How many cars did you pass this morning?

I've been doing this commute from Evanston to the loop for years but it wasn't until today that I thought to count the number of cars I pass. My route is down Clark and Wells and is 10 miles. I bike between 7:30 and 8:30 so there is a lot of traffic that backs up at certain intersections and schools (thanks, Parker).

176.

I counted 176 vehicles that I passed. I counted cars that I passed stopped at lights or stop signs and subtracted them if they subsequently passed me. I didn't count the three city buses I passed. Google says the average car length is 12' (177") so if the cars were literally bumper to bumper that would be .4 miles of traffic I passed. Adding a little space in-between would probably get it to over a half-mile of traffic. A half freakin' mile! Gotta say that's something else that makes me feel pretty good about commuting by bike.

I was biking at the height of commute hour, though, so it was easy pickings for me. YMMV.

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Permalink Reply by Jeremy Bloyd-Peshkin on October 20, 2016 at 3:01am

I play a very similar game on my rides in the city. Start at 0, +1 for every vehicle passed, -1 for every one that gets by. I don't think I've ever finished a ride negative. Of course, this method has its flaws in that I'm not taking the same route as most of the cars I pass and so they don't often get the chance to pass me back. But since the counting is rigged in my favor I can't say I really mind. In my six miles from logan square to streeterville this morning (along jam-packed arterials), I ended up at 187. 12 of those were the buses I would have to take if I took the CTA. And people wonder why I ride to work...