Quitting Winter Commuting

[confusedcyclist]

Back on the horse this morning, almost immediately an twunt in a 5 series saloon (you see!!!) pulled out of a junction with frozen side windows nearly clobbering me. On the bright side another opportunity to practice shouting my french. Le wenker.

You'll all be pleased to hear I have been looking at high output lighting rather than cars, for the off-road section. I'm pretty sure I have a chinese cree light that I always considered too bright for the road stashed somewhere in garage, I'll have to see if that's still working. But I'll be giving the route a cautious go with my rather narrow road beam (360 lumen) this evening.

I've already thrown out the idea of spending £6000 on a car, I just cant face the depreciation costs. I might consider up to £2500 on a 5 year old car, because they don't depreciate much and less risk of being totally decrepit... but it might not come to that come spring, I'll be blissfully riding on the off-road route.

@DCLane I don't mind the CSH that much, some junctions as you say are a pain, with cars pulling in and out haphazardly, but I ride the road at some points to avoid that, particularly before the thornbury bit.

Can you recommend a route to NCN66 from the BRI? Obvious routes are very busy with all the traffic heading to the M606, probably more hazardous than my stretch through Manningham to the city centre.

 

[Andy in Germany]

We got my college tutor one of these. They are surprisingly loud.

 

[I like Skol]

Can I guess where the house was and where you work?

You can, but answers on a postcard only please. I don't want my groupies catching up with me again, I'm a married man!

 

[Moodyman]

OP, I do a similar route to you in reverse. If memory serves me right, I work near your home and you to mine.

Been commuting this for 12 years and never thought about giving up. But, I think you will benefit from tweaking your routes.

Happy to meet up at BRI to introduce you to quiet routes that get you onto NCN66 or the Cycle Superhighway. Send me a PM and we'll sort something out.

 

[cyberknight]

quit for the last 2 weeks
night shift
sub zero
3 hours overtime most nights
erm i want to sleep and not fall off

 

[skudupnorth]

I can understand you being put off from bad drivers, I had the same issue a couple of years ago and split the commute for a while with both driving and cycling. After a while of getting fed up with being stuck in my lovely tin box during the daily gridlock, I returned refreshed to cycle commuting and have not stopped since.
As for cheap motoring, I bought my 1994 Skoda Favorit estate a couple of years back for just under £500 ! Cracking car which has actually gone up in value due to the rarity and sudden coolness ! Luckily I know the cars well and any maintenance is second nature to me so garage bills do not exist.... mind you I still haven’t required those skills other than do the yearly servicing.
This is my old girl earning her keep to lug bike and camping gear to Lincolnshire for a 200k Audax

 

[cyberknight]

View attachment 449986 I can understand you being put off from bad drivers, I had the same issue a couple of years ago and split the commute for a while with both driving and cycling. After a while of getting fed up with being stuck in my lovely tin box during the daily gridlock, I returned refreshed to cycle commuting and have not stopped since.
As for cheap motoring, I bought my 1994 Skoda Favorit estate a couple of years back for just under £500 ! Cracking car which has actually gone up in value due to the rarity and sudden coolness ! Luckily I know the cars well and any maintenance is second nature to me so garage bills do not exist.... mind you I still haven’t required those skills other than do the yearly servicing.
This is my old girl earning her keep to lug bike and camping gear to Lincolnshire for a 200k Audax

My wife has given up driving after her stroke so now I have a car loan for a car that hardly gets used.Could I give it up? I had thought about it but as the wife and son both have regular hospital appointments and in the past I have had to take them to a&e it's worth keeping.

 

[skudupnorth]

My wife has given up driving after her stroke so now I have a car loan for a car that hardly gets used.Could I give it up? I had thought about it but as the wife and son both have regular hospital appointments and in the past I have had to take them to a&e it's worth keeping.

Sadly cars are still required even for us cyclists but I won’t let bad drivers stop me cycling. Even when I was ill last year, my main focus was to ride as soon as possible which annoyed my good lady but it was something to aim for and thankfully I can still do.

