Cycling vs. Driving

[gzoom]

Bike commute far better than the car commute. Apart from school holidays it was just as quick door to door on the bike as in the car. But on the bike you arrive with a smile and ready for the day. Where as in the car you’d be grumpy from the traffic. Sure I’d have a shower at work

In the city a bike works much better as a commuter tool, it took me barely 10 minutes to across the city today on the eBike, door to door. In the car it would have taken me 5 minutes just to get out of the car park. Been on the eBike means there is also no need to sweat, even into a 25 mph head wind.......Still much prefer using the indoor bike for 'proper' cycling, when sweat is involved .

 

[ianrauk]

I pitty and feel sorry for the driver's I see every day, I just seems like there missing out on so much.
Love riding my bike to work.

Indeed.
I see the same car drivers, stuck in the same traffic jam, day after day.

 

[Dogtrousers]

I wonder how many running forums have a commuting section, I must admit I don't know anyone who runs to work.

Back in the days when I had knees I used to sometimes run the 10km home from work. But I never ran in.

 

[marzjennings]

I think I'm evenly split between the joys of commuting by car or bike. Our current office is about 10 miles away, towards down town, and I purposively leave early to avoid traffic and enjoy the drive in. It would be somewhat suicidal to try and cycle there. But when the company planned to relocate 6 miles in the other direction I was very excited about the possibly of riding through a local park to get to work everyday. Unfortunately those plans fell through. Likewise when I worked in Henley each morning was a even choice of how to get to work today. I think having the choice meant neither ever became a slog.

 

[oldwheels]

I think both driving and cycling are faced with the problem of what to do with your vehicle at the other end. Enormous amounts of infrastructure have been given over to enabling cars to be left in a relatively secure environment. Not so with bikes. A better solution than just shoving some bits of scaffolding pole into a concrete base is needed. I'm not sure what, but something better than that.

Personally drive or cycle is a question that rarely crops up for me. I regularly only drive relatively long distances at weekends to see friends/family so that's a question of "drive vs train" not "drive vs bike". The other use I sometimes put my car to is late evening taxi service as I don't drink so I sometimes ferry people home in the wee hours. Bike's no good for that

Not recent but there used to be a guy in Oban did a taxi service with a trailer for 2 people. Rickshaw?

 

[Brandane]

I pitty and feel sorry for the driver's I see every day, I just seems like there missing out on so much.
Love riding my bike to work.

I pity and feel sorry for the cyclists I see on my commute. Or, I would if any were stupid enough to even attempt it! Ten miles each way, over a long and steep climb (to begin with at least) over the A760 Haylie Brae. A horrible road to cycle, as I know from experience. Narrow trunk road with blind corners, busy with traffic, and a surface with the top dressing missing, making it hard work.
No, sorry, car for me thanks. It's rural enough to normally be free of traffic hold ups, so 15 minutes each way with the heater on, my favourite tunes, and I arrive at work relaxed and sweat free .
I only work 4 hour days anyway, so cycling can wait until the afternoon if I want to go for a ride.

 

[cyberknight]

Which bike do you use? Have you considered reps?

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Les6H7Ufhpo

 

[matticus]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Les6H7Ufhpo

Dude, you rock.

 

[cyberknight]

Dude, you rock.

i wish

 

[Time Waster]

I used to ride 40 minutes to work but now I live in the sticks and can't justify a 90 minutes each way commute so no cycling doesn't beat driving. Neither work for me but of the two driving into work is a nice 20 to 30 minutes traffic free cruise into work and 35 minutes home due to a little more traffic going home.

What works is bike, train, bike. It's cheaper and only a little bit slower than car going home,

As to driving vs cycling they're simply different modes of transport. One is only better than the other in some cases, worse in others. To say one is always better is a bit ridiculous. Try carrying a car or van full of kids and their kit to sporting, school or residential events on your bike. You need to pick the right tool for the job. A bike, van, car, train is just a tool to get somewhere.

As to enjoyment that's different. I enjoy riding more than getting the train but I also enjoy driving more than getting the train. For leisure I think riding is the better activity but then driving isn't a hobby but cycling is. Driving is about a to b only. Cycling can be a to b but at other times it's about just being out on a bike.

