… is tomorrow, Thursday, May 15. Here’s the deal. I know a lot of people who ‘cycle’ but don’t commute by bike. I also know a lot of people who take the bus or train into work. Occasionally even someone who casual carpools or <gasp> drives in alone. All these modes work. They each have their own advantages, like personal space, or time to get work done, or low direct user cost. But here’s what they don’t have.
A party on the street!!
(image ruthlessly stolen from an SFBC flyer)
I’m joking – but I’m not. The commuting cyclists form a community that you don’t see often. Every morning, you’re thrown into a semi-hostile, fast-moving environment with a few other people – and you spend 10 mintues shooting down the street riding with them, reacting to them, managing the traffic together. You sure don’t get that on a smelly bus, a sleepy train, or a congested freeway where that a-hole loves to cut you off, just because he can.
Now, it’s fun to have this little bonding experience with a few other bikers on the way to work each morning. But on Bike to Work Day? You hit a critical mass where, on major transit corridors, you get more bikes than cars. Coming up to a red light where there’s 10, 20 bikes already waiting for a green – the dynamic is awesome, uplifting, exciting. Suddenly everyone isn’t out riding super defensively, people are more relaxed, forgiving, and perhaps best of all… that d-bag in the 3-series behind you doesn’t have the balls to lay on the horn anymore.
I encourage all of you out there, if you’re not already planning to, to give commuting by bike a shot. Hit me up if you have questions, want route recommendations, or have thoughts/concerns about that critical factor, whatever it is, that keeps you from joining the bike commuting community!