I bicycle for so many reasons, and yesterday morning two circumstances in my daily commute (which is drop-off and pick-up from preschool — I’m one of those fortunate folks whose work is seamlessly integrated into my life) got me thinking about two specific reasons I love bicycle commuting. One is the connection with the infrastructure of our daily lives. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board is rebuilding a stretch of Theodore Wirth/Cedar Lake Parkway, along Brownie Lake, that has been much in need of repairs for years. As we circumnavigated the dug-up path, riding on the road for a stretch, my son and I talked about the digger hard at work, what it used to be like to ride along the bumpy path, and how nice it will be to have a smooth ride when the reconstruction is done. He is getting to know the world from the ground-up in a way that he would not if I were shuttling him around in the car.
The other reason I was particularly in love with my transportation yesterday was the ominous sky lurking on the edge, shadowing the landscape, but never disturbing my round-trip commute. Since making the choice to bicycle each day, with my car as a back up (rather than telling myself I’ll bike when the weather accommodates), I seem to stay dry more often than not. Through a combination of good advice from other commuters and my own trial-and-error, I have put together a basket of weather protection options that sits by the door, and I can grab what I need after a quick consultation with the National Weather Service’s exceptionally useful Hourly Weather Graph (click on the lower right side).
If you are thinking about changing your commuting habits, our friends at Transit for Liveable Communities can help. Check out their Bike Walk Twin Cities project.