Bicycle-commuting advocate won't let crash slow her down
Nancy Shore spends her days helping employees and employers in downtown Ann Arbor learn about green commuting alternatives like bicycling and walking—and she definitely believes in what she does.
So the fact that a car ran into her while she was biking to work Friday won't shake her dedication to the cause. In fact, she said with a chuckle the next day, "I think it helps me with my street cred."
Shore's $600 commuter bike was totaled in the crash, but she was fortunate enough to suffer only a sprained ankle. She expects to be on crutches for about a week, but soon it will be back to bicycling.
Nancy Shore
Shore was biking on West Washington Street on Friday morning when a car turning into Slauson Middle School hit her bike, she said.
"My bike fell on top of me," she said. "A bunch of people came over and made sure I was OK. There were a lot of people out and a lot of people asking to help." The driver was apologetic and said he had not seen her, she said.
Her husband drove her to an urgent-care facility, where she learned she has a sprained ankle. A police officer who had also been to the accident scene took her information. Shore said she does not know if the driver was cited, and police on duty today at the Ann Arbor Police Department did not have any information on the incident.
"This in no way deters me from riding my bicycle," Shore said. "Things happen. It was unfortunate ... I don't think this is an indication that the streets are unsafe or that people shouldn't be riding their bikes."
Before moving to Ann Arbor in 2002, Shore also commuted by bicycle in Washington, D.C. and Madison, Wis. "I am definitely a year-round bike commuter, and this is the first time I've ever been in an accident," she said.
She said the incident can offer a couple of lessons, including underlining the potential for accidents and the importance of reporting them to the police, so that statistics can be kept.
Shore has a backup bike, used mostly in winter, but also plans to replace the one in the crash.
Comments
stumpjumper
Mon, Nov 21, 2011 : 9:44 p.m.
KJMClark quotes: "Shore said she does not know if the driver was cited, and police on duty today at the Ann Arbor Police Department did not have any information on the incident." Then adds: "They usually don't, even when it's obvious to everyone else that a ticket should be issued, and they would have written a ticket had it been a car/car crash. Besides that, they usually find some reason, not based on Michigan law, to say they would have ticketed the cyclist. We can't really have a bike and pedestrian friendly town until the police change their attitudes. They're still half the problem around here, but enforcing *any* crosswalk ordinance was a major step in the right direction" My comment: Whether a ticket was issued isn't even an issue. The crash was reported to the state as car v bike and the driver was listed at fault. AAPD policy requires a ticket issued to the at-fault driver unless other circumstances allow. The report is not available in full view yet, so it can only be assumed that a ticket was issued, and my bet is that one was. Irrelevant anyway. What matters is that the driver was listed at fault on a state reportable crash. That's what matters. The police did what they were supposed to do. They didn't "find some reason, not based on Michigan law, to say they would have ticketed the cyclist." Stop unfairly grouping all police officers as not doing their job and having bad attitudes against cyclists and pedestrians.
Paul A.
Mon, Nov 21, 2011 : 6:18 p.m.
Phil Farber is correct once again: start clean, end clean. The correlation between sweat and odor tends to be exacerbated by not changing out of your wet/damp cycling clothing (whether riding to work or recreationally) and I kept dry clean clothes at work into which I changed after my commute. We had no shower, but I don't recall ever having an odor during the work day in over 20 years of commuting as long as I dried myself after riding and changed into "work" clothes.
aabikes
Mon, Nov 21, 2011 : 2:40 p.m.
I am so glad to hear that Nancy is OK and getting back on the bike. Maybe more people should do the same.. I agree with Vivienne. If not here, where? Here is some great advice for every cyclist on some of the most common accidents: <a href="http://bicyclesafe.com/" rel='nofollow'>http://bicyclesafe.com/</a> These are situations you do not want to learn about through experience.
Vivienne Armentrout
Mon, Nov 21, 2011 : 1:22 a.m.
