parkbrav

February 9 -

Weather man today reminds us that Daylight Savings time is only 30 days away.

Yes, Daylight Savings means we have to get up an hour early. It also means the mornings get darker, at least for a little while.

But. Daylight savings also means more time in the evening to bike home safely after work.

Daniel4

It's nuts that the time according to the Sun is observed for only 1/3 of the year.

parkbrav

I appreciate you taking the time to write back! I have to admit, I'm closer to the other end of the spectrum.

Here's an important point I want you to consider. If we did NOT "fall back," the latest it would get dark here on the east coast would be 5pm. That means that for winter cyclists getting out of work at 5pm, they would have time most winter days to cycle after work in at least some "civil twilight." I think that's a huge advantage of using Daylight Time as opposed to standard time.

mcours2006

I'm more excited about the departure of winter.

parkbrav

Yeah me, too! Only 40 days to the Spring Equinox

rumrunn6

trying to get Wifey & adult kids to agree on a summer week I can rent a house on the Vineyard is torture ... ugh

parkbrav

Be sure to bring the bike! Just out of curiosity, do you have one of "touring bicycles"? I saw two on winter clearance at the bike shop two weekends ago

TimothyH

Modern LED lighting has revolutionized my riding.

For rides up to 55 miles it no longer matters whether it is day or night.

In fact, I'm more visible at night than during the day.

wolfchild

Daylight savings time is one of those useless traditions which should be abolished because it serves no purpose at all.

prj71

^^This.

Daniel4

If you really want to ride earlier, why don't get out earlier? It's your choice so why have the government tell you when to get up? Years ago I got fed up with DST so when the clocks switched in the fall, I maintained the summer schedule. This resulted in me appearing to arrive at work earlier than everyone else in the winter but at the same time during the spring summer and fall.

Before GWB, DST was 6 months of the year. But he advanced it one month in the spring that encroached on the winter AND delayed Standard Time in the fall by one month. That move resulted in 8 months of DST and only 4 months of Standard Time.

Changing the clock doesn't make winter end earlier or later. It's still from December 23 to March 23 no matter what the clock says.

parkbrav

Just want to observe that the cold and snow aren't the only conditions we battle during the winter. We also battle the darkness. By the start of daylight savings, it doesn't get dark until 6:45pm, that's plenty of daylight to ride home

parkbrav

Funny you mention that. The other day we had snow squalls. I left an hour early to beat them. The next day the boss sat me down and lectured me, "We don't leave an hour early!"

cyccommute 

No, it does not "get dark at 4 p.m." after daylight saving time ends. No where in the lower 48 states does the sun set that early. At the 49th parallel which is US/Canadian border, the earliest sunset is at 4:28 p.m. around December 5th. Anywhere south of there has later sunset. New York City's sunset on that date is at 4:29 p.m. That's not "4 p.m."

On the other hand, at the latest sunrise on January 5, the sun wouldn't rise until 8.20 a.m. under year around DST. We've tried this before and it was awful. It is dark enough in the winter without having to get to work 20 minutes before the sun rises. And, an hour earlier is an hour colder. If it is brutally cold in the morning at sunrise, it feels a whole lot worse an hour earlier.

And, frankly, I'd rather deal with lights and traffic at night than deal with sleep deprived people in the morning. You still have to ride in to work.

Lemond1985

It's not a "useless tradition". It's two days of the year when the average person gets to find out who's in really charge of important things like what time it is. Answer: It's not them, despite the fact that their taxes pay for everything.

parkbrav

Well, I looked it up, out here on the east coast to be exact it gets dark at its earliest at 4:11pm. You will have to forgive me for the rounding for the 11 minutes.

4:11pm! Wow, that's early. That means it will be dark when work gets out at 5pm

And by the way, that's if it's a sunny day. It will seem to be darker sooner than that on a cloudy day.

noglider 

The good thing about daylight saving time -- and there is only one saving time -- isn't the fact that we shift our lives an hour later. It's that the daylight lasts longer because of the tilt of the planet. So I welcome that time, and I don't thank the silly clock-shifting system.

And the sun sets at 3:44 in December on the eastern border of Maine.

rumrunn6

& what about about "Leap Year"? I just noticed our next "Leap Day" is Saturday 2/29/20

parkbrav

I had to look this up. Between February 8, 2020 and March 8, 2020, there are 30 days. And that includes Leap Day

TimothyH

Yes, some misinformation in this thread.

Bangor, Maine sunset is 3:58 PM on Dec 23.

So says the US Naval Observatory.

https://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneDay.php

-Tim-

parkbrav

Hi Tim,

Yes it is confusing. Not to put words in some one else's mouth, but I think NoGlider meant far eastern Maine, even east of Bangor. In Calais Maine, which is about as east as you can get, the sun goes down at 3:46pm December 7.

https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/@495...h=12&year=2018

Having spent some time in eastern Maine in the winter, I can confirm this to be true

parkbrav

A bit of encouragement folks, less than 3 weeks until Daylight Savings, and the Spring Equinox is 31 days away, depending on how you count the dates.

TimothyH

My reference to misinformation was not directed at Noglider.

On the contrary.


-Tim-

noglider 

I'm already enjoying the longer days. The sun sets at about 5:35pm in NYC now, which happens to be right now.

mcours2006

It's nice that when I got to work today it was actually light out...oh wait, no, I was just slow today.