What would it ACTUALLY take for you to consider biking or taking the bus, in lieu of motoring?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only places I ride bikes is a separate bike path. Otherwise I think it’s too dangerous.

Same. I'm just not that great of a biker. I would feel really unsafe on the streets. Even out in the suburbs I rarely ride my bike because they're not allowed on sidewalks. I just use trails. And biking with my kids? Hell no I wouldn't ride in the street with them.

I don't know where you bike, but in Montgomery County it's legal everywhere to ride on the sidewalk.

As a walker I hate bikes and scooters on sidewalks. They give no warning and zip on by you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As we all know, the use of personal vehicles has a significant impact on the environment and presents safety issues to others in the public space, such as pedestrians and bicyclists. For everyone's benefit, it's going to become increasingly important to explore alternative modes of transportation as we get deeper into the 21st century.

To that end, DC and many other big cities are beginning to implement more pedestrian-friendly street and intersection designs, in addition to dedicated spaces for other modes of transportation such bikes and buses over the exclusive use of personal vehicles. I'm familiar with the pushback that a small but vocal minority has made in framing this as a 'war on cars', as they feel their entitlement to exclusive use of the right-of-way is being threatened.

What I find interesting in all of this is that many of these skeptics look at the installation of bus-only lanes or protected bike lanes and NEVER seriously consider personally switching to those other modes now that they are faster, safer, or more convenient. Instead, many seem to express antagonism or cynicism reflexively, possibly because they 'identify' as motorists and would never stoop so low as to take the bus or bike?

Ok, perhaps I'm projecting a bit. But for many of these skeptical folks evidently these measures are not far enough to overcome the legacy car culture this country has, or the perceived convenience or benefits of driving. So I am curious to know what it would realistically take for DC motorists to consider walking, riding a bike or taking the bus to get to work, run errands, etc.

For instance:
What if work or shops were closer to homes?
What if bus stops were located on your residential corner and came every 5-7 minutes dependably?
What if the roads were redesigned so that the bike lanes were universal and protected, or adjacent to sidewalks (not in the roadway)?
What if stores provided free and secured bike parking/valeting?
What if buses were free, and the purchase of e-bikes/cargo bikes was heavily subsidized?

I'm interested in hearing the DCUM community's thoughts and ideas on the matter.

What do you do, op?

[Anonymous]

I began biking to work (and to most errands) much more frequently when I got an e-bike. My office also has secure bike parking and showers, and a relaxed culture, all of which help, but that pedal assist was the game changer.

I'd ride buses and Metro more if they ran more frequently. Given the one-hour headway for the main bus line by my home, it's faster to just walk or bike wherever I'm trying to go.

[Anonymous]

Nope. Taking my car. Stems from getting an emergency call from school, had to rush my child to an ortho for a fractured and dislocated bone. Will not be biking or taking public transportation. And by the time all the kids are out of the house, I will be too old to bike (in the heat, in the cold, in the rain/sleet/snow), and will continue to not be interested

These types of objections demonstrate the cultural imperative of driving in this country. Most Europeans would be confused by this, mostly because public transportation there is normalized and ubiquitous. And even elderly people regularly ride bikes; it's not even noteworthy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only places I ride bikes is a separate bike path. Otherwise I think it’s too dangerous.

Same. I'm just not that great of a biker. I would feel really unsafe on the streets. Even out in the suburbs I rarely ride my bike because they're not allowed on sidewalks. I just use trails. And biking with my kids? Hell no I wouldn't ride in the street with them.

I don't know where you bike, but in Montgomery County it's legal everywhere to ride on the sidewalk.

As a walker I hate bikes and scooters on sidewalks. They give no warning and zip on by you.

As a walker, I do too. And as a biker, I hate biking on the sidewalk. However, I will still bike on the sidewalk when I feel that it's safer to do so. I do warn walkers, and also slow down. Overall, though, it just underscores the point that bikers need a network of safe, separated bike routes.

[Anonymous]

Mild, sunny weather.

[Anonymous]

How about this: I will start cycling when you people shut up about it. Deal?

[Anonymous]

For me, either I walk or I drive. I'd be happy to walk to the store, job, etc if doing so made sense, by which I mean not too long, too unsafe, or too unpleasantly surrounded by traffic and noise.