Nancy is an exemplar of nonmotorized travel, both in her professional and personal lives. I'm sorry that this happened and without making any judgment about the actual incident, it demonstrates that we need as a community to become ever more sensitive to all those who are using the roads. As has been mentioned, if you actually live in Ann Arbor, a bike commute to work makes a lot of sense. If not here, where?
KJMClark
Sun, Nov 20, 2011 : 5:57 p.m.
Yeahright - "I think that if they are going to be considered 'legal vehicle operators' that are allowed to use the roads with licensed drivers of cars then they should be required to go through a licensing process comparable to what drivers of motor vehicles must go through." Fine with me. Seriously, I'm in favor of that. But remember that by law, driving is a privilege, and biking partly doesn't involve licenses because it's one of the official backups if you lose your license. As in, they can take licenses away from drunk and reckless drivers in part because they have alternatives, like biking, that don't require a license.
Phillip Farber
Mon, Nov 21, 2011 : 4:08 p.m.
Agree re: bicycles and backup. Another reason for the licensing difference is the fact that automobiles by their very nature (weight, kinetic energy, infrastructural support, etc.) require more regulation. I can easily envision a local transportation system consisting entirely of bicycles plus mass transit with no licensing requirements on cyclists whatsoever.
YeahRight
Sun, Nov 20, 2011 : 4:48 p.m.
Re: KJMClark at 8:13 AM on November 20, 2011 "Please feel free to avoid it yourself, and please remember to safely pass the people who aren't so afraid of it, and otherwise treat them as the legal vehicle operators that they are." I think that if they are going to be considered 'legal vehicle operators' that are allowed to use the roads with licensed drivers of cars then they should be required to go through a licensing process comparable to what drivers of motor vehicles must go through.
Huron74
Sun, Nov 20, 2011 : 3:29 p.m.
Biking to work? Depends on where you work and what kind of job you have. Saves $ on gas and parking i guess and which is a big plus that is if you don't mind showing up all sweaty and messed up from the ride.
DBH
Fri, May 11, 2012 : 7:51 p.m.
KJMClark, I am well aware of the physics of bicycling and aerodynamic drag, and also am aware of why a simple average is not likely to represent the actual numbers. However, since you offered nothing else and, in fact, chose the category (> 10 MPH rather than an equally valid < 10 MPH) to suit your purpose (again, see my comment above regarding your seeming preference to be seen to be right rather than to discern the truth), the simple average was better than nothing. If the best you have is to beg off because you "don't have time" then I know you actually have nothing further to refute the caloric estimates I have offered as being more accurate. Nice try on the magnanimity, though.
KJMClark
Tue, Nov 22, 2011 : 12:33 a.m.
DBH - to explain why it makes no sense to take a simple average, we'd have to get into the physics of bicycling and aerodynamic drag. Don't have time for that, so I'll just let you go on thinking you made a valid point.
DBH
Mon, Nov 21, 2011 : 6:26 p.m.
Hmm, I see that some of my previous comment was not recorded regarding the speeds. Regarding the caloric expenditures of bicycling, the CDC website gives the calories expended for bicycling at a speed of LESS than 10 mph as being 145 for 30 minutes, whereas it is 295 for a speed GREATER than 10 mph. I proposed averaging the two to arrive at a figure for 10 mph itself (the speed discussed in this thread), namely, 220 calories for 30 minutes, or 110 calories for the 15 minutes it would take for 2.5 miles. With this clarification my previous comment should be more understandable.
DBH
Mon, Nov 21, 2011 : 5:57 p.m.
