28 mile each way,motorway & dual carriage for most of it,takes 30-45 minutes in the car…..On a bike,with food & all the crap I need to take I could probably average 15 mph,depending on the weather conditions.Work shifts & have to been in for 6 am some weeks or stay till 9pm on others,Oh & then there’s the nightshift as well…….
Car does 65 mpg, road tax is £20 a year & it costs £250 to insure it….Plus I kind of like seeing my family at some point during the day….
Bit of a no brainer really isn’t it & with my shifts I get to ride any day in the week for pleasure anyway…..

Such a lovely place this. Or perhaps lets the driver do the driving.
Small thinkers, think small.

Fair enough. Pretty much a daily occurence to see people texting, calling, with a laptop open on the passenger seat, marking schoolwork whilst in control of a car.

road tax is £20 a year

I tried to resist, but i’m too weak.

There’s no such thing as ‘road tax’

C’mon, someone had to say it…

To my shame I only live 5 miles away but still drive regularly (I cycle once or twice per week in winter, more in summer). Mainly because I’m carrying stuff or because I need to go somewhere after work.

I hatedriving at rush hour though, so in the morning I come in at about 6.30, go for a run, shower at the office, go for a coffee and then go in to work. Going home I grin and bear it because my commute is short enough that it rarely turns into a complete nightmare (and if it does I could always park the car and walk the rest of the way). Having said that, it sometimes takes 15 minutes to get out of the office car park, at which point I find something to do in town before going home later.

Car, though I car share, so only drive every 3 weeks.
43 miles each way if I go the economical (up to 57mpg) way. Very dull – 50 mins to 90 mins in the snow a couple of years back.

37 miles each way if I go the fun way over the moors (44mpg). FUN – 38mins is my PB!

The alternative is to move into Co. Durham – no thanks.

2002 Alfa 156 2.4JTD. Cost me £700 6 months ago, so don’t see it depreciating much more.

I’d like to commute by bike more. I’ve kind of got out of the habit.

The fact that both the wife and I work near each other makes driving pretty practical though. If she drives on her own she would have to pay to park, I get free parking at my office.

I can’t say the commute by car bother me that much, its a good opportunity to vent at muppets who don’t know what motorway lanes or indicators are for!

I used to commute by car 3 hrs + per day until recently. I now drive 40 mins or so through country side on fantastic driving roads…it just a shame I have to do it in a people carrier (wish I had the MX5 again)

Intend to start riding it in the spring when its light again, would dream of riding the country route I do in the dark.

I can’t ride to work.

The 600 litre water tank and 3/4 of a tonne of equipment I need would be a bit of a hassle on a bike.

But I’m never stressed on my “commute” and pretty much never late either.

I’m just organised and I set off in plenty of time, that way I can relax, listen to music, learn Mandarin, whatever really.

After todays Edinburgh bypass car park, the ZZR11 will be making an appearance again.

Moved house so that a 80 mile round trip by car could become a 6 mile each way (or up to 35 miles if it’s nice…) commute by bike.
Funny, got in this morning. A colleague asked if I was cold and wet – he arrived by car wearing an insulated jacket that didn’t come off for an hour after he got to work. I’ve ridden in shorts today and sat in the same office in a short sleeve shirt. Comfy.

Live in Scottish Borders, work in Edinburgh. Drive (no other way) 20miles to park and ride at Straiton, then hop on the bike and cycle remaining six miles. In lighter mornings/evenings usually extend the cycle part of the commute.

I can’t ride to work.

The 600 litre water tank and 3/4 of a tonne of equipment I need would be a bit of a hassle on a bike.

Pfft! You’re just not planning ahead enough, go and get yourself a cargo bike with low enough gearing to shift 1.5 tonnes and you’ll be laughing…

…or hacking and wheezing as you try and shift that weight up any kind of incline!

Pfft! You’re just not planning ahead enough, go and get yourself a cargo bike with low enough gearing to shift 1.5 tonnes and you’ll be laughing…

…or hacking and wheezing as you try and shift that weight up any kind of incline!

What brake pads for 1.5tonne going down any kind of incline?

LOL I think thats the most I have been quoted 🙂 must have hit a STW nerve.

There are many reasons why I have not commuted by bike, mostly involving where work is and how undesirable it it to live in those areas. Pair that with having to live somewhere so that my partner can get to work too means we end up in places we want to live but not always close to work.
I have not lived within 20 miles of work for a long time. I worked odd hours, having to take laptops & documents home doesn’t mix with british weather no matter how waterproof the paniers are. I have had to travel to other sites during the day for meetings. Couple that with a huge number of work places having no showers/lockers it makes the prospect had. The last drive to work I did was round the M60/M62. I did the bike twice due to the Van being in the garage, 2 trains each way that were rammed so there was a chance I wasn’t going to get on start stop riding in Manchester City Centre and then an outdoor bike park area and a crappy changing area/showers with no lockers.

It’s just not a practical solution for a lot of people. I have nothing against those who ride but starting off with “Commuting by car how do you stand it” kind of puts you in that preachy category.
Now where is the picture of Stewart Pearson and the folding bike….. 😀

I work in London and Leeds, so I ride to Leeds and drive or take the train to London

A good transport mix and I enjoy all 3 🙂

Driving though, good time to relax with the radio, heated leather seats and no interruptions, obviously I don’t answer the phone whilst driving.

But yeah, if I did it everyday in stop start traffic I’d probably want to kill myself

Darwen to Preston on the motorbike. It’s lovely takes me 15 mins when I’m on a early or nights and 20 mins if I’m on a late shift. 1330 – 2115 due to snobbery driving to get their lunch.

Commuting by car – how do you stand it??!!!
It’s better than un-employment

You know, I’m not so sure it is myself.
There’s no way on this earth I’ll ever do a 50 mile commute permanently. I’d rather flip burgers for a living, and walk there.

10 miles each way in london

it was a bit damp this morning but im dry now
ipod means quality tunes all the way

cant understand why anyone would drive if they had the option to cycle
-well in london anyway my 45 minutes would take 2 hours by car and my blood pressure would be through the roof!

fuel costs + bad drivers + traffic+ lack of exercise = commute by car is for mugs !

“I tried to resist, but i’m too weak.

There’s no such thing as ‘road tax’

C’mon, someone had to say it…”

But there is that thing that everyone knows and understands, that we call… road tax.

35 mile each way

7am start on a monday means driving, but also no traffic and a 3pm finish. Thats great in the car as i get home to spend most of the afternoon with wife and daughter who are both at home all day on a Monday.

Today I rode in 1 way and will get train out of city to somewhere rural and quieter and then do a 18mile finish off. For the last 6mile today it was basically bumper to bumper traffic. Nothing makes you as smug as riding down a huge line of traffic passing flash cars on the way.

The rest of the week is a mix of trains, riding to trains, driving to trains or driving all the way.

CX bike with guards, lights and road tyres.

Would love to be able to cycle to work every day but some of us aren’t enough to live in cycle commuting distance. Today I had to drive 125 miles to my work place also with a box of tools. As I had to be on site for 8am I think I would have struggled by bike.

I feel fortunate.

I can cycle to work – love it
I can tube to work – bit slower but can chill with a book or music
I can drive to work – bit slower, usually with my lovely wife, in comfort with a coffee and some music (OK I have a nice car – it helps)

Can’t grumble at any of them!