Bike Commuting After A Heavy Snowfall - Photos #8

Photo #8: And here I am at my office, about 8:45am.

While the morning commute proved largely stress-free, the evening commute was a little more challenging. The snow shown in photo #3 was still there, so I had to share a lane with the cars. This time, however, the traffic was quite heavy, and it was dark. Thankfully, most of the drivers seemed to understand I had nowhere to go and did a good job of being patient for an opportunity to get around me. I, in turn, did my best to stay as far right as possible, hold my line, not make any sudden, unpredictable moves, and give people the opportunity to pass whenever possible.

In summary, I do believe the city needs to consider bicyclists when plowing. I’m not entirely sure where else the plows could push the snow, but if a way could be found to maintain a clearer path for cyclists, it would make things much easier and safer for everyone involved.


Outside of that, I feel like a bike is an excellent way to get around a city after a heavy snow. It’s virtually impossible to get stuck. The gridlocked traffic didn’t affect me too much, and I generally arrived at my destinations in more or less the same time I normally do. Best of all, I didn’t need a lawn chair to save my parking spot.

Go to the Forum for more blizzard biking stories

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Comment by Steve G on February 5, 2015 at 5:46pm

Nice write up!

I commute from Lawrence and Kimball to the loop. It was not too bad by today, though much of the Elston bike lane was not usable due  to the detritus of snow plows- occasional bunches of frozen slush in the lane, and the buffered sections were snow covered. Some of the the protected lanes had cars parked in in them. It did not appear that the bike lanes were included at the same level as the rest of the road.

Comment by Nancy L. Fagin on February 5, 2015 at 11:52am

Many thanks foryour article.  I put off riding for a few days because I was more afraid of the surfer's wave from the slush - from trucks, cabs and buses.  I do a short route, from home to warehouse, home to post office and it seems that there is a learning curve - people do know that the bike lane is now filled with snow, so they do share it.  I do have what I call, The Queen's Toss" I don't know if QUeen Elizabeth II does this - but it looks like I'm tossing a ball - giving drivers the go-ahead to pass me.  The communication seems to work. 

nancy

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