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Where does public transport fall in your commuting hierarchy

Posted: Thu Apr 01, 2010 10:14 am
by rearviewmirror
Where does PT fall in your list of commuting priorities?

Here's mine.

1. Bicycle Commute
2. Motorcycle Commute
3. Car Commute
4. Wife drop me off at work in car commute.
5. Walk/Jog (not feasible with new 30km commute)
6. Taxi
7. Public Transport (trains/buses/trams)

Re: Where does public transport fall in your commuting hiera

Posted: Thu Apr 01, 2010 10:34 am
by rkelsen
1. Bike
2. PT
3. Car

Re: Where does public transport fall in your commuting hiera

Posted: Thu Apr 01, 2010 11:00 am
by Supe
It doesn't. The local bus's are favoured by itinerants and folks from the communities who do not have the same hygiene standards as most people do. They are often putrid. I also don't want to put up with their aggro. In addition, school age kids (HS) and those unemployed late teens/early 20's types are extremely obnoxious. Plus I'm paranoid that I am going to get in some biff (so also a safety issue). To sit on the bus, I feel dirty. I feel as if I am absorbing the filth of the previous occupant. I don't feel fresh once I have entered a bus.

Re: Where does public transport fall in your commuting hiera

Posted: Thu Apr 01, 2010 11:18 am
by rearviewmirror
Supe wrote:It doesn't. The local bus's are favoured by itinerants and folks from the communities who do not have the same hygiene standards as most people do. They are often putrid. I also don't want to put up with their aggro. In addition, school age kids (HS) and those unemployed late teens/early 20's types are extremely obnoxious. Plus I'm paranoid that I am going to get in some biff (so also a safety issue). To sit on the bus, I feel dirty. I feel as if I am absorbing the filth of the previous occupant. I don't feel fresh once I have entered a bus.
You could also apply this methodology to Melbourne's trains when outside of peak of hour.

Re: Where does public transport fall in your commuting hiera

Posted: Thu Apr 01, 2010 12:45 pm
by emc
Mine would go

1. car commute
2. bike commute
3. public transport

car takes 30 minutes, bike takes me 90 minutes, public transport takes around 120 minutes due to waiting for connections etc.and working shift work means that there isnt always public transport available (forget after 9pm and weekends not to mention public holidays). I would like to make bike number 1 but the time constraints of motherhood mean it isn't currently possible. Another few years though and she'll be letting herself in and out the house for school.

And dare I say it but I agree with Supe.. there are some very special people that catch buses (and alot of normal ones aswell)

Re: Where does public transport fall in your commuting hiera

Posted: Thu Apr 01, 2010 1:06 pm
by Boognoss
1. Bike
2. Car

That's it. There are buses from home to near work but they are hateful. No trains. Welcome to North-Western suburban Sydney ..... :roll:

Re: Where does public transport fall in your commuting hiera

Posted: Thu Apr 01, 2010 1:29 pm
by Dr_Tony
1. Bike -to and from uni it takes 25-30 minutes
2. Train -can take a very short while, only a 5 minute or so trip with a bit of a walk at either end. However, there are some periods during the day that there may be a 45 minute gap between trains, coal and freight trains generally get priority on the Newcastle suburban system.
3. Bus -if the thing turns up at all. Takes about 45 minutes,but potentially with a 20 minute wait, can be full of obnoxious Jesmond High kids in the afternoon, but a bit more flexibilty with time.
4. Car -if I brought it up to Newcastle that week, only really use this option with a combination of trackwork on the mainline between Sydney and Newcastle and heavy rain, in other words 3 times in the last 2.5 years.

The problem with PT in NSW is the large gaps between services, the waiting time just is too long. On the bike I can come and go as I please.

Re: Where does public transport fall in your commuting hiera

Posted: Thu Apr 01, 2010 2:12 pm
by hannos
Preferred:
1. Bike
2. Car


Actual:
1. Car
2. Bike

Commute is 50 minute s- 3 hours by car and 1hr 15 by bike.

Public transport is a bus and 2 trains taking at least 1hr 30.

Re: Where does public transport fall in your commuting hiera

Posted: Thu Apr 01, 2010 2:48 pm
by nickobec
Given that I live 40km from my work and 95%+ of the trip homes would be into 25kmh+ gusting to 35kmh+ headwind, commuting the full distance home can be challenging.

