Commuting weather diary

inisboffin

Iwannahurl wrote: »

Exactly. Over time, for every "lashing for 15 mins in Knocknacarra/dry in Shantalla" there will be an equal number of "lashing for 15 mins in Shantalla/dry in Knocknacarra".

Unless there are microclimates in Galway City that I have never heard of, my contention is that anybody from anywhere in the city who keeps a daily weather diary for commutes <= 4km will find that the number of rained-on trips are in a minority.

As far as this thread goes, however, that's still a hypothesis.

Actually I'm afraid I disagree. I don't think it's equal. :eek: Nor do I think my commutes are dry in the minority. I think that's why you keep getting people disagreeing with your "wet trips are a minority" theory.

Fair play to you though for gearing up for weather in your waterproofs, but it *does* play in to whether or not people set out on their bikes, if it is showery (even if that is only for the first 10 mins) wet is wet. Sometimes if I'm in a hurry I'll grab the bike and set off. If it was wet I'd ask for a lift is that's possible. It has to do with tiny things like taking the time to put on waterproofs, where I am going, are they appropriate when I arrive etc.

As for microclimates, I'm not sure what the definition is, but often it is more complex than a shower passing over etc. I've seen it rain at the front of my house and be dry at the back for 10 mins!:eek:

Sniipe

Iwannahurl wrote: »

my contention is that anybody from anywhere in the city who keeps a daily weather diary for commutes <= 4km will find that the number of rained-on trips are in a minority

How about wet days with surface water? Those are days when you have to gear up also...

I don't know - but when I think back to my days in secondary school travelling 18.4km daily I think of the miserable days I got wet or my shoes got wet or my jacket got splashed... Perhaps I only remember the bad days.

Iwannahurl

inisboffin wrote: »

Actually I'm afraid I disagree. I don't think it's equal.

How could it not be equal, on average, over time? Are you saying that Galway really has microclimates? Or that non-random factors have a bearing on rainfall?

If in fact the weather is broadly the same for everyone in the city, and showers are the most frequent type of rainfall, then the long-term reality is that everybody will experience generally the same level of exposure to rain, all other things being equal.

As for wet trips <=4km being in the minority, as far as this weather diary goes only time will tell.

I have kept a record of every morning school trip since the thread started. That's 80 reports so far (including sick days) every single one of them faithfully noted. I'll be totting up the numbers before the end of school term.

If anybody wants to dispute those reports, or document different experiences, then the way to do it is to post every day. Trying to do it retrospectively doesn't work, because recall is not reliable.

Neither are impressions. Yes it might rain, or maybe it looks a bit 'rainy', or maybe the roads are wet. Thing is, experienced cycle commuters in Galway know very well that there is very often no significant rainfall during short commutes of 4 km or less.

There is a good deal of qualitative information recorded in this weather diary, but ultimately there is one main issue: did it rain during the short commute or did it not, and if it was raining, how bad was it? All else is ornamentation.

Iwannahurl

Sniipe wrote: »

I don't know - but when I think back to my days in secondary school travelling 18.4km daily I think of the miserable days I got wet or my shoes got wet or my jacket got splashed... Perhaps I only remember the bad days.

A 9.2km one-way commute is more than double the 4 km distance I referred to at the outset.

47% of Galway City residents live 4 km or less from their place of work or education. I don't know what the corresponding percentage is for a 9 km commute, but anybody cycling, or especially walking, that distance would have a higher chance of encountering rain at some stage during the trip.

inisboffin

Iwannahurl wrote: »

How could it not be equal, on average, over time? Are you saying that Galway really has microclimates? Or that non-random factors have a bearing on rainfall?

If in fact the weather is broadly the same for everyone in the city, and showers are the most frequent type of rainfall, then the long-term reality is that everybody will experience generally the same level of exposure to rain, all other things being equal.

As for wet trips <=4km being in the minority, as far as this weather diary goes only time will tell.

I have kept a record of every morning school trip since the thread started. That's 80 reports so far (including sick days) every single one of them faithfully noted. I'll be totting up the numbers before the end of school term.

If anybody wants to dispute those reports, or document different experiences, then the way to do it is to post every day. Trying to do it retrospectively doesn't work, because recall is not reliable.