@KJMClark, in the interests of accuracy, I must dispute your calculated numbers a bit. Accepting the figures from the CDC website you offered (relative to the figures from WolframAlpha, they actually diminish the difference in the relative caloric expenditures even more - see below), first of all your calculation for the pedestrian was off by 4 calories - the actual calculated number is 200 (199.99...). Secondly, the figures given for bicycling are not very helpful in the table, as they give 145 calories for 30 minutes bicycling at a speed 10 mph. So, in the absence of a specific caloric figure for 10 mph itself, it seems reasonable to take the average, 220 calories for 30 minutes. That yields an expenditure of 110 calories for the 15 minute ride of 2.5 miles at 10 mph. The conclusion, then, is that, based on these figures and suppositions, bicycling takes about 55% as many calories as walking, even more than the half I had originally thought, and even further from a third as you had supposed. As I had noted in my original comment on this story, I had recommended walking instead of bicycling because of the safety factor, though I had presumed Ms. Shore already had thought of that. For those interested in non-motorized travel, if the distance is doable (and 2.5 miles would be for most reasonably fit adults) and an extra 20-25 minutes can be allotted, walking seems to be the better choice. Packages or other materials can be transported in a backpack easily enough while walking. More substantial quantities of material might not be practically transported on foot, but such amounts also make a bicycle more unstable and more difficult to stop in an emergency.
Phillip Farber
Mon, Nov 21, 2011 : 4:03 p.m.
A point about sweat that seems to be overlooked here is that perspiration is not necessarily equal to odor. To get a bit personal, I start out the day showered, which removes most odor-causing bacteria from the body and follow with an underarm deodorant and freshly laundered clothes, as I assume is the case for most people. I arrive at my air conditioned office practically dry if I've dressed correctly for the weather. Any residual perspiration rapidly evaporates in the low humidity of an air conditioned building. Regarding clothing, one should allow for good air flow and use natural fibers (cotton, wool, silk, hemp) at least for the layer next to the skin. Synthetic fibers are notorious for their ability to harbor bacteria with the predictable results. Of course everyone's body chemistry is different but I believe virtually anyone can arrive at work odor-free.
KJMClark
Mon, Nov 21, 2011 : 1:19 p.m.
DBH - Wolfram doesn't really cite a source for that. Just saying "CDC" doesn't mean much. Here's the CDC website for exercise calories burned: <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/physical_activity/index.html#calories%20used%20in%20typical%20activities" rel='nofollow'>http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/physical_activity/index.html#calories%20used%20in%20typical%20activities</a>. The cyclist, at an easy pace, burns about 73 calories in 2.5 miles (2.5/10*145*2). The pedestrian, at 3.5mph, burns 196 (2.5/3.5*140*2). Much closer to 1/3 than 1/2. If time is not an issue, then sure, walking burns more calories. Nancy is trying to get to work, however, and you can get to work much faster on a bike, with less sweating, and carrying more stuff (lunch, change of clothes, laptop, etc.) Nancy was commuting to work, the exercise value is secondary. Mick - can't help you with that. As I said, I do it every day, and 2.5 miles isn't a huge problem for me getting sweaty on the way to work in the summer. I don't bike in work clothes, however, which probably helps a lot. On really humid, hot mornings, I take a water bottle with ice in it. Between the change of clothes and the water bottle, I get to my desk pretty dry. Not as dry as sitting in an air conditioned car, but as short as my trip is, the car doesn't cool off that much, and you still have the hot walk to the building, and no clean, dry clothes to change into. My office building doesn't have a shower (though our other building does), and it isn't a problem.
Mick52
Sun, Nov 20, 2011 : 8:33 p.m.
I biked to work and no matter how slowly I rode, I ended up sweaty even with a ride of 2.2 miles. Fortunately my workplace has showers. In the best bike friendly cities, adding shower facilities to workplaces in restrooms is promoted. Also some cities, like Chicago, have bicycle centers with showers, indoor secure parking, bike accessory sales and bike repairs available. Another benefit in addition to saving $ on gas and parking is the health benefit you get by riding to work and home, especially riding home when you can add a few miles just for fun.
DBH
Sun, Nov 20, 2011 : 7:05 p.m.
