Mixed-Mode Commuting in the New River Valley, VA

May is National Bike Month - on May 1, I participated in Blacksburg Cycle Chic, and was inspired by the wide variety of cyclists - commuters, roadies, mountain bike, unicyclists, kids. A diversion, I know - so this week I remembered an idea I've used which Google and Wikipedia revealed as "Mixed-Mode Commuting" - the practice of using two or more modes of transportation. In my case, I live about 3 miles from work in a small college town, so I have several options. Maybe you can think of how you can mix up your commuting modes as well?

Single mode - these are all options I've used: Bike, Walk, Run, Drive, Bus/Metro (technically mixed-mode, so see last section).

Bike: About 95% of the time I bike to work. I can do it in about 12-15 minutes. I am fortunate in that I have several options and traffic is relatively light where we live. I can cycle down the main street with bike lanes or sidewalks available most of the way, or via the Huckleberry Trail and through the Corporate Research Center trails that parallel the roadways. This second route is about 1/2 mile longer but more protected since I am mainly off of the roadway.

Walk: I have walked to work a few times. On a fast walk I can do it in about 45 minutes. I walked to work one day through the snow, when no one else was even driving to work and I think it took me over an hour.  Before my wife was comfortable riding her bicycle to work, she walked the 2 miles to her work several times to become more familiar with the various routes she could take. Now she rides regularly!

Run: On February 24, 2012, Shannon Price invited over 6,000 people on Facebook to participate in the First Annual Run to Work Day. I must admit, I did not participate. But I have run to work in the past, and sometimes I'll add a run to and from my CrossFitBlacksburg class from work and back to increase my weekly running mileage for an upcoming race. It takes a little planning (e.g., taking clothes/lunch to work ahead of time), but is another option, especially for those who have showers at work! I'm guilty of the no-shower "air-dry" method many times a week but no one has been bold enough to complain that I stink, if indeed I do.

Drive: Of course you can also commute other ways. Ok, I admit it - a few times a year I do drive to work - for various reasons. Either I have another errand to do that day, the weather is dreadful and I just don't want to deal with rain/snow gear, I feel a cold coming on, or I am plain lazy that day. We have one car, and my wife usually rides or walks to work, so the car is usually available if needed. Technically, driving to work would be considered a mixed-mode option as well. Even the laziest driver has to walk from their bed to the garage to get into their car, and then from their car to their office once they arrive at work.

And of course, this entry's focus on on Mixed-Mode commuting. Here are some possible combinations I've used.

Mixed mode - these are all options I've used.

• Bike-Walk
• Walk-Bus
• Bike-Bus
• Drive-Walk-Metro-Bike-Walk
• Drive-Bike-Walk
• Bike-Bus-Plane-Car (with lots of walking at the airport between flights)

Bike-Walk:  So yes, you guessed it - I actually do this every day that I ride my bike. I walk into the garage, I ride the 3 miles to work, and then I walk about 400 feet from the bike rack to my office. You can implement several variations of this. For example, you may decide to walk your bike across busy intersections, or along busy sidewalks that have lots of pedestrians. Or you may decide to ride most of the way to work and then walk the last 5 to 10 minutes to cool off. Other creative options might include having a good lock and/or an older bike that does the job and locking it up somewhere along your journey that you walk to or from either at the beginning or end of your commute. You might identify a nearby bike rack that is close enough for this mixed option.

Walk-Bus:  Anyone who takes the bus (or metro/rail) has to walk part of the way on each end, and/or to transfer to other modes or buses. Riding the bus allows you to read, listen to music, or even doze while the bus operator drives. I live about 1 block from a Blacksburg Transit bus stop (#1605). Including about 0.6 miles or an estimated 13 minutes of walking time, I can leave my house at 8:10  am and arrive at work by 8:30. The bus ride itself is only about 7 minutes. Coming home takes a little longer due to traffic and a mid-route timecheck (where the bus synchronizes its route), but the total estimated time is about 26 minutes. It doesn't hurt that I work for Blacksburg Transit and town employees ride fare-free; it's also a great way to see how the bus system is operating from a passenger-point of view. I enjoy talking to the operators as well. Google Transit or other online planning tools such as BT4U can be used to help you plan your trip. Granted they take a wee bit of homework (e.g., you need to know which stops you want to use) but are very useful. You can always call or study the route maps as well to plan your trips.