Neither are impressions. Yes it might rain, or maybe it looks a bit 'rainy', or maybe the roads are wet. Thing is, experienced cycle commuters in Galway know very well that there is very often no significant rainfall during short commutes of 4 km or less.

There is a good deal of qualitative information recorded in this weather diary, but ultimately there is one main issue: did it rain during the short commute or did it not, and if it was raining, how bad was it? All else is ornamentation.

All I know is that if it's raining when I cycle I get wet, regardless of 'type' of rainfall. Experienced cyclist or not it's the same for everyone.
Regarding microclimate I explained myself pretty well in my earlier post.
As regard to you documenting every day, I'm just pointing out that in the many of same days as you had dry days of a commute, I (and others) had wet trips. Some is due to different locations, some different times etc but there were definite differences of opinion which have been discussed. My documentation on the same day does differ in a good few instances. Also I have instances where I agree.
I worked in markets for years so was outside a lot and IN the weather a lot.
It rains a lot in Galway, more than in Dublin, and that's a fact. If I'm looking out my front door at rain, and am about to leave without full waterproofs, I'll get wet. That is not an impression it is a fact. If I can't arrive damp or late to my destination then that factors in to my decision about how I travel.

Sniipe

Iwannahurl wrote: »

47% of Galway City residents live 4 km or less from their place of work or education. I don't know what the corresponding percentage is for a 9 km commute, but anybody cycling, or especially walking, that distance would have a higher chance of encountering rain at some stage during the trip.

That's true - in my case it was a 4.5k commute to college twice a day - fecking "study".

On the upside - I cycled today due to perfect conditions and sick child. It was glorious.

inisboffin

A stroll rather than a cycle today. 20 mins each way, might have to head out again.
Brisk air but lovely weather!
Traffic easy too.

sonandheir

Trip: work commute 22km round trip today.
Mode: cycle.
Weather: lovely day today
Comment: Been a bit lax updating my diary, have 6 commutes to add since my last update. updating my stats accordingly:
Wet: 3/40= 8%
Nice: 37/40= 92%
Deadly: 0/40= 0%

inisboffin

sonandheir wrote: »

Trip: work commute 22km round trip today.
Mode: cycle.
Weather: lovely day today
Comment: Been a bit lax updating my diary, have 6 commutes to add since my last update. updating my stats accordingly:
Wet: 3/40= 8%
Nice: 37/40= 92%
Deadly: 0/40= 0%

Is 'Deadly' a 'Dublin' deadly as in brilliant, or deadly as in it was 'orrible guv'nor?

Iwannahurl

inisboffin wrote: »

If it's raining when I cycle I get wet

That happens to me too.






81st and 82nd consecutive diary entries:

1st April: lovely sunny morning. No rain of any type. Senior Infant said it was like Italy, and remarked how nice it was to hear the birds singing as we cycled. Traffic surprisingly heavy. We bypassed approx 1.4 km line of near-stationary traffic, glinting in the sun. Difficult to cross road in a couple of locations because of heavy traffic; could only do so when strangers in cars decided to stop and let child cross. One junction entirely obstructed with stationary cars, so we had to wait in the sunshine until some more motorists took pity on us and created a gap.

2nd April: no school run today. Wet morning. According to IRUSE, 1.4 mm of rainfall 07:00-09:00. Used car to link up with public transport early morning. Returning at around 08:15, junctions obstructed with stationary cars. Estimated tailback (along usual route) approx 1.8 km, with more traffic approaching behind. Traffic "mental" this morning, according to GBFM. People contacting local radio to ask why.

inisboffin

15 min cycle each way today.
Late morning, needed waterproofs. Rain all the way.
Afternoon/evening - roads wet, light shower on part of the way then stopped, Had poncho on but wet feet.
Traffic slower this am but ok coming back.

Interesting to notice the different traffic experiences too!

sonandheir

inisboffin wrote: »

Is 'Deadly' a 'Dublin' deadly as in brilliant, or deadly as in it was 'orrible guv'nor?

