Meh. The article seems to reinforce every bike-commuting stereotype before then attempting to say something soothing on the subject:
"Biking to work can be sweaty business. To keep from showing up at work looking disheveled, you’ll want to pack a change of clothes in a bag." I have almost always biked in work clothes (granted, "work clothes" are less stuffy in Madison and for women than a suit and tie.) "You can buy a pair of reliable, USB-rechargeable, front and rear LEDs from Bontrager <http://www.bontrager.com/model/09588> for around $60." "Still, front and rear lights aren’t particularly effective at making bikes visible to drivers at upcoming intersections." Or, you can buy normal starter lights for less than that and probably be almost as visible. Most beginning commuters don't go whole-hog on riding at night or in bad weather right away, so a standard set of lights if you get caught after dark, or want to go out to dinner, should be fine. "A decent aluminum frame road bike shouldn’t cost more than $400<http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/road_bikes.htm?gclid=CJGF3OT0vb4CFc1QOgod3SAAUQ>, and will last around four to six years<http://www.londoncyclist.co.uk/bike-made/> ." I have had my basic aluminum commuter bike for 20+ years, so you don't really need to replace your bike that often. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has found that most fatal accidents happen between 4pm and midnight<http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811743.pdf> (pdf, page 2). Another benefit of joining a bike share is that you can always skip the evening commute and take public transportation instead, avoiding a time when people on the road (yourself included) are more likely to be tired or intoxicated. Yes, riding at night is more dangerous, but so is driving at night, taking transit, and walking. Hell, taking the garbage out at night is probably more dangerous than during the day. What they didn't bring up is that there is also more biking in general after 4 PM, and very little after midnight. People come home, go out for a ride on their bikes. Kids get off school and go play on their bikes (and make stupid mistakes.) Bicyclists may also be drunk, so that contributes to fatalities. Just because the raw numbers say most fatalities happen at night doesn't mean you shouldn't bike then. Most rattlesnake bites happen in the desert, but I still enjoyed my trips to New Mexico, Utah, and Nevada. (OK, I was less impressed with Nevada,) Just be careful. Duh. Robbie Webber Transportation Policy Analyst 608-263-9984 (o) 608-225-0002 (c) [email protected] All opinions expressed are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer or any other group with which I am affiliated. On Wed, May 28, 2014 at 12:08 PM, Andy Bach <[email protected]> wrote: > > On Tue, May 27, 2014 at 11:06 AM, Robbie Webber > <[email protected]>wrote: > >> My other concern about this report is that the media has consistently >> reported that the NUMBER of fatal crashes from urban, rear-end crashes is >> very high. > > > I was going to send this link anyway on "how to commute" (it's an okay > overview) but they start w/ > "Despite the danger of getting hit by a car, recent research > suggests<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24657549> > http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811743.pdf > > that the health benefits of cycling far outweigh the risks of getting into > an accident. In the US, bicycle deaths hover at around 2% of total motor > vehicle fatalities (pdf). > > http://qz.com/211185/the-complete-guide-to-biking-to-work/ > > > -- > > a > > Andy Bach, > [email protected] > 608 658-1890 cell > 608 261-5738 wk >
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