Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

I often get this sort of comment from work colleagues.

Of course it's so much better by car.

Because I love to wizz past all the cars stuck in peak hour traffic.

I've got plenty of answers when colleagues ask why I commute by bike.

Keeps me fit.

Gives me a buffer between home and work and then between work and home.

Reduces stress.

So very much cheaper.

Gives me energy for the day.

Gives me an excuse to dress in lycra every day.

I could go on but I'll leave it there for now.

5.73km/hr. I had to laugh. Seriously, a pensioner with a walking frame and a spritely frame of mind is a serious contender against that.

The majority of Melbourne transport corridors are essentially dedicated to motor transport too, and Melbourne has vastly more ring-road/expensive highway arrangements than other cities. Can't construct their way out of this one, the only thing that will work is reduction of the size of the average single occupant box.

I feel sorry for car commuters. They miss out on so much.

Funny thing is that when I was a car commuter, I used to feel sorry for cyclists. Now I see that they were right all along.

Back when I rode a bike it was a good distance, I had a need for high level of fitness, I liked what I felt like half an hour after the shower. And I had adequate facilities at work. And if I did not have parking spot at work then that would have been a big reason.

Nowdays it is substantially recreation. I can mix it with public transport. And it gives me more than the minimum physical activity, which various problems with my aging body would not allow me to otherwise do. Extra exercise then means extra drinking and extra eating, both of which I like.

I ride in and out every working day, without exception. So I miss not being able to read or do crosswords or catch up on work during the trip in or out.

I can understand how others may not find it practical, and especially if there are no end of trip facilities.

I moved to Perth from the South West of W.A. 11 years ago. I had just returned from 12 months backpacking around Canada and the U.S. with a fairly physically active but otherwise subsistent lifestyle. Whilst abroad I lost 35kg gained from the previous years of working remotely Fly-In/Fly-Out with a very unhealthy diet and lifestyle.

I was determined not to get used to peak hour traffic and I was determined not become part of the Live export trade aboard the Transperth Live Rat Carriers

I made it part of my routine. It's no more painful than anyone elses; but it has benefits.

The journey to and from work the most satisfaction & enjoyment I get out of my job. Why would I ruin that by driving?

The main reason is cause I love riding! I started commuting by bike as it was a chance to do something I enjoy a few more times a week. The fact that I can incorporate some daily exercise into my commute home and not have to go to a gym is a massive benefit for me. It's a more enjoyable form of exercise, plus it saves time in having to go to the gym.

Another reason is so no one can blame me for Juliar's carbon-its not a tax-tax

One comment I can't stand by motorists is "I pay rego I deserve to be on the road, you dont". Well I also pay THE SAME rego and my car sits in the driveway all week. Rego should somehow be based on how many km's you drive per year.

I like the excitement of surviving a bicycle commute in Sydney traffic. Somewhat a sadistic reason to ride I admit, but when you do an office job, sitting at a PC for 80% of your day... the last thing you want to be doing is sitting in a car or sitting on public transport for another hour or so... (or more for many people).

To be honest, most people in my office don't ask why I ride, they simply say they wish they could do... then make up some excuse for not riding...

Re markusm... I don't know how the carbon tax is going to work out (ie PAYE tax increase?)... but it will be really frustrating if I have to pay additional tax when I'm making significant efforts to reduce carbon foot print.

I also commute because I love riding. Riding takes me between 35minutes and and 1 and 20 minutes depending on which way I go.

If I drove it would take 11 minutes. We don't have peak hour and I only have 2 roundabouts and 1 giveway sign on the way.

I commute because it's stupid not to.

I'm only 5 k's from my office so it hardly takes any more time to ride than drive.

I love the feeling of doing something positive and the fact I can take the long way home in summer and ride along the beach!

I know its 5pm every day when I hear all the car horns sounding and the frustration that they are heralding. I am a complete mental case and should be banned from driving at any time, I can't handle the stress and stupidity it involves.
Cycling is own pace, not the moron in front of you. It clears your mind and makes you feel good - the complete opposite of a car.

Not a fan of PT either, you put a lot of people together and they do stupid things, which depresses me. I honestly think people who stand in the yellow painted section on the train platform which says NO STANDING a dozen times should be beaten to within an inch of their lives and denied free health care.

Ohh and did I mention we should have compulsory community or military service???