KJMClark, the calories used would, of course, depend on the person's weight, gender and speed. Assuming a 159# male bicycling at 10 mph, my information is that would consume 92 calories over 2.5 miles ( <a href="http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=calories+bicycling+2.5+miles+10+mph" rel='nofollow'>http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=calories+bicycling+2.5+miles+10+mph</a> ). The same assumptions result in a calorie expenditure of 192 calories walking at 4 mph ( <a href="http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=calories+walking+2.5+miles+4+mph" rel='nofollow'>http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=calories+walking+2.5+miles+4+mph</a> ). So, bicycling does consume fewer calories than walking the same distance, but seems to approximate more like a half than a third. If someone had an option to choose walking or bicycling for transportation, for weight loss or weight maintenance walking would be the better choice when calories are considered.
KJMClark
Sun, Nov 20, 2011 : 6:02 p.m.
Have to agree with Phil. I do it every day. Most of the year it's cool (or cold) enough to not be an issue. Even in the dead of summer, if you know what you're doing at all, you're not going to be that sweaty getting to work (going home is a different matter). And ask anyone who knows me, I'm a prolific sweater in the summer. My commute is about 2 1/2 miles each way. And remember, biking is *much* cooler than walking the same distance. About a third as many calories burned, so cooler to start with, and you have all that breeze blowing by the whole time to help keep you cool.
Huron74
Sun, Nov 20, 2011 : 5:52 p.m.
Phil I bike all the time. Getting hot and sweaty is par for the course unless you're only going a few blocks over flat smooth pavement.
Phillip Farber
Sun, Nov 20, 2011 : 3:52 p.m.
Yep, this the big myth about commuting by bicycle: arriving "all sweaty and messed up ..." The many hundreds of Ann Arbor's daily commuting cyclists know this is not the case. Perhaps Huron74 had an encounter with someone unfamiliar with the concept of personal hygiene. Practical dress and measured effort will deliver you to the door of your office in fine shape.
Wolf's Bane
Sun, Nov 20, 2011 : 2:06 p.m.
Hmm, we have a pedestrian ordinance that causes car accidents, yet no ordinances governing the safety of bicyclists who seem to need it the more? All the best to Nancy Shore, you've earned your stripes.
shepard145
Sun, Nov 20, 2011 : 2:03 p.m.
People here are fooling themselves if they think that bicycles are as clearly visible when they are riding in this city. Bikes that ride within actual traffic in lanes are taking extra risks with their lives. It is easy for even an attentive driver to miss bikes behind a rear view mirror or windshield pillar if you happen to be riding in those blind spots at the moment when you two are coming together. Ask any motor cyclist. In college I rode my motorcycle often but after the third close-call when I was nearly hit turning left from a center turn lane, I had enough. Over the years I have been running and hit by cars pulling out of driveways had close calls on high speed roads on my bike. The bottom line is that biking on AA's narrow, crumbling, poorly maintained City roads in ideal conditions is still dangerous and it does not take a seriously impaired or negligent driver to put you in the hospital for a long time – and the car AWAYS WINS. I find no comfort in knowing I have insurance or even that I could sue someone for negligence when I'm the one with the broken bones or much worse.
Mick52
Sun, Nov 20, 2011 : 8:27 p.m.
That is true, drivers do miss bicycles in their vision. I was hit once. I think my accident was similar to Nancy's. A car approaching me made a left turn right in my path. Both people in the front seat didn't see me was their excuse. My advice to bicyclists is you have to be very vigilant, you have to watch traffic very carefully, sometimes to the point where you have to make sure you know the driver sees you. That said, I think Ann Arbor's streets are very safe to drive on due to the facilities applied to the streets. There is a lot of research on bike lanes and the general consensus is that bike lanes do help and make drivers more aware that there is bicycle traffic. And to be the most safe, bicyclists have to obey all traffic laws. The amount of violations is a serious problem in A2 and I wish the A2PD could crack down on it.
KJMClark
Sun, Nov 20, 2011 : 1:06 p.m.
