"I passed you on your bike, I can't believe you got here before me"

[jefmcg]

There's another factor: if (say) driving takes 20 minutes and cycling takes 30, then you get an hour of exercise every day in 20 minutes. I doubt the drivers get even 20 minutes exercise every day, let alone an hour.

 

[Shut Up Legs]

A graph would probably be a clearer and more interesting way of displaying your results?

Perhaps, but it wouldn't show the spread of the data. My graph is showing the real data points. If it's any help (and if you're still interested), here's a link to my actual data (an image) :
https://sites.google.com/site/victorssharezone/Home/Commute-times-survey-201007-2.jpg

In any case, I think we can all agree that regardless of the numbers, there are so many benefits to cycling that it doesn't really matter that much how short or long the trip is.

 

[donnydave]

That's a huge factor, the bike will always be a known speed day in day out, with a slight error for weather etc.
In a car the slightest extra congestion can add huge time to a journey, same with the trains.
The bike is a far more reliable option for travelling into London

I love it when there are roadworks on my journey, my commute time is unaffected on my bike but can be an extra 20 mins by car (on what is normally only a 25min journey) Additionally, total journey time by car is greatly affected by even the slightest variation in departure time, just an extra 5 mins before leaving in the car and the built up areas at the end of my journey are a lot slower. This doesn't happen on the bike, its reliably the same journey time ±5mins in all conditions and has been for the last 5 years. In that same time I have heard my car commuting colleagues complain their journey times have crept up by 25% due to busier roads.

For comparison to driving I measure both door to door and "door to desk" to see how much time showering/changing/fannying around drying out clothes/shoes etc takes up. The car wins by about 10 mins on door to door if I leave at the same time. If I leave 15 mins earlier in the car then the car wins by 15 mins (but I had to get up 15 mins earlier!). By this method I dismissed the motorbike as a regular form of transport on my commute as the journey wasn't long enough to gain by queue-beating to balance out time spent getting changed/sorting clothes.

 

[jarlrmai]

For me on my last job bike door to door beat train only just though once you accounted for showers at work/home (10 mile commute)

Averaged over a month or so the bike was better due to train unreliability.

I also realised I had to factor in the train scheduling meaning I had to either leave early or wait late to get a train but the bike meant I could leave when I wanted to.

In terms of journey enjoyment the bike was a total win I hated getting the crowded train and waiting on cold platforms, where as on the bike I'd be warm in <10 minutes.

 

[.stu]

My commute is around 12.5 miles, which takes me about 35-45 mins on my road bike, and 40-50 mins on my cross bike, depending on the weather. By car I can do it in 30 mins, but I need to leave early and stay late to avoid the traffic, otherwise it is 45-60 mins during rush hour.

At the moment with the floods I am having to go an extra 1.5 miles via a shared use path, which is considerably slower then being on the road, so it is taking me about 55 mins. My colleagues that drive the same route are taking 55 mins at the very least, and either have to go a very long way round, or sit in stationary traffic for a fairly long time.

All in all, I'd much rather be on my bike.

 

[DCLane]

My commute is about 10 miles in and 11 back in the winter. It takes 28-34 minutes in by bike and between 30 and 60 minutes by car depending on the time of day. Back it takes about 35-50 minutes (mostly uphill!) and about 40-60 minutes by car.

Even with storing the bike I am almost always faster. Taking into account the fact that unless I'm willing to pay £25 a day to park the car at work I have a 15-minute walk on top the bike always wins.

That's not even taking into account the thinking/de-stressing time on the bike and my improved fitness, plus the money saved.

 

[User482]

It takes me 30 minutes to cycle to the nursery, drop off my daughter, park the trailer and cycle to work. My neighbour, who does the same journey by, can never quite believe it when I beat her home, and has even been known to blame the traffic. Thus far I've been too polite to point out the obvious...

 

[ColinJ]

It takes me 30 minutes to cycle to the nursery, drop off my daughter, park the trailer and cycle to work. My neighbour, who does the same journey by, can never quite believe it when I beat her home, and has even been known to blame the traffic. Thus far I've been too polite to point out the obvious...

And she is not bright enough to work it out for herself ...?

 

[Haitch]

A few years back, in a local cycling forum, I did a survey among the forum members of how their commuting times differ between transport modes, and this graph was the result:

A graph would probably be a clearer and more interesting way of displaying your results?

and plotting distance along the x-axis if still possible?

 

[jay clock]

For my 6 mile journey, bike takes between 20 - 25 minutes depending on traffic. Car takes between 15 - 30 minutes.

The bike only really loses out due to me having to shower and change when I get in.

but presumably you would have to shower before leaving if going by car? So shower time is cancelled out?

 

[Sara_H]

[QUOTE 2929431, member: 1314"]Don't the company have family friendly policies? can you push for that. At my gaff we can come into work laters, leaver earlies, work a day or 2 from home etc.[/quote]
My department's quite flexible. So long as I get there at around 9ish, and do around 7.5ish hours worth of work, everyone's happy! I'm quite lucky.

 

[sheffgirl]

I don't drive, but I used public transport on Wednesday because it looked icy (when I got to the main road it wasn't ) and it took just over an hour to get to work. Cycling takes about 45 minutes. I can get a direct bus instead of the bus and tram so its about the same, but I was colder on Wednesday than I am when cycling, and more grumpy

 

[NorvernRob]

On the other hand....it takes me under 10 minutes to drive the 6 miles to work, and I have to drive anyway as I need to collect my son from nursery (often I only have 15-20 minutes after finishing work to get there).

So until he is at full time school commuting by bike isn't an option, and even when he is it won't be anywhere near as quick as the car. 3 miles of the journey is all uphill as well!

 

[kevin_cambs_uk]

In the summer I regularly beat a mate who gets the bus, 15 miles each way, he pays the 6 quid for the pleasure as well!!!

 

[roadrash]

In the summer I regularly beat a mate who gets the bus, 15 miles each way, he pays the 6 quid for the pleasure as well!!!

Don't you mean he pays six quid for the Misery not pleasure