Why don't more people cycle to work?

triggermortis

My usual commute is 19.5Km each way by bike, but for the past 5 weeks I've had to drive as I've had 2 kids to drop off before heading into a course that starts at 8am each day. I am literally dying to get back on the bike - how people commute by car every day defies me as it's so stressful and joyless.
My work place has no showers and I'm almost sweating before finishing getting dressed, but I manage ok. I think more people should actually try cycling for a week to see for themselves how it is. They might be pleasantly surprised.

Grassey

Fr Tod Umptious wrote:

It rains s hell of a lot more often in Galway than Dublin.

I lived in Galway for 5 odd years, and bike was my primary method for in and out to NUIG from westside. (and back from Cuba @4am). There were some very wet heavy spells over some periods but nothing abnormaly so. I reckon I was able to use the bike at least 90% of the time, in casual gear, and not end up drenched.

traveller0101

I don't have a bike and wouldn't have a clue what to get!

silverharp

magicbastarder wrote: »

One thing I neglected to mention earlier - I cycle with a bag on my back for the commute. Usually just has a clean tshirt, boxers, socks, overshoes etc. in it, so very light. But I reckon it doubles how sweaty I get on the cycle.

im going back to commuting later this year and was thinking of getting panniers, any reason most people dont seem to use them? i want to avoid the whole sweaty back

magicbastarder

i don't bother because my load is so light. probably should look at an alternative.

LennoxR

I cycled in Galway when I lived there (2005-2006). It's not that rare. The streets are a bit narrow. Yeah it rains a lot but as long as you've got mudguards it's not that big a deal. They should invest in come cycling infrastructure though. E.g. a bike path along the sea front and along the Corrib perhaps?

At this stage, I think cycling is fairly normal way to commute in Dublin though? At least among my acquaintances it is.

monkeysnapper

I cycle to work most days , I get people saying " its raining, why did you cycle in". 90% of time that rain is pretty tame if its raining at all, just a wet morning ,

I agree with a few on here you'd be surprised how many mornings its actually raining , you hear it raining a few times during day but that 20 mins cycle home in evening its rare its raining , I could probably count two times in last 6 months it lashed down on way home.

My commute by car on way home is 20/25 by time I get out of car park , by cycle its 7.5 mins . During summer I go long way home through quiet country road and its bliss , that's 17 mins.

As for car drivers I also agree there's some but jobs , I got knocked off bike for first time last year when a guy over took me and cut in on me turning left .

You have to second guess everything , how's this asshole going to kill me now .

Wishbone Ash

silverharp wrote: »

im going back to commuting later this year and was thinking of getting panniers, any reason most people dont seem to use them? i want to avoid the whole sweaty back

magicbastarder wrote: »

i don't bother because my load is so light. probably should look at an alternative.

I tried a pannier for a while a few years ago but just couldn't used to it. Not that practical either if you have to carry it for a bit and it also requires a rack. A back pack is much more versatile.

(PS - back packs are available with a seperate mesh section which keeps the main body of the back pack away from your back allowing air to flow. Can be found in shops like The Great Outdoors etc.)

Pinch Flat

Being cycling in Dublin now 9 years continuously this year. Used to commute for a few years in the mid 90s prior to that. It’s the only way to travel. Agree it needs a bit of forward planning, assertiveness on the roads and being prepared for a few rainy days.

Couldn’t imagine another way of travelling. If you gave me a free car, free “road tax” (:pac:), fuel etc I still wouldn’t drive in Dublin. It’s a miserable existance. A work colleague of mine who drives from Blackrock to central Dublin is literally counting the days until the schools break so she gets a reprieve. What a life.

There’s not a day that I get up that I go “a feck it got to cycle this god damn bike again”. A great head cleaner, good for the body and good for the soul. Vive le Vélo.

monkeysnapper

At a risk of confusing silverharp I'm in other camp, paniers are the business ... You have a free body to cycle , you clip bag to bike , you unclip it once at work .

Horses for courses I suppose ..:)

railer201

BeepBeep67 wrote: »

Free / low cost car parks 3-5km outside the city centre, once you park you have free access to city bikes and public transportation.

There's no need to wait for suitable car parks to be built, all you need is a quiet housing estate and carry one's own bike on a bike roof rack. I noticed one such cyclist operating that way from Raheny the other day - car parked on a quiet road, takes bike off roof rack and heads city bound in seconds.

rodneyTrotter.

mickredirl wrote: »

Love cycling and would love to cycle to work... Unfortunately i would be taking my life in my own hands as the road from Swords in North county to Lusk is deadly dangerous. Have tried it three times and each time got nearly run over or knocked of the bike!! Seriously need cycle lanes in North county Dublin.

