Papa Tom

This is aimed primarily at others like myself who, in the past, wouldn't think twice about packing the bikes in the car and driving an hour or two to bike in the Hudson Valley or somewhere out in Jersey.

This year, my wife and I have almost completely cut out our regular drives to the Bronx River Pathway, New Jersey's Waterfront Walkway, the Westchester County Trail, and other places simply because the price of traveling has taken a huge chunk out of our enjoyment. I've even cut out my almost-nightly drive to Cedar Creek Park for a lap or two down the Wantagh Parkway to Jones Beach.

So, by poll, have YOU changed your habits regarding the distance you are willing to drive to get to a bike path or a good region for cycling? Please take the survey, but I'd also like to read your comments below.

FrankieV

Absolutley not!
I drove 2 hours to do the Tour of the Hamptons last weekend.

Papa Tom

Well, TOURS are one thing. I often drive out to eastern LI to start my overnight trips from the Orient Point Ferry, but I'm talking about driving to, say, Valhalla (Westchester) to ride the Bronx River Pathway for an hour or two.

Stacy

No. I live in Manhattan where nobody owns a car.

mprelaw

Toyota Yaris, 42 mpg highway.

indyfabz

Nope. Driving is not part of my daily lifestyle so higher gas prices don't deter me from driving to do day rides. And when I do drive, I still get 30 mpg after more than 17 years. Planning to make a 3 hr. drive to do the Black Bear Century in a few weeks.

LiamSkymom

I'm not in the Northeast, but I say ABSOLUTELY. I have stuck to the two trails closest to home because of gas prices. Much as I wanted some hill training, the cost to drive the distance is just too great.

telkanuru

Car free, so no real way to answer this poll.

ratdog

I wouldn't say nobody.... I'm in Manhattan and have to go 90-100 miles round trip every weekend to check on a secondary property. When time permits, I do stop by the South/North County Trails for a spin, so my answer to the OP would be "No" since I have to make the drive anyway.

And before anyone starts to asks why not bicycle the whole distance, I will mention that I have to be back in Manhattan by 9:00 AM complete with the week's groceries and don't relish having to hit the road the night before.

berner

I've cut way back on driving. I used to travel often to New Hampshire for hiking and skiing. Now that I also ride a bike, I had hoped to ride in N.H. With gas at $4 a gallon, a week-end trip up there would cost near $75 including some food bur not including accommodations as I'd mostly camp in a tent. I don't see that situation changing in the foreseeable future.

Papa Tom

Being from Bristol, at least you've got the East Bay and some other good bikeways. Here on Long Island, the DOT is just finishing up an extension to a very popular north/south bike path that will likely become MY ride of choice. I suppose we really need to push for local bike lanes and paths now!

indyfabz

I am curious. Assuming the entire $75 goes to gas, at $4/gallon, that's 18.75 gallons. If the price were to drop to $3.50 overnight, it would cost you around $65.60 for gas. So at $4.00 you are only paying $9.40 more for gas for the entire trip. (It's actually less since the $75 is for gas and food.) You could take such a trip weekly and make up the difference by cutting $1.34 from your daily spending. At what prices were you taking those hiking trips?

berner

It happens that gas prices are only a part of the cost of driving a vehicle. I have not estimated that cost in some time but did once have the exact costs for the entire year. My guess is that today it will cost $.50 and maybe as much as $.75 per mile to drive a typical car, depending on how many miles are driven annually. A 500 mile weekend drive will cost $50 to $100 per 100 miles. That is a lot of money.

It also happens that I enjoy riding my bike as much as hiking in the mountains and there are hundreds of miles of fine, quiet and very pretty country roads within a 30 minutes drive of my home. I also ride with the local bike club several times a month. There is little incentive to stray any distance from home turf.

Papa Tom

>>>>If the price were to drop to $3.50 overnight<<<<

Interesting how $3.50 a gallon now sounds like the "good old days." I suppose what I had in mind when I posted this thread were the days when gas was still below $2/gallon and we were all still working at profitable jobs. In those days, I would drive three hours to ride a 5-mile bike path without giving it a second thought, especially if there was a good Italian ice stand along the way.

howeeee

I always prefer to leave from my house on my bike, gas prices dont matter.

Papa Tom

>>>>I always prefer to leave from my house on my bike, gas prices dont matter.<<<<

I think I'm starting to feel the same way. However, for many years, I needed to get far away from home before I could relax and enjoy a ride. Otherwise, I'd start thinking about what had to be done at home and, being just a quick ride away, I'd often cut my rides short.

Now, I don't feel like I have the luxury of getting in the car and spending $15-20-25 in tolls and $30-40 in gas just to watch the leaves turn green up in the mountains.

indyfabz

Berner: My question was directed at the issue of relativity. If $75 in gas is to much, what wasn't too much?

ChrisM2097

Most of my rides are local. I have some beautiful, hilly rides, or urban, flat rides right outside my home. I have to drive/ride several miles to get to any MUP paths, though...but I haven't been doing that as often as I used to.

On of my favorite rides is from San Francisco to Tiburon. SF is about 50 miles from home, so driving there to do the ride is certainly more convenient and practical...and I usually go with a group, and they all pitch in for gas & parking.

Doohickie

No, it hasn't. Then again, the vast majority of my rides start and end at my house. I think I've had the bike on the car once or twice this year.... and that's because I was going somewhere to ride with my wife.

E.W.G.M.B

Yep. I try to avoid any place i have to drive to, as the Vancortlandt/SCT is only 1.20 miles away from me and Westside highway is only 20 mins away. So why drive when i got 2 nice trails close by.

Dahon.Steve

Gas prices have little effect since I take bus and train everywhere. If there's a place I can't get there directly, I'll take my full size or folding to complete the trip. This way I have access to many more locations and don't have to stay close to home for biking. Using trains with my bike opened a large part of the state that used to be impossible to reach in the past without a car.

Papa Tom

>>>>>Using trains with my bike opened a large part of the state that used to be impossible to reach in the past without a car.<<<<<

If only the folks at AMTRAK would get hip to this and let us take our freaking bikes on the trains, we could all have the entire continent as our bicycling playgrounds!

40 Cent

Not owning a car, but once in a while renting one, gas is the factor I often forget when planning my bike trips. I recently rode with a friend from Brooklyn to Worcester, MA via Long Island and the Orient Point ferry. Getting home was tricky. We thought about a one-way car rental from Worcester but the gas, and the drop-off fee made it expensive. I started calling bus companies even though I didn't want to put my bike under the bus with everyone's bag -- bike box or not. Finally my Worcester friend came to the rescue and drove us back down to New London, CT, where we caught the ferry and then biked to Greenport and took the LIRR home. I guess a nice folding bike to hop on a train with would be ideal, as long as it performed well enough for 100 miles/day and still folded compactly.

Dahon.Steve

I've had no problem taking my folder aboad Amtrak or Greyhound. Full size bikes are a different story but again, no problem if your bike folds. Also, there should be no shame in riding a folding bike so yet, the entire continent can be your bicycling playground.

Papa Tom

>>>>Also, there should be no shame in riding a folding bike so yet, the entire continent can be your bicycling playground.<<<<<

I'm not ashamed to ride one. I actually own an old Tomos folder that I've used in Manhattan. After about four miles on its 16" wheels, though, I'm done!