Commuting choices

[User]

 

[bonj2]

Have to say, motorbike is by far the most efficient mode of transport for that distance if you can ride one, as you're not lugging 3 seats and a massive load of steel panels around when you don't need to...
Apparently not so good in the wet though. And not everyone can ride one.

Certainly doable by cycle - I do it (well 29), more 'involved' to do it every day however.

No-one is really 'forced' to work in london but for a lot of people it is the only option that doesn't involve serious compromises or 'uprooting' their lives, some people would consider this to be akin to being 'forced'.

 

[simon l& and a half]

back in the 1980s some bright spark built a motorway around London, and decided it should have about six exits - most of them other motorways. Then another bright spark decided it should have thirty exits, and kaboomba! the M25 commute was born - closely followed by the M42 commute, and the M55......and so we have people routinely commuting 50 miles by car, and, sometimes, by motorbike.

It's not clever, and it isn't worthy of political consideration. And the cost is skyrocketing.

 

[LLB]

It depends what you mean by efficient. For getting one person around, yes they're great. But they don't compare to the efficiency of a car in terms of carrying capacity.

I'm not saying that they're not useful or enjoyable -I spent a year commuting between Birmingham and Coventry and loved it- but they do have disadvantages. I could have done the commute far cheaper, safer, warmer and dryer by public transport.

Most car commutes are single occupancy ones. I regularly carry passengers on my bike, and I've given lifts to colleagues in the past.
How many commutes have you done in your Tino where you have filled the back seats with your colleagues ?

I'd argue the toss on a small cc bike and train commuting also over say 30 miles

 

[domtyler]

I've moved this from another thread to give some respect to the OP's request not to divert it. It's worthy of discussion itself anyway.



Very, very few are forced to work in London. It's down to choices.

It's a choice. There are other options. No-one is suggesting that a 30 mile commute by bicycle is normal. A 30 mile commute with a bicycle involved is very do-able, and a very common alternative to motorcycling.

Shall we all come up to Birmingham to live and work then? All eight million of us? Have you got room in your front room for a few nights while we sort ourselves out?

 

[hackbike 6]

I have trouble with ten miles.Thirty would probably b too much for me now.

 

[cannondale boy]

Most car commutes are single occupancy ones.

Its shocking to find that most drivers, will only have themselves, or one passenger in the car. Cars were built for carrying people, not just a person! Its just a waste of space and money having a 4x4, as apposed to say a SMART car which carrys two people.

Problem is drivers won't opt for a SMART car, because lets face it their ego gets in the way of everything in life, big house means i need a big car.

I look at my bike to get to work because i get all the benefits from the bike, than i do from any other mode of transport. It does take slightly longer than a train or car but i know that i'll have some spare cash left over at the end of the week to buy whatever i need for the bike.

 

[hackbike 6]

I think some people abuse the "privilege" of being able to own and drive a car.

For one driving it badly and not concentrating and also poor abusive behavior when they are wrong.

 

[Perry]

For about 8 years I drove to work, even though I get free travel.

A 20 min journey in comfort or an hour on the tube late at night.

I now use my bike/cycle - A great choice for me

 

[LLB]

Its shocking to find that most drivers, will only have themselves, or one passenger in the car. Cars were built for carrying people, not just a person! Its just a waste of space and money having a 4x4, as apposed to say a SMART car which carrys two people.

Problem is drivers won't opt for a SMART car, because lets face it their ego gets in the way of everything in life, big house means i need a big car.

I look at my bike to get to work because i get all the benefits from the bike, than i do from any other mode of transport. It does take slightly longer than a train or car but i know that i'll have some spare cash left over at the end of the week to buy whatever i need for the bike.

I hired a car in Mallorca last week, and they had loads of smart cars up for hire at the airport. I'd not think twice of getting one if my circumstances dictated, but you can't get 3 people in a smart car, so I opted for a VW Polo for the duration.