Fortunately I live 2km from the train station which drops me 400m from my work, there are train stations along the commute and I can take my bike on the train except 7-9am to the city in the morning and 4:30 to 6:30pm from the city in the evening.

in order of frequency from last 3 months or so
1. ride to work, ride 13 to 20km towards home, catch train for rest of way (to work 100 mins, home 80 mins)
2. ride to work, stay late, catch train with bike, ride home from station (to work 100 mins, home 45 mins)
3. ride trainbike to station, catch train to and from work (when I have to be home before 6:30pm ie Mondays for Dog Agility training) (to work 45 mins, home 45 mins)
4. ride to and from work, for those days I am feeling great or the freo doctor does not turn up (to work 100 mins, home 120+ mins)
5. Ride some of the way to work 20 to 28km and ride some or none of the way home (for days I have issues on way to work)
6. catch the bus at the end of my street to train station, catch train to and from work and bus home (for those stormy wet days) (to work 55 mins, home 60 mins)
7. drive the car (once in last 18 months) (to work 75+ mins, home 75+ mins)

Re: Where does public transport fall in your commuting hiera

Posted: Thu Apr 01, 2010 3:03 pm
by Pax
rkelsen wrote:1. Bike
2. PT
3. Car
+1

Re: Where does public transport fall in your commuting hiera

Posted: Thu Apr 01, 2010 3:07 pm
by twizzle
1. Bike.
2. Nissan Nomad Van.
3. Datsun 240Z (turbo toy).
4. Toyota Echo (better half's transport).
5. "Is there a bus stop around here? I must have missed that."
6. "Listen mate, I called for a taxi 45 minutes ago and I've been standing at the road all this time - don't f'in tell me that he's been and no-one was there to be picked up."

Re: Where does public transport fall in your commuting hiera

Posted: Thu Apr 01, 2010 9:53 pm
by Fred Nurk
rearviewmirror wrote:
Supe wrote:It doesn't. The local bus's are favoured by itinerants and folks from the communities who do not have the same hygiene standards as most people do. They are often putrid. I also don't want to put up with their aggro. In addition, school age kids (HS) and those unemployed late teens/early 20's types are extremely obnoxious. Plus I'm paranoid that I am going to get in some biff (so also a safety issue). To sit on the bus, I feel dirty. I feel as if I am absorbing the filth of the previous occupant. I don't feel fresh once I have entered a bus.
You could also apply this methodology to Melbourne's trains when outside of peak of hour.
Actually, having lived in Darwin for a few years, and having visited Melbourne last week (I discovered that the taxi drivers down there are crazy), I'd still reckon I'd rather be on a Melbourne train than a Darwin bus.

I may have been priviledged that I didn't get to experience the full Melbourne public transport experience (though I did manage to catch connecting buses for a couple of days), but Darwin's buses are something else.

As for the original question, there is no bus service where I live, its 5km away as a minimum, and there is nowhere to put my bike so that I can catch a bus.

Re: Where does public transport fall in your commuting hiera

Posted: Fri Apr 02, 2010 1:52 am
by Mulger bill
I bike train bike twice a day. Door to door usually 65-70" Over two hours ten each way if I ride the lot.
I have no problem using PT anytime and rarely get hassled. What piffs me is the Rsoles who think their bag and feet deserves a seat of their own.

Shaun

Re: Where does public transport fall in your commuting hiera

Posted: Fri Apr 02, 2010 2:32 am
by casual_cyclist
1. bike (quickest and preferred but I didn't ride enough this month due to a stupid illness :twisted:) (20 mins)
2. drive to train and train in (30 to 45 mins)
3. bus basically door to door but it's slow (40 mins to an hour and a half)

car is not an option for me because it takes too long and parking in the city is $12 a day (I have been told). I don't want to spend that much on parking... it's a total waste

Re: Where does public transport fall in your commuting hiera

Posted: Fri Apr 02, 2010 2:37 am
by stevepedlin
Should be a comprehensive sort of poll.

