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!
for the holidays and am trying to figure out how to hook it up to my bike lights live. Thus far, I can top off my cell phone after a few hours of charging the monkey, but I do that in the evening when not in use. Pretty cool stuff, but it does not have a gauge to know how charged up it is. It says it takes 12 hours of sun to fully charge it, and I have only received a full charge by plugging it into the wall. We'll see what I can do! As Spring approaches, the sun should be more available for charges. Next will be a solar charging station in our home!
