Commuting by bicycle, the maths.

[BlackPanther]

My commute to work is 11.5 miles and takes;
By car.......................25 mins there 45 mins home = 70 mins total
By motorbike............20 mins there 25 mins home = 45 mins total
By bicycle.................45 mins there 35 mins home = 80 mins total

But also bear in mind that I don't mind actually getting out of bed a bit earlier, so the only 'real' wasted quality/family time applies on the ride home. Therefore, making comparisons against the bicycle, if I took the car it would cost me 10 mins, the motorbike could save me 10 mins a day. Also factor in that without the cycling exercise, I would either be significantly less fit OR I would have to waste a heck of a lot more time and money by exercising in another way, ie going to the gym/playing sport etc.

Oh, and with the 35 quid a week saved in petrol/maintenance etc. I'm just about to buy a very nice new bike.

I know it's not me, but I wonder who on here actually saves the most time and/or money by cycling in to work?

 

[scouserinlondon]

When the trains are good they can be marginally quicker than the bike. But they rarely are so bike is usually 5 - 10 mins faster. Particularly in the morning.

Given the fare rises cycling is much cheaper and could be considerably more so if I stopped buying cycling stuff.

 

[Keith Oates]

I don't commute to work at the moment for various reasons (although that may change soon) but it means that I have to go to a Gym most nights for about 2 hours for my excercise routine.The time saved travelling by car is minimal but the 2 hours each night takes a big chunk out of my daily free time and limits the choices I have to do other things!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Hip Priest]

I've only been cycling since last May. I reckon I've spent more on gear (and bikes) since than I would if I'd taken a taxi everyday! Still wouldn't change it though. I love cycling.

 

[Bay Runner]

There is no public transport between my home and place of work, well none that would get me in on time.
Cycling is far cheaper than running a second car, cummuting is my gym time and wind down time.
50 mins from home to desk including a shower, proper job!

 

[subaqua]

huge amount of time saved as the traffic along my route is virtually standstill nearly all the way. just before Christmas I was going to use the bus to come home and the traffic was so bad i walked it and beat the bus !!

 

[mumbo jumbo]

Door to desk (including shower, ablutions etc) takes me about 15 mins longer than if I walk to the station (8 mins) catch a train [which is on time - quite often they're not] and then walk to the office at the other end (4 mins). I have to spend the time travelling somehow so doing it by bike keeps me fit and saves money.

 

[DCLane]

Mines:

My commute to work is 10 miles and takes;
By car.......................40 mins there 35 mins home plus 20 mins walk to the building = 115 mins total
By car to university..45 mins there 40 mins home plus £25 parking fee = 85 mins total
By bus......................60 mins there 60 mins home plus 20 mins walk to the building = 160 mins total
By train.....................15 mins walk, 20 mins train, 15 mins walk each way = 100 mins total
By bicycle.................30 mins there 40 mins home = 70 mins total

By bike I am always faster than the bus, train and usually car. That's despite the cost saving which I work out at £10 each day I use the bike.

 

[fossyant]

Car is 6.5 miles direct route and can take 30 minutes. Bus is about an hour !

Cycling 7.5 to 11 miles is about 25-35 minutes depending on route. So by car I'd not save much time, but I'm getting 20-30 miles a day in on the bike. Equate that to at least 90 minutes training each evening needed. I also travel between sites a few days a week - that takes about 45 minutes (office to office including getting changed each end) where a bus would take 45-60 minutes to travel the 5 miles.

So I'm saving about 7.5 hours a week (minimum) in family time - I might get fed up with my job, but at least my hours are good !

Savings - well it's just fuel as the car is on the drive, so say 13 miles a day at 25 mpg (traffic) at nearly £6 a gallon is £15-£16 a week in fuel.

 

[Jezston]

My commute to work is 11.5 miles and takes;
By car.......................25 mins there 45 mins home = 70 mins total
By motorbike............20 mins there 25 mins home = 45 mins total
By bicycle.................45 mins there 35 mins home = 80 mins total

Car is definitely the worst method if it's only 10 minutes quicker overall than the bicycle, especially when it takes longer to get home. I'd never bother with that. And as you say you're saving on petrol, and you're also getting a free workout.

Riding to work doesn't save me a great deal of money. My two options are:

1. Walk to Nottingham train station at very specific time, get train to Derby, get works minibus from Derby station to work. Pay £115 a month for train pass. 1hr 15 mins.

2. Ride to Beeston, get train from Beeston to Derby, ride from Derby station to work. Pay £85 a month for train pass. 55 mins.

I could ride to work every day but a 40-50 mile round trip each day and a 1hr 30m commute would probably kill me.

No idea what driving would cost or how long it would take. I'd imagine the quickest and cheapest way to work would be if I got a 125cc scooter, but that doesn't really appeal.

 

[leemo]

Cycling to work really makes savings if it means you dont have to go to the gym, and this was one of my main motiviations for starting.

You might spend an hour a day cycling instead of one hour commuting and one hour exercising, thereby saving one hour.

And then not only do you have the reduced commuting costs versus public transport or car but you are saving a gym membership costing something like £40 per month.

 

[TheSandwichMonster]

My commute to work is 20 miles. Cost & time depends on the method & the time of year for me. Winter months I tend to drive (or car share with the gf), spring/autumn is normally a bike-train-bike commute, just using the car when absolutely necessary; When the days get longer, I ditch the train in favour of riding the full distance:

By Car - 30 minutes there; 30 minutes home. ~£150/month fuel costs (commuting miles only).
By Train - 7 minutes ride, 20 minutes train, 12 minutes ride (so 39 minutes in either direction). Additional 10 minutes to shower/change. Costs ~£120/month.
By Bike - 75 minutes each way, dropping to 60 later in the year. 10 minutes shower time. Costs ~£0

 

[BSRU]

I know it's not me, but I wonder who on here actually saves the most time and/or money by cycling in to work?

It is definitely not me, work is only 7 minutes away by car, only 35 minutes if I walked it but it takes me between 60 to 90 minutes by bicycle, depending on the weather.

 

[SquareDaff]

I commute by partly by train so:
Drive to car park: 15 mins + walk to station: 5 mins + train 30 mins + wait for company bus: 5mins + bus ride: 5mins = 1 hour
Ride to station: 15 mins + train: 30 mins + ride to work: 15mins = 1 hour.

Note: if I use the bike I use a different train station and service - otherwise the bike would actually be faster. I have to use the different service as my bikes not of the folding variety.

 

[cyberknight]

My commute by car is 9 miles each way and takes 20 mins each way , country lanes so no real traffic and no lights.
No public transport to where i work as its in the middle of nowhere .
By bike it takes around 35 minutes for just over 10 miles each way as i take a detour to avoid the "roundabout of death "

This is not taking into account changing , putting lights on , locks etc etc .With the car from leaving my house to getting into my work area i reckon its 30 minuets by car and 50-55 minutes by bike .