I hear a lot of talk in the bike commuting industry on ways to get more people to commute by bike to work and for leisure. On paper, it sounds like a great idea. There is less footprint on the world, cleaner air, more exercise, healthier population, obvious monetary savings…
But…what it really boils down to for the bike commuter is their surroundings. Typically, pro “use a bike for everything” people live in urban areas where bike commuting is widely accepted, encouraged and supported. In other areas of your country, there are areas that can not support those same actions as a way of life. With urban sprawl and the increased need to find places of employment outside of a normal commute time, commuting by bike has become increasingly difficult for many riders who would prefer to use this method of transportation.
In Atlanta for example, very few of the cycling community actually lives downtown. Most of them, are in the outlying areas of the city in suburban communities where commuting to work on a bike is not a possibility due to their 30 minute car commute (or longer).
Is your city commuter bike friendly? Yes or no and where are you located?
I live in a relatively smaller community, IA/IL Quad Cities, and while I wouldn’t describe it as “bike friendly” city planners and developers are placing more emphasis on heading in this direction. We are seeing more and more bike lanes, and Davenport has invested a bunch of money in expanding their bike path system. That being said, commuting for me is out of the question simply because my place of employment doesn’t have the facilities I need to cleanse myself of the ride and to get ready for work.