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"Wish every day felt as meaningful as Bike to Work Day?"

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"Wish every day felt as meaningful as Bike to Work Day?"

Old 05-17-19, 04:53 PM
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"Wish every day felt as meaningful as Bike to Work Day?"

I'm guessing a lot of you got the same e-mail I did from the League of American Bicyclists with the subject in my thread title. Maybe I've just become cynical in my old age, but....

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Old 05-17-19, 08:08 PM
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That is to say, I biked to work today but it didn't feel any more meaningful than it does any other day.
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Old 05-18-19, 04:36 AM
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I used bike-to-work week as a way to educate drivers to watch for bikes and shamelessly promote my LBS. For those of us who already bike to work, it is no big deal, but if we can convert just one person into a bike commuter it will be worth it.
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Old 05-18-19, 08:29 AM
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I think Ted Baxter's advice still holds:


https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2yxsd6
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Old 05-18-19, 10:23 AM
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Originally Posted by Andy_K
That is to say, I biked to work today but it didn't feel any more meaningful than it does any other day.
Same here. I was glad for good weather, and nothing else really changed.
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Old 05-18-19, 10:38 AM
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Ironically, yesterday was one of the first commuting "incidents" I've had in a long time. I was waiting behind a car at an intersection, and when our light turned green, the driver just sat there. I don't know if they thought the oncoming turn lane had priority or if they were just spacing out, but I knocked on the trunk to try to get their attention. They pulled forward a little and then braked, which caused me to knock again and yell. Perhaps the knocking confused the driver into thinking I was trying to say something else, I dunno. The good news is that the rest of the time I seem to be tolerated pretty well on the roads.
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Old 05-18-19, 10:48 AM
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Originally Posted by ThermionicScott
Ironically, yesterday was one of the first commuting "incidents" I've had in a long time. I was waiting behind a car at an intersection, and when our light turned green, the driver just sat there. I don't know if they thought the oncoming turn lane had priority or if they were just spacing out, but I knocked on the trunk to try to get their attention. They pulled forward a little and then braked, which caused me to knock again and yell. Perhaps the knocking confused the driver into thinking I was trying to say something else, I dunno. The good news is that the rest of the time I seem to be tolerated pretty well on the roads.
No one knows Morse code anymore.

Anyone make a bicycle sized horn that sounds like a car horn? Just for a little "honk-honk" wake up call.
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Old 05-18-19, 11:41 PM
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I wish the work were more meaningful when I get there.
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Old 05-19-19, 06:39 AM
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Originally Posted by medic75
I used bike-to-work week as a way to educate drivers to watch for bikes and shamelessly promote my LBS. For those of us who already bike to work, it is no big deal, but if we can convert just one person into a bike commuter it will be worth it.
A major hindrance is the road design in the US. After switching from a job where I traveled frequently, to a job where I was mostly home; I tried commuting for a couple of years. Fuel injected attitude from having just been in the Netherlands. For about 19 of 21 miles, it was as ideal route as I could imagine in an urban setting, but the second last mile was just suicidal. Between the airport, and commercial parks there's only 3 roads, to get from residential to my office and they all suck, suck, suck.... At one point I tried mixing in public transit, but the time schedules suck, suck, suck.... I finally decided it wasn't worth the risk anymore. I've generally got about 40 yrs of experience riding urban/suburban streets, but I'm pretty choosey about my routes.

Last edited by gear64; 05-19-19 at 06:44 AM.
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Old 05-19-19, 07:49 AM
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Originally Posted by FiftySix
Anyone make a bicycle sized horn that sounds like a car horn? Just for a little "honk-honk" wake up call.
Originally Posted by FiftySix
Anyone make a bicycle sized horn that sounds like a car horn? Just for a little "honk-honk" wake up call.
Delta AirZound. Doesn't sound like a car horn, but is loud enough to be heard through closed car windows.



https://deltacycle.com/airzound-horn

Been using one one each of my bikes for 25 years.



