We are all in. It’s Smart Commute Week in our home town of Traverse City, and it’s turned into our yearly celebration of all things bike.
It’s been offered in different shapes by different organizations, but the essence of Smart Commute Week has remained the same. For five days, businesses and individuals ditch the car and go by bike, by bike, or by foot to get to work, run errands, and see what alternative forms of transportation offer a community. For twenty five years, it’s encouraged locals to make an effort to leave the car at home.
We dig it. Like any cyclists, we’ll take any excuse to ride bikes, and Smart Commute Week can be a real challenge. With early work hours, navigating busy roads, and squeezing in a few minutes at the free breakfasts, it takes more planning than we ever thought possible. It’s all worth it.
Our tips to new commuters revolved around being prepared. We put a few of those tips into a handy checklist to get you rolling.
- Know your route. If riding to work is totally new, take a step back and a few minutes on Google Maps to identify the most bike-friendly route possible. Utilize bike paths, bike lanes, dedicated bike routes, and avoid the busiest stretches of road and most dangerous intersections. A safer ride is also a more enjoyable ride, and since commuting by bike is all about getting more exercise and reducing stress, that can make all the difference. Google offers a bike option when you input directions; give that a look and adjust based on your own local knowledge, too.
- Prep Your Bike...and Yourself. Mornings are always busy, so making sure your bike is ready to go before you need to leave makes getting out the door easier. Get organized; ideally, you’ve got an up.bike set-up in your garage to make that easy. If not, make sure your tires are aired up, lights are charged, brakes are working, and your bike is in good working order before you start your own commute challenge. You need to be ready, too. Consider how you will transport your work stuff, if you’ll need a change of clothes, and how you’ll lock up your bike once you get to the office.
- Eat Breakfast. If you’re going far, having a little something in your system will make the ride more fun. At events like Smart Commute TC, local businesses offer up free breakfasts throughout the week. Some coffee shops offer bike commuters a discount if you show them your helmet, too! Have a little something before you pedal off; your stomach will thank you!
- Lock Up. If your bike is staying outside all day, make sure you lock up with a cable lock and a U-Lock, if possible. This may not guarantee total security, but it’ll go a long ways towards making things tough on even a professional bike thief. If you can, lock up near a window that will allow you and co-workers to visibly check up on your bike throughout the day and see if anyone else is eyeing it up.
- When In Doubt, Leave Early. One of the biggest challenges to commuting by bike is the time constraints of everyday life. The best thing you can do is add five to ten minutes to everything; leave earlier, plan on arrive later, and build in time for stops and errands. You may not be able to bike commute every day. You might only be able to do it once a week, and that’s okay! If everyone made that kind of effort, communities around the world would see less traffic congestion, lower emissions, better infrastructure, and safer cycling conditions.