Commuting Dilemma
- Dropbear20
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Commuting Dilemma
Postby Dropbear20 » Tue Jan 25, 2011 1:50 pm
My dilemma is my wife does not ride. From her point of view the roads are dangerous. Therefore riding on them must be dangerous and I shouldn't commute by bike. Yes my route to the city does have some on road sections though most of the journey is on cycle paths (thank you Clover Moore). And much to my surprise drivers have been or seem to be more courteous/tolerant than I expected, except for the hire car driver yesterday, but that's another story...
Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can ease my wife's concerns? Maybe it's time to buy her a bike so she can see for herself?
Thanks.
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Re: Commuting Dilemma
Postby Chanboy » Tue Jan 25, 2011 2:12 pm
I commute daily with my gf - we both take the same route till the last klm. I'm more confident riding in traffic and maybe less cautious. She is confident, but some situations can shake her up (like doing a right hand turn off the pacific hwy or owning your lane and not getting bullied by cars following)
For us, it's just been practice and confidence building. I didn't have the issue of getting her started riding, as she was the one who got me into cycle commuting!
I haven't done this - but have heard people say it's not bad: http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/abou ... ourses.asp Might be worth checking out.
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Re: Commuting Dilemma
Postby trailgumby » Tue Jan 25, 2011 2:43 pm
On balance, though, I think it's less risky than sitting in a smokebox working passively on my obesity and an early demise from a coronary or cancer, or sitting in a bus having everybody cough their flu over me.
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Re: Commuting Dilemma
Postby Comedian » Tue Jan 25, 2011 2:49 pm
My missus is riding now but we're careful with the path to avoid a lot of traffic.
- wombatK
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Re: Commuting Dilemma
Postby wombatK » Tue Jan 25, 2011 6:11 pm
Moi Women are born scaredy cats. As you've found, it's not that dangerous but there's practically no way you can prove it to the unbelievers.Comedian wrote:In virtually all surveys of womens attitudes to bike riding and commuting the main reservation is the cars. And who can blame them.
Eventually, she'll get comfortable with the idea that you're going to come home in one piece every day. So don't stress about it.
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Re: Commuting Dilemma
Postby Rhubarb » Tue Jan 25, 2011 10:12 pm
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Re: Commuting Dilemma
Postby Dropbear20 » Tue Jan 25, 2011 11:12 pm
hmmm, how did you know? I'm not sure that this would quite get the response I'm looking for, but I do like this one.Rhubarb wrote:Show her your life insurance policy
Yes, I did notice that she was a bit more relaxed about it today.wombatK wrote:Eventually, she'll get comfortable with the idea that you're going to come home in one piece every day. So don't stress about it.
Oh well, couple of days rest...school starts on Tuesday and it's our youngest son's first day at a new school so I won't be riding again until Friday.
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Re: Commuting Dilemma
Postby Baalzamon » Wed Jan 26, 2011 11:50 pm
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Re: Commuting Dilemma
Postby tenspeed » Thu Jan 27, 2011 12:24 am
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Re: Commuting Dilemma
Postby ozipom » Thu Jan 27, 2011 11:24 am
So I first did the ride on the weekend. So I could get an idea on the best way to go. As the days/weeks went by she noticed I was getting fitter and was less grumpy So she was more than happy with me commuting. She couldn't believe I could beat her to work most days (she catches the bus).
I would also (still do) send her an e-mail each day to let her know I got to work okay. I would usually put a positive spin on my ride e.g. "nice sunny day" as opposed to "this car cut me up". I just need to try and get her to cycle to work now.
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- Dropbear20
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Re: Commuting Dilemma
Postby Dropbear20 » Thu Jan 27, 2011 2:58 pm
tenspeed, I may have exaggerated the actual distance on cycle paths . I mapped my commute on bikely and it turns out that the travel on cyclepaths is about 52% It seems a lot more than that. I use Bourke Rd/St - the bits that are open. Oxford Street is my biggest challenge, especially Friday night.tenspeed wrote:Pretty good average km/hr. Sounds as if there are new cycleways that I don't know about! What route do you take from Carlton to the city?
http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Da ... Sydney-CBD
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Re: Commuting Dilemma
Postby wombatK » Thu Jan 27, 2011 8:21 pm
Good story oziporn. If your missus needs any more encouragement, maybe you could get her to tag-a-long with Christina K's and her police escort (assuming she's still in Parliament after the election ). Now that's gotta be safeozipom wrote:I've been commuting for the last three years from the Eastern suburbs through to the Sydney CBD. Initally when I said to my wife I was going to commute she wasn't sure about it at all. Similar reasons she gave were the traffic.
So I first did the ride on the weekend. So I could get an idea on the best way to go. As the days/weeks went by she noticed I was getting fitter and was less grumpy So she was more than happy with me commuting. She couldn't believe I could beat her to work most days (she catches the bus).
