Nucks

I've known lots of bike commuters everywhere I've lived in Canada (Vancouver, Ottawa, Edmonton and now Victoria) Edmonton had the least and Victoria has the most. I didn't know any real bike commuters when I lived in East Lansing, MI except students riding around campus which I guess is technically commuting but not really. It definitely seems more prevalent in Canada, even in winter, than in many places in the United States. In Edmonton, no one really was that impressed with me riding year round because they were just as cold sitting in their frigid vehicles that don't even warm up by the time they get to work and I was certainly not the only one doing it, but when I put the trailer on to carry my hockey gear to a game they became very impressed for some reason.

buzzman

I am an artist in residence at a college and have two fellow faculty members in my department who ride pretty consistently in good weather. I come in the longest distance by far and also am the only one crazy enough to ride year round. Lots of our students commute short distances on bikes. I am also a member of a theatre company and there are between four and six of us who commute by bike fairly regularly. I also teach one course at another university where the chair of the department I teach in (the film department) bikes in fairly consistently in good weather and two colleagues at that school commute in- one of them is a serious cyclist and runner.

Artists and university/college faculty and students tend to ride bikes more than people in other professions often because they can't afford automobiles, may be more "urban-centric" and have less commuting distances and are kind of used to feeling a little bit on the edge of the mainstream or as LittleBigMan puts it "like the weed in the sidewalk". I wish there were even more but am ever thankful that at least one or two people come in with helmets, rain gear, cursing about drivers who cut them off or singing about the great weather. It would be tough to be the only one.

Total: 10 (that I know well)

newbojeff

Compared to "Stone Mountain," I'm cheating here in Boston. I see tons of people on bikes every day once in the city. On my ride in from the burbs there are 2 or 3 regulars I see going the same or the opposite direction from me. Now that it is Spring, there are about 6 regulars in my building. You might think attitudes would be different here, but I'd still have to say that 99% of our aquaintances think I'm nuts for riding my bike to work.

slagjumper

There are more around here this year than in past years. I know a few. Not sure if you would count the messanger who lives near me. There are a few professors, a lawyer, a couple of students. No one from work. At least no one messes with me at work, since I publically got approval, ("ata boy" type of thing), from the recreational road bike riding GM.

HiYoSilver

3 all season riders on my commute route. Fair season that number will jump to about 7. Low numbers considering the business locations and number of riders that would be possible. town is about 50k in size.

chephy

I see lots of other commuters in Toronto, but if we are talking about people I know personally, that would be around... um... six-seven, I'd guess. Mostly from my alma mater. Mostly professors too, not the starving students. The students around there actually prefer to drive or ride buses: a lot of them come from the 'burbs, and those who live in the city find that the uni is too far from their places to bike (it's sort of almost in the 'burbs too).

(For the Torontonians: we're talking York University here. If we look at University of Toronto, that's an entirely different story, of course. Downtown location and everything.)

gbcb

Considering so many people ride bikes here, surprisingly few of my classmates do. It's something the Chinese students do much more than the foreign students. Out of 20+ people in my class, I'd say at most 5 ride bikes. A higher average than some places, but it still seems low to me. People think that I'm crazy that I actually really *like* bikes. Somehow it came up the other day that I look at the bike first, then the girl -- now were they laughing WITH me or AT me?

JohnBrooking

gbcb, that reminds me of the old joke about the personals ad for a woman "for companionship, possibly more, must have own pickup truck. Please send picture of pickup truck."

There are not a great percentage of bike commuters around here, but I've been doing it long enough that I'm getting to know some:

• I work with about 100 other people, and I'm the only hard-core regular. But one of them rode a few times last summer and says he wants to start again soon.
• My LBS owner has been a bike commuter for about 20 years - my hero!
• I've spoken with a few others "on the road", but I don't see them regularly, nor know them personally.
• I have a once-a-week meeting at a large hospital, and in good weather there are usually at least 2-3 other bikes at the rack. Two of the others in my meeting (of about 12) actually are semi-regular commuters (in good weather), but I don't know who the others are.
• I've recently met a few in other contexts, but again, just acquaintenances, and they don't commute on the same route that I do.

I know from riding and driving in downtown Portland (Maine) that there are a lot of other commuters in the city, but I ride in an outlying area, so I don't see many on my normal route.

PurpleK

I know about seven full time bike commuters, and about another half dozen part time bike commuters.

tulip

I'm the only year-round commuter at my office, but there are 3-4 others who ride when it's nice (5 miles or shorter commutes). My commute's 14 miles each way, so they all think I'm wacko. I pass alot of commuters, though. I ride against the normal flow of commuters into DC, so I'm not passing them because I'm fast.

I personally know 7 bike commuters.

cerewa

You aren't? Go to b*tchaboutgaspricesforums.net and b*tchabouttraffic.net!

