Eli has a thoughtful post on the commitments of bicycle commuting. His musings are a reaction to this essay by Grant Peterson (of Bridgestone and Rivendell fame) that outlines the commitments and compromises required of full time commuting. Eli is most troubled by this particular point:

It is also hard to ride a bike to work if it takes away family time in the morning or evening or both. What?s more important to you?your personal fitness and a contribution to a cleaner world, or eating breakfast and dinner with your family? Sometimes, there are tradeoffs, and if you choose your bike over your family, why?

I like his response, and I’ll take a bit further. First, I’ll ask that if your commute is so long that it takes time away from your family, why don’t you a) move closer to your employer or b) work closer to your home? I know, of course, that there are certain circumstances that require a long commute, but more often than not it is simply a choice most people don’t want to make. Also, I wonder if these trade-off Peterson describes can’t also become important lessons for your children. Even at two years old, Sebastien knows that daddy going to work equals a bicycle ride. The boy is already thinking outside of the box.

That said, Peterson’s essay is a great read. There is certainly a hump to get over, but you do, it does really become easier to get on the bike, day after day, in any weather. But I’ve prattled on about that before…

Posted on 5 October 2005