What would convince you to cycle to work instead of drive?

Wishbone Ash

magicbastarder wrote: »

i can see the initial attraction, but can't help thinking you'd get stuck in traffic a hell of a lot with that, unless your route was all cycle paths. it's 87cm wide - that's double the width of the bars on my road bike.

Yes, an utterly pointless vehicle which would only add to congestion. I imagine you'd get a lot more close passes in that than on a standard bike.

magicbastarder

it's also €6000. and weighs 70kg.
also, i have a fairly standard width gate at the side of my house, and lock my bikes in the garage, through the side entrance door in the garage. that would fit through neither the gate nor the door.

it's a $50 solution to a $5 problem for most.

whisky_galore

And it screams "wanker".

Kiddies pedal car for adults, I wouldn't be seen dead in one.

Weepsie

Seamai wrote: »

Guaranteed dry and frost free weather.
Not arriving into work in a bog of sweat.
Safe bike lanes all the way.

What ever about the last two no one can guarantee the weather.

I'd say I've been genuinely miserable wet twice this year on commutes and I was back to work early may and have been ever since. Cycled every day.

Weather in the east is not nearly as bad as people make out

fat bloke

@OP If I had your commute at outlined I would also more than likely not cycle it. But I would definitely look at another motorised 2 wheel option like a scooter or motorbike.
An hour+ for 20k is mad.

GarIT

I'd love to see dedicated roads for scooters single seater vehicles and busses. Maybe cars if every seat is occupied.

Personally I think it could be great if we completely redesigned transport/commuting and all travelled on go kart sized commuting vehicles in lanes maybe 1m wide

GoProGaming

GarIT wrote: »

I'd be including the showe time as commuting time if it was necessary after my commute.

Really? I wouldn't but I'm always in early weather i drive or cycle to leave time to shower and eat in work.

GarIT

GoProGaming wrote: »

Really? I wouldn't but I'm always in early weather i drive or cycle to leave time to shower and eat in work.

I do take ages in the shower, but I'd argue if it's a half an hour drive or a 20 min cycle with 20 mins between getting the bike out of the shed, locking the bike on arrival, getting in an out of the shower, changed, etc I'd argue driving is quicker. The house door to office chair time would be the time that matters to me. Similarly I consider the time it takes to defrost the car windows when comparing that to the bus in winter.

GoProGaming

GarIT wrote: »

I do take ages in the shower, but I'd argue if it's a half an hour drive or a 20 min cycle with 20 mins between getting the bike out of the shed, locking the bike on arrival, getting in an out of the shower, changed, etc I'd argue driving is quicker. The house door to office chair time would be the time that matters to me. Similarly I consider the time it takes to defrost the car windows when comparing that to the bus in winter.

Ah discipline is key here! I don't dilly dally as much in the mornings/ evenings. Get dressed throw backpack on and out in 5 mins maybe slightly more if i need to throw an extra few pairs of socks into the backpack or i have to re-dress when ive forgot to put on my wahoo HR band. I dont work at a desk or office environment though.

cletus

GarIT wrote: »

Personally I think it could be great if we completely redesigned transport/commuting and all travelled on go kart sized commuting vehicles in lanes maybe 1m wide

Would this be just for city centres?

Macy0161

Not in the office at the moment, but a major blocker for me was bike security, which they appear to be addressing after 5 years of me lobbying (which feck all people in the office).

Obviously, I leisure cycle, but in recent years I haven't really been a commuter. It's park and cycle when I bike commute, but I may consider an ebike if/ when I'm back in the office if I'm happy with the security, and just go from home.

Just a couple of points...
When I did cycle commute, the wet days were the days I was far quicker than driving.
I've had to do the incident reports on my staff who have come off on wet days in the concrete underground car park.

flatface

God I miss commuting by bike. Working from home and I miss that kick start in the morning. Transport and workout rolled into one, what’s not to love? When I moved house I was kinda excited to find I had added a few extra km to add.
22km is double my commute though. I would try doing a few journeys a week at first and then seeing how much you want to do.

ED E

Weepsie wrote: »

Weather in the east is not nearly as bad as people make out

This. If it were Galway I'd think twice but in Dublin its really not that bad.

07Lapierre

25k each way three time a week. It's harder to motivate myself to cycle to work at this time of year, as it's colder,darker and wetter most days. Ironically, it's cold dark and wet days where cycling is a better option, as traffic is usually chronic on these type of days.

In the summer, it's brighter and warmer, but driving is quicker. But I still have to leave my house at the same time each morning because of traffic.

When I cycle to work, I usually have time to stop for a quick coffee and croissant,which I can't do if I drive.

Weepsie

GarIT wrote: »

I'd love to see dedicated roads for scooters single seater vehicles and busses. Maybe cars if every seat is occupied.

Personally I think it could be great if we completely redesigned transport/commuting and all travelled on go kart sized commuting vehicles in lanes maybe 1m wide

Yeah, but I wouldn't trust people to not launch blue shells

GarIT

cletus wrote: »

Would this be just for city centres?

