Get yourself a motorbike. Yes the training is a PITA now with all the licence changes, but you are more vulnerable and it’s worth it. Expect not to get much change out of £800 by the time you do cbt, mod 1&2. Gear is more important than the bike but budget about £500 for started kit. Onc you sort all that then look at bikes.
I passed on a 600cc Kawasaki, and went straight onto a 800cc Yamaha MT-09. Absolutely great fun, I use it for occasion commuting and if I go the boring motorway I can easily save 15 mins filtering, which is a blast, just stay alert.
However I choose to stick to routes through town and save less time but the overall route is quicker anyway. The difference from the car is just the feeling of freedom and fun element. As for getting changed, no idea what the others are doing but I’ve got armoured jeans, leather jacket and boots. This takes about one minute to change into my normal gear, a minute 30 if I have waterproof overalls on.
Do it, if you love bikes, you’ll love motorbikes.