I commuted by Metro for years, and lived without a car. But my worked moved off the Metro line so I started driving. I would take a direct commuter bus if there was one. I do not have time to deal with a city bus.

In college I lived in a very bike friendly city and biked everywhere. As an adult though I cannot imagine needing to go somewhere but not needing to look presentable when I get there, which is impossible if you have hair and especially if you wear a helmet. The only people I know who ride bikes as transportation are bald men. So protected lanes etc. are meaningless to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For me, either I walk or I drive. I'd be happy to walk to the store, job, etc if doing so made sense, by which I mean not too long, too unsafe, or too unpleasantly surrounded by traffic and noise.

I commuted by Metro for years, and lived without a car. But my worked moved off the Metro line so I started driving. I would take a direct commuter bus if there was one. I do not have time to deal with a city bus.

In college I lived in a very bike friendly city and biked everywhere. As an adult though I cannot imagine needing to go somewhere but not needing to look presentable when I get there, which is impossible if you have hair and especially if you wear a helmet. The only people I know who ride bikes as transportation are bald men. So protected lanes etc. are meaningless to me.

It's not, unless you have an elaborate hairdo.

-non-bald non-man who rides a bike as transportation

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Nope. Taking my car. Stems from getting an emergency call from school, had to rush my child to an ortho for a fractured and dislocated bone. Will not be biking or taking public transportation. And by the time all the kids are out of the house, I will be too old to bike (in the heat, in the cold, in the rain/sleet/snow), and will continue to not be interested

These types of objections demonstrate the cultural imperative of driving in this country. Most Europeans would be confused by this, mostly because public transportation there is normalized and ubiquitous. And even elderly people regularly ride bikes; it's not even noteworthy.

Public transportation is safer there.

[Anonymous]

Biking? It would take a lot. I'm not a confident city biker anyway but this are is especially crazy. Would also take too long to get to my workplace.

I took the bus to work for many years when renting close in, then when we moved further out I walked ~0.7 mile to the metro most days. Now with kids at two dropoffs, it makes more sense to drive them and then park at the metro.

So, maybe I'd go back to walking or taking the bus to the metro once the kids are older and I don't have to drop them off anymore. At this stage of my life, that's just not convenient.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, but public transit has never been as close to as convenient as the car for me, whether it was living in Alexandria, Fairfax, Georgetown, or Baltimore. I don't have the time to waste to double or triple my travel time to use public transit, ignoring all the problems associated with it that I can deal with but would prefer not.

What happens when you can't find a parking space or you have to pay to park?

I pay for parking rarely if I need to be somewhere where it's not possible to park on the street or for free. If there's no parking or if it's terribly inconvenient, I don't go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only places I ride bikes is a separate bike path. Otherwise I think it’s too dangerous.

Same. I'm just not that great of a biker. I would feel really unsafe on the streets. Even out in the suburbs I rarely ride my bike because they're not allowed on sidewalks. I just use trails. And biking with my kids? Hell no I wouldn't ride in the street with them.

I don't know where you bike, but in Montgomery County it's legal everywhere to ride on the sidewalk.

There better be a speed limit for biking on sidewalks. Pedestrians would be at huge risk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Nope. Taking my car. Stems from getting an emergency call from school, had to rush my child to an ortho for a fractured and dislocated bone. Will not be biking or taking public transportation. And by the time all the kids are out of the house, I will be too old to bike (in the heat, in the cold, in the rain/sleet/snow), and will continue to not be interested

These types of objections demonstrate the cultural imperative of driving in this country. Most Europeans would be confused by this, mostly because public transportation there is normalized and ubiquitous. And even elderly people regularly ride bikes; it's not even noteworthy.

Europe is more densely packed and have smaller schools spread more evenly out. It’s common for students to walk home for lunch from school.

Europeans change jobs much less often than Americans and rarely get laid off — so living close to work is an investment that makes sense.

And Europe doesn’t have Americas humidity — 8 months of the year walking to the bus will make you sweaty enough to need a shower.

[Anonymous]

I actually took the bus recently and it stunk to high heaven. I can't arrive to work smelling like weed.