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Profile of a Bicycle Commuter

by Michael Nelson

Karen Brown lives in East Olympia and commutes daily to her job as a speech therapist with the Tumwater School District. Ask her about her route, however, and you won't hear a single interstate exit in the directions.

Karen is one of many South Sound residents who could drive daily but choose not to. Her preferred mode of transit is bicycling.

One obvious question is, why ride instead of drive? "When I started bicycle commuting, it was mostly for environmental reasons, trying to have less of a negative impact on the environment by riding my bike as opposed to driving my car, but I continue to commute by bike for my physical and mental well-being."

She also claims it's a good excuse to have a bad hair day.

Though she's been bicycle commuting for seven years, she did have to find some creative solutions to problems before beginning. She uses a colleague's closet to keep dress clothes at work. She also skips showering after her commute. "Don't ask my co-workers," she jokes. "It is a big issue for a lot of people. Usually one of the first reactions is, Oh, you must have a shower,' or Where do you shower', and I don't. Sweat dries. So yes, I get to work and I'm sweaty, or if it's raining, I get to work and I might be wet, but I dry."

Contrary to what you might expect, Karen doesn't wear the latest athletic fabrics or have her bike outfitted with exotic commuting gadgets. "I still ride in tennis shoes," she says. "People will automatically say, You must have a good rainsuit,' and I do now, as of this past fall, but up until then, I didn't, and for six years of riding, when it rained, I got wet, and that was okay because when I got home, or got to work, I got out of my wet clothes, and they dried."

Karen started bicycle commuting during the Gulf War. "I felt that had a lot to do with our consumption of oil, and that didn't feel good to me to be driving a car, and so I really wanted to try to do something that would not be contributing to that."

She does take the bus on occasion. "I usually take it if it's snowing, although I have ridden my bike in the snow." She also uses it for emergencies such as flat tires. However, she prefers cycling because she gets more exercise and doesn't have to wait on a bus schedule.

Drivers are courteous, for the most part. When making eye contact, Karen says "I have an interaction that I don't typically get in a car. I'm not typically smiling at other drivers."

I wondered what comments Karen got from co-workers and others about her commuting by bicycle. "People are really supportive," she says. "The one woman who lets me use her closet, she could easily use that space for classroom materials, but she lets me use it." Co-workers also wave to her as they drive by.

Karen's advice to beginning bicycle commuters? "At least give it a try. Try it one day a week, or one time a month, just give it a try and see if it works for you. It doesn't have to be every day."

And if that doesn't sway you, Karen has one more reason to bike to work: "So I can eat like a pig."

Michael Nelson is the managing editor of the Green Pages.

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