Re: Where does public transport fall in your commuting hiera

Posted: Fri Apr 02, 2010 8:03 am
by Max
In theory:

1. Bike commute/train commute. Ride to station, catch train, ride to work. Total travel time approx 2.5 hours each way.
2. Drive to work. Approx travel time 1 hour each way.
3. PT (bus), and walk. Approx travel time 2-2.5 hours each way.

In practice:

1. Drive to work - 2-3 days a week
2. Bike/train commute - the remaining days
3. PT (bus) - never

When I first started having seizures, I'd catch the bus into town, wait around at an interchange for the connecting bus, catch that bus, then walk to work. It was unpleasant, time-consuming and subjected me to variables I couldn't control eg buses that didn't stop at the interchange even though they were supposed to, getting caught in throngs of people so I couldn't actually get to the bus etc. It was really stressful. If I'd been bike-fit back then, I would've got on my bike and not looked back.

I enjoy riding to work, but I'm not fit enough (yet) to do it every day. Also, it requires me to get out of bed at 0400. Any later, and I'll miss the train, and get stressed about being late to work. Over time, my fitness will improve and I'll probably ride to work 3-4 days a week, and gradually push it out to 5. I'm looking forward to winter, where the heat won't be such an issue. I might even ride directly to work (96Km round trip) once it really cools down. :)

Max

Re: Where does public transport fall in your commuting hiera

Posted: Fri Apr 02, 2010 11:20 am
by jules21
i get twitchy if i have to take the train to work and i've missed my morning ride.

Re: Where does public transport fall in your commuting hiera

Posted: Fri Apr 02, 2010 12:17 pm
by Kalgrm
jules21 wrote:i get twitchy if i have to take the train to work and i've missed my morning ride.
+1

1. Bike
2. Train (after driving to the station)

Re: Where does public transport fall in your commuting hiera

Posted: Sat Apr 03, 2010 6:22 pm
by Runjikol
I'm going to redefine PT as Train, Tram, Bus. I don't consider taxis PT and the thinking is the same as why a Limousine is not PT.
That done:
1. Bike (the reality is I still drive the car more than I bike)
2. Train (I'd love to catch a train everywhere)
3. Tram (just like a train but you can't put your bike on it :-( )
4. Car
5. Bus (although I loathe buses)

Re: Where does public transport fall in your commuting hiera

Posted: Fri Apr 09, 2010 3:53 pm
by jonw
1. Bike
2. Bus

Yesterday I got the bus home from work for the first time this year. I work in Sydney Olympic Park and the easter Show is on, so there are quite a few people around trying to get home at that time of day. The bus was 40 minutes late. By the time I got off it, it was puring rain and I still had a 20 minute walk to get home. Got soaked. Hopefully that'll be the last time I get the bus home this year.

Re: Where does public transport fall in your commuting hiera

Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2010 4:53 pm
by goneriding
1. Bike (I live 10 minutes from work. Takes me nearly 2 hours to get there :))
4. PT (40 minutes)
3. Car (don't do it)

Re: Where does public transport fall in your commuting hiera

Posted: Sat May 22, 2010 6:02 pm
by jet-ski
1. Bike (18 minutes)
2. Train (12 minutes + walking)
3. Bus (not sure, never done it)
4. Car to East Perth & then walk
5. Drive to work and pay $20 for parking!!!

Re: Where does public transport fall in your commuting hiera

Posted: Sat May 22, 2010 7:26 pm
by Chef
1. Bike
2. Other Bike
3. Wife's car (with her driving)
4. Taxi (maybee two or three times a year)
5. Public transport (I wrote my motorcycle off and injured my back in 2006 and caught the bus for a few (long) weeks)

Re: Where does public transport fall in your commuting hiera

Posted: Sat May 22, 2010 9:47 pm
by martinjs
What's public transport?

Martin

Re: Where does public transport fall in your commuting hiera

Posted: Sun May 23, 2010 1:16 pm
by Bantam Roosta
1. Bike
2. Car pool with colleague
3. Drop off by wife
4. Call in sick (no chance of PT here)

From what I've read so far not too many people are keen on PT. I would love to travel PT if it was efficient and clean. Canberra's PT is generally clean, but far from efficient.

I've also noticed not many people car pool. Perhaps an indication of location, but here in Canberra there are about 10 people (out of about 50) that work in my area that live within a 5 minute drive of my house.