Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Dr Gridlock: Which Way is Faster (by bike)
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| Dr. Gridlock |
If you have a favorite commuting route on which you would like to see a comparison of the drive, transit, and bike travel times, contact Dr Gridlock at drgridlock@washpost.com. Be sure to ask him to include the bike option and you could mention the many other benefits of bike travel such as consistent travel time, getting a workout, having fun, saving money, and reducing congestion.
Here's a section from the article Commuters’ eternal question: Which way is faster?:
Over the past few years, my colleagues and I on The Post’s transportation team have done an occasional feature we call “Which Way?” We take travelers’ questions on which commuting route might work better for them and test a couple of possibilities. For example, when the 495 Express Lanes opened last year, Post reporter Mark Berman and I tested routes from Gallows Road to Tysons Corner using the express lanes (me) or the regular Beltway lanes (Mark). Taking the express lanes, I managed to beat Mark to the roof of the Tysons mall garage off Westpark Drive by three minutes — but I paid a toll for that advantage.
We don’t measure time only. Like other commuters, we judge the trip by the entire experience. Where was there congestion? Where was their confusion? Driving may provide a faster trip, but Metro may be less of a hassle — or not.
Depending on what Point A’s and Point B’s you suggest, we may be able to gettransportation reporter Ashley Halsey III to join us on his bike. Ashley is an avid cyclist, and I have a feeling he’ll be competitive with some of the driving and transit routes.
So give us some starting and ending points for your commutes in the D.C. area, and let us test whether one route — or one mode of travel — might be better than another for you. (I’ve got a couple ideas of my own for when the Silver Line opens.)
Suggest alternative commutes in the Comments field here, or send them to me via e-mail at drgridlock@washpost.com.
Depending on what Point A’s and Point B’s you suggest, we may be able to gettransportation reporter Ashley Halsey III to join us on his bike. Ashley is an avid cyclist, and I have a feeling he’ll be competitive with some of the driving and transit routes.
So give us some starting and ending points for your commutes in the D.C. area, and let us test whether one route — or one mode of travel — might be better than another for you. (I’ve got a couple ideas of my own for when the Silver Line opens.)
Suggest alternative commutes in the Comments field here, or send them to me via e-mail at drgridlock@washpost.com.
Labels: bike commuting, dr. gridlock
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