From The Editor’s Desk: Try Out A Bike This Spring

When I first arrived in Chicago what struck me most about the city was how much land it occupies and the lengths it stretches. Although urban living makes owning and maintaining a car more difficult, destinations are often many neighborhoods away and definitively too far to walk unless you really want to make a day of it.

I soon found a two-wheeled answer to this slight annoyance — a brand new bicycle. This relatively low-cost, and certainly environmentally friendly, solution has changed my life for the better. 

What was a 45-minute walk to Andersonville is now an enjoyable 10-minute ride down North Glenwood Avenue. Instead of waiting for trains or buses while en route to run an errand in Uptown, I can just hop on my bike and be there in 15 minutes. It’s astounding just how much more manageable the city grid feels to traverse from atop the stiff, uncomfortable seat of a bike. 

It also comes in handy when I wake up late for class, as I can break a nice morning sweat and wake up in full by pedaling, my face propelling through the cold air. The neighborhoods surrounding the Lake Shore Campus are generally great spaces for biking — setting the course for a nice, leisurely ride on your way to lecture. 

If you’re mindful of directions, you can bike all the way from Rogers Park to the Water Tower Campus without ever traversing a major roadway. On the way you’ll see more of the city than you ever imagined possible.

There are also great health effects you just don’t get from other micro-mobility options such as e-scooters, as cycling is a great form of cardio. Let me tell you, after over two years of almost daily pedaling, my calves are toned.

At 28%, the transportation sector accounted for the largest portion of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2022, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. A huge chunk of that comes from personal automobiles. If you’re concerned with lessening your environmental impact, trying out a bike could be a great place to start. 

So help clear up traffic by looking into cycling. When you find yourself stranded and the next bus isn’t coming for 25 minutes, before you order yet another Uber see if there’s a Divvy station nearby. As the weather warms up, take an afternoon and pedal down the Lakefront trail — you’ll be surprised by how far two wheels can take you.