Nationwide, the number of bicycle commuters has decreased slightly in recent years, with 2.9% of all commuters commuting to work by bicycle or walking in 2022. This is despite the average number of bike trips per day increasing by 37% from 2019 to 2022. For streetlight data.
“There are many good reasons to cycle,” said Beth Campbell, Parking and Transportation Manager at Duke University. “It's good for the environment, but it's also good for your wallet. It's good exercise, and it makes parking a lot easier.”
If you're considering switching to cycling for commuting or getting around the area, there are a few things to consider beforehand.
plan the right route
nick turner He lives in Hillsboro, about 24 miles from his Haynes House office, where he also serves as an assistant professor of infectious disease medicine.
He was originally from Wisconsin and loved being able to cross-country ski to work during the snowy Wisconsin winters. When he came to Duke University in 2019, he thought biking might be a natural alternative to his favorite commute.
However, there was one big hurdle.
“I'm from Madison, Wisconsin, which is a great city for biking, and we don't have a lot of bike lanes here,” Turner said. “It was a little scary at first.”
He invested in a gravel bike and plotted a route to his office along a dirt fire road through Duke Forest. The commute takes him about 45 minutes, and the return trip takes him an hour because he has to overcome an uphill slope.
Worth it.
“I try not to get in the car much, so I get to see more nature,” Turner said.
Know the benefits
Cycling to work has clear personal and social benefits.
“It's naturally good for your physical health, but more importantly, clearing your head and spending time outdoors in nature is a great way to improve your mental health,” Turner said. Ta. “And, of course, it’s good for the environment because you save a lot of miles on your car.”
But it's also helpful to know about the special benefits available to bike commuters who enroll at Duke University. For example, he is given three free parking passes a month on days when he needs to drive, and there are seven showers on campus. Duke ID is checked.
Yarrington often uses his three free one-day parking passes when his wife travels and needs to shuttle his 6-year-old son to school and his 3-year-old daughter to daycare.
“The process of dropping off and picking up children from school or day care has become more complex,” Yarrington said. “I think 90% of the time that's why I have to drive.”
Find a cycling buddy if possible
Yarrington and Turner both work in the infectious disease field, where a strong biker corps encourages each other to cycle to work. Yarrington said the five or so co-workers who live on the first floor of Haynes House primarily commute to work by bicycle, and all of them often store their bikes in the office.
Their colleague Jason Stout lives in Chapel Hill, and Yarrington or Turner often leave the office at the same time as Stout and return to their respective homes before Stout has to make the long trip.
“More numbers are always safer,” Yarrington said.
That camaraderie is reflected in their hobbies outside the office. Turner and another frequent cyclist, Chris Polage, are competing in June's 131-mile Belgian Waffle Ride, a route that winds through the Blue Ridge Mountains. They did a 79 mile version last year.
Be flexible and enjoy the ride
Rain and other bad weather will occur. The same goes for last-minute schedule changes. Cyclists like Yarrington and Turner ride their bikes to work for a variety of reasons, but they remain flexible when something derails their plans and intentions.
Yarrington often combines her bike trips with running to and from work, and makes sure to bring an extra change of clothes on bike days so she doesn't have to run with her hands full. Neither commute is particularly taxing, but it's now a part of his day that he cherishes.
“It's saving me a lot of time, because I feel like it's actually time that could be better spent exercising,” Yarrington said.
And Turner doesn't mind riding his bike up the hill on his way home after a long day at the office.
“At the end of a stressful day, sometimes it's good to push a little harder,” he said.
But overall, there may be one outstanding reason why biking can be a great mode of transportation for some people. “One big reason he can't stand the daily commute by car anymore,” Yarrington said.
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