Bike-Bus:  Combining a bike ride with a bus ride is easier than most people realize. This is a great mix of modes especially if the majority of the commute is relatively long or in a busy, congested traffic area. Most buses have bike racks or allow bikes aboard (or underneath). All of our buses have bike racks on the front of the bus and loading or removing a bicycle can be done in about 10-15 seconds (follow this link to see a video on how to load a bike). Bus operators don't usually help with this process because it is relatively easy and generally they are not to leave their seats, but one might consider practicing it during a light traffic time to get comfortable doing it. Removing a bike is just as easy.

Drive-Walk-Metro-Bike-Walk:  Hopefully you can think of creative ways to make mixed-mode commuting for you. For about a nine-month period I was at job in Rockville, MD, while living in Blacksburg, VA. For part of that time, I was staying in Arlington, VA during the week. So technically my commute, at least twice a week was something like this: Drive 264 miles from Blacksburg to Arlington (usually on Sunday afternoon); Monday morning I would then walk about 5 minutes to the Ballston Metro station, take the metro orange line to Metro Center, walk to the loading area, take the red line to Twinbrook, and ride my extra, old beater bike (which I left locked up at the metro stop) to work, lock up my bike at the bike rack, and walk to my office. Friday or Saturday I would reverse the process, sometimes all in a single day!

Creative Options - Drive-Walk or  Drive-Bike-Walk or Drive-Bus-Walk

Again, technically the walk part of this is done at the start and end of any commute, unless you are using a wheelchair. Some creative options are available for those people who "live too far to walk or bike to work." I hear this all the time as a reason for people who only drive to work. With some creativity and the only needed investment to purchase some good shoes, bike, and/or bike rack, these mixed-mode solutions can help people to lower their driving mileage, and have a built-in workout each day. Options could include:

·         Drive-Walk: Let's say you live 20 miles from work, and could not conceive or walking that distance and the bus is not an option.  You might be able to drive 19.5 miles and then walk the rest of the way to work. Over a year's time, with just a 0.5 mile morning and evening walk between your car and work, that would amount to 250 miles of walking each year, assuming 250 business days a year. Walking a relatively slow 30-minute mile walking pace (2 mph), that equates to 7,500 minutes or 125 hours of exercise per year! For a person who weighs 150 pounds, walking at 2 mph burns about 180 calories per hour, so that is 22,500 calories burned annually.

·         Drive-Bike-Walk: Using this same scenario of living 20 miles from work, one might find a creative way to combine driving and bicycling (and walking from the bike rack) as well. This combination could be set up at either end of the driving commute. For example, you might park your car 2 miles from home and ride to and from that location each day, put your bike on a car-mounted bike rack, and drive 18 miles to work. Or you may decide to drive 18 miles to work with your bike on your bike rack (or leave a bike at a regular bike-rack), park the car, and ride to work; then reverse the process by riding from work to your car, and driving the rest of the way. Again you can do the math, but this scenario would result in 1,000 bicycle miles annually and about 264 calories per day or 132,000 calories annually at a very slow 4 mph (30 minutes) over a 2 mile ride.

·         Drive-Bus-Walk: So you get the idea. Combining driving with a bus and walking trip is feasible, especially with some creativity. You may live in an area where parking on one end of your route is possible but relatively expensive, so parking further from  your destination and walking may be a good option. Or the bus might not quite get you to your destination, but the walk to or from the bus stop is something you can fit it.

Bike-Bus-Plane-Car (with lots of walking at the airport between flights): Who wants to pay for luggage when flying? Not me. I pack everything I need into 1 back-pack when I fly. Usually I fly to visit family so I can do laundry pretty easily. If I need a business suit, I'll wear most of what I need and then do a bit of meditative ironing for wrinkled shirts. So yes, I bike from home, lock up the bike, hop on the Smart Way bus, walk to the terminal, fly to my destination (with walking between connecting gates and some extra loops for exercise), and usually get a ride from a family member; of course other options exist (bus, taxi, shuttle, metro, etc.).

Again creativity is key here. Think like a tourist or someone who has never been to your area. How might they travel? You might start out with "mixed-mode Mondays" where you dedicate 1 day a week to commuting to work using a mixed of different modes. Or "Transit Tuesdays" where you commit to taking the bus to work using a mix of other modes as needed. Mixed-mode commuting has health-benefits, saves wear and tear on your car, and could save you money and reduce stress. You might even be able to rid of your car! Owning a car costs an average of $4,000 to $9,000 annually (depending on how you count it). The American Automobile Association estimates that driving costs 60 cents a mile. The simple drive-18-mile, cycle-2-mile scenario resulting in 1,000 bicycle miles equates to $600 in savings based on $0.60 per mile - just about the price for a bike, lock, and car-mounted bike rack! A fact sheet estimates that the average cost of a new bicycle is $385. Try it out!