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Virginia in general is pretty much a joke when it comes to transit. I am amazed they even have Metro in NoVa. Though as bad as it is in Richmond, I think Virginia Beach is the worst where you have a better chance of spotting a unicorn than a bus. And if you do catch a bus, don't expect it to take you where you are going without having to go way out of your way to transfer to another non existent bus.
Yeah Virginia Beach is pretty bad. I was expecting more from Norfolk, you know it's supposed to be urban and what not. People forget that part of the connotation involves good public transportation. Well I guess it will all get better through light rail. They're so over the bus down here.
Yeah Virginia Beach is pretty bad. I was expecting more from Norfolk, you know it's supposed to be urban and what not. People forget that part of the connotation involves good public transportation. Well I guess it will all get better through light rail. They're so over the bus down here.
I am definitely impressed that Norfolk has light rail, but the fact that they built the stations to only handle one car rather than two or three leads me to believe that it will never be more than what it is now. Which is a shame, growing up in Virginia Beach, I always wanted Norfolk to be my urban oasis in the metro, but I had to leave Virginia to find that in Portland, Or.
Well to be honest, bicycling doesn't have to get you sweaty. I know from experience. I have a "slow bike." I might feel a little warm after riding a few miles, but not anything like sweaty. No worse than strolling around on a warm day. Today I rode 8 miles with my errands. I did need to take off my sweater for part of the ride, and comb out my helmet hair, that was about it. After a minute or too to cool off from the light perspiration on my brow, I was all back to normal (one chunk of my ride was up a gradual hill for about a mile near my destination).
Things like air in your tire and bike maintenance are pretty minor and take a few minutes. Pretty cheap, even if you are allergic to grease like me. Maybe $100-120 a year. Basically free if you are mechanically inclined.
As for sunblock? I take it you haven't used any in a while. They have come a long way and feel like regular lotion.
I probably wouldn't want to ride uphill in the middle of a humid summer. But a bike ride is actually nicer than strolling in the humidity. There is no rule that in inclement weather you can't use another mode of transit, it isn't all or nothing.
That's in California. In Champaign, IL, you can get sweaty just walking to your car on the street from your front door.
That's in California. In Champaign, IL, you can get sweaty just walking to your car on the street from your front door.
The bike ride is cooler than the walk during a humid summer. At least you get a cross-breeze.
Only a handful of places have perfect bike riding weather all year, but no place has weather that is too unpleasant for bike riding 365 days a year (well where people actually settled).
The bike ride is cooler than the walk during a humid summer. At least you get a cross-breeze.
Only a handful of places have perfect bike riding weather all year, but no place has weather that is too unpleasant for bike riding 365 days a year (well where people actually settled).
You get a cross breeze from walking, too. Believe me, I've "walked the walk" there in Champaign. Also, believe it or not, the Denver area gets some very hot days in the summer, mostly late June to late August, 100 degrees or more. Even the dry heat is uncomfortable then, and you don't see as many people out biking then.
Winter rules out biking in much of the interior US, north of say, I-70, and New England many days in winter. Even though Minneapolis is highly touted as a biking city, ridership goes way down in winter. This winter, I suspect there were some days it went down to near zero riders. You guys there in the Bay Area don't get the rain, either, not the constant, hours long rain that the eastern parts of the country get.
You get a cross breeze from walking, too. Believe me, I've "walked the walk" there in Champaign. Also, believe it or not, the Denver area gets some very hot days in the summer, mostly late June to late August, 100 degrees or more. Even the dry heat is uncomfortable then, and you don't see as many people out biking then.
Places in the inland Bay Area hit the 90s pretty regularly and we do also have rare 100 days. Well not in Oakland, but 20 miles away in Walnut Creek? 95+ isn't uncommon. I think Denver summer is quite similar to inland Bay Area. In Oakland, over 85 is a fluke. But I don't do well with heat. I get heat rash in temps above about 83. Humid or not humid. It is terrible. (This only started in the past couple of years).
Who's "they"? You're making some big assumptions IMO.
I biked in 9 degree weather three times this last winter (and countless times in the 20s), as well as 97 degree weather last summer (and countless times in the lower 90s). Neither time was I the only bicyclist; far from it. How about all the people taking buses in Boston in the winter or buses in New Orleans in the summer? If anything, it's the 20 minute walk you mentioned that's the bigger problem (20 minutes will only be done by those with no choice for the most part), not the weather.
Btw - Plenty of people take buses in Rochester too. Even if it's cold and snowy.
Somebody commented that most of the gung-ho transit advocates seemed to be young, single or childless, males. IMO, most also seemed to give their locations as fairly large urban areas with moderate climates.
As for winter bicycling, try bicycling through 6 inches of snow, especially the wet slushy kind.
I know that plenty of people take buses in cold snowy areas, but that doesn't mean that they like doing it. I took buses for a couple of years when I worked in downtown Albany because I didn't have a parking permit. Getting free parking working at a suburban site was a major impetus to my changing jobs.
You get more of a breeze bicycling than walking because the speeds are high.
Also, the physical exertion of tooling around at 10-12 mph isn't very intense. Until you start fighting the wind around 16 mph or so, you're not really doing much. Depends on the bike, of course. Mountain bike or beach cruiser with knobbies is going to make you work a lot harder than a road bike. I never found it really uncomfortable riding at 90-95. The problem is your core temps ARE elevated and as soon as you stop moving you pretty quickly get drenched in sweat. If you can find a ventilation fan (parking garage) to stand in front of for a few minutes, it works great. But you can't always find that.
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