"Shore said she does not know if the driver was cited, and police on duty today at the Ann Arbor Police Department did not have any information on the incident." They usually don't, even when it's obvious to everyone else that a ticket should be issued, and they would have written a ticket had it been a car/car crash. Besides that, they usually find some reason, not based on Michigan law, to say they would have ticketed the cyclist. We can't really have a bike and pedestrian friendly town until the police change their attitudes. They're still half the problem around here, but enforcing *any* crosswalk ordinance was a major step in the right direction. I had a crash about a decade ago. I was biking east on William, stopped at the light at Fifth, right by the library. I was waiting for the light to change when I heard a bang and felt something pushing me forward. The motorist behind me had taken off before I did, ran into my back wheel, and the bang was my tire exploding. It was only the wheel destroyed in that case. The motorist said she didn't see me, even though she was stopped behind me, and took off when she thought the light changed, even though I recall the light still being red and hadn't moved yet. The police response was basically "why are you bothering me with this." Of course no ticket, but the officer at least claimed to write up a local crash report, because I insisted, since we were working toward a new nonmotorized master plan at the time, and it helps to have all crashes reported. So I'm not surprised that even in an injury crash, the police don't know about it, and I wouldn't be surprised to hear there was no ticket issued. I'm glad Nancy is OK. And 2.5 miles is a perfect bike trip distance and Washington is a preferred bike route by a lot of West-siders. The proper response here would have been a ticket for the motorist for failure to yield, and a new bike for Nancy. Not in Michigan.
Wolf's Bane
Sun, Nov 20, 2011 : 2:07 p.m.
2.5 miles is awfully short. I'd run it instead.
Tom Todd
Sun, Nov 20, 2011 : 1:06 p.m.
I just about get run over everyday doing the speed limit in a Heavy large vehicle. Lots of people no longer have the respect to leave for work on time, and try to make it up by driving over the speed limit or tailgating to the next red light. It also appears people are not seeing all live deer at the side of the road. Get well soon.
Candy
Sun, Nov 20, 2011 : 9:51 p.m.
Amen, Tom. I have the same experience driving my small SUV to work each morning. I generally drive 5 mph above the speed limit if road conditions allow it, but I still get tailgated all the time. I've been rear-ended twice in the past couple of years, and of course my car insurance goes up because of the no-fault thing! Sickening!
genericreg
Sun, Nov 20, 2011 : 6:06 a.m.
"did not see" equal did not look. Driver should no longer have license.
shepard145
Sun, Nov 20, 2011 : 4:19 a.m.
Nancy is a terrific advocate for transit in Ann Arbor, I am sorry to hear about this accident and glad she was not seriously injured. Her accident may be symptomatic of the realities of riding a bike in a city with narrow, crumbling roads. The dimwitted City Council has chosen to simply paint a chaotic mix of stripes and bike symbols on roads packed with the cars they were designed for as though road paint creates some kind of magic shield around cyclists. The truth is that cycling in the City is not safe and accidents will continue. ....and people texting while driving is not helping.
Tom Joad
Sun, Nov 20, 2011 : 1 a.m.
The only lesson you learned here is that the driver "did not see her" The ultimate in driver exusability. Another oft-used excuse is 'the sun was in my eyes.' Riding a bike is treacherous, especially in Ann Arbor. I've ridden the mean streets of San Francisco, cheating death at every turn, close calls narrow misses...no more. I walk everywhere now. Riding a bike in Ann Arbor is tantamount to engaging in a high-risk activity with deadly or debilitating consequences. It's simply not worth the convenience of covering great distances or speed, not when you willingly subject yourself to the whims and mis-attention of drivers. No, I will not participate in that scenario.
snapshot
Sun, Nov 20, 2011 : 6:41 p.m.
In Ann Arbor, it seems that laws are only for "other" people.
KJMClark
Sun, Nov 20, 2011 : 5:50 p.m.
Mort, I do all that. Why are you lumping those of us who obey the laws with those who don't? Should I assume all motorists speed and tailgate all the time because I see motorists doing those all the time? I know I don't when I'm driving.
golfer
Sun, Nov 20, 2011 : 3:51 p.m.
