TransAlt: Commuter Profile: William Troper, 40

Commuter Profile:
William Troper, 40

Neighborhood: Englewood Cliffs, NJ
Occupation: Database programmer
T.A. member? Yes
Commute: From my home in Englewood Cliffs, NJ, across the George Washington Bridge, up Broadway through northern Manhattan, across the 207th Street Bridge into the Bronx, then I wind up at the Metro north Station at the end of Fordham Road. I board the 8:05 train at Fordham Road and take it to Valhalla. From the Valhalla station I ride two miles to my office.
Route: Summit Street- Palisades Avenue-Hudson Terrace-George Washington Bridge bike/ped path-Broadway-Nagle Avenue-Fordham Road-Train-Columbus Avenue-Stevens Drive
Bike: Trek 1100 road bike
Gear: Marmot Precip yellow jacket (visible and ultra-durable), wind pants, ski gloves, wool sweater, balaclava, clear eye protection (for riding at night), sunglasses (for riding during the day), Nashbar SPD pedals and shoes, shoe covers (booties) and slime tire liners.
How long commuting? One year
Why started? My girlfriend was commuting (and still does) from NJ to NYC (even further than me). Also, I was getting tired of the 35-mile drive (each way). And I save $5/day (no gas or tolls, only the monthly train pass). I am actually in the process of selling my car. I've found that giving up my car in exchange for commuting by bike has been tremendously liberating.
Weather: I ride rain or shine. I ride my girlfriend's mountain bike too after it snows.
Memorable experiences: Riding in the traffic across the GWB when the bikeway was closed. WARNING: the expansion joints on the GWB will easily swallow a bike tire (road or mountain). Having the helicopter shine the spotlight on me as I whizzed onto the GWB the first night of the war in Iraq. Soldiers on the GWB. The Twin Towers falling down.
Best commute: It's always great!
Worst experience/commute: Flats. I don't stop to change them. I just ride to my destination. The wheel and tire remain OK, but the tube gets ruined.
Advice: Go for it. Take a long, hot shower before you depart if you do not have a shower at work and then change into fresh clothing. Ignore any negative reactions from anyone-the laugh is on them. Read Lance Armstrong's book for motivation.
Lock: Get a Kryptonite and leave it locked at your destination (so you don't have to carry it with you.
Parking: Take the front wheel off and lock the front and rear wheel and the frame together.
Riding style: As fast as possible. My attitude is that the road is made for cars, buses, trucks and pedestrians, who have the right of way. I expect other vehicles to treat me as another vehicle, and they do, but look at all the dents on vehicles in the city! Ride as fast as possible! Beat the traffic!
Memorable reactions: The face on the two White Plains Police bicycle patrol (riding on the Metro North Train with their bikes) when I told them that they were not allowed to have their bikes on the train we were riding (with our bikes). Both the morning outbound and evening inbound train fall into the bicycle blackout period even though they are off-peak trains. I never encounter any resistance in the evenings. In the mornings, I remove the front and rear wheels from my bike and sandwich them around the frame. This makes the bike surprisingly compact and unobtrusive. I convinced the morning conductors that my bike is "folded-up" and is a "fold-up" bike, which is allowed at all times on all trains.