stevage

Just wondering whether for most people, the bike commute is faster than what the best car commute would be, about the same, or slower?

kuwahara

The bike commute would take me about two hours longer to get to work. Plus if I didn't get run over on the street it would definitely happen on the freeway

QuickDraw

My commute is 5 minutes slower by bike.
but it does take some extra prep time.

svidrod

my commute is only 3 miles each way with 2 stop lights and minimal traffic, so i loose time while riding over driving; but i make it up in finding a parking spot and walking from the parking lot to the building as i can lock up my bike right infront of the building

Tyrell

18-20 minutes in a vehicle, 25-30 minutes on the bike.

one_beatnik

I live in rural Iowa, so traffic is not the issue. It takes me about 17 minutes by car and an hour by bike.

Jarery

One hour bike commute vs 45 min drive, but factor in getting dressed, undressed, showered at each end and its easily double the time.

pinkrobe

My ride to work has one shortcut which is legal on a bike but not navigable by car. I have driven my route outside of rush hour and I was astonished at how long it took - 20% more time! I haven't had the opportunity to drive home from work, but if I'm getting 3-light delays on my bike with some filtering and creative lane choices, I can't imagine getting out of downtown any faster.

Pig_Chaser

It's much slower for me to cycle. My commute is rural hwy so it's 20-40kph cycling vs. 80-100kph driving. There are no shortcuts. It is of course time well spent in other ways that have been expounded in numerous other threads.

starla

My commute took me about 10 minutes to drive and takes about 20-25 to ride. I get up 15 minutes earlier than I used to, and there's no question about it being worth the extra time. I'm amazed by how much better I feel in the mornings. And after an especially stressful working day, there is nothing better and more therapeutic than the ride home. Simply incredible for my mental well being. I am soooo glad I started this!

SDRider

It takes me 15-20 minutes to drive to work (at best) vs 35 minutes (best time) on the bike. A little heavy traffic can easily increase my drive time to 30+ minutes though. Heavy traffic doesn't really affect my ride time at all though...which I enjoy.

wb647

My bike commute is actually shorter, thanks to MUP's. If I drive, I have two stop signs and three traffic lights. On my bike I only have two stop signs and a much more direct route.

YoKev

About 15-20 minutes driving, 1 hour cycling.

ItsJustMe

10.8 miles, about 20 minutes by car, 40 to 50 minutes by bike. Nearly 100% rural 50 MPH roads with no stops and no traffic. It's a very nice ride, and also a very nice drive, woods and farm fields around the roads, etc, but it also means that in a car you go the whole distance at the speed limit of 50, so it's certainly much slower by bike.
In the summer if I'm not fighting a headwind I can do it in as little as 33 minutes on a bike.

srp

Never done the full commute by car as I cut through a couple places and make a completely illegal left turn on my bike. However, my normal drive is 35-45 minutes. Cycle commute is about 55 minutes. With a great tailwind, I made it home once in 45 minutes including time to educate a driver who shook his fist at me as he passed with horn blaring. The point was made that I'm legal on the road and it ended with a handshake.

hankbrandenburg

I can usually drive in 30 minutes; the cycle commute is 70-85 minutes depending on traffic, fatigue, etc. Despite the extra time, I HATE driving to/from work. I would rather slog home in the rain, bonked and with sore legs than drive my car.

So what IS wrong with me, anyways?

markhr

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=232903

both cycling and metro/tube/underground are the same speed if you factor in the lock up/wash up at each end

taxi/cab is by far the fastest if the traffic is good - rush hour traffic (6am to 8pm - lol) means that every second trip takes twice as long as the alternates though

keisatsu

1 hour to get to work, which is actually slightly slower. It's the commute home that really makes the difference. Going home by car it's often 2+ hours, vs bike it takes about an hour, usually a bit longer though as I ride slower and take a longer route for the fun of it.

law4jba

Driving is 45-90 minutes depending on traffic. Most days are about 55 minutes going in and 60-75 min going home.

Bike-train-bike is 60-65 minutes
Bike-boat-bike is 65-70 minutes (but there is a bar on the boat....)

Bdaisies

My commute is about 10 minutes by bike, a little less by car, however I'd have to drive around to find parking. Since I live close enough, I don't need to change clothes or anything.

tate65

I commute 41 miles round trip. If traffic if flowing I drive MUCH faster, but in cases like last Friday where a cement truck overturned on the highway, the bike can be faster. Also if I stop for random things in the car, which I often do not only is the car slower it cost me a whole lot more. I have yet to stop at Starbucks while riding the bike to or from work, I often do in the car.

roadiejorge 

In big cities with a lot of traffic I'd imagine riding is a great alternative to driving simply because of the congestion. I live right outside of NYC and it takes me about an hour if I commute by bus followed by a 15 minute walk to my job. Biking takes me a bit under an hour door to door, so I save some money and get some exercise.

wildpony

My commute is usually about 10 minutes by car. I was astonished when I tried it on my 24 speed MTB and found that that time increased to 30 minutes. To try to cut that time I switched to my single-speed road rig and my time reduced to 20 minutes. I can live with that, especially out of a fixie. Plus it helps to get me awake in the morning rather than ariving still half asleep.

charles vail

My commute would definitely take much longer. 56 miles round trip, mostly on country roads. Four hours by bike and 90 minutes by automobile. I do a partial commute of 18 miles RT and I don't care about how long it takes, I save a little money and wear on my car plus, I get some exercise. I ride my bicycle because its enjoyable.

girljen

My drive is about five minutes.
By bike, it takes about 20 minutes, I'm sure I could get there sooner if I really hustled...but I like the longer commute. It gives my brain time to shift gears.