 

[mjr]

Sadly cars are still required even for us cyclists

No, they're not. About half the households in the local town have no access to a car. Cars are just very useful for some things. More things than they ought to be IMO because our government is inconsistent about encouraging cycling.

but I won’t let bad drivers stop me cycling. Even when I was ill last year, my main focus was to ride as soon as possible which annoyed my good lady but it was something to aim for and thankfully I can still do.

Well done!

 

[Andy in Germany]

Sadly cars are still required even for us cyclists but I won’t let bad drivers stop me cycling. Even when I was ill last year, my main focus was to ride as soon as possible which annoyed my good lady but it was something to aim for and thankfully I can still do.

I'm very glad I live in a place where this isn't the case, partly through availability of public transport, and partly because we have a network of traffic free or less used roads where it is safe to cycle.

It doesn't stop people telling me that it's impossible to do what I do though, even after 14 years...

 

[skudupnorth]

I'm very glad I live in a place where this isn't the case, partly through availability of public transport, and partly because we have a network of traffic free or less used roads where it is safe to cycle.

It doesn't stop people telling me that it's impossible to do what I do though, even after 14 years...

I've shocked everyone this week at work by continuing to cycle through all the snow and ice. Commuting to work in a car does not happen with me ! As for owning a car, I enjoy old cars and have two 24 year old motors to play with at weekend or to herd the kids about for their various activities. They cost very little to buy,cheap to run and are easy to fix if required.

 

[DCBassman]

It doesn't stop people telling me that it's impossible to do what I do though, even after 14 years...

What part of "I'm doing what yhou say is impossible" don't they grasp? The blindness of the automobile-obsessed...

 

[confusedcyclist]

What part of "I'm doing what yhou say is impossible" don't they grasp? The blindness of the automobile-obsessed...

There are many places where to have a reasonable standard of living it presumes car ownership, I know because I lived in such a place, and it was lonely at times as a child without a means to get about. It does not surprise me that such attitudes exist, much to the detriment of the local market/high street. The existence of the internal combustion engine is the primary reason out of town shopping centres exist. I'm 99% certain that the sub-urban settlement I reside in only expanded rapidly since the 50s onward as a direct result of car ownership and the government's policy to support it and expand road networks. It would not make sense otherwise for developers to build houses without access to other forms of transport to major economic centres from rural or suburban dwellings. Prior to the internal combustion engines, there were some isolated dwellings and farmers around here and not much else. Of course, a hardy few would walk or ride the distances on dirt tracks, but they were the exception. Most lived within walking distance of the amenities and jobs they needed.

It's entirely possible to live without a car, but that takes agency and careful thought and planning about where one lives, works and shops, as well as an acceptance that your are a secondary road user. Some are lucky to live in places purposely designed for it, others bought a house without ever thinking about it. As a nation, we have bought into the idea of car ownership for all, and it's very hard to go back, now everyone is spread out in the suburbs and miles away from the amenities they use, not to mention gone soft on walking and cycling distances of >1-3 miles, taking away the motor engine leaves everyone in limbo. Anyone who challenges the dominance of motor cars is fair game for abuse and/or injury, hence the trivial sentencing for slaughterers of cyclists and outpourings of hatred of non-helmeted cyclists in the press.

Whilst I am prepared to cycle a long distance to get to work, the shops etc, I am not prepared to be subjected to dangerous driving, sadly, the police and government don't take such things seriously, on account of the fact that cycling isn't a real transport method, therefore I have no real rights.

 

[classic33]

I'm very glad I live in a place where this isn't the case, partly through availability of public transport, and partly because we have a network of traffic free or less used roads where it is safe to cycle.

It doesn't stop people telling me that it's impossible to do what I do though, even after 14 years...

I just get told I'm nuts for even wanting to try. When I tell them it's been done, well...

 

[confusedcyclist]

Here's the nobber in van. Posted on twittwat.

View: https://twitter.com/RutGrr/status/1091474285246533632