I was more thinking a few major commuter routes where you already probably can't get above 30km/h. I travel 12km into town and it takes up to an hour. So a small low powered vehicle could easily keep up.

Cars are the sizes they are to be multifunctional. Carrying passengers or cargo when needed. They aren't designed for commuting and aren't really needed for commuting. Something like the Renault Twizzy is much more suited to commuting in a city but our road designs don't really allow vehicles like that to benefit from the efficiencies of it.

JimmyCorkhill

More cycle paths as opposed to cycle lanes. Feel safer on cycle paths personally than v some of the cycle lanes I would need to use.

99nsr125

JimmyCorkhill wrote: »

More cycle paths as opposed to cycle lanes. Feel safer on cycle paths personally than v some of the cycle lanes I would need to use.

Exactly

ED E

ED E wrote: »

This. If it were Galway I'd think twice but in Dublin its really not that bad.

It has rained all most every day for the last six months. It's, as they said locally, shyte

8valve

I turn 50 in the New Year, and have been dropping serious hints to the family that an electric bike would make a great birthday present! lol

The plan is to use it for commuting to work, which is only 12k each way, but features two 3km long dragging climbs on mainly quiet country roads. My job barely has a jacks and a kettle, never mind changing and showering facilities, so commuting by bike without assistance for the climbs is not an option.

I tend to meet mainly harassed mammies with SUVs full of kids on the morning commute and tired, inattentive 9 to 5ers on the way home.

Wish me luck!

eeeee

My pre covid commute is 40k a day. I did it rain, hail, shine or snow! The only weather that's unsuitable for cycling is ice, everything else is fine. Once you have good kit weather isn't a problem.

I don't shower when I get in as my commute is my recovery time, so I take it handy and don't get the HR up. It's a headwind the whole way in too. It's through town, I go the length of the quays.
I don't use cycle paths. They're too badly designed, dangerous and full of shyte.
The brand new covid bike lanes are absolutely full of shyte around me too, so I can't use them.

The best things you can do for your safety are looking behind you, especially when changing your line/ moving out around an obstacle/ parked car/ changing lane and just in general.
Cycle 1m out from the edge of the road minimum at all times.
Spend money on a proper set of lights. That's crucial.

Melanchthon

[Deleted User] wrote: »

It has rained all most every day for the last six months. It's, as they said locally, shyte

Yeah I don't believe this thing of acting like it never rains in Dublin, I've been rained on in a short bike commute at a minimum ten times since the first lockdown ends, much more than twice

Anybody have that post that's often made that uses the amount of rain days and divides it a by commuting time as I work outside most days and I am fairly sure it's drawing on incorrect data and would like to see how it compares to my experience.

Melanchthon

eeeee wrote: »

My pre covid commute is 40k a day. I did it rain, hail, shine or snow! The only weather that's unsuitable for cycling is ice, everything else is fine. Once you have good kit weather isn't a problem.

How do you see while cycling in more than heavy drizzle and make progress? Do you occupy the center of the lane as when there is puddles that starts getting risky too

dave_o_brien

I do cycle, but here's a few things I think might encourage others to cycle too.

A congestion charge for private vehicles.
A tax/ charge on all privately owned car parking spaces in the city centre provided by employers for their staff.
A greater number of one-way routes for cars in the cith centre making it more awkward to drive around.
The removal of any multi-lane non-bus lane carriageway outside of major N and M roads. Why places like Merrion Square, Stephens Green, Amiens St, egc., have multiple lanes is baffling.

Fugs!!

I try to cycle 1 or 2 days a week. It's only 8.5km through waterford city. Cycling across the bridge in waterford is very dodgy. I have a 15km route home which I do in nice weather and includes a few kms of greenway.

Thing that put me off are,
Laziness,
Weather
Dark mornings
Big f off hill that I live on top of.
Traffic

sasal

I'm in Galway and I've been able to drop my daughter to school most days on the bike. It rains a bit most days but it's not all day.

eeeee

Melanchthon wrote: »

How do you see while cycling in more than heavy drizzle and make progress? Do you occupy the center of the lane as when there is puddles that starts getting risky too

I wear a cap, a casquette (a cycling cap), the Sealskinz one and that keeps the rain off my glasses and I can see. They're great, you can flip up the peak if you jsut want warmth not peak.
I ride to the conditions, so if there's water on the left hand side of the road (lunchtime Wednesday for example) I say out from/of it.

saccades

A proper cycle lane along where the new dual carriageway N11 goes over the top of the old N11.

Rathnew hill I'm looking at you.

More showers and lockers at work.

More secure bike parking.

Eleven Benevolent Elephants

Is the cycle path parallel to Rush/Lusk-Donabate-Malahide going ahead? It'd rip a good chunk off my cycle commute if it comes to fruition.

Wishbone Ash

Eleven Benevolent Elephants wrote: »

Is the cycle path parallel to Rush/Lusk-Donabate-Malahide going ahead? It'd rip a good chunk off my cycle commute if it comes to fruition.

I'd say that is a few years down the line yet.

(It would shorten my commute also but that's not what I want so I'll probably continue to use the R127/R132).