yes, bicycling is easier in some communities over others. true. however, bicycling can be done anywhere. and it's easier than you think!
when i moved to houston, most people that i met thought that i was a little crazy when i told them that i pretty much ride my bicycle everywhere (or walk). personally, i think it's crazy to drive to every single destination, especially if it's only a couple blocks away. but most people that i talked to in houston thought that car ownership was a must. i'm here to tell you that it's not. houston is becoming more bicycle-friendly every single year. we have hundreds of miles of bikeways here and we have an amazing trail network that is growing bigger every year! we are so lucky to have the white oak bayou trail, mkt trail, columbia tap trail, harrisburg trail, brays bayou trail, terry hershey trail, and the list goes on... seriously, riding a bicycle in houston today is much easier than it was in the past. i'm sure that in another 10 years it'll be a no-brainer to grab that bike and cruise on over the local coffee shop or taco truck.
so, where do i bike? typically, i bike to work (~3 miles). i also bike to yoga (~6 miles). i bike to see friends (~2-7 miles, depending on the friend's location). i bike to the zen center (~8 miles). i bike to the coffee shop (~2-3 miles). i bike to meetings (~2-7 miles). and i bike to happy hour events (~2-8 miles). yes, i am very fortunate to live so close to so many of my daily destinations. i should mention that this is not by accident. i very consciously chose my current housing location so that i would be close to just about everything i need.
so, how do i bike there? typically, i take quiet, neighborhood streets. these are streets where few people drive down them and their speed is slow. most of our city streets look like these streets. the trick is to avoid the big, massive streets if at all possible. if you must cross a big street, then try to do it at a controlled intersection (where there is a stop light or a stop sign for all legs of the intersection). stop lights help you get across these big streets in a generally easy manner. when i bike to work, i bike on neighborhood streets. there are no bike lanes and no trails, but these quiet streets are easy places to bike. when i bike to yoga, about 3 miles of it is on a trail next to buffalo bayou, but the rest of it is on city streets --- again, quiet, neighborhood streets. these quiet streets are your best friend as a bicyclist cruising around your city.
you might be thinking... well, i'm never going to bike to work, ever. i live 20 miles from work, etc. etc. yes, that might be true for you. but did you know that commuting (i.e. your trip to/from work) represents only a small percentage of all the trips people take in any given city? yes. typically, less than 15 percent of trips are commute trips (45 percent of trips are shopping and errands). think about all the trips you take -- pharmacy, grocery, coffee shop, restaurant, beer garden, visiting friends/family... now what would happen if you just changed one of those trips to a bike trip? for starters, your carbon footprint would go down and your personal health would go up. that alone is pretty awesome.
let's look at some basic bicycling stats:
and these numbers are based on a very leisure pace of about 8 miles per hour. the average bicyclist goes 10-15 miles per hour, but then add in the time waiting at stop lights and stop signs and the average pace decreases slightly.
most people who live in an urban environment (and that's most of you) live within an easy bicycle ride to at least some of their daily destinations. my challenge to you --- test it out! try biking to one place this week. it's easier than you think! and then tell us about your bicycle adventure. we love hearing about people getting on a bike who haven't done so in years. enjoy the fun adventure!