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Old 05-19-19, 08:55 AM
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I used as an opportunity to try and get a friend to try bike commuting by riding with me to work. His job is in the building across the way from mine. No dice.
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Old 05-19-19, 09:36 AM
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Originally Posted by BobbyG
Delta AirZound. Doesn't sound like a car horn, but is loud enough to be heard through closed car windows.



https://deltacycle.com/airzound-horn

Been using one one each of my bikes for 25 years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCbySrOuaYs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8e36yfiwaE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QdtAMxCqnk
That's good stuff there. Thanks.
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Old 05-19-19, 10:08 AM
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Originally Posted by Darth Lefty
I wish the work were more meaningful when I get there.
This. I'm in favor of a mid-week "Bike to Somewhere More Meaningful than Work Day."

I certainly didn't see any more bikes on the road than usual. For me, it's just what I do, five days a week, year-round (black ice and snow being the exception).
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Old 05-20-19, 08:50 AM
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As a bike commuting novice, this day still gives me a boost to try and get out there more regular basis. This year in Albany, NY there was a lot less coverage for bike to work/green your commute day. Probably due to poor weather though.
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Old 05-20-19, 10:55 AM
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I rode to work today even though it's no longer bike to work day. Am I doing it wrong?
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Old 05-20-19, 11:19 AM
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Rode to work last Thu for BTWD (as I do most days), a few colleagues also rode. Rain held off late enough in the morning, but some potential riders might have gotten scared off by the forecast.

But then by lunchtime it was raining pretty good. Since I asked for the company to buy lunch at Chipotle for anybody that rode out, and was the POC on the flyers all over campus, I was compelled to go. One hardy soul joined me:

We had a good time, though we both got soaked (I actually had a rain cape with me, but chose to get wet in solidarity). The Chipotle was just around the corner from his home, so afterwards he was able to clean up. I rode back to work (the rain was done) and changed back into all my dry work clothes.
:
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Old 05-20-19, 12:25 PM
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Originally Posted by no motor?
I rode to work today even though it's no longer bike to work day. Am I doing it wrong?
Hard to say. How meaningful was it?
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Old 05-20-19, 01:19 PM
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Originally Posted by Andy_K
Hard to say. How meaningful was it?
Well speaking for myself, I'm sure if you pressed my boss it was just as meaningful for him that I made it to work today as it was that I made it to work on Friday.
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Old 05-20-19, 01:56 PM
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Originally Posted by Andy_K
Hard to say. How meaningful was it?
It was uphill and into the wind all the way - another ride designed to build character. But nothing happened that could be considered too insightful or meaningful.
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Old 05-20-19, 02:47 PM
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I'm car-free, so I ride everyday. Ironically, I've not ridden to work on Ride to Work Day in years. I take a vacation day and hand out breakfast tacos to other bicycle commuters, then I give a presentation on bicycle commuting to whichever corporation signed up for it. I wrap up the day at a Bike to Work Happy Hour.

I'm supporting the cause, but it's just funny that I don't get to ride that day.
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Old 05-30-19, 01:53 PM
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I was asked to help man a table in the evening for Bike to Work day on Friday, but I can't, as I'm singing in a concert.
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Old 05-30-19, 03:15 PM
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Originally Posted by noglider
I was asked to help man a table in the evening for Bike to Work day on Friday, but I can't, as I'm singing in a concert.
https://cerddorion.org/audio/

Very cool, Tom!
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Old 05-30-19, 03:17 PM
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That's cool! I don't sing (much), but I recently had a concert too
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Old 05-30-19, 06:12 PM
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Our Bike-to-Work day is still about a month away. Colorado’s BTW has always been a month behind the rest of the country because May is not always “spring like”. (We had up to 10” of snow a week ago in Denver!)

That said, I have a love/hate (but mostly hate) relationship with Bike-to-Work day. While I support the general idea of getting people to ride their bikes to work, Bike-to-Work Day is a bit like Easter. People do it once a year and they are “saved” or they have “done their duty”.

Frankly, after 40 years of being involved in this...doing local news stories, helping people plan routes, doing volunteer mechanical work at aid stations..., I’m about ready to start yelling at people. Preaching to the choir, here, but if after 40+ years the number of people who commute to work regularly (like once a week instead of once a year) hasn’t increase, why are we spending so much effort on the program.

Simply put, Bike-to-Work Day is a dismal failure.
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Old 05-30-19, 09:37 PM
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@cyccommute, bike commuting has increased noticeably in many places. I don't attribute much of the increases to efforts like bike to work. It's more of a celebration than advocacy, but it doesn't hurt.
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