Pliny the Elder

I agree, normally if I see a commuter though I see either a pannier, backpack or messenger bag. I could be mistaken though. Either way it's great to see other riders on my way to work.

tjspiel

There are probably different cues that can be employed depending on where you are at, time of day, size of group, etc.

If I see 10 riders on the Greenway all wearing matching kit at 7:00 pm in the evening, they probably aren't commuters. A single rider wearing lycra and a backpack near downtown at around 7:30 am probably is, and so is the guy wearing business casual clothes with no backpack or panniers. Take the backpack away from the guy wearing lycra and it's more of judgement call.

schiiism

I pass several K-12 schools on my commute, so most of them are children on the sidewalk. Probably 5-10 on a nice day. I've only seen one of them actually in the bike lane--I'm not sure if the "no sidewalk riding" rule should apply to these kids? They are definitely not steady in their riding or completely spatially aware, but some of the sidewalk paths are pretty treacherous too.

Concerning adults, most of them in the residential areas seem more like recreational riders, mostly because they are of retirement age and don't seem like they're in a hurry. The only adult commuters I see on a regular basis (maybe 1-3 a day) is in the last bit of industrial stretch of my commute, and most of them are in casual clothes on mountain or hybrid bikes.

noglider 

Kids up to about age 11 should ride on the sidewalk and, as such, should be allowed to ride on the sidewalk. Beyond that, they're better off on the street. The final call is with the parents.

The fraction of kids who walk or ride to school has fallen a lot in the last generation. I don't think it's a good thing.

CommuteCommando

I'm not an expert on child development, but suspect the "ride in traffic" age should be a little higher than that. This is based on observations of my normally bright 13 year old grandchild. She's almost ready. In general I agree with this comment.
Sad but true.

noglider 

You're probably right, depending on the conditions, CC.

pavemen

I commute from the central valley to the bay area via train here in CA and by the time I get off at the the "middle" stop of the whole route, the bike racks are full on each car (7 cars with 20-25 racks per car) with several people standing with their bikes. Some ride year round regardless of weather, they just change bikes, but its definitely getting busier as weather warms up. When I get on in the afternoon, its usually standing room only with a bike for the next 1-2 stops when enough folks get off and make room.

I see all types of people, from those that look like they are about to start a race on their full carbon and TI rides with no backpacks or bags to women in skirts on cruisers. On my route to the office and back I see maybe one rider every 2-3 rides though we have several folks that commute via bike.

I go 6 miles from home to the bus in the morning (to make sure I make the train), then 5 miles each way between the train and the office and finally 23 miles one way to home. I wear my cycling clothes and run saddle bags on a QR rack with my laptop, accessories, clothes, etc. I could not ride that far in jeans. I leave work shoes at the office so I don't have to carry them and shower there as well. I think a lot of it has to do with the distance and facilities at the office. No way to clean up after a decent ride would keep me from commuting via bike to work. Well, not myself, but my co-workers would probably not want me commuting via bike.....

turky lurkey

The other day I was out riding and came to a place where the bike path crossed a road using a cross walk. There was a father and daughter(about 11 years old I'd say) at the crosswalk. The father was instructing her how to ride safely, and told her it's best to walk across crosswalks. I liked how the father was taking the time to teach his daughter safety skills. I was actually tempted to get off my bike and walk across when the time came to set a good example. However, the father may have sensed that he should say something because I was there and he knew I would probably ride across. So he told her that when you get older and more experienced it's ok to ride across. In doing so he let me off the hook, but otherwise I would have walked. It's nice to see people spending time with their kids and teaching them about life.

mstraus

Yea, even being married without kids its a bit harder to come home, then go for a ride/run or to the gym as then we really don't see each other much during the week. I have tried riding with my wife after work, but its a very different ride as she isn't as strong a rider, so not a great workout, just a nice way to spend time together. COmmuting gets me that fun/workout time without significantly taking away from other time. This, plus health benefits of riding, makes the wife happy (happy wife = happy life)

CommuteCommando

Seven Bike cars per train? Way cool. Do you have a link to the transit agency?

I ride the Southern CA Metrolink from the furthest point south, and get off halfway to LA. They have one bike car per train, and not on all trains. There are “officially" 18 bike spots on the car, but they will hold more.

The train I catch at 5:15 has two to four bikes board at the first stop. By the time I get off, there are five to ten more. The conductor told me that it often fills up by the time it gets to union Station
I board just about every day with my steel road bike in full kit. One other rides nearly every day-Trek road bike-Kit. Another, always boards another, car-steel road bike-cargo shorts, sneakers.

Return trip I board with three to five other regulars. There are usually half a dozen bikes already on board. One other on a road bike. A guy with an old Motobecane tourer who never misses a day, Two other guys who work together, one on a touring bike the other CX bike. Along the way we pick up more, including some high school students on mountain bikes, and two women. An RN new to riding on a Next MTB and another on a Schwinn Cruiser.

Full agree that this makes sense for kids. I would hope that many such parents are cognizant of the dangers peculiar to riding of sidewalks, and take these into account. It is rare, but I have seen fully grown adults bombing down sidewalks, then dismount at intersections and walk their bikes across.

Andy_K 

My gut reaction is that I usually see a few other commuters most days -- lots in the summer, not so many in the winter.

