InTheRain

Having once worked a job that was a 65 mile one-way commute I recognize how fortunate I am to have the option of bike commuting. Distance isn't the only barrier. I'm sure that it's just not safe for some to commute by bicycle. Some have other circumstances that just don't make it practical.

I love my 7 mile commute (14 niles RT.) Six of those miles are on a very lightly used MUP that, for a portion of the ride, goes through a dense forest along a trickle of a stream. The weather June through September is fabulous... and the rest of the time it can get a bit wet, but rarely do I see snow. I bring the bike right into my office so there are no worries about security. Not only that, my employer pays me $20 a month to commute by bike! The last 8 years have been fabulous commuting. The community continues to build a better bicycle infrastructure (it's really, really nice as it is... but plans and building continue) and the improvements in cycling technology, components, and accessories has me excited for many more years of bicycle riding and commuting.

It sure beats commuting by car, bus, vanpool, carpool, or train. And yet, even those that have the option to commute by bicycle in an ideal situation,... most of them choose another method. It will be a happy day for them when they discover the joy and benefits of a bicycle commute.

Little Darwin

I am just getting around to bicycle commuting at the age of 58, and at least for this day. my first, I do know how fortunate I am. I have been having trouble lately getting enough time for recreational rides, and my commute isn't as nice as my favorite rail trails (but still very nice in parts) but it will give me more exercise and stress relief without taking too much time out of my day. Since my route avids many of the stops I would have to make in the car, it only takes me about twice as long to ride it, even though I am a pretty slow cyclist.

spare_wheel

Being able to live 65 miles away from a job and commute by car is an enormously subsidized privilege.

Steely Dan

being employed in the architecture world with the mass lay-offs that have ensued over the past 7 years as a result of the great recession, i consider myself quite fortunate to still have a job to commute to in the first place. the fact that my wife and i have structured our lives and place of residence such that i am able to ride my bike there is just gravy.

Jim from Boston

Do you recognize that you are fortunate to have the bike commute option?

I sure do.

irwin7638

After 40 years of commuting by bike, I simply don't understand why anybody uses a car within 10 miles of home.

Marc

ThermionicScott 

I didn't buy my house with the intention of bike-commuting, but it has worked out well. About 6-7 miles each way, with generally agreeable drivers. Now that I'm hooked on bike-commuting, it's a stipulation for any future houses or jobs.

ItsJustMe

I simply would not take a job that was more than about 15 miles from where I could afford to live. No amount of extra income is worth it to me.

bovine

Absolutely. I'm incredibly fortunate that both the school and pre-school my children go to are within about a mile of my house and my workplace is approximately seven miles away.

Moreover, I'm fortunate to be married to a woman who shares my fervent distaste of suburban communities and who would rather live in a 3/1 with no yard to speak of in the city than a 5/3 on an acre somewhere 20 or 30 miles out. I'm sure suburbs are great for some people; I'm just glad I didn't marry any of them.

1nterceptor

Don't have to worry about parking.

Jim from Boston

I once analyzed bicycle commuting this way:

fat biker

Do I?
BetYourAss I do.

AND, what Marc said above.

fat biker

gregf83 

I'm 33km from work and probably wouldn't want to commute less than 15mi. If I was closer I'd take the long route as commuting by bike is mostly about fitness for me.

Papa Tom

I left a pretty exciting, lucrative job to work for my local township, which turned out to be a huge disappointment. However, the fact that I can ride my bike to work every day makes it all OK.

wphamilton

Sure, I'd be hard-pressed to find a more pleasant bike commute anywhere. Like @InTheRain, "Six of those miles are on a very lightly used MUP that, for a portion of the ride, goes through a dense forest along a trickle of a stream" is a good description and while I do see some of the weather extremes, deep down I enjoy the variety.

It's not entirely due to fortune though, since I chose my residence based in part on the commute.

ItsJustMe

I'm taking the long route these days, 15 miles instead of 11, but it really takes a bite out of my free time.

In 2016 work is moving me to a place 26 miles from my house. I'm going to ride it anyway, because I love the job and actually the idea of 50+ miles a day seems nice right now, but I'm also setting up to telecommute twice a week to regain some of the time. I'd love to ride 50 miles a day every day but I just can't spare the time. I would not have bought the house I have now if it was 26 miles from work.

Hub Spanner

Related: A Gender Revolution Hits The Streets, Two Wheels At A Time : Goats and Soda : NPR

tsl

It's not "fortune" that determines whether or not I can bike commute.

I simply made life choices that rendered the car to be a bigger pain than benefit. Cycling is simply more convenient than the bus, and faster than walking.

So the concept that I'm "fortunate" to be able to do it sounds absurd.

devianb

I recognize that I am fortunate to have a job to commute to.

raceboy

Yes! I am living the dream. Grateful to have a good job and extra grateful that it is a fairly level 11 mile commute each way. Mostly along the coast. On the bike path. Almost always sunny. Pretty girls in beach attire.

12strings

I too am grateful for an ideal commuting location...mostly empty country roads...7.5 miles each way if I want to go the longer flat way around...5.5 if I want shortest distance but a big dip down and back up...shower at work...

InTheRain

I'm not fanatic enough about cycling or commuting by bicycle that it would be much of a factor in my career choice. I would not turn down a job that I really wanted (that's why I commuted 65 miles each way for a period of time) based on a mode of commuting. I consider myself "fortunate" for the way things have turned out. Being able to have a job that I enjoy AND a fantastic bike commute is "fortune" in my eyes. I'm not sure that I recognize that my life choices were going to lead me here.

prathmann

It wasn't a factor in my career choice, but it was certainly a factor in my house buying decisions. Didn't even look at any houses that would have been outside of a comfortable bicycle commuting distance or that would have involved any unacceptable routes.

San Pedro

I was really glad that I got moved at work to a single location within biking distance. Now, I don't have to be on the train for hours a day (don't read as much now), I can make it to work a little bit faster than if I commuted by train and around the same time as driving, and to top it all off every day I ride I get to pocket the train fare my company provides for me.

Also, I have been getting in very good shape the last month, so yeah I'm very grateful that I can ride my race bike to work!

jimmie65

My commute is 10 miles, over half of it along a high-speed frontage road where I have to ride on the shoulder. Not a single bike lane or MUP anywhere on my route Yesterday's ride home was already at 95 degrees, 45% humidity, and the humidity level this morning is nearly 100%.

And yes, I recognize how fortunate I am.