 

[Fredo76]

I'm retired, so I don't commute to work, but on the larger subject of cycling vs. driving, I'll say this. About 3/4 of the businesses in Española are on the main drag through town, a four-mile stretch of highway 68 named Riverside Drive, even though the Rio Grande is not even in view from the road along that stretch. I would love to ride my bike to run errands, go to the grocery store, etc., but I don't ride along that stretch of road, for safety reasons.

That portion of the highway is four lanes, two in each direction, plus a turning lane shared by both directions. It is often filled with traffic, and while I actually admire the nimble driving and the courtesy displayed by the local drivers navigating that stretch, which has fewer crashes than I would expect, there are plenty of drivers who must wait, with patience or without, for interruptions in the traffic to pull out of a parking lot from the right, or to turn left or enter traffic using the turning lane. I figure that all of them are way more apt to see a car approaching, than a bicyclist, because that's what they are looking for in terms of their own safety.

I've ridden to several medical destinations in other parts of town, but most other town errands are done with the automobiles. Funny that I'll ride that stretch on a motorcycle, but not a bicycle, and still feel (relatively) safer. Even fewer people see bicycles than see motorcycles, I think, and the consequences of a crash are apt to be more serious for older bodies such as mine.

 

[BrumJim]

Back in the days when I had knees I used to sometimes run the 10km home from work. But I never ran in.

I've run into work a couple of times. Big problem was making sure that everything was at work; money, keys, clothes, towel, laptop, bike so I could get home, etc. Second problem was that it was winter, and I was dropping my boy off at school. Therefore I turned up in February in shorts and t-shirt with my son. "Aren't you cold?" asked someone? "Of course I am. Its February and I'm only wearing shorts and a t-shirt."

Was toasty when I finally arrived at work.

 

[lazybloke]

I pity and feel sorry for the cyclists I see on my commute. Or, I would if any were stupid enough to even attempt it! Ten miles each way, over a long and steep climb (to begin with at least) over the A760 Haylie Brae. A horrible road to cycle, as I know from experience. Narrow trunk road with blind corners, busy with traffic, and a surface with the top dressing missing, making it hard work.
No, sorry, car for me thanks. It's rural enough to normally be free of traffic hold ups, so 15 minutes each way with the heater on, my favourite tunes, and I arrive at work relaxed and sweat free .
I only work 4 hour days anyway, so cycling can wait until the afternoon if I want to go for a ride.

Sounds an awful cycling route, with busy traffic being my worst bugbear.
But get rid of traffic and I'd accept the rest.

My old commute involved a busy narrow trunk route - hated it so much I cycled it just the one time.


I far preferred a route that avoided traffic by going along a mile or so of towpath, 3 miles of bridleway, and a 500-600 foot steep climb.

Also had a longer but flattered winter route that was mostly on roads and cyclepath (and a bit of bridleway).

Anything to avoid bad traffic.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

As to driving vs cycling they're simply different modes of transport. One is only better than the other in some cases, worse in others. To say one is always better is a bit ridiculous. Try carrying a car or van full of kids and their kit to sporting, school or residential events on your bike. You need to pick the right tool for the job. A bike, van, car, train is just a tool to get somewhere.

Exactly, mix and match your method of transport according to how far you're going, what stuff you need to lug around, and what the weather conditions are like.
Short journey, minimal cargo, decent weather - bike every time. Or even walk if really local. Shite weather, stuff to take with you or pick up, or longer distances - let an engine take the strain. Fighting a fierce headwind, doing a day's physical work, then having to ride home afterwards whilst feeling knackered - no thanks. That would suck the enjoyment out of cycling and turn it into a chore. Cycling by choice is different from cycling under duress because you don't have any alternative to it.

 

[Bollo]

When I last changed jobs I put ’no commuting required’ at the top of the list.

My choice now is walk or cycle and these days I walk it. The ride is about 6 minutes thanks to an awkward one-way system where it’s actually quicker at one point to get off and lug the bike down some stairs. Add in a minute or two to lock the bike up in the secure but awkward maintenance area and we’re looking at closer to 10 minutes in total. The ride back is over 10mins as it’s almost all up and requires some jousting with the evening city traffic.

The walk is 20 minutes tops, entirely agreeable and just sets me up better for the day.