Allow me to generalize a bit: To the average American, two miles might as well be 200 miles if one is asked to traverse that distance on foot or on a bicycle. That’s why companies such a Clif Bar can advertise bicycle commuting challenges without causing anyone to hoot with laughter (about the distance, that is). And people on the other side of the pond? Well, they scratch their heads in wonderment.
Two miles is easy.
MSU moved my office downtown this summer more than doubling my commute to 2.25 miles. Folks, that’s not enough distance to make the ride good exercise even if I pushed it like a road biker. I’m a big believer in slow riding. I take it easy. I estimate my average speed is maybe 10 miles per hour. At that speed, and with no stops, I can cover two miles in 12 minutes. My morning commute takes not quite 20 minutes.
I guarantee you those 20 minutes are quality time. And my commute is safe. How much time do you spend in a car that you’d call quality time? Enjoy the rush-hour traffic? The accidents? The gas prices? The insurance costs? The maintenance costs? The danger? The awesome responsibility of negotiating traffic with a 4,000-pound machine that could end a life if you take your mind off your driving for even a second?
Two miles is easy.
Comments 11
10 miles is a piece of cake. My next challenge is 14 miles to downtown.
Posted 25 Oct 2008 at 11:01 am ¶2 miles is an easy commute. I ride at 10 mph too on my dutch bike. It is very therapeutic and fun to watch all the people stuck in cars in this beautiful Fall weather.
Shek…
Posted 25 Oct 2008 at 11:45 am ¶My commute is 9 miles each way, which makes for a good ride in all seasons without being too long.
Two miles is nothing. I’ve done two miles (around my neighborhood,) with a cup of coffee and cell phone in hand.
Posted 25 Oct 2008 at 1:42 pm ¶James… Exactly. Now we just have to demonstrate to the average Joe and Jane that two miles is no big deal.
Posted 25 Oct 2008 at 2:38 pm ¶One other thought too: Infrastructure is a BIG part of that two mile factor. Which is why I’m a big advocate of communities and cities respecting bike transit and making it EASIER for people starting out.
If your house is one mile from a shopping center, and the only access is out your cul-de-sac and the gutter of a six lane super arterial and through a huge asphalt sea with no bike racks – then its not very appealing. I don’t blame a first timer for not attempting it.
Where as my neighborhood in downtown Denver is a grid, making it easy to use quieter streets traversing along side busier streets. That and designated bike routes, with drivers who expect plenty of cyclists out (especially on beautiful fall days like today,) make it crazy NOT to bike for many. I see a old lady every now and then at the supermarket who uses a tricycle – and it makes me smile.
Activism for bikeable infrastructure, plus gear and racks for storage and transportation are the key. The rest comes naturally.
Posted 25 Oct 2008 at 4:20 pm ¶James… Agreed. My generalities in this post assume a reasonable two miles of infrastructure. Here in Springfield, that’s much of town and the majority of downtown. We have our unbikeable strips and 4-to 6-laners with no shoulders and square curbs. But we also have an extensive system of marked bike routes, i.e. roads designated by engineers as plenty wide for all traffic to share.
We’re working hard to make it even better.
Posted 25 Oct 2008 at 6:00 pm ¶How do you sell the two mile concept to the millions who live in suburbia, 15 to 30 miles from everything useful? Some people need to travel over 2 miles just to get out of their gated community.
Posted 26 Oct 2008 at 12:11 am ¶The reason why people won’t cycle is those “4,000-pound machine that could end a life” that you mention and that any prospective cyclists will have to share the streets with.
Two miles is of course easy to cycle however the first step is very hard. The first step means putting oneself directly “in harm’s way” in front of those vehicles. A small minority of people (us, who already cycle) ignore this and cycle anyway. However, most people aren’t that fussed about cycling and won’t try it even once in these conditions. Those who you can get to try it are quite likely to be put off. That’s why a high degree of passive subjective safety is always a part of the landscape anywhere where cycling is anything other than a minority pursuit.
As for my commute – at one point in Britain my commute was 13 miles each way along roads with (on the fastest stretch) a 60 mph speed limit. It took 45 – 50 minutes depending on traffic lights etc. Later on it was only 2 miles and I’d aim to cover it in under 6 minutes. In both cases it would be accompanied by abuse and unpleasantness from drivers as often as not.
Over here there is no unpleasantness, and the directness of the cycle routes means that I have to stop less often so can average higher speeds if I want to. It generally takes under 50 minutes to ride to Groningen, 28 km away – which is rather slower than a chap around the corner who does this every day for his commute.
However, I’ve also discovered how pleasant it can be to go slower. At any speed it’s wonderful not to have to fight traffic the whole way.
Posted 26 Oct 2008 at 2:31 am ¶Shek and David… In terms of cycling, I’m not sure what can be done for those who live in the suburbs 15 to 30 miles from everything. That’s why I gave the stark (and largely unrealistic) advice to “move” earlier. That living arrangement is unsustainable. While I write Carbon Trace for everyone interested in commuting with the power of their own muscles, my intention is to begin changing things in Springfield. So some of the things I say ignore the situations of people in other communities. Here in Springfield, the thousands who live within the city limits actually have a rudimentary cycling infrastructure that makes 2-mile commuting very realistic. They have flat terrain and largely respectful drivers.
Posted 26 Oct 2008 at 8:46 am ¶You’re basically right about living far from the city. It’s very inconvenient. My 13 mile commute was a short term thing before we moved to a point 2 miles from the same job.
Mind you, there are human powered vehicles which make short work of longer journeys, given infrastructure suitable to ride them on, and I know a few people here with longer commutes who use them:
http://hembrow.blogspot.com/2008/09/speed.html
Posted 26 Oct 2008 at 5:00 pm ¶Thanks for the link David. And I’m sorry WP thought your comment was SPAM.
Posted 27 Oct 2008 at 3:08 pm ¶