Cycling to work? Get creative!

Mixed commute

In an age when jobs are more sedentary than ever and we need to find ways to fit exercise into our daily routine, commuting to work by bike seems like a no-brainer.

Governments agree and are installing more separated bike lanes in towns and cities to protect cyclists riding through traffic.

While feeling safe cycling alongside cars is essential, other obstacles can stand in the way of a successful commute by bike.

The weather can weaken a commuter cyclist’s resolve, especially when they wake up to cold, foggy and even icy conditions. At other times, cyclists need strategies for blistering heat as well as wind and rain. But with the right gear and equipment, coping with Canberra’s weather is not too difficult.

Riding home in the dark can feel unsafe, particularly on meandering shared paths that, beautiful in daylight, are pitch black at night. Even with the strongest beam of light from your handlebars, it’s hard to see hollows, bumps and bends until you’re on top of them. And if a cyclist with a helmet-mounted headlight approaches from the opposite direction, you may be temporarily blinded.

To avoid shared paths at night, cycling on well-lit but busy roads or bumping along footpaths are two alternatives for Canberra commuters. Other options may include adjusting your work hours to ride home earlier in daylight, or later after peak hour when the roads are quieter, though this may not be possible for everyone.

“To shower and change at work, or not?” is a dilemma. There are pros and cons for both sides and the answer depends a lot on how far and how hard you have to ride.

One of the cons for cyclists who diligently pack up their clothes, towel and sponge bag to carry into the office is the discovery upon arriving, hot and sweaty from a Lycra-clad commute, that they have forgotten something. Commencing a workday without the benefit of a towel, a hairbrush, an item of underwear or normal shoes can make for a stressful start.

Cycling in your work clothes, even in a dress and high heels (yes, I’ve done it) is often easier.

But with practice and a bit more organisation (ie. pack the night before) the risk of forgetting something can be reduced. A spare set of everything stashed in your desk drawer also helps.

Distance is a major barrier to commuting by bike in Canberra, where most residential suburbs are 10 to 30km from the city. Only the most fit – and committed – cyclists (who also have time to spare) can manage to commute such distances on a bike.

Using public transport to shorten the time spent in the saddle when commuting by bike has its challenges too.

Wrangling your bike onto the front of a bus can be nerve-wracking, especially in the beginning. It’s difficult to remain calm while standing in front of a bus with all eyes on you, as you try to secure your bike onto a big yellow rack.

However, it’s actually quite simple to use the bike carriers on Transport Canberra buses and it gets easier with practice. Trying it out during non-peak times is a good way to start – and with a friend, even better.

The limited space for bikes on buses and Light Rail is frustrating, especially during peak times. If the racks allocated for bikes are already taken, the commuter cyclist will be left behind, waiting for the next bus or Light Rail and hoping it will have free spaces, while contemplating the consequences of arriving late for work, again.

Canberra cyclists need to be creative if they want to reduce the distance of their commute. Two members of Pedal Power’s staff have done just that, developing ‘mix and match’ solutions with different transport modes to make a cycling commute work for them.

Living in Harrison, Jordan Hull would face a 20km round trip if she cycled to the Pedal Power office in Civic each day and needed a shower and change of clothes on arrival. Instead, she rides for ten minutes from home to the Light Rail stop at Well Station Drive, where she locks her bike in the Park and Ride facility, then hops on the Light Rail for a 15 minute ride into Civic.

Jordan feels better for her cycle commute.

“I can easily cycle up the two small hills on my route now . . . they felt like mountains on the first day!”

“Starting the day with a ride gives me a chance to call my Mum, and ending it with a ride clears my head”.

It was a while before Jordan started riding her bike to the Light Rail stop rather than driving her car to the Park and Ride at Well Station Drive.

“It seemed such a challenge and I was worried about leaving my bike there all day”, she says. But the area is well-lit and even though it’s not a locked cage, she’s “had no trouble so far” except for her bike getting wet from rain.

When riding home in the dark, Jordan stays on a shared footpath which is “mostly OK”, except for “one section without lights that is a bit scary”. In the mornings, she takes a more scenic route around a lake where she enjoys the bird life, most of the time:

“An aggressive swan attacked me one day . . . I had to cut short my call to Mum that morning!”

An unprotected bike lane along the Federal Highway gave Ilaria Catizone no incentive to cycle to work from Bywong every morning, as well as the 25km distance. Instead, she drove her car to Lyneham where she left it in the Park and Ride before taking a Light Rail along Northbourne Avenue into Civic.

After six months of standing on the Light Rail, Ilaria thought of a way to cover the distance on her bike instead, without the hassle of fitting a bike carrier to her car. If the rear car seats were put down, she realised, her bike would fit inside the back of the car and she could simply lift it out for the ride to the Pedal Power office.

Deciding to cycle on the footpath along Northbourne Avenue, ratherthan on its unprotected bike lane convinced Ilaria that she “had no excuses for not commuting from Lyneham to Civic by bike.”

Ilaria has been surprised at the impact of this short ride on her fitness. “It’s only a flat ride along Northbourne Avenue, but I can now cycle up hills around home where I used to have to get off and push.”

With the option of leaving her bike inside her locked car, Ilaria can still hop on a Light Rail if she needs to, but rarely does.

“After a 20 minute drive into town, it’s refreshing to get on my bike for the last leg”, Ilaria says. “Cycling is so much nicer than a crowded Light Rail.”

Whether we want to boost our fitness, lift our spirits, or simply breathe more of Canberra’s clear, crisp air, cycling to work is well worth the effort.

It just takes a bit of creativity – and organisation – to make a cycle commute work.

This article by Louise Watson was first published in our members-only digital magazine, September 2024 edition.