Another journalist tries bike commuting

Posted on October 28, 2011 by .
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Yesterday, Toronto Star columnist Jack Lakey described his bike riding delights. Today, New Orleans columnist Alex Gecan’s car breaks down and he’s forced to ride a bike for a few days.

Like Lakey, Gecan discovers the riding is better than he anticipated.

Here’s what I found:

  1. You can park anywhere.
  2. It’s just as fast as driving … mostly.
  3. Your coworkers will be impressed.
  4. Motorists are increasingly considerate.
  5. Exercise.

Gecan doesn’t fail to list a couple of the downsides either, namely his fear of exposure to crazies and criminals out on the trail (maybe a real concern in New Orleans? I honestly don’t know…), and the discomfort of riding a bike on poorly maintained streets.

Read the full story at My New Orleans: Bicycle Commuting in New Orleans: A Better Idea Than It Sounds.



See also:

  1. Toronto Fixer rides a bicycle
  2. New Orleans by bike
  3. Biking journalist Dan Casey
  4. Recreational computing while commuting


  • Anonymous

    With your most recent “news” writer tries cycling post, it suddenly struck me that none of these guys have considered that before they drove to work, they took training and a test, but somehow figured it OK to simply just hop on a bike and ride away with not so much as a quick refresher. How would their experiences be if they simply hopped into a manual shift automobile and drove with no prior training?

    If cycling truly IS a “vulnerable” activity, why do people feel that training in the best way to do it is a waste?

  • http://twitter.com/Wuss912 Wuss912

    well bike skirt rides there… it can’t be that dangerous

  • http://bikinginla.wordpress.com/2011/10/30/your-halloween-weekend-linkapalooza-with-extra-scary-gop-attacks-on-bikeped-funding/ Your Halloween weekend Linkapalooza, with extra scary GOP attacks on bike/ped funding « BikingInLA

    [...] pose a danger to disabled people? Cyclelicious points out a couple of newspaper columnists who’ve discovered the joys of cycling in Toronto and New [...]

  • Siouxgeonz

    I don’t think there’s any danger of him sticking to it — he likes adrenaline and being the biggest and/or fastest. Just can’t picture him getting a trailer for those cargo rides … or staying “vulnerable” (in quotes given the dangers of driving)… unless he runs into some alleycatters…

  • http://www.cyclelicio.us/ Cyclelicious

    There’s also this guy who constantly harps to media and other online forums on the danger of cycling in NOLA, while also advising newbies to run red lights because it’s perfectly safe. To his considerable credit, he concludes with “If you decide to ride like an outlaw, then die like an outlaw. Do not blame anyone else if you get creamed! “

  • B. W. Miller

    Journalism – ha!

    When I lived in New Orleans in the mid 90s, the roads were in damn good condition. However motorists were seriously dangerous. Everyone driving was either aloof society ladies, cigar chomping business men, drunken out-of-town tourists, local junkies, and the illiterate.

    That writer’s fear of criminals is unjustified in suburban Metairie.

    NOLA remains an excellent city for urban exploration.