I lived in Lusk and have lived in Swords for the last six years . I hear what you’re saying about that road .
I hate cycling there .
The pavilion roundabout and surrounding area actually puts me off going anywhere near there . I live on the Feltrim road and although vastly experienced it’s just constant traffic and ignorant driving . Sure last Sunday I went to take a right turn onto kettles lane and a car actually sped up to overtake me just as I was turning right nearly hitting me .

work

silverharp wrote: »

im going back to commuting later this year and was thinking of getting panniers, any reason most people dont seem to use them? i want to avoid the whole sweaty back

Cycling into dublin over a period of nearly 30 years now. Have tried all combinations.
The best changes I made are the use of pannires so not sweaty and can transport huge amounts as I need at times. The other one is wearing cycle shorts so much better on manhood.
I think the bag on the back is more trendy and gives the bike a zippier lighter feel.

Cookie_Monster

The main reason I would have (if it applied) would be not having somewhere 100% secure to store the bike.
Weather might stop me from time to time but not in general. Showers or not would depend on distances involved.

veganrun

I started cycling to work just over a year ago. My commute is short (just under 2 miles each way) and the bike is the fastest way to get there. Walking or taking the train is about 30 minutes each way. I've had a few close calls, one driver came speeding out a side street and didn't brake until the edge of the road the other day so I had to slam the brakes on as I didn't think he was going to stop. However most of my gripes are pedestrians walking into the cycle lane with little or no warning where you don't have time to ring the bell and see if they notice.

I live in Belfast and the cycling infrastructure is ok but not great. There are a few designated cycle lanes but some of them seem to funnel you into traffic or a few in particular where it's near the middle of the road so you have to cut across traffic lanes to get to.

I've also seen vans etc park in cycle lanes with hazard lights on while they make deliveries which annoys me as it forces you into oncoming traffic. There's one side street near the office where cars routinely park in the cycle lane while waiting to pick people up even though there's double yellow lines too.

The best was a bin lorry completely blocking a cycle lane with no-one in it or near it and itforced you into oncoming traffic in a one way street (the cycle lane was both directions) or onto the footpath. I also got beeped at by a lorry driver as I waited until the cycle traffic light was green and I was getting in the way of him turning left when there was a no left turn sign.

There's one cycle lane I know of that's cut off from traffic by a kerb the whole way so vehicles can't access it. Pity they all aren't like that.

Galego

mollser wrote: »

Gas that graph, its all the countries with the worst/coldest/wettest/snowiest weather have the highest % of cyclists - at the other end of the scale you've spain with the perfect climate with hardly any cyclists - probably too hot :rolleyes:

No such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing:p

That graph is odd. I would have sworn there are more cyclists in Spain than in Ireland - %. Not necessarily commuting but seems a very high % of never cycled which seems odd to me as I dont know anyone who has never cycled back home.

As for commuting Irish weather is perfect. At least in the east coast. In Spain - if no showers at work then you have no chance. Weather is too warm and you will sweat buckets.

crisco10

I commute cross city about 3 or 4 times a week. (Mix it with running). 14km. I have to say in 3 years and about 8000km I have had very few incidents or "near misses". Like I can only think of 1.
Similar to others point, Dublin is actually a dry enough city, very few days you get really wet. And those are the days it would take forever in the car or bus anyway.
Huge advantage is that when I'm on the bike, I KNOW I will be at my desk an hour after I leave house. On the worst day, I'd be 5 mins late.

Finally, to answer the question asked, I think that some people do not give half enough consideration to route selection in Dublin. people who do consider cycling frequently do so on exact route they would drive. But frequently, for a minor detour, there is a significantly more enjoyable cycle.

Grassey

silverharp wrote: »

im going back to commuting later this year and was thinking of getting panniers, any reason most people dont seem to use them? i want to avoid the whole sweaty back

I switched to panniers as I didn't enjoy the sweaty back and my shoulders were in bits from the weight/position combo.

I wouldn't go back now, gives me way more flexibility if I decide to stop at shops or bring in gym gear or strap a big amazon delivery to it!

magicbastarder

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

The main reason I would have (if it applied) would be not having somewhere 100% secure to store the bike.

a friend once borrowed a bike (not from me) to speed up his day - he had a 15 minute walk each way to the train station, meant he got 20 minutes of his day back. the bike was stolen the very first day.
it was in coolmine train station, which i've heard is not a great place to lock a bike.