In terms of success, the smart car isn't one really. The company lost 4 billion euros between 2003 & 2006, and as a result smart GMBH went into liquidation

My own choices for a car have always been driven by practicality and I've taken the 4x4 off the road for a while as it is not being used in its utility role and replaced it with an A class Merc.

Many owners in my 4x4 club use them as offroad vehicles, but most tow caravans or large trailers with them, and this is where the demand for a big vehicle stems from.

 

[Night Train]

Its shocking to find that most drivers, will only have themselves, or one passenger in the car. Cars were built for carrying people, not just a person! Its just a waste of space and money having a 4x4, as apposed to say a SMART car which carrys two people.

Problem is drivers won't opt for a SMART car, because lets face it their ego gets in the way of everything in life, big house means i need a big car.

This is probably true of many but not all.
I own and drive a large estate car all on my own. Once in a while I will have passengers. Most of the time I will be carrying goods and tools. People have said I should get a van but vans are less economical and I can't chuck a few passengers in the back once in a while.

Ideally I would have:
A motorbike for when it is only me
A Smart car when I have a passenger
A small hatchback for when I have 4 passengers
An estate car when I have passengers and luggage
A box van when I have goods and tools for work
A flat bed truck for when I am moving building waste

That would be six vehicles to fund, keep and park instead of my one with two trailers. I could hire as I needed but that increases the cost of use and doesn't allow for a constantly varying requirement over the course of a week or a day as more time and fuel would be used in delivering vehicles back and forth.

Vehicle users sometimes have to make the choice of the one least worse compromise vehicle that isn't the best for most, if any, of the required uses. Sometimes ego dictates the chosen brand of vehicle but I think maybe it sometimes doesn't dictate the size.

 

[cannondale boy]

This is probably true of many but not all.

Depending on peoples circumstances i do agree that drivers will have to opt for a 4x4 if living in a rural community. What i do object to, is the small majority that have 4x4's in towns. People like linfordlunchbox thought i need a polo because it meets my requirements, anything bigger would be probably silly and not cost effective.

 

[Night Train]

True, circumstance is an issue and sometimes it is not.
I used to have a huge 6x6 truck (that I built myself) in London as I did shows and competitions with it, it was a second vehicle as I also had an Escort van for work and running around.

It bugged me a bit that my Dad, on his retirement, treated himself to a Land Rover Discovery that cost more in road tax each year then it did in fuel. OK it wasn't polluting much or taking up road space but it was also a bit pointless. When in London he also had a 3.0l Capri and a Renault 5 GT Turbo, both a bit pointless in London. Fortunatly he now drives a bus pass.

I am still looking for that second vehicle for my lone commutes and I can't decide between 2 seat car or motor bike, either way I need it to be electric but with 70+ mile range.

It is a pity that we can't have more adaptable vehicles, say a single seat reverse trike for the commute that can have variable sized wheeled passenger or cargo pods attached as required. That is the sort of thing I want. It'll probably be green with Thunderbird 2 printed on the side!

 

[jonesy]

Depending on peoples circumstances i do agree that drivers will have to opt for a 4x4 if living in a rural community. What i do object to, is the small majority that have 4x4's in towns. People like linfordlunchbox thought i need a polo because it meets my requirements, anything bigger would be probably silly and not cost effective.

Even in a rural community not that many really need a 4x4. Only a small percentage work in farming, forestry etc these days, not that many (as a %age) have horses. The vast majority have surfaced roads to their houses.

 

[Greenbank]

It's no surprise that a motorbike/scooter is fastest. I (sometimes) used to commute Cambridge to SW18 in about 65 minutes by motorbike. However that journey was only half an hour longer by train/tube/train, and probably cheaper (but then a ZX6R isn't a sensible commuting motorbike choice!). Most of the time I used the motorbike to get to Cambridge station and get the train.

I now have an 8 mile commute (SW15 to SE1). The benefit I get from cycle commuting is that 30 minute workout twice a day that I wouldn't be getting on a moped/scooter/motorbike.

A moped/scooter/motorbike would save me 15 minutes each way, but I'd still be half an hour down on cycling once I'd done my hour of exercise for the day.