This is deadly as in you may be dead by the end of your commute. I'll change it to dangerous

Trip: work commute 22km round trip today.
Mode: cycle.
Weather: wet roads, showery
Comment: luckily missed the showers today so had two dry but threatening rain commutes.
Wet: 3/42= 7%
Nice: 37/42= 93%
Too Dangerous: 0/42= 0%

Iwannahurl

Trip: usual school run.
Mode: cycle.
Weather: a bit dull, but no rain. Felt very light mist briefly on way back.
Interesting sights today: white van man reading a newspaper (looked like the Daily Mail, suitably enough) while driving in slow-moving traffic; driver of UK-reg BMW wearing serious shades and reading a report on his lap (a few A4 pages stapled together, not the latest UN climate change report) as his stationary vehicle straddled a "courtesy crossing"; vehicles three-deep at a two-lane junction; red light jumper and his passenger holding hands on the gear stick; woman holding a mug of coffee/tea while driving on the wrong side of the road near a school.

WallyGUFC

Iwannahurl wrote: »

Trip: usual school run.
Mode: cycle.
Weather: a bit dull, but no rain. Felt very light mist briefly on way back.
Interesting sights today: white van man reading a newspaper (looked like the Daily Mail, suitably enough) while driving in slow-moving traffic; driver of UK-reg BMW wearing serious shades and reading a report on his lap (a few A4 pages stapled together, not the latest UN climate change report) as his stationary vehicle straddled a "courtesy crossing"; vehicles three-deep at a two-lane junction; red light jumper and his passenger holding hands on the gear stick; woman holding a mug of coffee/tea while driving on the wrong side of the road near a school.

Jaysus. You'd wonder...

inisboffin

Quicker than usual trip - cycle - 12 mins each way. Out late morning, back before lunch
Light rain on outward journey for the duration
Cloudy but dry coming back.
Road in to town looks busier than usual, might be because of docks spill?

Iwannahurl

WallyGUFC wrote: »

Jaysus. You'd wonder...

In the context of Galway driving, I don't wonder any more.

Also spotted today: cyclist failing to yield on a roundabout, and later the same cyclist determinedly (and in my view unnecessarily) travelling in a cycle lane on the wrong side of the road against traffic.

sonandheir

Trip: work commute 22km round trip today.
Mode: cycle.
Weather: dry and mild
Comment: definitely a spring day, temperature rising
Wet: 3/44= 7%
Nice: 41/44= 93%
Too Dangerous: 0/44= 0%

sonandheir

Trip: work commute 22km round trip today + 10km detour to friend's house
Mode: cycle.
Weather: dry
Comment: nice day
Wet: 3/46= 6%
Nice: 43/46= 94%
Too Dangerous: 0/46= 0%

gordongekko

sonandheir wrote: »

Trip: work commute 22km round trip today + 10km detour to friend's house
Mode: cycle.
Weather: dry
Comment: nice day
Wet: 3/46= 6%
Nice: 43/46= 94%
Too Dangerous: 0/46= 0%

its raining now. I just got soaked

inisboffin

In a hurry this am so grabbed bike and no room for gear.
Lovely 15 min cycle, sun shining.
Alas got totally drenched this evening coming home.
Traffic ok both ways.

sonandheir

gordongekko wrote: »

its raining now. I just got soaked

Well Gordongekko I guess the sun only shines on us socialists.

Iwannahurl

Trip: 3+4 km work-school run, morning of Friday April 5th.
Weather: no rain.

inisboffin

Cycle 20 mins am. Running errands. Grand weather when I left - shower the last 5.
Traffic a little heavy
Home early evening. 12 min cycle. Raining the whole way

*edit* in case I was paranoid about catching the only rain in a 'dry' day :P rest of the house just in the door and drenched.
Time for soup!

inisboffin

Loop cycle commute today (probably have two of them)
Very windy, but lovely and sunny. Traffic a bit sluggish, not horrible.
Well done to all the 1/2 Marathon wind runners

Iwannahurl

Usual 3+4 km school-work run. Lovely sunny morning.

inisboffin

Walking today, lovely sunny morning. Traffic really smooth too.

Iwannahurl

Usual school-work run. Small amount of rain, but no bother for Senior Infant.

gordongekko

Got fairly wet yesterday when going from my car to pub for lunch. Very glad I was not walking or cycling

inisboffin

Cycle - 15 mins - outward journey rained on for 10 mins of it. Proper wet
Cycle back with messages 20 mins cloudy but not rained on.
Traffic ok

Iwannahurl

Usual morning school run. Overcast, dull and slightly chilly. No rain. Usual tailbacks. "Courtesy" crossings obstructed as normal.