Bike Commuter: John Ferreira
Tales of a bicycle commuter
By Amy Poffenbarger
John Ferreira commutes by bicycle from Bremerton (via ferry) to Seattle Cancer Care Alliance every day. He’s out the door at 5:40 a.m. and rides his bike about 10 miles round-trip.
“I started riding to work in 2008,” Ferreira says. “I’m not a fan of single-occupancy driving. I want to keep people off the road, especially since we can’t expand Interstate 5.”
Why commute by bicycle?
Working far from home, Ferreira says, “It’s very expensive to take (a car on) the ferry and then pay to park.” Riding his bike is also faster. “When I get off the boat, I’m at work in 10 to 15 minutes,” he says of his ride near south Lake Union.
He also rides because he’s concerned about his health. As an ex-smoker and a need to “combat family heredity,” Ferreira says, “I just feel better to be physically fit.”
Equipment
Ferreira doesn’t ride anything special— a full suspension Gary Fischer mountain bike — because it’s light. “It has no business being on the road,” Ferreira jokes. “But I need a light bike.”
He wears a reflective neon-colored wind-resistant jacket, a waterproof backpack and has lights on the back of his bike and helmet, along with a blinking light in the front of his bike.
Drawbacks to bike commuting
While there are the typical weather issues with riding to work, Ferreira seems to have had more issues with Seattle Metro bus drivers, who “are pretty aggressive.”
“I used to have a duel with the number 15 bus to be in front. But I now ride on First Avenue and he’s on Third Avenue.”
There have been other incidents on the road as well. Like the time his chain broke while he was climbing up a hill. “A bus was coming up behind me and I was trying to unclip. It was a hairy moment,” Ferreira recalls.
Another time a rude driver cut him off, causing him to jump the curb, go over his handlebars and fracture his clavicle.
“As a driver, I used to think ‘stupid bicyclist,’” Ferreira says. “But as a bicyclist, I spend a lot of time looking out for cars. I just want respect and to get to work and home again safely.”
Amy Poffenbarger is a Seattle-based writer who enjoys riding when she can. She and her son try to commute by bicycle from time to time.
