Reasons to ride - Money

There are lots of reasons to cycle including health, fun and convenience as well as often quoted financial benefits. So I thought about the financial side and have done some "back of envelope" calculations around the savings I make by cycling to work.

Saving over driving £1570 p.a.

Saving over public transport £1474 p.a.

Saving over walking £1856 p.a.

Here's the details:

My normal trip is only 2.5 miles each way and I could get to work by car, by bus or by walking so I've done a comparison of all three;

Material costs by bike - 25mls per week, 1200 miles per year - New tyres & chain every 2 years (£30pa), new bike every 5 years (200pa) (I've previously used bikes for over 50,000miles so these costs are over-estimated). Annual cost £230.

Material costs by car - 25mls per week at 66p/ml (AA costing) = £16.50 per week plus parking at £21.00 per week. Annual cost £1800

Material costs by bus - £4.20 per day = £21.00 per week. Annual cost £1008

Material costs of walking - £0

Generally when calculating the costs of different forms of transport time tends to be ignored but spending extra time traveling can be significant so I've looked at time as well;

To return trip to work by bike takes up to 30 minutes a day.

Walking takes 110 minutes

Driving and parking takes 30 minutes

Public transport takes 60 minutes

So cycling saves 80 minutes per day over walking = 320hours pa

Or cycling saves 30 minutes per day over the bus = 120hours pa

Cycling takes about the same time as driving.

Costing the time even at the national minimum wage gives an idea of costs (really I value my time much more highly than that);

So accounting for actual costs and for the times saved by cycling my short commute by bike shows significant savings over other forms of transport. For the full year my savings are:

Saving over driving £1570

Saving over public transport £1474

Saving over walking £1856

All in a day's work

On Tuesday I was in Lancaster to work with young people from the Marsh Community Centre. We had a great ride down to Morcambe and back via the Lancaster Canal. Here are some of the photos I took. I especially like the notice someone has put on the sunken boat.

I also realised that last time I took a photo of Lancaster Castle (about 30 years ago) some police officers approached me and told me that I couldn't take pictures. I told them that of course I could and they said that I was clearly a journalist (I had a very old 1960s camera) and that I was attempting to get pictures of people associated with a major murder trial that was taking place at the time (handless corpse for those with long memories). I tried to argue and told them I was a student. They threatened to arrest me and I decided to go and take pictures somewhere else.

Snow doesn't stop play (or cycling)

Things got a bit snowy a few days ago and with a cold morning start on Monday the commute had to be by Mountain Bike - big tyres, low gears and seat slightly lower than normal and off you go.

Light on the bars, smooth on the pedals and your rear wheel will follow the front most of the time. Any slipping and sliding is quite good for generating warmth and slowing you down so no cold hands or feet. That slipping and sliding is great for your balance and confidence and most of all it adds to the fun and the sense of achievement.

It makes me smile

I seem to have been grumbling about cyclists and about traffic lately and unless there is a massive shift in policies, regulation and enforcement I probably always will. Don't let that make you think I don't love cycling, I do, and it is why I've set up this blog.

My ride in to work this morning was a reminder of why I cycle rather than use the alternative, slower and more expensive options of my car or public transport.

The weather was lovely (OK minus 2 is a bit cool on the face), the air was clear and fresh, the views were stunning and people I passed tended to say hello.

All in all this is why I cycle - it is fun and it makes me feel good and if that isn't enough reason then the benefits in terms of health, economics and convenice should surely swing it for more people.

Traffic behaving badly

We sometimes have to point out to people that when riding your bike on the road you aren't just riding in traffic, you are traffic.

Recently when crossing Manchester by bike from Victoria Station to Piccadilly station, a five or six minute ride I was shouted at by a cycle courier, on his retro steel-framed racer, because I wouldn't pass on the inside of some traffic, causing him some delay. The traffic involved was a "bendy" bus, another bus, a tipper truck and another couple of lorries!  I don't take too well to being shouted at by fellow cyclists but I'm afraid that my reply to this consisted only of two words, neither of which I can print here!

Funnily enough I caught up with him after only half a mile. All his risk taking and anger didn't get him anywhere faster than my relaxed and safe approach on my Brompton.

Anyway I carried on to my train and on to London where I was able to get out on my bike a few times. It was great to see so many people on bikes but the behaviour of some of the cyclists made the courier in Manchester seem quite sensible.

In no special order some of what I saw included:

• passing on the inside of cyclists who are riding in the correct position
• passing inside large vehicles (including around junctions)
• Riding on and off pavements to pass queuing traffic
• disregarding red lights
• reacting rather than planning
• not signalling or checking before manoeuvring
• not allowing pedestrians room

I'm not just having a go at fellow cyclists here but having read so much about the tragic deaths of cyclist in London, especially involving large vehicles turning left, I was surprised by the general lack of care for one's own safety (or lack of sense?). At one point a number of cyclists told me that the next set of lights was regularly policed so it would be best to stop, I've said before that red lights are fairly clear - it is best to stop when the light is red, police or not!

Whenever I was passed by cyclists behaving badly (not only men!) I found that in half a mile or so I was passing them anyway - nobody is saving any time!

Of course the non-cycling London traffic was at least as bad as anywhere else but the following bad driving in no way mitigates the bad cycling.

• squeezing and driving too close to the kerb
• really poor and unpredictable lane discipline
• not stopping at red lights (several vehicles per change)
• inappropriate parking on roads
• illegal parking on separate cycle paths and pavements
• not signalling or checking before manoeuvres
• not allowing pedestrians room
• tail-gating and pressurising
• inappropriate speed
• sprint - stop mentality

Whenever I was passed by motorists behaving badly (not only men!) I found that in half a mile or so I was passing them anyway, often waiting in a queue - nobody is saving any time!

Hare and tortoise springs to mind!