KJMClark ok if they want to be treated like legal vehicle operators. then they should ride like one. i have seen them cut right down the middle lane on statidum. i have hardly seen them stop yes stop at a stop sign. they slow down and go right on thru.
KJMClark
Sun, Nov 20, 2011 : 1:13 p.m.
Yeah, yeah, do your best to try talking people out of it. But the statistics show biking is actually pretty safe, mostly because you aren't going that fast. No, biking in Ann Arbor is not high risk. Biking in Livonia might be a bit more, but Ann Arbor's a pretty tame place to bike these days. Please feel free to avoid it yourself, and please remember to safely pass the people who aren't so afraid of it, and otherwise treat them as the legal vehicle operators that they are.
Roadman
Sun, Nov 20, 2011 : 12:24 a.m.
That accident should be covered by a no-fault policy.
Mick52
Sun, Nov 20, 2011 : 1:32 a.m.
It is. But I had a similar accident and I had a nightmare dealing with an insurance company. They tried to significantly underpay me for my totaled bike. They were right, sort of, that over time the value declines, but if my bike was a high quality bike when I bought it, if the insurance company got it's way, I would only receive enough compensation for a very low quality bicycle. Just does not seem right to only give you a few dollars for a bike that cost a lot of money when purchased. If you keep a bike up with regular maintenance they really are the same bike. You don't see the wear like with a car.
Urban Sombrero
Sun, Nov 20, 2011 : 12:16 a.m.
I'm glad she's OK. It could have turned out far worse than just a sprained ankle. (Not that that's not bad, but still....she's alive, right?)
DBH
Sun, Nov 20, 2011 : 12:11 a.m.
So sorry to hear of her mishap, and I am glad to hear that she came out of it with only a sprained ankle. In my opinion, for 2.5 miles her risk/benefit ratio would definitely favor walking over bicycling in this area. I expect, though, she already has considered that.
DBH
Fri, May 11, 2012 : 8:26 p.m.
KJMClark, I'm not buying it. If you live your life (and I rather doubt that you do) confining your understanding of what people say or write to the first two definitions as listed in a dictionary, then you are missing out on a WHOLE lot of meaning. For any particular verbal phrase, the most likely definition of a word is not always the definition which is listed in numerical order in a dictionary reference. You need to take context into account. Your own Merriam Webster link gives the first two meanings of the noun "fly" to be (1) the action or process of flying: FLIGHT; and, (2a) a device consisting of two or more radial vanes capable of rotating on a spindle to act as a fan or to govern the speed of clockwork or very light machinery; (2b) FLYWHEEL. So, based on your practice of relying on the first two definitions of a word, if you read or heard the sentence, "He caught a fly" you would assume that the person caught either a flight or a flywheel? Laughable, just as was your previous unwillingness to consider that my comment about riding a bicycle on snow or ice was "insane" was not meant to be a comment about the bicyclist's psychopathology, just that it was reckless. You are welcome to continue to assert otherwise, but you won't be fooling me or, I think, anyone else, except possibly yourself, though I doubt you actually process words in the way in which you claim. You come across as reasonably intelligent, and I am skeptical you could have made it this far in life having such a narrow view of language.
KJMClark
Tue, Nov 22, 2011 : 12:36 a.m.
Of course I did, but the list the definitions in their most likely meaning order. So the mostly likely definitions of what you said were one of the first two. However, if you go around in friendly conversations saying things like that about what the other people do, I guess I can't do anything about that.
DBH
Mon, Nov 21, 2011 : 11:55 p.m.
Oh, KJMClark, KJMClark, you disappoint me. Did you not read definitions #3 and #4 at the link you provided? They also define insane as meaning "absurd" or "extreme," precisely the meaning (pick one) I had intended and which is in common use. It seems as if you are trying to be right rather than trying to discern the truth. As I said, disappointing.
KJMClark
Mon, Nov 21, 2011 : 11:43 p.m.