JM

It's faster, cheaper, healthier (mentally & physically), greener, it's ready to go when I am, and so much more fun than the bus.

Is that enough?

"Oh I could never do that, with the traffic"

"You get too hot"

"You get too cold"

"You get wet"

"I'm not fit enough"

You hear all sorts of lame excuses get trotted out. The first thing to do is bite the bottom lip, HTFU and step outside.

I commute because I need to keep fit and I hate running. Riding my bike to work is about the only spare time I can find.

DaveOZ wrote:I commute because I need to keep fit and I hate running. Riding my bike to work is about the only spare time I can find.

That's a big part of it for me too. It's almost like exercise by default.

It becomes part of your routine, meaning that you don't have to motivate yourself to do it. You have to get to work on time, and the alternatives are too inconvenient, too unreliable, too crowded or too expensive.

"I'm allergic to exercise"

That's another good one that comes out. May as well just say "I want to die an early death"

The Walrus wrote:I commute because it's stupid not to.

And in that one sentence you've summed it all up. All the rest is just detail.

Because I enjoy it - the only reason I do anything

i don't argue with people about their excuses for why they 'need' to drive to work, in the heart of the CBD. we all know they don't, but it's like preaching to a smoker to give up - waste of time, they need to work it out for themselves.

Why do I commute? To lose weight, be healthy, travel cheaper and to enjoy travelling that bit more

It might mean that I have to catch the train to uni (100km one way) but the extra 45 mins I lose for travelling each way I make up in study meaning when I get home I can mostly relax... or ride even

First started in 2007 when I moved to Auckland, and lived 3km from where I worked so there was no justification in buying a second car (plus there was very limited parking space at work), hence it was the smarted option.

Resumed after returning to Melbourne, when I was driving every day, but killed my car at a track day at Sandown (top of the hill) Never got around to buying another car...

So not the typical reasons that people give (fitness, health, environmentalism, speed) though I do enjoy it being cheaper.

Got to 40 and realised I hadn't done any exercise for 10 years. Gave up smoking and bought a bike for a bit of fitness and it was the discussion I had with the guy at the bike shop that got me started thinking about it. Car is not an option for commuting and public transport in Sydney during peak hour is like being in a sardine can with the disease preserved on the inside. BO, people who cut their nails, hack/sneeze/cough without covering up was a good kind of incentive

I achieved a bit of fitness and did a couple of trial runs into the CBD. Not too hard thinks I. First week 70 km's and a bit tired. Second week about the same, absolutely shattered. Third week, Twilight Zone. Things have improved since then and I:
1. seem to be able to shake off coughs/colds etc in a day or so.
2. am no longer traumatised by the disgusting Public Transport experience although the odd need to catch a train validates my cycle commuting.
3. am probably fitter than I was in my 20's.
4. find the commute in prepares me for the day ahead and the commute home removes all the mental garbage collected during the day.

Of course, this question should be answered with a question:
"What does it cost you per week to own and operate your car/s?"
The great majority do not understand the opportunity cost of money, depreciation, difference between standing and operating costs.
Qld's RACQ does a regular Vehicle Running Cost analysis, the latest
http://www.racq.com.au/motoring/cars/ca ... ning_costs

For 15,000km pa over 5 years,
a light car like a Toyota Yaris = $130/wk = $35,000 over 5 years = $50,000 pre tax dollars.
a medium car Ford Focus CL = $170/wk = $50,000 over 5 years = $75,000 pre tax dollars.

Then there's the cost of having off street garage at home, parking near work, etc.
Personally, I think a lot of 2 car families could get by with one, and a couple of bikes.

Then throw in money saved on gym membership = $1000pa.
Time saved by exercising - average car commuters spend 7-10% (60-90 minutes of 15-16 hours) of their week day awake hours sitting passively, achieving zero.
Cycle commuting provides opportunity to develop friendships with like mindeds, which makes cities feel smaller and warmer.
Public transport and cars rarely do this. In fact, public transport is annoying me more every year, with people playing loud music on ipods, swearing and shouting, leaving seats dirty, etc.
Then there's pollution and green house gas stuff.

Am sure there's a stack more reasons, and if cycle ways were better developed and safer, cycling numbers would increase dramatically.

Why do I commute by bike?

Because I love the smell of car fumes in the mornings.

I need the exercise.
It's cheaper and just as fast as public transport.
To allow us to get rid of one of the cars.