I do take the bus on occasion and like it— to go to work, to capitol hill/union station or georgetown. They stop right ar my front gate! My kid my take the bus to hs next year at jackson reed— a 30-40 min ride but direct.

My main hesitation is safety. There are really rough people on the bus. We’ve observed fights, young people bullying seniors, and generally bad behavior. You asked what would make me less hesitant— honestly maybe bus safety monitors/transit cops.

That “free” (or otherwise) bus is crowded with other people who smell bad, are loud, and/or are dangerous.

My car smells good, has plenty of space for me, is quiet and is free of criminals.

And you’re wondering why cars will always win?

More metro stations throughout the city. I hate busses and find them more stressful and unpredictable and confusing to sort out. That may or may not be true in reality but it's how I feel.

My work is not convenient to a metro, there is a shuttle (Work at the Medstar and Children's National campus). I have two kids to get to school (10 min drive) and then I get to work. I barely manage my days as they are with a car, feel stressed out getting kids to school and me to work every morning and stressed out every evening from pickup to bedtime. Asking me to tack on am extra half hour at the beginning and end of my day is a no go.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I sweat profusely. Been that way all my life. I sweat at the drop of a hat even a teen and 20-something multi-sport athlete. Cultural norms and acceptance around sweat and resulting odor would have to change.

Also, speed limits on bike routes would have to be imposed and low enough to accommodate walkers and children.

Why do walkers and children need to be on bike routes?

Is this a serious question? Most off road bike trails are multi-use, meaning for pedestrians too. I mean the ones that go through parks or on the sides of roads separated by grass, not bike lanes within the roadway. And children bike places for transportation, too.

Yeah, those aren't really bike routes. With the "shared use" paths, the shared use is non-ideal for both pedestrians and bicyclists.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I sweat profusely. Been that way all my life. I sweat at the drop of a hat even a teen and 20-something multi-sport athlete. Cultural norms and acceptance around sweat and resulting odor would have to change.

Also, speed limits on bike routes would have to be imposed and low enough to accommodate walkers and children.

Why do walkers and children need to be on bike routes?

Is this a serious question? Most off road bike trails are multi-use, meaning for pedestrians too. I mean the ones that go through parks or on the sides of roads separated by grass, not bike lanes within the roadway. And children bike places for transportation, too.

I biked to work for many years. DC bike to school for a few years also.

1) we lived near a bike path that started a few blocks from our house and went by both the school and my workplace. School was located 4 miles away, workplace 6 miles away.

2) our area was very safe and the path was populated although not busy in the morning and afternoons.

3) DC Often take public transportation from the suburbs into DC. The most difficult aspect is the metro bus. They are unreliable,, too long of intervals and vary between overcrowding and two few people on the bus fo DD to feel safe.

4) I am a Fairweather outdoor commuter.

I have no interest in cycling. It’s not pleasurable for me and I’ve never enjoyed it.

I’m a big fan of walking and would walk to work if I lived close enough to my office. But I don’t live close enough to my office so I don’t walk to work and I have no plans to move walking distance to my office because I like my neighborhood.

Nothing would convince me to use a bike for commuting.

The bus I wouldn’t mind if they had a route that was just a ring and ran every so many minutes and were smaller and nicer.

Anonymous wrote:I sweat profusely. Been that way all my life. I sweat at the drop of a hat even a teen and 20-something multi-sport athlete. Cultural norms and acceptance around sweat and resulting odor would have to change.

Also, speed limits on bike routes would have to be imposed and low enough to accommodate walkers and children.

Why would there be walkers on bike routes? I'm assuming that the children on the bike routes would be on bikes.

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.

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

There is no speed limit. How would you measure it anyway? Speedometers are not standard on bicycles. Regardless, there is a lot of bicycling on sidewalks in Montgomery County (because there are a lot of roads that are unsafe for bicyclists because of cars). Fortunately, pedestrians are not at huge risk from bicyclists, just from cars.

I’m not in your area, but for me to use bikes as a mode of transport I’d need dedicated bike lanes that are raised and fenced off from the road (ie much safer) ALL THE WAY. I’m not going to be safe for some of the way then play Russian roulette for the rest.

To use buses, I’d need to know they were safe and clean (no gangs, homeless or other crazies) and there would need to be “green roads and bridges” that only buses and bikes can use that significantly reduce travel time especially during rush hour.

I’ve lived in other places in the world that have these things and they really do work.

My car is my livelihood. I use it for work in a way that public transit or biking would not allow. I walk whenever I can. I understand how upset some folks are about car culture. I'm that upset about gun culture. But because of physical limitations as well as others (which I really don't have to explain to anybody) my car is and will continue to be the most PRACTICAL means of transportation.

Anonymous wrote:I would never commute by bike. It’s too dangerous and I’m too scared of getting mugged to walk. I will protect the environment in other ways. You can’t convince me. Sorry.

You don’t walk anywhere?

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.

You have a Europe in your imagination that doesn’t exist in the real world.

I would never commute by bike. It’s too dangerous and I’m too scared of getting mugged to walk. I will protect the environment in other ways. You can’t convince me. Sorry.