"Once in a while" means the few percent of years that I have a job _to_ commute to. The rest of the years (including right now), I work for myself, which means my "commute" is often as simple as the 200' walk from the house to the barn. But in all cases, I continue cycling to many of my farther-away utilitarian destinations. In 1974-75 and again in 1980-82, I lived and worked near Philadelphia (Berwyn, Pa. to be exact), which required "real" commuting (you know, like on what my then-small brain called "gut anvils"). That's how I figured out the principles of vehicular cycling. One job was 10 miles away in Eagleville; the other was 6 miles away on the King of Prussia/Bridgeport border. I commonly took a considerably-longer-than-those-milage-figures, scenic ride home in the afternoon. In 1982 I took a _real_ "scenic-route (3000 miles, via Labrador) utilitarian") ride to relocate myself, permanently this time, 130 miles north, here in Susquehanna County, Pa. In 1989 I worked at a pair of rest areas on I-81. The northbound one of them, in Tompkinsille (10 miles away from where I live), is accessible only by passing a bigoted (i.e. "motor vehicles only") sign and getting on I-81 for a bit. That didn't stop me from commuting by bike. Rather, I filled the rest area logbook up with diatribes about how Section 2.4.1 of the Rest Area Maintenence Handbook - the part that requires attendants to pick up litter on the ramps daily - obviously exempts attendants from the "motor vehicles only" sign because you can't very well pick up litter while sitting in a car. During the whole 8 months that I worked there part-time, the only "bite" that this trolling produced was an improper (as I called it in my logbook diatribe of next day) remark from a State Police megaphone. When an unsuspecting PennDOT inspector happened to do an inspection during the same shift as _that_ insubordinate logbook diatribe, which meant he signed the logbook right there, I had The First Pa. Interstate Highway Cycling Permit as far as I was concerned.
I'm very particular about my proposed Bicyclists' Rights Triad. BICYCLISTS' RIGHTS TRIAD * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * BICYCLISTS' CODE OF ETHICS * MOTORIST'S CODE OF ETHICS * * * REGARDING BICYCLISTS * * * * * CYCLISTS SHALL * MOTORISTS SHALL * * ride in the same direction as * scan the roads for all * * the other vehicles on their * potential objects, not just * * side of the road. * big ones such as cars. * * * * * CYCLISTS SHALL * MOTORISTS SHALL * * obey traffic laws, including * when entering a road, guard * * waiting at red lights at all * against underestimating the * * times regardless of convenience. * speed of a bicycle. * * * * * CYCLISTS SHALL * MOTORISTS SHALL * * not move sideways without * not automatically overtake in * * first seeing that there's no * the same lane just because the * * overtaking traffic that will be * vehicle they want to overtake is * * surprised. If you use a * a bicycle. Cyclists are very * * rear-view mirror, remember it is * often able to share their space * * not a substitute for knowing * with you as a courtesy, but this * * when to turn your head. * shall not be abused. * * * * * CYCLISTS SHALL * MOTORISTS SHALL * * at night, use at least a * save their horn for emergencies * * headlight and rear reflector. * and rural greetings. If they * * A taillight is recommended in * have something to say about a * * addition, but there are no * cyclists' driving, there are * * substitutes for a headlight and * ways to say it other than by * * rear reflector. * road rage. * * * * * CYCLISTS SHALL * MOTORISTS SHALL * * note that the above items * note that the above items * * are a partial list, to correct * are a partial list, to correct * * just the more common errors. * just the more common errors. * * When in doubt, ask, "What * When in doubt, ask, "What * * would I do if I were driving * would I do if I were interacting * * any other vehicle?" * with any other vehicle?" * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * BICYCLIST'S BILL OF RIGHTS AND DUTIES * * * * A bicycle is a vehicle. Therefore, a bicyclist has the * * same rights and duties as any other vehicle operator. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
I once commuted back and forth between the 21st and 20th centuries: I traveled a century into the future, and then a century INTO THE PAST, and then a century "Back to the Future". It was as simple as a pair of U-turns during the key minute of The Last Bike Ride Out of the 20th Century http://photos.yahoo.com/TomFrostJr , a get-the-last-word event the official freight of which was the sacred, no-exceptions, 19-word core of the Triad.
I thank Fred Oswald and other Bicycle Transportation Institute members for their input into the 2003 improvements to my Triad (the previous, hair-less-succinct version of which I'd been promoting since 1990).