Is Commuting A Choice?

[DancingLady]

Is commuting by bike a personal choice for you or a necessity?

For me it's a necessity, as I don't have a car, or the means to pay for a car. For my room mate, it's also a necessity because she can't afford to pay for that much gas, and where she works it can take 10 minutes sometimes just to find a place to park a car.

If you are someone who cycles out of necessity, would you continue if another mode of transportation was available to you?

 

[Volnix]

I get trolled by electric - somethings lately.

I also had an interesting drag-race on the bike path with a Segway! (Damn they suck... )

There was once this bike that had a 5cc engine or something fitted to it and it was running on gas!

But the worst ones are some proper Chinese mopeds which just have the pedals for "legal reasons" and often have a plate that is just stating "electric bicycle"... They (or I ) should probably put a question mark next to that... "Electric Bicycle?", maybe not...

I might make a "4 wheeled quad-cycle" with a functioning gear to push it and run "Assist" it with race fuel... and not pay tax, or insurance, or anything! Maybe crash a couple of stuff too!

 

[shilpa123]

It is a personal choice. I think it becomes a necessity only when you do not have enough money. But I do believe that it is great to use a bike.

 

[Froze]

I've never been in that situation but I use to commute by bike to work a lot just because I'm a tightwad and didn't want to spend money for gas when I had a bike and I could take it into my office instead of locking it up outside. I think bicycling is a great mode of transportation if necessity dictates it, but there are times like when the weather is foul that you need alternative mode of transportation like the bus. I use to take the bus when I lived in Glendale California instead of the car when the weather was to foul to ride, which really only happened in the months of January and February! but I had a bus stop about 2 blocks from where I lived and the bus went directly to my front door of my business building where I worked, so I rarely drove the car to work, only when I needed to be somewhere immediately after work did I take the car. My wife on the other hand had to take the car into work because there were no buses and it was too far for her to ride a bike (nor would I want her to for her protection), so sometimes necessity dictates having a car, just depends on your circumstances.

 

[gavinfree]

I know people on both sides of the equation, those who need to bicycle for transportation and those who do it out of preference. Either way, it's a smart idea that saves money and keeps the body healthier than it would be sitting in a car the entire trip. I don't like commuting by bicycle because I tend to cycle for leisure, or I'll exercise on the mountain trails.

 

[kana_marie]

It's a choice. The car would be a lot more convienant and a lot quicker, but. Inking feels so good and gets me so up and motivated that I'm not going to commute any other way.

 

[Volnix]

It's a choice. The car would be a lot more convienant and a lot quicker, but. Inking feels so good and gets me so up and motivated that I'm not going to commute any other way.

Actually...

I live near the centre. To go downtown:

-Bus, 2 euro return, 30 min each way.
-Taxi, 4+4 euro return, 20 min each way.
-Car, Gas money, 40 min each way including parking.

Bike: 7 min each way. (Ok, 10 if it's windy). Zero cost... Yeah, like 0.003 euro in equipment wear...

 

[vespid49]

For me, it's a personal choice. First off, I love biking, it's quick, free, and agile. Secondly, I need to do some sort of exercise. If I don't move around I'll get fat and that's plenty enough motivation for me to mount up and take to the streets. Also, where I live, it's pretty bike friendly, so I try to bike as much as possible because at times it's faster than using a car.

 

[joshposh]

Everyone's situation is different. Some want to save money and decide to ride to work. You save a ton of money on car maintenance, insurance, and gas. That would be a considerable savings over the course of a year. Car insurance alone is expensive. So it's all depends on the individual. Save money, or a good daily workout.

 

[adfnio]

It doesn't hurt to save a buck here and there. Every time you open your car insurance bill you'r going to wish you had a cheaper way of getting around. You bikes maintenance fees are going to be minimum compared to your car. So why not commute with a bike?

 

[bicyclez]

I've never been in that situation but I use to commute by bike to work a lot just because I'm a tightwad and didn't want to spend money for gas when I had a bike and I could take it into my office instead of locking it up outside. I think bicycling is a great mode of transportation if necessity dictates it, but there are times like when the weather is foul that you need alternative mode of transportation like the bus. I use to take the bus when I lived in Glendale California instead of the car when the weather was to foul to ride, which really only happened in the months of January and February! but I had a bus stop about 2 blocks from where I lived and the bus went directly to my front door of my business building where I worked, so I rarely drove the car to work, only when I needed to be somewhere immediately after work did I take the car. My wife on the other hand had to take the car into work because there were no buses and it was too far for her to ride a bike (nor would I want her to for her protection), so sometimes necessity dictates having a car, just depends on your circumstances.

Did you ride down Los Feliz towards Hollywood? That's a pretty sketchy commute especially during rush hour. If your commute was in Glendale it would have been much safer of course.

 

[pinkride]

It is my choice since I do own a car, but I prefer commuting for various reasons such as economic, environmental etc. And to be honest all these years I'm actually used to it, so no reason to change.

 

[Catsyo]

It used to be by choice but not anymore. I ended up selling my car because I'd rather ride my bike. For most of the places I go, it takes less time riding a bike and finding a spot to lock it up in than it does to drive a car and find a parking spot. I never really liked driving anyway. I got my license rather late and always had really bad cars. I can't force myself to save up enough to buy a nicer one and a nice bike is way cheaper.

 

[9lines]

I enjoy cycling as a choice. There are times I go to work by car. When the weather is good I choose cycling. I sometimes cycle because of traffic. When the roads are congested I can get my bike and cycle to work.