The Chainlink

When do you commute?

I was just curious about what time most of the bike commuters are out there.  Usually my ride to work is pretty deserted but I was up and out a couple of hours earlier than normal this morning and I was surprised by the increase in cyclists out there. 

It seems there is a legitimate cycling rush hour, what time do you think that is?

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Permalink Reply by Dan Allison on December 19, 2012 at 1:52pm

I leave my west loop home around 7:30am, arrive at my job in downtown evanston around 8:30am

for the return trip, I leave around 5:30pm, and am back home around 6:30pm.

Permalink Reply by Dave Grossman on December 19, 2012 at 3:40pm

Skokie to Northbrook at 6:45 am, usually a solo jaunt, occasionally a few riders pass or ride along.

Going home at either 4 or 6 pm, usually I ride myself.  On the North Branch before the ice falls I run along a rider or two.

Permalink Reply by Joe Studer 8.0 mi on December 19, 2012 at 4:05pm

Hyde Park to Loop, typically leave between 7 and 8, arriving between 7:30 and 8:30.  Typically starting the return trip around 6:00 pm.

I see a good number of riders (recreational and commuting) both ways, year round (with seasonal variations, of course).

From where I am, any "rush hour" appears to hit the Loop around 8:30, and to leave the Loop round 5:15-5:30.

Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on December 19, 2012 at 4:10pm

Wicker Park to Loop, sometime between 8:30 and 9:20 am. Return sometime between 5:30 and 6:30 pm. Usually avoid Milwaukee before 9:00 am. Almost always return Milwaukee. I usually see a bunch of cyclists.

Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on December 19, 2012 at 4:31pm

I should add that I ride side streets from Wicker Park for the most part and don't see too many cyclists except on Augusta until I get to Kinzie.  When I do ride Milwaukee I see a lot more there.

Permalink Reply by Rich S on December 19, 2012 at 4:59pm

I ride into downtown on either Lincoln or Clark between 7:45 and 8:15 in the morning.  I ride home around 6 and take either Halsted, Dearborn/Clark, or Wells/Lincoln back to the north side. 

Cycling rush hour is probably the same as for drivers since travel times aren't much different and I doubt anyone's job cares about mode of transportation in relation to start time.  I just hate going past schools during the flurry of activity right before classes begin. 

Permalink Reply by Joe Studer 8.0 mi on December 20, 2012 at 9:18pm

I ride a black road bike with drop bars (red & black bar tape), a front porteur-style rack, rear rack with garment-bag style panniers, and full fenders.  My bike is totally fredded out.  In the winter, I'm almost always in black tights and black jacket, with a white helmet (with a helmet light).  Sporting a grey goatee.  Going to the Loop I cross at 51st, coming back I cross at 47th. 

I gotta believe we've passed each other.  I'll now keep my eyes peeled for your dark green road bike.  It is not uncommon for me to be heading for the Loop before 7.  It is very rare for me to be going home before 5:30.
 
kiltedcelt said:

I live in Hyde Park and I'm out the door to hit the LFP no later than 7:00 AM. I'm usually leaving work around 4:45 or 5:15 (depending on the time of the year) heading back south from the Fullerton/LFP vicinity. Joe, what do you ride and/or wear, so if I happen to see you I can say "Hi"? I'm on a dark green road bike w/ drop bars and black and yellow panniers, usually (this time of the year), with a black and yellow Gore Bike Wear jacket and black helmet. I also run a very Fredly (white), full beard to go with my fenders and racks.

Joe Studer said:

Hyde Park to Loop, typically leave between 7 and 8, arriving between 7:30 and 8:30.  Typically starting the return trip around 6:00 pm.

I see a good number of riders (recreational and commuting) both ways, year round (with seasonal variations, of course).

From where I am, any "rush hour" appears to hit the Loop around 8:30, and to leave the Loop round 5:15-5:30.

Permalink Reply by Thunder Snow on December 20, 2012 at 9:43pm

It depends on the day or project, but I usually catch the 6:07 AM Metra out of Evanston to Lake Bluff.  I then unfold the Dahon and ride the mile of deserted woodsy cycle track, followed by another mile of the posted-40-mph-but-cars-really-screaming-along-at-55-plus-on-two-lanes excitement that is Green Bay Road between Scranton & Buckley Roads.  Honestly, it's like riding on the right lane of the Edens Expressway.

At the university, I refold & bag the Dahon outside, discreetly slip inside via the loading dock (so campus security won't have anything to say about my bringing my bike inside) and stash the bike in the server room.  By 4:00 or 5:00 PM I reverse the process, unless the weather is exceptionally nice and I ride down a dozen miles or so to Highland Park before rejoining the Metra. 

Multimodalism, baby!

Permalink Reply by Reba 4.0 mi on December 20, 2012 at 11:28pm

Ukrainian Village to Union Station-ish, 8ish (if I leave before 8 I literally run into the idiot parents who double park in the bike lane on Augusta and shove their children out into traffic to get them to one of the three elementary schools on my route), and I typically commute home after 5:45 to avoid the rush of buses that pile up on Canal and Adams. 


I also ride the side streets as much as possible. Milwaukee Ave terrifies me! But I see quite a lot of folks heading across Augusta and down Wood in the morning, and there's still a fair number with me going north on Morgan at night too. It seems the colder it gets, the more smiles and hellos I get as well. That's nice!

Permalink Reply by We all have an inner Beast... on December 20, 2012 at 11:38pm

Brighton Park to Downtown

I leave the house between 0630 and 0700

Archer to Halsted, Halsted to Monroe, Monroe to Canal.

Reverse route back home, leaving after 1630 (4:30 pm)

Haven't seen many riders lately (especially on Archer), Halsted has quite a few the rest of the year.

Permalink Reply by dan brown on December 21, 2012 at 9:15am

hey manny - do you work at (or near) monroe/canal ?   wow - I face 10 s. riverside from my desk all dat long...

 

Dan

Manny Fuentes said:

Brighton Park to Downtown

I leave the house between 0630 and 0700

Archer to Halsted, Halsted to Monroe, Monroe to Canal.

Reverse route back home, leaving after 1630 (4:30 pm)

Haven't seen many riders lately (especially on Archer), Halsted has quite a few the rest of the year.

Permalink Reply by Kara B on December 21, 2012 at 9:55am

I'm on Archer in McKinley Park around 7:30-7:45 am from Leavitt to Loomis, after which starts a very snaky route to get downtown that also includes portions of eleanor, blue island (i'm still waiting for my ride-by cameo on chicago fire, which they film at the blue island fire station :) ), roosevelt, halsted, etc. 

Still looking for a comfortable route into the loop from the south/west. I take Washington in now, which is ok but not awesome.

I've taken Canal in a few times, but it seems a remarkably poor choice for a bike lane given all the buses and cabs and pedestrians and food trucks etc that converge on union station... 

on the way home - I have taken the DesPlaines protected bike lanes (!!) home the past few evenings - but there's no great way to get to them from the Loop during rush hour. The Monroe bike lane is great - but it ends at the Northwestern train station, where the cab-induced chaos makes it feel kind of, uh, chaotic - and is followed by the street opening up to 4 (?) lanes (none of them for bikes) and cars going nuts for the 2 blocks before the kennedy. 

Manny Fuentes said:

Brighton Park to Downtown

I leave the house between 0630 and 0700

Archer to Halsted, Halsted to Monroe, Monroe to Canal.

Reverse route back home, leaving after 1630 (4:30 pm)

Haven't seen many riders lately (especially on Archer), Halsted has quite a few the rest of the year.

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