Do stuff with and for your neighbors
Winter "Bike Pool" from North End/Downtown to JP?
Fellow JP Cyclists...
I ride to work most days from Jamaica Plain to my office near North Station. As those of you who ride to work downtown can attest, it's a lovely ride along the Charles River. That is, UNTIL the days start getting shorter, and then it's just too dark to ride safely along the river on the way home.
I'm thinking, however, that it'd be fine for a small-ish GROUP of cyclists to ride together along the Charles. Safety in numbers and all that. Call it a "bike-pool," if you will, similar to a carpool.
My thought is that a group of folks who work roughly in the same area could agree to meet at a designated spot at the same time each evening to ride en masse back to JP. There could even be "stops" along the way at which we could pick up more folks, e.g. 5:30 PM at the end of Storrow Drive, 5:40 at Mass. Ave bridge, etc.
I'd love to hear from others who'd be interested in such a group. Obviously, we'd need a critical mass of interested folks to make this work, as on any given day, probably only a subset would actually be riding.
Thanks!
Alex
I ride to work most days from Jamaica Plain to my office near North Station. As those of you who ride to work downtown can attest, it's a lovely ride along the Charles River. That is, UNTIL the days start getting shorter, and then it's just too dark to ride safely along the river on the way home.
I'm thinking, however, that it'd be fine for a small-ish GROUP of cyclists to ride together along the Charles. Safety in numbers and all that. Call it a "bike-pool," if you will, similar to a carpool.
My thought is that a group of folks who work roughly in the same area could agree to meet at a designated spot at the same time each evening to ride en masse back to JP. There could even be "stops" along the way at which we could pick up more folks, e.g. 5:30 PM at the end of Storrow Drive, 5:40 at Mass. Ave bridge, etc.
I'd love to hear from others who'd be interested in such a group. Obviously, we'd need a critical mass of interested folks to make this work, as on any given day, probably only a subset would actually be riding.
Thanks!
Alex
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Brett on
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Hi Alex- I don't think you'll find too many cyclists interested in this, because it's not necessary. All you need is a proper front bike light for riding in poorly lit areas. Riding closely with a group of people is actually more complicated and dangerous, not less-so. Stopping and waiting for people adds a lot of time to a commute, and in the winter, people are going to have zero interest in standing around in the cold waiting for others.
There are a variety of choices, but I really like my light, made by Busch & Muller: http://www.bumm.de/index-e.html
A couple of places in the US sell them. I use rechargeables, and every 2-3 days I pop them in the charger. The light is very focused, so it only puts light where you need it- right on the path in front of you. Not only is it more efficient use of the light, but it's friendlier to oncoming car and bike traffic.
Another company (Blackburn) makes lights which can be recharged off a USB port on your computer at home or work. That's very convenient.
If you want a more "sustainable" solution that is the least hassle, purchase a generator hub (this is not a "bottle generator" that runs against the side of the tire...those are horrible) and compatible light that is permanently mounted. It's more expensive, but it'll work any time the bike is moving, it's hard(er) to steal, no need for batteries, etc. -
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Permalink Reply by Alex on
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Brett:
I hear what you're saying but I don't think that a light for poorly-lit areas is really a solution. I think the main issue is safety, and a bright light doesn't solve or address that.
Your other points might in the end be valid (e.g. no one will wait in the cold, etc) but I think that properly arranged & coordinated they can be avoided or mitigated. At least it's worthwhile as an experiment. I hope interested folks will respond. -
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