Commuter Tips and Tricks

[James Burleigh]

I usually hit the road for work at about 7 AM. But recently, getting in shape for my Mt. Whitney climb, I was getting up early a couple times a week, like 5:30 :blink: , and hitting the road an hour earlier than usual to use the exercise facilities before getting into the office. And today I rode in an hour later, leaving at 8 AM, to drop my bike off at Berkeley Yamaha for an 8K service (big thumgs up to them!).

In both cases, leaving earlier and latier, riding my exact same route, coming around familiar in-town arterial sweepers, I encountered conditions that I hadn't seen during my normal commute, leading to rapid-response "Oh ****!" moments .

In the leave-earlier scenario, with dark but clear skies, little traffic, and leaning more than typical into the handsome 6-lane sweeper with the landscaped median strip, I found myself suddenly riding through a lake of water of the type encountered in a rain storm. "Oh ****!" What was different?--The sprinkler system for the median strip was on at that earlier hour. Glad I had good tires and a smooth operating touch.

This morning, in the leave-latier scenario, I came around a different wick-it-up sweeper and suddenly, "Oh ****!" Rapid brakes and a quick check of the mirror and all was well. But I thought, "What are you, JB, some kinda *****?" What was different?--Traffic was backed up waaaaaay before the point I am used to during my 7 AM commute. Since I'm pretty good at going through curves at speeds within sight-braking distance, it wasn't a tragedy.

So here are the tips and tricks I learned for myself that I wanted to share: When you leave for your commute at a time significantly different from usual, keep alert from big changes from what you are used to.

Jb

 

[Silver Penguin]

Once again, you make some good points JB. The take-home message appears to be that one should ride according to the ACTUAL conditions, rather than the EXPECTED conditions.

I've learned that my commute is much quicker and easier if I leave by 6am. Waiting until 6:15am adds a lot more than fifteen minutes to the arrival time. At my chosen hour to travel, all six lanes of the freeway are occupied, but are moving at more than 50mph. The only time I ever need to share a lane, is on the rare occasions that traffic comes to a prolonged standstill or crawl.

It's the same thing with coming home. Although it's nice to come home from work after eight hours (feels as though I left at lunchtime!) the traffic is horrendous. The only viable option is to get over to the HOV lane and then alternate riding in the lane with sharing the lane, according to traffic flow. That is not an enjoyable way to travel at all. Working the 12hr shift allows me to come home when the traffic is moving relatively freely.

 

[FJR Flyer]

Funny, just had the same experience yesterday. I'm usually on the road by 5 am. Forgot to set the alarm yesterday and got out around an hour later. I've done this commute for 10+ years and expectation definitely starts taking over. On the later commute yesterday, there was definitely more traffic. The other thing that screwed me up was that the traffic light timings were all different. Where I would expect to make three or four lights in a row, I was hitting every other one.

 

[Zorlac]

Yep, timing is everything on a workday commute!

Glad all was uneventful.

 

[vabrzn]

If I leave at 6:30, school buses around every corner ( seems that way anyway). Leave at 6:15 the school buses disappear

 

[Geezer]

Wait a minute. You guys have sprinklers to water the weeds in the median? No wonder California is broke.

 

[Toecutter]

Wait a minute. You guys have sprinklers to water the weeds in the median? No wonder California is broke.

The fact that they burn a billion dollars worth of them every year isn't helping either....

 

[Loki]

The take-home message appears to be that one should ride according to the ACTUAL conditions, rather than the EXPECTED conditions.

I would think even better advice would be to always EXPECT the UNEXPECTED, not that I think anyone does that 100% of the time. I've only been riding about 17 years, so some of you have a great deal more experience than I do, but I think a mental reminder to myself to go through

curves at speeds within sight-braking distance

sure couldn't hurt.
Toecutter, just what weeds were you referring to?

The fact that they burn a billion dollars worth of them every year isn't helping either....

these ones?

https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html...752C1A96E9C8B63

or these:

https://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009...-in-forest.html

 

[saltywheels]

Yep, timing is everything on a workday commute!

Zorlock, aint that a fact! My daily commute is thru & to the Long Beach Harbor area. Here even 15 minutes makes or breaks your commute experience. Between 0730-0845 & you battle speeding Longshore labor trying to make it to work on time. In the evening if I leave at 4.30 pm all hell breaks lose as the brothers & sisters are speeding home (shift times: 0800 to 5pm....but dont ask!). :glare: Past 5pm & you only have the regular cagers to contend with. One thing I will say though, the Union drivers will usually make room for you IF you are splitting lanes.

 

[Crash Cash]

Yeah, this is why my workday is 10am-7pm. I avoid people doing makeup and reading the paper at 70mph in the morning and all the school buses doing 20mph below the limit, and I avoid the "MUST GET HOME ***NOW***" kamikazes in the evening. Plus I'm actually awake and useful at work, which makes the boss happier.

 

[James Burleigh]

I think a lot of respondents pointed to the underlying fundamental principle, which is to keep alert and never take anything for granted. It's like the caveat in all stock prospectuses: Past performance is no guarantee of future performance.

And just to punctuate the lessons of this thread: This week after posting this topic, as I was riding up to a stop sign near campus in an urban setting, sitting behind a couple of cars, suddenly… What’s this I see?!!! OMG! That’s all I need. :glare: Cars, buses, pedestrians, and bicyclists aren’t enough. Now I can add to my list of morning hazards:

Forest Rats!

As I was approaching the stop sign, suddenly bounding from the street at left and leaping across the intersection into the residential area to my right, was a full-grown deer with full antlers. I just shook my head in disbelief :no2: and remembered the admonition in the Basic Rider Course to anticipate the unexpected, like an elephant. This was close enough. :blink: