Meet Carlos -- Car Commuter turned bicycle/train commuter!

I have been meaning to write about a friend on this blog for quite a while. I had originally planned to incorporate his story of transitioning to a blended commute (bicycle + train) into a larger story about the progress of our advocacy efforts – ‘bikecar101’. Since I have not written up the progress of our advocacy yet (in terms of our wellness journey and lessons learned), I decided to go ahead and share his story by itself. You might ask the following: Why not just start writing the progress as you are writing his story? Fair enough.

The reason is that Carlos decided to take public transportation without meeting us first. Although, later (as you will read below) he noticed that incorporating a bicycle into his commute would be easy after observing us (bikecar101 group) on the train.  For this reason, his motivational story is closely aligned to the movement ‘#BikeInstead and #WalkInstead’ that is gaining traction. That is, normal people who are choosing to incorporate a bicycle into their commute or walk instead of driving for a variety of reasons (stress reduction, time spent in traffic, etc.). Regardless of whether you are planning a transition to using a bicycle or are walking more instead of driving, Carlos has a moving story which is worth entertaining for your future growth in your life.

My Introduction To Carlos:

I met Carlos during our commute on the Metrolink train system; the Ventura County line 150 returning to Los Angeles Union Station from Northridge. We both commute by train and bicycle to and from Northridge. He is a mechanic. The reason that I mention his profession will become apparent later in the post. I was sitting reading the paper, minding my own business. Usually, my wife would be on the same train, but she was on a break from teaching that week.

Let me back up about five minutes to our boarding the Metrolink train.  Inherently, there will be interaction between riders boarding with bicycles on each train.  A little initial dialogue is common between bicycle commuters upon boarding a Metrolink train -- something like the following:

Mike: “How are you doing today? Where are you headed?”

Carlos: “Fine, How are you? I am going to Union Station”

Mike: “Great man, thanks. Cool, I will put my bicycle on the outside of yours since I am exiting at Glendale.”

Especially, when each of us is trying to determine the order in which to strap our bicycles down in the rail car. In the picture below, notice that the bicycles are tied against the wall. There is a bicycle ‘etiquette’ to follow. The reason is to minimize the number of times at each stop each person with a bicycle must get up to move their bicycle to accommodate the person exiting the train. If the situation is disorganized, there will be a strong resemblance to the old video game called "tetris" and will require strategic maneuvering while the train is in motion (not desirable).  Normally, riders will ask each other the following question when boarding the train “What stop are you getting off at?” The rider with the furthest distance places their bicycles nearest the wall. Why is this information important to you?

Maybe for future reference when you start riding the Metrolink train with a bicycle? 

The initial interaction is the first step in establishing a relationship (friendship) between riders on the train. Struggling to learn the system cab be difficult (and overwhelming).  Although, each rider has invested the time to incorporate a bicycle into their commute.  As a result each rider with a bicycle on board is interested in reducing the bicycle congestion on each rail car -- which equates to amicable riders.  Warning: there are some bicycle commuters who are jerks – they cannot be avoided. Generally though, they are few in number due to the majority of riders with bicycles being friendly and happy to be engaging in 'active transportation.'  

There are also times when there are too many bicycles are on board on rail car – as portrayed in the photo below. That too inspires conversation amongst cyclists to advocate for a ‘bikecar’ on each train.

This little interaction is quite different than riding the Metrolink without a bicycle. Traditionally, riders interact (those without bicycles) by sympathizing about the train systems major issues: tardiness or broken facilities, etc.  Bringing a bicycle on board is a change of mindset at the outset.  We are not without error!  The major complaint (commonly heard among cyclists) is that there needs to be more bicycle storage – hence the need for a ‘bikecar’ on every train.

Back to the story...

After we (Carlos and I) both sat down, a conversation eventually started up between the two of us.  Anyone who rides the public transit with a bicycle is bound to get asked a question -- especially by another cyclist -- which is a great aspect of commuting by bike and train.  He inquired about the two riders with whom I ride each morning from the station.  One is Kayla (my wife) and the other is our friend Jen.  Jen is also an employee at California State University – CSUN (where Kayla and I both work at).  Not to get too sidetracked on Carlos’s story, but Jen started riding her bicycle after seeing us repeatedly ride from the station in the morning to the campus.  As a result of the addition of Jen to our commute to school from the station, we now have a ‘mini-bike train’ from the Northridge Metrolink station to the CSUN campus every morning – strength in numbers!  After answering the questions that he asked regarding the people I ride with on a daily basis, I asked him the following question:

"What made you choose to bring a bicycle on a train?"

Reasons For Riding Metrolink:

His first answer to the question was that he was trying to get exercise in during the commute. He mentioned that riding a bicycle felt much better to him compared to driving.  Naturally, I agreed with him knowing myself the extra health benefits that Kayla and I have experienced by transitioning to a lifestyle centered around biking and walking.  Carlos then proceeded to tell me a more in depth story about how he came to bring a bicycle on board – which was super motivating for me – a true testimonial.  The real reason was one that was really based on the need to feel better -- healthwise.  

Chest Pains:

Turns out that a few months earlier, Carlos had been driving to work from around Union Station. He kept track of time – being a mechanic, he monitored his car and naturally tracked the time spent on the road.  After a mechanic fixes a car, he/she needs to test drive the car to ensure that the problem is fixed.  Take the car for a 'test drive.'  Anyways, one day while commuting, he started keeping track of ‘chest pains’ that he was beginning to experience. The chest pains were not significant but noticeable.

He knew that the pains were not debilitating enough to the point of going to the hospital.  But the pain was slight and noticeable. He decided to be mindful of them – so he thought. Over time, the thoughts of a possible link to a more serious health impact started to arise in his mind more frequently. Before I tell you about his proactive measures, there are two more (health) indicators that were slight but enough for him to act upon to seek some professional help.

Decompression Period:

Over the course of a couple weeks, he noticed that his chest pains were primarily happening while he was in the car on the freeway. As if chest pains were not enough, a second driving-related observation was beginning to surface over time. He noticed upon arrival at home from work – after driving, he would need a certain amount of time to decompress. During this time, he requested that he not be bothered by any of his family.  He needed just a few minutes of ‘quiet time.’  Each of us needs quiet time at one point or another.  Further, over time he noticed that the amount of ‘quiet time’ needed started to increase – which caused him an additonal amount of concern.  Not good.

General Stress/Bad Moods:

Overall, Carlos just started feeling terrible throughout the day. He said that he could be in a good mood for a short period of time, but then stress would creep in and get him worked up.  Additionally, on both week nights and weekends, he felt like his stress level was rising over time.  Compared to what? He did not know… which is why he decided to go seek professional help. He is 35 years old and comes from a family with no history of heart problems (heart attacks, high cholesterol levels, genetic problems, etc.).

He arrived at the point of seeking a second opinion.  As he put the thought – “just check to see if everything was working alright…” – meaning his heart and other vital organs. He went to see a heart surgeon who gave him the full work up. The results indicated that nothing was wrong. In fact, the doctor was confused to an extent.  Surely, there must be something wrong?  No Sir – everything checked out fine.

The doctor suggested that he might be suffering from general stress/anxiety disorder caused by driving.  He suggested as a solution to eliminate any stress in his life. Now, at first pass (in hearing), that advice might sound drastic and impossible. He asked the doctor to clarify his suggested solution? The doctor suggested that he find solutions to avoid taking on any more stress than he already has.  Furthermore, he suggested, that Carlos evaluate the stressors in his current routine and start to find ways to reduce the ‘unneeded’ stress.

This was crucial to his transition. Make a list and see if there are any stressors that can either be eliminated or reduced by simple actions. What he did not realize was the simplicity associated with making a large change with a small implementation to his current routine. All transitions in life do not need to be difficult – he now tells everyone!

Carlos Evaluates Change:

Carlos sat down upon returning from the doctor and made a list. He realized that there was one area that is causing the most stress. This major stressor was also the area that was most easily changeable. He could change his commute. No, he was not going to change jobs (although that thought did cross his mind at one point during the list making). After searching online, he came to the conclusion (realization) that he could take the Metrolink train to Northridge and then walk the remaining distance (roughly a mile).

This was a major step for Carlos – since he had not previously ever considered commuting by train out to Northridge. He realized the possibility! In a previous blog, I discuss the ‘realization’ process as being one of the major barrier’s to a transition into a lifestyle filled with active transportation (both vacation and work).  After he realized that he could take the train and walk the remaining distance -- he realized that fitness would be incorporated into his commute! #WalkInstead.  As a result, the choice of transitioning from a car to the train (plus walking) would lead to a further reduction in the overall stress in his life. Very exciting results emerged from this choice – read on!

He decided that he would try the new routine for a while.  Obviously, he could alway return to driving if he had no other choice of transportation.  After determining the times when the trains were available -- he took the first large step. 

Carlos started taking the train!!!!!

Action Leads to Optimization:

According to Carlos, the most difficult part was leaving earlier in the morning (than he normally would) to catch the train at LA Union Station. This difficulty is often expressed by a large number of commuters who take public transportation. After a week of commuting by train, he said that he started to adjust to the difference in routine. Further, he started noticing that we brought our bicycles on the train and exited off at Northridge too. Watching us from a distance gave him enough motivation to purchase a bicycle and add that into his commute. He did not mind walking from the Metrolink station, but in retrospect, he wanted to reduce the walking time. What he really wanted to reduce was the stress associated with the time from his work to the train station. A bicycle reduced the time spent on the trip. For him, this was a further optimization of his commute.

Quickly, Carlos started making changes to the bicycle that he was commuting with.  The first change was to buy the proper gear for maintaining safety during his commute.  Second, as a mechanic, Carlos is trained to optimize his ride (his bicycle) to reduce the travel time.  Over the course of a couple weeks, he bought a new bicycle – a touring bicycle in place of his clunky mountain bike. This is where I met him in person on the train.

How is life now after commuting by bicycle and train?

Carlos was happy to share his story after exchanging greetings. And I was super happy to hear his story. Feeling healthy and making changes which result in a higher quality of life are exciting and addictive. The only better realization than having a higher quality of life is to hear about someone else making the transition.  After a month of riding his bicycle along with the train, Carlos is happy to report that he no longer needs the ‘decompression time’ at the end of his day. Can you believe this? After engaging in active transportation, the need to ‘decompress’ upon arriving at home has ceased to exist in his routine.  Carlos is happy to get home.  He is relaxed and feels less stressed upon arrival.  I believe that this is a true testimonial to the importance of making such a transition in one's life.  Especially, if there are adverse health effects with your current routine.

Not everyone can make changes in their lives and incorporate a train or a bicycle into their commute. A week ago, Carlos was offered another job several miles closer to his house.  Here is where the story proceeds to the next level – of life.  Carlos turned down the job that is closer to his house and pays more (higher wage). He wants to have an ‘active transportation’ component in his life.  Imagine that?  

A change in routine – which was perceived as a little difficult results in the following life changes: 1) less stress 2) no decompression period (i.e., more time spent with his family) and 3) life satisfaction.

Carlos is shy (photo shy) – so there will be no pictures of him. To validate his story, hop onto the Ventura County line in the morning with a bicycle – look for the man with a shaved head and a fluorescent orange sweater – who is super nice.

We at Kaiser wellness center and bikecar101 hope that you find a solution to all of the stressors in your life which involves engaging in 'active transportation.'  The benefits are numerous and cannot be highlighted enough.  That is typically why you will run across a person that has elevated his/her health and is extremely excited about the change.  Search within yourself for the change that elevates the quality of life through better health.  Have a wonderful day!