsdavis

Is that a 3% incline the whole way? I have 15-20% inclines on part of my commute.

JeffS

Traveled distance is about the same.

I take a detour to avoid one of the only stretches of road I don't like riding on. The car commute would utilize an outer loop highway which probably adds distance, but reduces time. I have no problem riding arterials through town, but the highway arterials tend to get a little crazy at the edge of town. I've done it, but don't like it.

snowman40

My drive is shorter, but during the rush hours it takes me just as long as riding my bike. The only time it was/is faster is on weekends and when I had to be at the office at 6 am.

The roads I ride either feed the highway or run parallel to it. I try to avoid the feeders by hopping on the MUP or crossing the highway using the MUP bridges.

cyclokitty 

Mine would be same because it's a straight line route. Boring but fast.

themothman421

this

RonE

My shortest and fastest commute by car is about 15 miles, 35 minutes and $1.50 in tolls each way. My shortest commute by bicycle is about 17 miles and 75 minutes.

Standalone 

Car= 19 miles one way. 35 minutes

Bike = 16.25 miles one way. 55 minutes (best time on race bike) 58 mins on my Panasonic. 65 on my Xtracycle.

scroca

If I drove it would be around 7 or 8 miles one way.

My normal bike commute is 10 miles one way but now I have to take an 11.5 mile route due to flooding. And now that the weather is getting nicer i will vary my rides, taking longer routes a lot of the days just for the heck of it.

It takes a lot longer to ride the bike no matter what route, but that's okay.