stevebikes
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It would have to be one from the future as winter doesn't start for a few more days...
Meteorological winter started 12/1
It would have to be one from the future as winter doesn't start for a few more days...
I have a few questions for you more seasoned vets:
What's the most dangerous thing about biking in the winter relative to the summer, in Boston? Darkness? Cold? Ice? Snow banks narrowing the roads?
Also, if you were to use alternate transportation on the "worst" days of the year, what would those days be? Heaviest snowfall? Immediately following a flash freeze? Most bitterly cold days? Deepest snow depth - presence of huge snowbanks?
Most dangerous thing about biking in winter in Boston? When the roads have been poorly plowed, the temperature has dropped, and the remaining uneven bits of snow on the road have frozen, creating a minefield of ice mounds. Also, occasionally, black ice.
The only days I don't bike in winter are when it's actively snowing and I know the plows won't be able to keep it clear down to the pavement.
What's the most dangerous thing about biking in the winter relative to the summer, in Boston?
I have a few questions for you more seasoned vets:
What's the most dangerous thing about biking in the winter relative to the summer, in Boston? Darkness? Cold? Ice? Snow banks narrowing the roads?
Also, if you were to use alternate transportation on the "worst" days of the year, what would those days be? Heaviest snowfall? Immediately following a flash freeze? Most bitterly cold days? Deepest snow depth - presence of huge snowbanks?
I rarely bike, but I know a lot about bike safety from the data side.
This is very interesting to me. Do you have any sources of data to share?
I have a few questions for you more seasoned vets:
What's the most dangerous thing about biking in the winter relative to the summer, in Boston? Darkness? Cold? Ice? Snow banks narrowing the roads?
Also, if you were to use alternate transportation on the "worst" days of the year, what would those days be? Heaviest snowfall? Immediately following a flash freeze? Most bitterly cold days? Deepest snow depth - presence of huge snowbanks?
I wonder, with the move toward more electric powered or assisted bicycles, what changes will be needed for people to remain comfortable in the cold. I definitely generate a fair amount of body heat, but if I were exercising less or not at all during the ride, then I'd need quite a bit more temperature protection.
On the workplace facilities, we do have a shower at my office, but I never use it. I find that I can use a towel to absorb the sweat, then a liberal application of deodorant for freshening up. This obviously would not work as well if I rode in during a heavy rain. Also, with proper folding, my work clothes survive the trip just fine, and are still presentable once I put them on.
On the workplace facilities, we do have a shower at my office, but I never use it. I find that I can use a towel to absorb the sweat, then a liberal application of deodorant for freshening up. This obviously would not work as well if I rode in during a heavy rain. Also, with proper folding, my work clothes survive the trip just fine, and are still presentable once I put them on.
Yeah, clothes stay OK, but they don’t stay perfect. I wear dress slacks and they just don’t survive without some degree of wrinkling. I also like to ride fast, and get pretty sweaty... especially in the summer, a towel isn’t sufficient - it might get you dry, but it’s no fun going around all day covered in dried sweat. Having lockers and showers at work is something every large urban employee should have, and it’s frustrating that mine does not. It was something Menino used to talk a lot about, pressuring downtown employers to do this, but I haven’t heard anything about it from the current genius in city hall.
I have a few questions for you more seasoned vets:
What's the most dangerous thing about biking in the winter relative to the summer, in Boston? Darkness? Cold? Ice? Snow banks narrowing the roads?
Also, if you were to use alternate transportation on the "worst" days of the year, what would those days be? Heaviest snowfall? Immediately following a flash freeze? Most bitterly cold days? Deepest snow depth - presence of huge snowbanks?
On a national level, this is the best source:
https://www-fars.nhtsa.dot.gov/QueryTool/QuerySection/SelectYear.aspx
Sort of a pain to use though.
However, each state has their own reporting database which may do things better. I am not sure what the MA system is, but it is likely owned by DOT or State Police. Usually the data is quasi-public. That is, youre entitled to see it, but they dont make it easy.
MassDOT has their Crash Portal which is easier to use than FARS but doesn't seem to include bike crashes unless they are with a motor vehicle. The data also lags by a couple of calendar years.
https://services.massdot.state.ma.us/crashportal/
The site requires Adobe Flash to work, so it can be cantankerous on modern web browsers (it only works for me in Chrome).
Big employers should provide facilities, but there should also be public bike commute facilities around the city to cover all the people working for small companies.
Ride cautiously, ride defensively, ride assertively.