The Atlanta Bicycle Coalition recently asked its Facebook page followers how they felt commuting to work in and around Atlanta. Here are some of the responses, in some cases edited for clarity and space:
Chad Wall: Commuting by bike, for me, creates a closer connection to the city. I experience the art of the city more acutely: Musicians on the Beltline, museumgoers on Peachtree St., parents pushing strollers through Piedmont Park. When I arrive at my office via bike, I feel more alive. More vibrant. When I drive a car to work, I have to shake off the frustrations of roads populated with aggressive, self-centered drivers.
Cecile Janssens: A no-brainer for me, too. I commute from East Lake to Emory University. The biking is for thinking about what needs to be solved and decided during the day; I get my best ideas during the bike ride. There is no computer, no paper and pencil and no distraction — only me, the bike and the road. There is the pleasure of passing cars lined up at the stop signs, too, and having exercised for 30 minutes twice a day.
Krystan Sivley: I just started riding my bike a little over two weeks ago and I am addicted. I live by the Beltline and am slowly becoming more confident in using bike lanes on the road. I just moved here so I am getting more familiar with the area, and I am amazed at how quickly I can skip from 0ld Fourth Ward to the Ponce area and beyond! I hope to commute almost 100% by my bike in the near future.
Jordan Cash Hendricks: Riding a bike to work is a love hate relationship. I love getting to work alert and feeling healthy. My awareness of things and people around me is heightened, and I have more energy throughout the day. Whenever the work day is over, I'm excited to ride home. The disadvantages come with the lack of awareness of other drivers and the lack of sympathy motorists in Atlanta have for cyclists.
Chris Dusack: I bike-commute about twice per week: eight miles to Sandy Springs MARTA station in the morning, then 22 miles back to home in the afternoon. Sometimes I ride a 40+ mile route home. I don't know any car commuters that willingly try to increase their afternoon commute. That says quite a bit about the joy of cycling.
Steve Luxenberg: Commuting by bicycle is easily the most dangerous part of my day. That may say more about the relative safety of sitting behind a desk, but as someone who generally declines risky behavior, it's uncharacteristic. Still, it must somehow be worth it for me to flip the script like that. I have tried other modes, but reading while staring at other people reading on transit, or worse, having to drive in traffic, just don't work well for me. The energy exerted during my commute is how I rev myself up for the day ahead, plus it allows me to have a substantial breakfast without the guilt. I also get some fresh air to start my morning, and maybe, if I'm lucky, some sunshine. The ride home is even better: I get to melt stress away with each pedal stroke, and if I have some time to kill, I can just keep riding until it's nearly suppertime. I have been a bike commuter for nearly 12 years, first in Sacramento and now here in Atlanta, and I will never go back to driving to work.
Greg Streib: I have found bike commuting to be both fun and intensely disappointing. Being on a bike in the city is thrilling — the sites, the buildings, the sky, the people on the streets. It is total immersion in the life of the city. The downsides are sobering, however. You could be splattered on the street in an instant and possibly with malicious intent. We are a city wholly unprepared for a large influx of bike commuters in terms of infrastructure, psychology and leadership. If we have had a love affair with the car, then the bike is the home wrecker.
Pearl Kaplan: To me, biking to work is not commuting. It's a way to get healthy, save money, protect the environment, and maintain your sanity. I bike a total of 10 miles each day plus take the MARTA train (with my bike). By biking to work I am proud to make choices, every day, that positively impact my health, our community, and the environment. I wear my high visibility clothing into the office with pride to inspire others to try a bike commute.
Ben Lawless: Leaving Kirkwood at 7 a.m. behind a car and arriving at the intersection of Piedmont Road and Cheshire Bridge Road behind the same car about 40 minutes later is pretty rad. It's fun, efficient, rewarding. You should try it sometime.
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