What would it take to get you to commute to work (or school) via bicycle?

Well we use public transportation (no reason to have a car in NYC) but if we had to use bikes, I’d like help to afford a nice one and I’d want some sort of guarantee that it will at least not be stolen in the first week of use.

I bike everywhere. Way more than I use my cars.

I already do! And I love this question!

It would take about 5 fewer off-freeway miles to either, and it would take having a car not be a job requirement. That being said, I bike pretty much everywhere else when it’s warm out.

Well considering my work is 19 miles from my house….

What would it take? A job, lol.

I work from home, the absolute biggest drawback is I cannot bike to work. My last 9 to 5 actually had showers and indoor bike parking. 9 miles to work, including this.

I think that they would have to make a bike lane on 95. I would be a little overwhelmed by the very fast cars zooming past me while I’m on my highly unsafe bike with no protection. And, I would like the guarantee that my bike won’t be stolen. And, waht would happen during winter? There aren’t any buses that stop by my office. But I can find a way.. i think

Exclusive and enforced used of bike lanes to protect riders from some of the stupid motorists out there who do not have the common road sharing courtesy. In Manhattan (NYC), they have already reconfigured some of its Avenues, reducing car lanes and creating bike lanes.

I would totally bike everywhere, but I’m scared shitless of biking on the streets. The sidewalks aren’t big enough or there aren’t any sidewalks, and the bike lanes are just way too small if there are any at all.

It’s scary avoiding bicyclists in my car, so I imagine it’d be ever scarier the other way around.

I’m not driving at all for now.

I bike most places. I take the bus for places that are more than ~12 miles round trip.

But for biking to be more attractive people would have to not be assholes, and everyone would have to be on the same page. I almost get killed every day because I’ll be on my bike, and I’ll have the right-of-way, but some motorist will come flying through a stop sign and almost hit me. Or I’ll be waiting at a red light and someone will roll down their window and yell obscenities at me, and tell me to get on the sidewalk. Or a crossing guard will stop traffic for me, which I really don’t want; I try to obey the traffic laws just like a car, and it throws me off when cars stop for me when they shouldn’t, even if they’re trying to be nice. It doesn’t help that a lot of bicyclists don’t follow the traffic laws either. I always see people riding on the wrong side of the road, against the flow of traffic.

So basically people would just have to follow the law if biking is going to be more attractive to people. It’s not safe otherwise.

It’s a 45 minute drive to get from my house to class, a little over an hour if I’m coming from the ranch… so biking doesn’t sound too nifty with that. That and I don’t even have a bike..
There are no busses out in the country, and honestly, I’m too much of a pansy to take public transportation in our city…
I love the world, but I’ll stick with my car for now.

@petethepothead “I always see people riding on the wrong side of the road, against the flow of traffic.” Yea i never understood why this is incorrect. As you clearly stated, people are assholes and don’t know how to drive around bikes. I dont want to have those people coming up from behind me, id rather see them coming so i can at least get out of the way.

I realize that by us going opposite directions the speed of impact will be increased as opposed to if we were going the same direction, but i think that risk is well worth seeing whats oncoming.

@uberbatman @petethepothead I always learned that you’re supposed to ride against the flow. For that reason.

??

Most US jurisdictions treat bikes as just another vehicle – drive on the right, stop at stop signs (yeah, I know), use the left turn lane, etc.

If you want to be an expert on safe cycling among cars, read this site:
http://www.johnforester.com/

@rangerr you always ride with the flow of traffic. Always.

edited by me ‘cause I think I’m wrong.

Riding against the flow is dangerous.

When I’m driving, I’d much rather want a cyclist to be riding in the same direction as me. It gives me time to slow down and pass them when it’s safe to do so. If someone’s riding against the flow of traffic it will only make drivers nervous, less able to see you, and less able to avoid hitting you if there isn’t a lot of space on the road.

If you’re coming up to a main road from a side street and you’re on the wrong side of the road and a car makes a left turn from the main road, you’re going to get hit. I don’t even know how you’d handle an intersection if you’re on the wrong side of the road.

replace my chain, get the half-ton of rust off my rear sprocket array, halp shore up the brakes and I’ll ride. I want to anyway. I just have no money, and the free ones on Craigslist are both very rare and go quickly, but fixing them up usually costs more than a used bike on the site.

I already do.

First and foremost, I would have to learn how to ride a bike. Then I would have to get a bike and a helmet, and wait until they make the road from my house bike friendly.

That’s not going to happen, though, because I live at the top of a small mountain and all the roads to the city are either steep or winding, and used regularly by big trucks. Going down those roads in a bus (which is what I do) is adventure enough for me.

It would take either rocket powered bikes, or flying bikes.

If my car broke down and I lived close enough to work I would use my bike. Other than that I don’t ride my bike in the city it’s just to dangerous that’s what cars are for.

An under or overground series of tubeways totally protected from cars because where I live, drivers are insane. Also, I’d have to have a shower and locker on my job site in order to freshen and dress after the commute in.

Showering facilities at my place of work. I’m not going to cycle six miles, get all sweaty, and sit there in an open-plan office in stinky clothes all day.

Also a less rainy climate. Cycling six miles in a heavy downpour is not my idea of fun.