I would also (still do) send her an e-mail each day to let her know I got to work okay. I would usually put a positive spin on my ride e.g. "nice sunny day" as opposed to "this car cut me up". I just need to try and get her to cycle to work now.
Somebody has to do something, and it's just incredibly pathetic that it has to be us -Jerry Garcia
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Re: Commuting Dilemma
Postby DavidS » Thu Jan 27, 2011 8:24 pm
That may be counterproductiveBaalzamon wrote:Get a video camera and film the commute and show her so she can see for herself
It can be dangerous on the roads and your partner has some grounds for concern. However, if you are a competent cyclist who can read traffic it is pretty safe, and it gets safer with more experience.
DS
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Re: Commuting Dilemma
Postby tenspeed » Thu Jan 27, 2011 9:41 pm
Thanks for that, Dropbear20. I guess you use Clover Moore's Bourke Road cycleway from Bunnings to Green Square. What do you do after that? The incomplete Bourke Street Cycleway/shared pavement route seems a real mess to me; I ride north from Green Square on the quieter side-streets towards Prince Alfred Park but I see that the Bikely map you suggested steers you off Bourke and onto Crown Street. I can't see any reason to use the Bourke Street Cycleway north of Green Square, it's much easier to keep to the west of this mess and then avoid Oxford Street which as you say is a nightmare.Dropbear20 wrote:
tenspeed, I may have exaggerated the actual distance on cycle paths . I mapped my commute on bikely and it turns out that the travel on cyclepaths is about 52% It seems a lot more than that. I use Bourke Rd/St - the bits that are open. Oxford Street is my biggest challenge, especially Friday nigh
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Re: Commuting Dilemma
Postby wombatK » Thu Jan 27, 2011 9:54 pm
Right about that ! Drop your wallet there, and you'd have to kick it all the way down to Museum station before it'd be safe to bend over to pick it up.Dropbear20 wrote: Oxford Street is my biggest challenge, especially Friday night.
Somebody has to do something, and it's just incredibly pathetic that it has to be us -Jerry Garcia
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Re: Commuting Dilemma
Postby Dropbear20 » Fri Jan 28, 2011 8:34 am
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Re: Commuting Dilemma
Postby DrJay » Fri Jan 28, 2011 8:51 am
I commute to the Airport once a week (will be twice soon), going up the back streets of Monterey and Brighton (I'm sure you know the ones) then the paths to Coward St and down O'Riordan back to the domestic terminal.
Depending what part of the city you are heading to, it's also possible to cross back over the Alexandra Canal on Canal Rd, and head up past Sydney Park and into the bottom of Redfern, up George St to Prince Alfred Park at Cleveland St.
I did it just before Christmas to get up to Town Hall area, and it was good. The city traffic was surprisingly easy to navigate too. I don't filter, as I feel it just annoys car drivers and causes them to get aggro, I have to say that most everyone was really polite and easy to get along with.
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Re: Commuting Dilemma
Postby fatherofmany » Fri Jan 28, 2011 3:25 pm
I don't know... wouldn't you fit right in, you know, tight lycra and all.Dropbear20 wrote: Oxford Street is my biggest challenge, especially Friday night.
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Re: Commuting Dilemma
Postby Dropbear20 » Fri Jan 28, 2011 5:35 pm
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Re: Commuting Dilemma
Postby tenspeed » Fri Jan 28, 2011 7:19 pm
Hi Dropbear- like DrJay says if you head north up George, Pitt etc (the quiet Redfern streets not the CBD ones!!!!!) you can ride across Prince Alfred Park and emerge just south of Central without the hassle of negotiating Chalmers, Cleveland, Elizabeth or Oxford streets.Dropbear20 wrote: Does your route then take you down Elizabeth near Central? I have thought about using that to avoid Oxford, and it takes me past my office, but I was unsure of the traffic.
I prefer this to using the finished bits of the Bourke Street Cycleway as it's a much more direct route to the CBD and you don't have to give way at all the gazillion sidestreets.
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Re: Commuting Dilemma
Postby CommuRider » Sat Jan 29, 2011 11:25 am
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Re: Commuting Dilemma
Postby Mugglechops » Sun Jan 30, 2011 3:46 pm
She doesn't have much now though, as I sold the second car and the motorbike.
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Re: Commuting Dilemma
Postby Dropbear20 » Mon Jan 31, 2011 9:46 pm
Thanks, yes this helps. Both when I arrive and when I leave in the evening.Mugglechops wrote:I do the text msg thing to tell my wife I got to work.
The evening traffic hasn't been too bad lately...must have just been the wrong time on the first Friday night. Mornings are getting a little busy, but still manageable on my current route. I might take up the suggestion of riding away from Bourke and more towards Prince Alfred Park. My only question is how to get from there to the other end of town on Phillip Street? Look's like another weekend scouting trip to the city More kms to add to my journal.
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