Update: I biked 4 miles to my shift for a month instead of driving, and the two things that made the difference were not what I expected | Climate Action - Opinions Matter
Update: I biked 4 miles to my shift for a month instead of driving, and the two things that made the difference were not what I expected
So back in April I decided to test this out. I live 4 miles from my job at a print shop in Dayton, and I did 20 work days on the bike instead of my old Corolla. The two things I compared were my normal morning timing versus leaving 15 minutes earlier with panniers packed the night before. The second one won by a mile and it was not even close. When I rushed, I showed up sweaty in a shirt I hated, forgot my lunch twice, and once had to ride home to grab my badge. Leaving early with the bag already loaded meant I rolled in calm, cooled down for 5 minutes, and actually felt decent by 8am. I saved about $60 in gas that month, which is small, but the real win was not feeling wiped by Wednesday. I still think people who say bike commuting is easy are leaving out the logistics part. What actually trips you up more, the distance or the planning?
Who cares about the distance honestly? Four miles is nothing. What kills you is the 6am panic hunting for your other shoe or your keys while your coffee gets cold. I learned that one the hard way. Pack the night before, every time, no exceptions. Do that and the ride itself is the easy part.