What Username Guidelines

monkeysnapper wrote: »

I cycle to work most days , I get people saying " its raining, why did you cycle in". 90% of time that rain is pretty tame if its raining at all, just a wet morning

You should also point out that the commute takes the exact same amount of time in rain as it does in sunshine, unlike how rain can add 50% to a car journey as the whole country goes bananas.

theyoungchap

BeepBeep67 wrote: »

I don't buy that, if you want change, you have to be disruptive.
Cycling 3k is fine on a city bike.
Big wide cycle lanes, lots of bikes, plenty of transportation.

But I repeat myself, the logic of those bikes is for somebody to get from A to B around a city, not for commuting and certainly not to put 5000 of them at a car park. If you want to commute, get your own bike.

ciaran76

I used to cycle from Clonee to Swords (Tue-Thurs) about 6/7 years ago. I stopped as the roads were getting too busy with trucks and a few close calls.

There isnt a great roads for some parts and have noticed its improved a bit lately with all the works at the back of the airport but there are still parts that are terrible and not worth the risk for now.

theyoungchap

A funny point, I drive (begrudgingly, too far at 50 minutes and no shower) and if I had a shower here, I would DEFINITELY cycle on the wet days, those days are the worst to be a car driver because everybody seems to be afraid of a bit of rain, given the lovely arid climate we all know and love.........
Luckily, I have the option of working from home when it is wet!
I definitely find sitting in a car for 5 days soul destroying. Would love to cycle, f the danger/rain/excuses you can't guard against every danger in life.

If you can do it do it - your waistline and pocket will thank you!

GreeBo

Because I do things after work.

DavyD_83

stateofflux wrote: »

I live in Ranelagh and work in Dundrum.

There is no way in hell i would cycle. The fact is dublin does not have the proper road infrastructure for cycling safely. anyone that says otherwise is tripping.

That's a pretty handy bike commute to be honest. But the luas is really the simplest option.
You'd be about the same speed cycling as driving going in and much quicker coming home.

Personally you'd be mad to do that any way other than luas or cycling.

Grassey

GreeBo wrote: »

Because I do things after work.

Don't we all?

90 mins cycling a day saves me an extra 2.5 hours for doing things after work like spending time with the family.

That being 2 hours spent in a car in traffic + 90 mins comparative exercise in gym + 30 mins pre/post gym. Total 4 hours.

Wouldn't everyone like an easy way to get a free 2.5 hours extra a day to do things they enjoy?

Not to mention the money saved from not paying for petrol 5 days a week and €90pm gym.

monkeyslayer

I'm from Dublin and I cycle 5kms each way pretty much every day in my normal clothes and takes approx 15 - 20 mins, would take over an hour on the bus, can take more than that in the car not to mention what it costs to park it... Its vastly less stressful just rolling into work in my own time, in any weather

Have to say I hardly ever get soaked in the rain, it rarely rains for any long length of time in dublin, at most its probably only two or three times a year I don't cycle because of the weather and if i cycle in the rain its never that bad

Ray Bloody Purchase

Grassey wrote: »

Don't we all?

90 mins cycling a day saves me an extra 2.5 hours for doing things after work like spending time with the family.

That being 2 hours spent in a car in traffic + 90 mins comparative exercise in gym + 30 mins pre/post gym. Total 4 hours.

Wouldn't everyone like an easy way to get a free 2.5 hours extra a day to do things they enjoy?

Not to mention the money saved from not paying for petrol 5 days a week and €90pm gym.

I used to drive from Dublin (Tallaght) to Athlone everyday for work. It cost me a bloody fortune between tolls and diesel. After changing to working in Dublin City Centre, this is now somewhat of a luxury for me. I get to cycle 12km each way every day with a big bloody smile on my face because i'm not stuck in a shagging car spending a fcuking fortune.

Having said that, i'd probably get to Athlone quicker than the city centre if i was driving.

GreeBo

Grassey wrote: »

Don't we all?

90 mins cycling a day saves me an extra 2.5 hours for doing things after work like spending time with the family.

That being 2 hours spent in a car in traffic + 90 mins comparative exercise in gym + 30 mins pre/post gym. Total 4 hours.

Wouldn't everyone like an easy way to get a free 2.5 hours extra a day to do things they enjoy?

Not to mention the money saved from not paying for petrol 5 days a week and €90pm gym.

That only makes sense if cycling saves you time on your commute, which it doesn't for me.

Then add in having to cycle home only to drive back to where my after work activities are with the equipment I need for them, just delays me more.

Add in another shower and its pointless.

cdaly_

07Lapierre wrote: »

I drive into work at least once a week....it's my "Laundry Day"

This means i can cycle up to 4 days a week and I hate the days I have to drive! (The traffic does my head in!)

Would you consider a pannier instead of a car for your "Laundry Day"? This means I get to cycle 5 days a week...