Yesterday on my way home (10 miles) I counted 16 other people on bikes. I'd guess that between half and two thirds were commuters. Yesterday was unseasonably warm, but windy. This morning, despite even better weather, I didn't see a single other person on a bike.

I think for me it depends on the route I take. Almost all the people I saw yesterday, including all of the ones I thought were commuters, were on arterial roads. About half my commute home yesterday was on residential streets, and I just saw a few kids on bikes there. This morning, when I saw no one else on a bike, about 80% of my route was on residential streets. I'm not sure how to interpret this. The cynic in me says that the other commuters aren't very particular about route planning and just use the obvious roads. The optimist in me says that there are lots of other commuters out there and they're just using different residential streets than I am so I don't see them. The lack of streets that cut through the maze of cul-de-sacs in my county speaks against the optimist. On the other hand, at my campus alone there are at least 100 people who biked to work on any given day and they've got to be getting there some way.

scroca

Great Falls, MT with a population around 60,000.

I know of two others who commute. One is a fair weather only commuter and the other rides in all but the nastiest weather.

I'm sure there are others I don't know about.

pavemen

It might not be all 7 cars, but its 4 sometimes 5 depending on which train. Sorry to get you all excited :-) Its the ACE (Altamont Commuter Express) from Stockton to San Jose. Fours trains each way, every day, the 4th train is 4 cars only though.
We have such a mix. Athletic types, regular folks, young and old, $50 bikes to $5000+ machines, I see a recumbent get off when I am getting on in the afternoon, a few folders with internal gears, etc. But the racks are full at the stops either side of the half way point, if not sooner. I might ride Monday and I expect it to be full.

What gets me is the one guy that rides everyday, rain or shine, hot or cold. Just swaps out a road bike for an old mtn bike in the wet. He will ride 40 miles round trip daily I think it was no matter the conditions.

Mark Stone

Nope! I go for weeks without seeing anyone . . . El Paso, home of cage addicts.

cyclokitty 

Great vid! It's hypnotic. I'm gonna try that perspective the next time I video one of my bike rides.

lasauge 

Likewise, I always see traffic on the paths when I ride them, especially around downtown, but I don't see many people riding on the north end of town where I live since it's not very bike friendly. At the moment I have one coworker who rides 80% of the time, and I see maybe 3-4 other riders per week. Still haven't seen the one regular who I often shared part of my route with last year (a lady, always with one pannier) out yet, but twice this past winter I did witness another cyclist riding through a snowstorm, and I saw tire tracks in the snow in front of my workplace quite a few times, so I know there's a handful of diehards up in Briargate.

ChristianHooker

My summer assignment is supervising a group of EMTs on the beach (south shore Long Island NY for reference point). Out of 14 bosses between the Lifeguard and EMT staff, 9 of us commute by bike at least semi-regularly. Most are coming from a distance of around 10 miles, 2 are within a mile or so, and one comes from about 20 miles away. Out of the 130 or so remaining lifeguards, many of the young and/or local ones commute by bike. Mostly that's who we see actually commuting, although there are lots of recreational riders out there. It's a great atmosphere to be part of. I wasn't initially into biking outside of the neighborhood, but it's a huge support system and also a wealth of knowledge when troubleshooting or looking into new toys. I didn't believe the guys at first, but they were right- I feel guilty on days I drive instead of biking. Hoping to do at least 3 of my 5 work days a week by bike this year.

Oh, and we wave to other bikers!

zacster

I live in Brooklyn and commute to Manhattan. On the worst days I will still see other commuters, and I'm not usually one of them. I watch on the Manhattan bridge as I go over on the subway. When I'm riding I'm always far from alone, except hmm, no exceptions. Even in my quiet neighborhood there are others out there. As we approach the bridge the cycling crowd thickens. In Manhattan it thins outs again as we all go our own way, but 1st Avenue has a steady stream in the dedicated bike lane. Just 3 or 4 years ago I'd be by myself on 1st once beyond 23rd st, but now there are riders up to where I turn at 42nd. And then there's Citibike. They're all over the place.

vasuvius

It's more like almost 1 per second while on the Hudson river Greenway.
I commute in to NYC from Northern NJ with a group of people who work in midtown, downtown. I go all the way to Brooklyn. The 2 Bridge Commute :-)

mustridebikes

Southern town of about 100K here, moderately bike friendly for the region. I see probably one fellow commuter a week since I started commuting later in the morning. When I was riding in at 6:45 am in February the roads were all mine

bananas_

I typically see at least 10 people commuting in either direction on my rides home in the late afternoon, and about half that in the morning (Auckland, NZ). When the weather is good I've found myself sitting at the lights with 4-5 other commuters. Weather is taking a turn for the worse now, though, and with it the numbers are dropping off as the fair-weather folks return to their cars.

sportsfan266

haha sweet another Wilmington commuter! I've never seen one so it's nice to see one online at least. I live on Hinton Avenue (near Casey's on Oleander) and take the River to Sea bikeway downtown.

trailmix

I was pleasantly surprised this morning, I saw 3 other commuters. I also saw a fourth guy on a bicycle who appeared to be drunk crash into a curb and land in somebody's front yard.

mgw4jc

I think I would have been doubly pleasantly surprised to see that crash.

trailmix

It probably sounds better than it actually was, he was going pretty slow.