DBH - Really. The first two definitions at Webster (<a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/insane)" rel='nofollow'>http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/insane)</a> say mentally deranged, and could only be used about a person or things for an insane person, not an activity.
DBH
Mon, Nov 21, 2011 : 6:18 p.m.
@KJMClark, really? You take offense at my comment about bicycling in snow or on ice as being "insane" as a personal affront? Methinks you are being a bit sensitive. First of all, I wasn't calling YOU insane, I was calling the ACTIVITY insane. Huge difference. Secondly, I was using "insane" in the much more commonly and popularly understood meaning of hyperbole for doing something unexpected and fraught with risk (as in, "I know! Wasn't that insane!!"). I was not offering an opinion that you were manifesting abnormal psychopathology. Geez. "Besides, in case you didn't notice, they clear the streets in the winter, so you're mostly biking on clear, heavily salted pavement anyway." Yeah, right. Ann Arbor is lucky to have the streets cleared, and even luckier to have the streets salted, by the end of the day, much less in the morning when the commute to work happens for most of us. And salting doesn't do much to keep ice from forming when the temps are in the low teens or below. I am happy for you that you have never fallen as a result of snow or ice, or otherwise put yourself in harm's way sliding or falling into traffic as a result of conditions. I consider that a fortuitous combination of skill and luck. I expect the former will continue; I only hope the latter does as well. Regarding the time differential between walking and bicycling to work, I know of some who deliberately walk to work for various reasons, one of which is to get their recommended 30 minutes (or more) of daily exercise. They are commuting to work and exercising at the same time, expending significant calories all the while. It saves them from having to take the time out of their day to exercise at home or elsewhere. For them, it is more efficient.
KJMClark
Mon, Nov 21, 2011 : 1:33 p.m.
DBH - you know, in polite, friendly conversations, it's usually considered a bit rude to call the other person insane. As someone who's successfully biked all year for about 20 years, I can assure you it's not that big a deal. Besides, in case you didn't notice, they clear the streets in the winter, so you're mostly biking on clear, heavily salted pavement anyway. And pardon me, I should have said 15 minutes vs. 40-45. Most people given those choices, would want the shorter trip going to work. I don't know many people who would want to triple their commute time for the heck of it.
DBH
Sun, Nov 20, 2011 : 2:54 p.m.
KJMClark, an hour? That would be 2.5 miles/hour. That is a snail's pace. A brisk pace (4+mph) would get her there in 35-40 minutes. Maybe 45 minutes in the winter. I think it is insane to ride a bike in snow and/or on ice. The safest method of travel is by car or bus. Walking (compared to bicycling) is a distant second choice.
KJMClark
Sun, Nov 20, 2011 : 1:08 p.m.
That trip would take her about 15 minutes by bike and almost an hour on foot. She ended up with a sprained ankle. Try walking for an hour commute in the winter and you'll risk that sprained ankle and more every single day. I bet she's already considered that and decided the bike makes *much* more sense.
DBH
Sun, Nov 20, 2011 : 2:34 a.m.
@Mick52, as this incident exemplifies, biking is not necessarily healthier as you have to contend with the risks of traffic accidents while on a bicycle. I don't argue that it otherwise might be healthier, though I think it would be a tossup if the walking was done at a brisk pace. Obviously, walking does take longer, I'll grant you that.
Mick52
Sun, Nov 20, 2011 : 1:27 a.m.
Walking would take a heck of a lot longer for 2.5 miles, especially in the cold. Also it's healthier. Both are healthy but biking is more so. I would definitely bike to work at up to 15 miles, but I would only walk if it were a few blocks.
leaguebus
Sun, Nov 20, 2011 : 12:05 a.m.
West Washington is almost as dangerous as riding in Huron. With the mess that the Y creates every afternoon during after school pick up times and all of the Y people cruising for parking spaces the rest of the time, I try to avoid it. I might suggest that Ms. Shore try West Park as an alternative to Washington. There are no lights on the park trails so it's a little scary when it's dark, but if its light it's good safe riding. Stay safe!