Depaving?



Tim wrote:

> Of course, it was really the excuse I was looking for to just ditch
> the stupid thing and use my bike fulltime. Have only had a handful of
> occasions since then that I could have done with a car -- for
> instance, getting a new vaccuum cleaner home. Sure, I have heard of
> people strapping them to panniers, but... feh.

Must be a Mitsubishi thing. My last car was a Sigma. I buggered the head, which cost a small fortune to replace, and the replacement cracked 18 months after. Rego was due, and one of my friends was after a cheap car, so I gave it to her. She rarely speaks to me these days.

That was 1995. I haven't owned a car since (though I am occasionally tempted to buy a nice Citroen Berlingo), and ride everywhere. I had a fling with a motorcycle (a Suzuki Across) while I was doing my undergrad degree, but sold it not long after I graduated, as it was being neglected.

Taxis are your friend. As are hire cars.

Cheers,

Suzy
 
In aus.bicycle on Thu, 22 Dec 2005 15:29:11 +1100
Peter Signorini <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> "Theo Bekkers" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
>> But of little or no use for someone like me who lives 55 kms from work (by
>> choice, of course).
>
> Gotta say that's an interesting choice to make. I'm sure you have valid
> reasons for making it.
>

When I was that far from work, I had a good place to live and anywhere
in cycling distance would cost about $50-$100 a week more in rent.
And twice what my place cost to buy. Jobs are not so plentiful that I
could afford to say "If I can't cycle I can't work".

Do you give up your job or do you sell your house if you live too far
from work to cycle?

If you lose your job tomorrow and the only one that comes up is 55km away,
what will you do?

Zebee
 
On 22 Dec 2005 06:22:29 GMT, Zebee Johnstone said (and I quote):
> When I was that far from work, I had a good place to live and anywhere
> in cycling distance would cost about $50-$100 a week more in rent.
> And twice what my place cost to buy.

Not if you move to a much smaller house/apartment. That's what most
people do - live in a smaller home so they are closer to everything.
For an extreme example, look at Japan, where families often live in
apartments the size of an Australian 1-bedder instead of a normal-sized
house on the rural fringe.

> Do you give up your job or do you sell your house if you live too far
> from work to cycle?

One of them, sure.

> If you lose your job tomorrow and the only one that comes up is 55km away,
> what will you do?

Move?
--
What was I thinking?
 
In aus.bicycle on 22 Dec 2005 21:35:46 +1050
Baka Dasai <[email protected]> wrote:
> On 22 Dec 2005 06:22:29 GMT, Zebee Johnstone said (and I quote):
>> When I was that far from work, I had a good place to live and anywhere
>> in cycling distance would cost about $50-$100 a week more in rent.
>> And twice what my place cost to buy.
>
> Not if you move to a much smaller house/apartment. That's what most
> people do - live in a smaller home so they are closer to everything.
> For an extreme example, look at Japan, where families often live in
> apartments the size of an Australian 1-bedder instead of a normal-sized
> house on the rural fringe.

Would have to be a lot smaller. As I already live in a small one.

And what does it gain me? Close to work, but far from everything else.

Not to mention a living standard thing. If you like having nothing and
going out a lot, then you will prefer one style of living. Me and a
couple of thousand books and 3 vintage motorcycles aren't going to fit in
a dogbox in Mona Vale or Narrambeen which is where I'd had to have lived.
Or in a dogbox in Balmain. I just fit in a larger-than-dogbox in Campsie
but I don't cycle to work.

Change my standard of living to cycle to work? I guess some would,
but I wouldn't.

ONly take a job in cycling distance? Don't get the option, no matter
where I live.



>
>> Do you give up your job or do you sell your house if you live too far
>> from work to cycle?
>
> One of them, sure.
>
>> If you lose your job tomorrow and the only one that comes up is 55km away,
>> what will you do?
>
> Move?

Do you own your own house, or rent?

When I was renting, I could move. Although I preferred not to. Once you
own, then the cost of moving tends to outweigh the cost of not moving.


Zebee
 
--
Frank
[email protected]
Drop DACKS to reply
"LotteBum" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> Theo Bekkers Wrote:
> > We went from living on a 725 metre block on a street where we did not
> > know our neighbours and 27,000 cars passed our front door every day, to
> > a 20,000 metre block (5 acre) where we know all of our neighbours and
> > are involved in the community and 27 cars pass our front door every
> > day. Mind you the front door is 75 metres from the roadway. We get to
> > eat fresh eggs from our chooks and grow a few fresh vegies as well. And
> > the fruit trees are starting to....... fruit.You could have solved your
problem by moving to a quieter street and
> maybe even try to get to know your neighbours!
>
> Theo Bekkers Wrote:
> > Maybe. I'm currently telecommuting two days a week and will up that to
> > three days sometime next year. In the meantime I'm driving a company
> > car with company petrol in the tank.
> And company petrol is great for the environment, isn't it?
>
>
> --
> LotteBum

Again, my vote goes to Theo - I'm damned if I'm going to move closer to
work. I work to support my life. I'm not going to shuffle myself around to
suit my job.

