Dunno if this'll be of any interest

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Panter

Just call me Chris...
but it seems to me that cycling is the answer to a whole host of problems. Overcrowded roads, the environment, stress levels etc the list goes on. Common sense really.

Anyway, I thought I'd put a couple of polls on a fish keeping foum I frequent.
No real reasson to choose a fish keeping forum, I just thought it would prevent a more balanced view than on a cycling or a petrolhead forum.

Anyway, here's the poll on how far people drive to work and here's the question why don't you cycle?

I was fairly shocked at how short a distance people would drive but encouraged to see that it was a lack of facilities stopping some people cycling and not purely laziness.
It would be nice if employers had an incentive to provide shower facilities, what do you lot think?
 
Are you going to conduct a poll on here to find out how many people keep fish?
 

marinyork

Resting in suspended Animation
Location
Logopolis
Very interesting actually. The poll is highly interesting. The responses less so as they are mostly perceptions. That said many perceptions on transport use in general are subconsciously post-rationalised and to do with "hygiene", "personal space" and "safety".

I was somewhat surprised by the number of people who claimed there were actually shower facilities at work (always the 1) and they knew about their ins and outs.
 

zimzum42

Legendary Member
I'm not sure I agree with your utopianist view of cycling will make everyone happy, but back to the topic.

I used to cycle commute when i lived in london, but stopped over a particularly cold Christmas spell and never went back to it. I used to work long hours and the time I lost cycling/changing/showering was actually significant, and if you work long hours it can make a real difference.

In cycling terms I far prefer to go for a ride after work and ride a route I want to ride, not the route to work. And in London the route was very dull, and I could get to work so much quicker in a car.

In singapore there is no chance I'll be coming in on a bike, even after a shower I'd be sweating, it's so damn hot here all the time. And a bus takes me door to door in about 7 minutes, so I'll stick with the air condditioned comfort.

I go for a ride in the evening and come home drenched, I have to swim in the pool for 20 minutes properly to cool off before I can even consider a shower!
 

hubgearfreak

Über Member
Panter said:
I was .... ... encouraged to see that it was a lack of facilities stopping some people cycling and not purely laziness.


i'll wager that for 90%, a lack of facilities is just an excuse for being lazy
 

rich p

ridiculous old lush
Location
Brighton
Quite a good response Panter. I suspect you've possibly recruited a couple of people to the bike scheme.
Sweat seems to be the main issue which I can sympathise with. I have a 2.5 mile commute which involves a mile uphill at the end and I have to take it deliberately slowly to avoid it. It seems pointless to get a sweat on for such a short ride.
 

mr_cellophane

Legendary Member
Location
Essex
mickle said:
Are you going to conduct a poll on here to find out how many people keep fish?

I have a small Koi pond 800 gallons. When the linning goes I will dig it a big bigger.
 
OP
OP
Panter

Panter

Just call me Chris...
mr_cellophane said:
I have a small Koi pond 800 gallons. When the linning goes I will dig it a big bigger.

Good for you



Zimzum, I take your point but it must be relatively unusual for someone in London to have a significantly quicker journey by car wouldn't it? Although I wouldn't want to cycle in the heat and humidity you face now.

I still think cycling would solve a huge amount of problems though. I had to go to Sittingbourne to collect a hire van for work yesterday morning. There was limited car parking at the hire centre and I had the bosses Porsche so didn't want to risk leaving that somewhere dodgy.
I didn't really want to cycle as it was pishing down with rain but public transport is useless where I live so I ended up cycling down to collect it.

Its the first time I've actually cycled through Sittingbourne in rush hour, it was amazing ;)
Traffic was gridlocked and I just sailed down the outside of everything and got there in half the time it would've taken to drive and having had a bit of excercise, and without burning any fuel (except a slice of toast;).)

Ok, I was wet but to be fair I didn't really dress for it with just a rain jacket and ordinary shorts (its only a few miles) but I'd far rather do that than sit in a car everyday.

I wouldn't mind betting that most of that traffic was local either.


I suspect you've possibly recruited a couple of people to the bike scheme.
That would be nice :biggrin:
 

zimzum42

Legendary Member
It is unusual, yes. It was mainly because I worked shifts, so generally missed the rush hour, and because I lived in the centre and worked in West London, and had a 70mph burn along the Westway that cut off a lot of time vs. the bike
 
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