Bike Commuting Film, enjoy!

Oct 28th 2009

By: RL Policar

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Sent in by Bike Commuter, John Bonner…

Go easy on him. Yes he rode on the side walk and he was going the opposite direction. But at least he was wearing a helmet.

The Impossible Journey from John Bonner on Vimeo.

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Yangmusa

October 28th, 2009 at 23:11

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Your logic is completely back to front. If he’s going to do silly things, then wearing a helmet isn’t going to help him much. Riding on the sidewalk in the wrong direction is statistically much more dangerous than riding correctly.
dukiebiddle

October 29th, 2009 at 02:06

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Vehicular cycling does have its limits, if one opts to follow the law. I don’t disrespect his decision to ride on that sidewalk at all. Also, I know and agree that one must go the same direction as traffic when on the road; but when one is forced onto the sidewalk, does it make a difference?
ha1ku

October 29th, 2009 at 03:01

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I liked the video, even if there were a couple parts that made me nervous for him. But at least he tried something that most commuters wouldn’t consider and succeeded.
Stuart M.

October 29th, 2009 at 03:12

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That was a great film. I thought I was watching an Attenborough documentary! The music was great, the visual tricks funny, and the story “gripping.” Eighteen miles should be feasible when the weather is great, but Boston is a cold place in the winter…
Ghost Rider

October 29th, 2009 at 03:54

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I’m with Dukie — while riding on the sidewalk makes me cringe, sometimes it’s nearly unavoidable for short stretches. Just be careful — cars definitely don’t expect you up there!

I found it a little bit shocking that Mr. Bonner was surprised at the bicycle-unfriendliness of the bridges and tunnels…a lot of our motor-based infrastructure around cities was constructed back in the 1940s and 50s — long before planners thought to include accomodations for bikes and pedestrians and well before the “bike boom” of the 1970s.
Ken Sturrock

October 29th, 2009 at 08:10

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I loved this film . He’s dealing with the very real problems and concerns that anyone would deal with. If we want bicycling to become common, it has to be intuitive to regular people and, of course, the intuitive solution to the big road is to ride the sidewalk or just take the car. I think it’s also great when he points out the limited access conduits. Most people realize that bicycles and pedestrians aren’t allowed on some roads but few people stop to think about how many roads that may actually be.

When I started working on the county’s bicycle-pedestrian advisory committee, I joined as a bicycle oriented person, and I still am. However, what really started to make an impression on me is that pedestrians and the handicapped have it even worse than bicyclists! In Tampa, it’s just insane in some places. For example, if you’re staying in a hotel out by the airport and you want to get a bite to eat at the International Plaza Mall: you have to drive there even though it’s only a half of a mile away. There are no sidewalks, there are few cross walks, and half of the trip is spent hiking across hundreds of acres devoted to car parking.

I’m all for bicycling but *walking* is a right that has existed since creatures with legs appeared. I mean, come on, up-right bipedal walking has been used as a diagnostic for humans since Lucy and her relatives roamed the earth over three million years ago. Yet in Tampa today, for pedestrians it’s almost the case of “you just can’t get there from here.” Technology should work with our natural physical abilities, not suppress them.

OK. Sorry, rant off. Back on topic.

I’d love it if there were more videos out here like this one – that show the struggles of regular types of people that never even thought about the problem until, miraculously, one day they did.

-Ken
Ghost Rider

October 29th, 2009 at 08:49

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Ken, one of your BPAC predecessors echoes the same thing about pedestrians here in Tampa. During a conversation with him, he told me “you think cyclists have it bad? You should try WALKING around this city!!!”

I’m glad to see that Mr. Bonner brainstormed and then found a solution to get from point A to point B. Too many other people might give up, saying “it’s impossible to get there from here” — and Mr. Bonner showed that there is often another way to reach the goal if you put your mind to it.
Little Tiny Fish

October 29th, 2009 at 15:13

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If he’s riding on the sidewalk or against traffic, what’s stopping him from just taking the tunnel?
*Snark off*

Seriously though, that was an endearing video. Hopefully it can be used to remind the Massachusetts urban planners when it comes time to rethink their connectors.
crazycommutingcyclist

October 30th, 2009 at 06:26

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What a left handed slap to Boston’s transportation planning dept. There is nothing like being overtly cheeky to prove a painfully obvious point. Hopefully they aren’t too thick that they won’t get it.
mech1

October 30th, 2009 at 06:48

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Love that film! It’s pretty nice maded but it is too, as many of us said, normal problems of normal people
But finally he got the route and that’s the point! Do not give up!
mech1

October 30th, 2009 at 06:58

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1. More dedicated cyclepaths in my city and whole country.

2. The law which prefers bikers before cars.

3. The surrounding magic ring which will protect me to all that Bike Ninjas, Tour de France bikers, drivers in the cars, dogs trying to catch me and those autumn-winter cold weather.
Doug

October 31st, 2009 at 07:39

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“Secret helmet camera”

He, he, he
Mike Myers

November 1st, 2009 at 06:15

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Very well done video. Took me a while to pick up his sarcasm. Funny guy.

I live in a place that is pretty rural, and we have our challenges, too. My commute is as long as Marblehead to Boston, but it’s on shoulderless roads and a 60mph divided 4 lane. Neither are fun. The divided 4 lane is better, because there’s a wide shoulder I use as a bike lane. But crossing it is a challenge.
Winthropite

November 3rd, 2009 at 06:18

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I am very familiar with his struggle as I live further south yet still on the “wrong side of the tunnels.” The stretch where he filmed is sidewalk scene is actually pretty tame. Just two more miles south to the causeway stretch, that is interesting. Even the most law abiding and intrepid of bikers would consider using any available sidewalk as there is little to no shoulder and cars routinely drive over 50 mph there.

I’m going to assume John edited out the car and bike swallowing cracks and pot holes in Chelsea and on Rte. 99 to keep the film short. Overall, I enjoyed it. I especially enjoyed the conversation with the toll booth operator at the Sumner Tunnel.
Sungsu

November 3rd, 2009 at 14:36

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I know it is probably intentional, but that helmet strap is very loose.
Ken Sturrock

November 3rd, 2009 at 21:16

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As mentioned earlier, he’s obviously a risk taker because he doesn’t wear his seat belt either.
Nick Pilch

November 3rd, 2009 at 23:19

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When I was a college student, I once rode from my family’s house in Millis, MA to my college in Brunswick, ME. One day – sunrise to sunset. I may have traveled some of the route that John took.
r4 dsi

November 26th, 2009 at 04:34

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Thats pretty interesting, i think he is much more in to not easy going personality, he is careless. Over all i liked the video.

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