Saying that, I live around 40 - 45 km from my job. I work in a busy, noisy,
heavy industry and live quietly in the Perth Hills. Too far for me to ride
every day (and a horrible climb to get home after a looong day) so I
frequently drive part way, park the car somewhere convenient (a mate's place
of one of the shopping centres) and ride the rest - 20 to 30km. There's no
real reason to go either/or with transport. Perhaps Theo and others who live
a fair way from work could consider that?

I'm trying to put together a 'Ride to Work' day as part of Bikeweek (March,
here in WA). The meeting point would be the Kwinana Motorplex (love the
irony there!) and guides would take groups of riders to their place of work
along the Kwinana industrial strip. I'm hoping the Motorplex will allow
their car park to be used as a 'Park and Ride' for people who want to
continue to ride part way to work.

I'm looking for volunteer guides, by the way. If anyone's interested, email
me off list. I'm still lobbying for industry support, so it's an unformed
plan right now...

Toodles,

Bike loaded on car - off to the orifice...

me
 
Zebee Johnstone wrote:
> In aus.bicycle on Thu, 22 Dec 2005 15:29:11 +1100
> Peter Signorini <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>"Theo Bekkers" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>news:[email protected]...
>>
>>
>>>But of little or no use for someone like me who lives 55 kms from work (by
>>>choice, of course).
>>
>>Gotta say that's an interesting choice to make. I'm sure you have valid
>>reasons for making it.
>
> When I was that far from work, I had a good place to live and anywhere
> in cycling distance would cost about $50-$100 a week more in rent.
> And twice what my place cost to buy. Jobs are not so plentiful that I
> could afford to say "If I can't cycle I can't work".
>
> Do you give up your job or do you sell your house if you live too far
> from work to cycle?
>
> If you lose your job tomorrow and the only one that comes up is 55km away,
> what will you do?

get up earlier in the morning... um ... get fitter to ride faster?

but seriously, i'm facing this right now.
all the jobs are on the other side of town =/
else i have to move interstate =O

kim
 
LotteBum wrote:
> Theo Bekkers Wrote:

>> Maybe. I'm currently telecommuting two days a week and will up that
>> to
>> three days sometime next year. In the meantime I'm driving a company
>> car with company petrol in the tank.

> And company petrol is great for the environment, isn't it?

No, but it's much cheaper. The gov't even gives back the GST. Telecommuting
is good for the environment though.

Theo
 
Baka Dasai wrote:

> Not if you move to a much smaller house/apartment. That's what most
> people do - live in a smaller home so they are closer to everything.
> For an extreme example, look at Japan, where families often live in
> apartments the size of an Australian 1-bedder instead of a
> normal-sized house on the rural fringe.

But, but, but, you've gotta have room a shed.

Theo
 
Zebee Johnstone wrote:

> Not to mention a living standard thing. If you like having nothing
> and going out a lot, then you will prefer one style of living. Me
> and a couple of thousand books and 3 vintage motorcycles aren't going
> to fit in a dogbox in Mona Vale or Narrambeen which is where I'd had
> to have lived. Or in a dogbox in Balmain. I just fit in a
> larger-than-dogbox in Campsie but I don't cycle to work.

You're going to have to get rid of that dog Zebee. :)

> When I was renting, I could move. Although I preferred not to. Once you
> own, then the cost of moving tends to outweigh the cost of not moving.

My son just moved house. The Real Estate agent got $17,000, the Gov't got
$38,000. This would be your cost to move to another house that is the same
price as the one you're living in.

Theo
 
On 2005-12-22, Bleve <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> Stuart Lamble wrote:
>> For example, I drove my car in today, because I'm going
>> diving this evening: it's a bit hard to take dive gear (weight belt and
>> all, although I didn't have tanks this morning) on a train, bus, or
>> bicycle. In this instance, the extra cost of driving in is balanced out
>> by the sheer impossibility of doing what I'm planning on doing any other
>> way.
>
> You can do it with a motorcycle - I have a nifty big backpack that all
> my dive gear fits in, including weights (resting on the pillion seat),
> and a small tank. It's not much chop if I want to take the twin
> 100cf's though :) There's trailers for motorbikes too, but IMO they
> suck, better off hiring a car for a day or car-sharing with a friend.

I accept that it's possible on a motorbike; the hassle with that for me
is twofold, though:

(1) I don't have a motorbike, or a license to ride one; I'd have to
rectify that.
(2) Once I'd rectified that, I'd need a bike. I'd also want a *lot* of
experience in handling the bike before putting a lot of drag on it
in the form of the weights and tank.

You're not wrong; it would take a while before I'd be comfortable doing
it, though.

(Although as you point out, 100 cfs would be an issue ... and that's my
preferred tank size, as a general rule ...)

--
My Usenet From: address now expires after two weeks. If you email me, and
the mail bounces, try changing the bit before the "@" to "usenet".
 
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