From what I have been reading of others commutes over the last few months, I feel very lucky. We have no bike paths that are any use on my commute, but the larger streets I take are generally nice, wide boulevards with a parking shoulder and ample space. Also, because I have the luxury of working an early schedule, I have zero traffic in the morning and light traffic in the afternoon. I do take a longer route in the PM to take a couple of still spacious side streets that are just less hectic as well as ride 2-3 miles beside a large park and a few miles by the lake. My morning ride is 8.75 miles and PM is just over 13. I try to go a little farther one day a week, anywhere up to about 25 miles PM. Extra miles by the lake. What a shame.

The only downside of any of it is the trashy streets. My tire life is pretty short (700-1000 miles) because they get cut up pretty badly. I noticed some disturbingly large cuts as I cleaned my bike this weekend. Time to look for new rubber.