Urbana-Champaign Bicycle Commute

Proposed Ride of Silence Route: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=954892

8 miles (Google says 7.9), and of course it doesn't print nicely from that setup. Hmmm...

I didn't count - tomorrow I may - but it seemed there really were as many cycles as cars on the roads I used this a.m. (Northern route.) There were five bikes on the rack when I put mine on there. Guess that tells me it's not students who have been riding in - most of the bikes were familiar. So, marketing mavens, that would indicate that staff/ faculty are more likely to pedal than students, whom we might have assumed were more amenable to a less expensive alternative? What are the factors - speed? (Students may need to get to their next destination quickly, whether it's the day care center or the job or the party) Cargo? (Books. Books. Could also be the reason I didn't see faculty/staff bikes before - they may have less to carry this week.) Mindset? (Students are mere sheep being led by the conglomerate forces whilst faculty/staff are occasionally independent thinkers? SNork :))