The SSP Commute Mode Poll

SIGSEGV · #1 Posted **Jun 25, 2019, 1:09 AM**

Please mark the mode you use most of the time for most of the trip to work/school.

Example:

I usually ride the CTA, but I walk to and from the stops, and occassionally bike to work (and more often, use bike share for part of the way). Still, most of my time/distance is spent on CTA so I mark public transit.

Steely Dan · #2 Posted **Jun 25, 2019, 1:39 AM**

I ride a bike from Lincoln Square up to Evanston, M-F, 12 months a year.

Distance is 8 miles one-way, 80% of it on the north shore channel trail.

I've been a daily bike commuter for 12 years now.

Easily one of the absolute best decisions I have ever made.

Bicycles completely rule the universe!

SIGSEGV · #3 Posted **Jun 25, 2019, 2:09 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

I ride a bike from Lincoln Square up to Evanston, M-F, 12 months a year.

Distance is 8 miles one-way, 80% of it on the north shore channel trail.

I've been a daily bike commuter for 12 years now.

Easily one of the absolute best decisions I have ever made.

Bicycles completely rule the universe!

Yeah, Ideally I'd start biking more (6 miles to work via King, 8 miles via the lake path). The thing I hate is maintaining my bikes. And changing when I get to work (and we don't have showers either! Sorry officemate on hot days.). I get a lot of flat tires if I take King, which I usually take out of expedience when I bike (I'm not fast enough to make up for the lack of stoplights on the lake path), although the lake path is a lot less stressful / more pleasant.

If only the Divvy bikes didn't suck, I could ride those to work! (I already often right them for <1 mile across Washington Park from the Garfield Green Line station).

MplsTodd · #4 Posted **Jun 25, 2019, 4:54 PM**

I bike a lot between April and October, probably averaging 3 days per week. I'd bike more but frequently have evening meetings and/or hate biking on rainy days. My bike commute is 8 miles each way and is pretty easy along the Scioto River Trail into dwtn Columbus. I also take the bus about 3 times per month.
But most of the time I drive alone to work.

Acajack · #5 Posted **Jun 25, 2019, 5:27 PM**

I am in the same boat as Minneapolis Todd in terms of climatological challenges.

I try to bike to work 5 days a week from April to October. It's about 5 km each way. I usually can as I don't care about pouring rain or even thunderstorms. I am out of commission this week due to a minor injury and also something is broken on my bike which I need to get fixed.

I am not averse to winter cycling which is a rapidly growing thing in this area with fatbikes and such. Don't mind the cold as such but what's holding me back is investing in a whole bunch of new gear and equipment.

Other than that I usually (technically) car pool as my wife and kids all take transit to the more central part of the city for jobs and school, and if I drop them off at a transit station they have better and quicker options than taking the local bus from the corner of my street.

I can walk (30 minutes approx.) or take transit myself but I probably only do that 5% of the time.

HomeInMyShoes · #6 Posted **Jun 25, 2019, 5:36 PM**

I ride the bus and walk a bit of the way as well.

MayorOfChicago · #7 Posted **Jun 25, 2019, 5:53 PM**

Take the subway in the morning and the commuter train home in the evening. Stations are next to each other right near my house. In the morning I leave at varying times so I just grab the blue line. In the evening the subway station I would leave downtown on is always overly packed so I just take the 5:12pm commuter train near my office building and it gets me to Irving Park at 5:24pm.

Steely Dan · #8 Posted **Jun 25, 2019, 7:16 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acajack

I am not averse to winter cycling which is a rapidly growing thing in this area with fatbikes and such. Don't mind the cold as such but what's holding me back is investing in a whole bunch of new gear and equipment.

If you live in a city that plows its streets, snow isn't your most dangerous adversary, it's ice.

You don't need a fat bike to tackle ice, just a set of decent studded tires. My winter bike is set-up with a pair of Schwalbe Marathon Winter tires that I think I picked up for ~$50 apiece. That's really the only special gear you need to roll in the winter if you're riding on plowed streets.

Acajack · #9 Posted **Jun 25, 2019, 7:36 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

If you live in a city that plows its streets, snow isn't your most dangerous adversary, it's ice.

You don't need a fat bike to tackle ice, just a set of decent studded tires. My winter bike is set-up with a pair of Schwalbe Marathon Winter tires that I think I picked up for ~$50 apiece. That's really the only special gear you need to roll in the winter if you're riding on plowed streets.

Yes, my city plows streets, sidewalks and even some bike paths when they are used by kids to walk to school.