Here at bikeforums, people talk about how they love traveling to work by bike, but if there was a car commuter forum, people would talk about how they hate driving to work every day. Do you think owners of fancy expensive sports cars and such talk about how fun it is to drive to work day-in and day-out?

ItsJustMe

Yeah, my LBS owner didn't even get a driver's license until he was > 30 years old, when he started in business and needed a vehicle for pickups and deliveries.

EnigManiac

I usually see about ten to fifteen commuters on my way to work at 7:30am and need to get into work well before 8 to ensure I get a choice spot to park because by 9:00 all 150+ premium bike spots are all taken. This is only April and it's still cool in the mornings so not everyone is out yet. By May, the three hundred bike spots that my building complex provides will all be taken with all the street spots gobbled up as well. Of course, there's an estimated 50,000 seasonal commuters here in Toronto and about 5,000 year-round, so it's not surprising.

ollo_ollo

I know 2 daily commuters plus 2 other fair weather types in my office of about 100. In years past we have had up to 5 regular commuters plus 5 or 6 more fair weather types. I also see a few regulars on my commute that I know enough to chat with when our paths cross. The owner & employees of my favorite bike shop all bike commute too. My office lost 1 full time commuter when I retired March 31 and most of those I know(aside from the LBS) are in their 50s. Just don't see many young commuters but perhaps that is because I always worked an early shift? Don

Radiographer

There are four of us in the X-Ray lab where I work, though I'm the only long-range all the time commuter (16 miles one way every day). The others are either temporary, part-time, or bound by necessity (DUII problem). I ride in regularly with an old-time acquaintance who works about a mile down the street from where I do, and there are at least two more who work in the same industrial complex. I see them regularly on the rail-to-trail (Springwater Corridor to you Portland locals) that runs between my house and my place of employment--more as the weather gets better, of course, though a few run year-round, as I do. As the price of fuel creeps up, I think we'll see even more. Of course, Portland, Oregon is one of the most bike-friendly places around. I'm continually amazed at how courteous and friendly most--not all, of course, but most--of the cagers are.

TheDL

I personally know 4 others

RonH

I see several every day.
I met one when I was in physical therapy, December thru March. He was hit by an SUV. His injury and surgery was similar but somewhat more involved surgery than mine.
I've ridden with a few BF commuters.

And everyone says Atlanta is a bad place to ride. I guess they're not from around here.

FLBandit

I see one other from time to time (on the wrong side of the road) and that's about it. There was one other guy at work, but he bought an old car with his tax return and now won't ride the "dang bike".

DonD

I know one other bicycle commuter, in another online forum. I know no other bicycle commuters personally.

MMACH 5

The mention of LBS owners reminded me of one other commuter I know. He's one of the wrenches at my LBS. We occasionally pass each other on our respective commutes, (he rides into town while I'm riding out).

Identity Crisis

I can count on one hand the amount of bicyclists (excluding children tearing it up in a parking lot and 4 year olds riding 12" Barbie Bikes down the sidewalk) I have seen in the 3.5 years I have been commuting from my house. I'm thinking 3 or 4.. only one appeared to actually be commuting rather than enjoying a recreational ride.

My ride is only 3 miles one way max on the main north/south route through town, and is normally at 5:30 am, 1:30 pm or 10:30 pm, or hell, any time of the day, I was ordered in at 3am last Monday. With such diversity in times I'm always disappointed that I don't see more.

And naturally, I know a lot of commuters through the cycling club and LBS.

hats.on.wrong

I met these Mormon missionaries who took road bikes up the hills, town to town, through the 'hood. They were some hearty d00ds from Ohio, I think they may have even got here on those bikes. I kinda hope I run into them again, even though I don't plan on becoming a Mormon.

The only commuter I know personally is my brother... I was able to convince him our town was perfect for bikes and public transportation. So far, he's going along with it.

schiavonec

I commute infrequently do to familial obligations and time considerations (23 miles each way in hilly terrain).

I see the same 4-6 people every day when driving to work and I would likely pass them if pedaling going the other way. I have no idea where they work, but they tough it out in ALL weather conditions. There are a couple (1-3) regular commuters and at least a dozen or so like me where I work that commute a handful of times a month.

WhiteRabbit

I'm the most regular bike commuter here, averageing about 3 days a week and working on more, but out of the 25 of us, 5 ride in with some regularity.

HereNT

This is sad. You all need to move to Minneapolis.

I personally know at least 30 full or part time commuters (just here, not counting other cities). On any given day, I'll see at least 4-5 on my ride in to work (4-5 miles) and when I step out back to smoke I can see the river road. There are usually at least 2-3 that I see riding along the bike path in the 6-8 min it takes to smoke...