7 ms·

Holy cow is this ever true: But one group of commuters report enjoying themselves. These are people who travel under their own steam [...] They walk. They run.

by gruseom 13y ago

Holy cow is this ever true: But one group of commuters report enjoying themselves. These are people who travel under their own steam [...] They walk. They run. They ride bicycles. Completely matches my experience, and it's astonishing how strong the effect is.

canoebuilder 13y ago
The way I've described it, you get in a car to go some where and you're constrained in a funny position in a small space. You might ostensibly have some comforts. Music to listen to a fan to blow on you. But the 'climate control' of a car can not come anywhere near matching the feeling of a body being used in the way it is meant to be used. Regardless of any comforts, depending on the trip, for a lot of people most of it is going to be spent repeatedly glancing at the clock and staring at the car in front of you. You're separated from reality in a very real sort of way. You get to where you're going and in my experience you just kind of have a blah feeling. Where as if you get on a bike to go somewhere not only is the trip there enjoyable(provided the route is not overrun by hordes of car zombies~), but when you get there you're nearly guaranteed to be in a good mood. Like "Alright, yeah let's do this!" ~even then though, it's hard to not enjoy a bike ride.
- pif 13y ago
  You're talking about people who _can_ choose between car and bike/walk. That means a short distance from home to work, which implies no risk of being stuck along the route by an accident or bad weather. Furthermore, you get to work next to your doctor, your bank and your local services, and a couple of hours of leave are enough for your errands. That's what makes you happy, whatever means of transport you choose.
  - canoebuilder 13y ago
    "an accident or bad weather." A car somehow alleviates those concerns? There's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing. -- "You're talking about people who" I was saying that when I choose between car or bike, it is most often going to be bike. I wasn't making any broad prescriptions for society, but if I were to...
    - ido 13y ago
      What's "good clothing" for 40c(100f) heat + 95% humidity?
      - girvo 13y ago
        Also known as: Queensland, Australia
        ido 13y ago
        Or Tel Aviv, or Miami :)
kaeluka 13y ago
Being able to cycle (or walk, when there's snow) to work is one of THE best things about my job. I feel privileged for not owning a car!
- BugBrother 13y ago
  If they plough well where you are, get winter tires for the bicycle. They are magical. For clothes, use double gloves and pull over pants. I can guarantee this down to less than -20C. Caveats: Good winter tires are expensive, the magic isn't the spikes but the rubber. Be careful when you step off the bicycle, you have no clue how slippery it is. After bicycling a while with winter tires you can't bicycle without them, you lose all reflexes for handling slippery ice.
Yetanfou 13y ago
And when distance becomes to long for human-powered transport you can always use something like this: http://databikes.com/infophoto/ural/dnepr_mt_9-1969.html http://databikes.com/infophoto/ural/dnepr_mt_9-1969.html It is what I use, summer and winter, in the Swedish countryside. While these older bikes might not be the epitome of efficiency (which is part of the reason why I'm trying to convert one to wood gas - plenty of wood here) they are easy to fix and a lot more fun than many other self-propelling vehicles. When it rains your clothes get wet, when it snows they get white. So what? When it is cold you dress up, when warm you do the opposite. You might think this is impractical. You're probably right. Sometimes you have to trade in some efficiency and practicality for other, less tangible benefits.
- facepalm 13y ago
  Motorbikes are too deadly for my taste. But perhaps computers will make them acceptable in the future (self-driving motorcycles).
codfrantic 13y ago
Like Yetanfou I use a motorbike to get to and from work (no sidecar though, maybe in the future for winter riding!). I absolutely love to air out (literally) my head on the ride home every day. I get home totally relaxed. This is probably helped by the fact that the activity of riding a motorcycle is much more demanding than some other forms of transport this mainly because of all the cars that are actively trying to assassinate you daily! Because of this focus it is much easier and actually important to let go of work-related things!
- gruseom 13y ago
  I love motorcyles and motorcycle-commuted for years, and yes—it sure beats driving a car. But it's not a counterexample here! There is no comparison to walking or biking, especially to work. As I said above, the effect is astonishing. If I'm walking or biking somewhere, especially anywhere work-related, it feels so damn good. If I know that in the past I'd have been doing it in a car, it feels twice as good. If I see lots of other people in cars trying to do the same thing, I have the moral problem of trying to control my schadenfreude. The one exception I'd make for automated vehicles, but it's only a partial exception, is trains. As someone once quoted on HN: "Everybody hates buses and everybody loves trains." Trains don't have the quality of walking or bicycling, but they have some other lesser quality that still feels pretty good. Well, maybe motorcycles and trains are tied for second. :)
sebnukem2 13y ago
I moved to a new job 2 years ago. Everything got better, the pay, the people, the work, except one thing. My commute got too short! My bike commute is the highlight of my day. I am privileged with not having to own a car.

by gruseom 13y ago

canoebuilder 13y ago

The way I've described it, you get in a car to go some where and you're constrained in a funny position in a small space. You might ostensibly have some comforts. Music to listen to a fan to blow on you. But the 'climate control' of a car can not come anywhere near matching the feeling of a body being used in the way it is meant to be used. Regardless of any comforts, depending on the trip, for a lot of people most of it is going to be spent repeatedly glancing at the clock and staring at the car in front of you. You're separated from reality in a very real sort of way. You get to where you're going and in my experience you just kind of have a blah feeling. Where as if you get on a bike to go somewhere not only is the trip there enjoyable(provided the route is not overrun by hordes of car zombies~), but when you get there you're nearly guaranteed to be in a good mood. Like "Alright, yeah let's do this!" ~even then though, it's hard to not enjoy a bike ride.

pif 13y ago
You're talking about people who _can_ choose between car and bike/walk. That means a short distance from home to work, which implies no risk of being stuck along the route by an accident or bad weather. Furthermore, you get to work next to your doctor, your bank and your local services, and a couple of hours of leave are enough for your errands. That's what makes you happy, whatever means of transport you choose.
- canoebuilder 13y ago
  "an accident or bad weather." A car somehow alleviates those concerns? There's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing. -- "You're talking about people who" I was saying that when I choose between car or bike, it is most often going to be bike. I wasn't making any broad prescriptions for society, but if I were to...
  - ido 13y ago
    What's "good clothing" for 40c(100f) heat + 95% humidity?
    - girvo 13y ago
      Also known as: Queensland, Australia
      - ido 13y ago
        Or Tel Aviv, or Miami :)

kaeluka 13y ago

Being able to cycle (or walk, when there's snow) to work is one of THE best things about my job. I feel privileged for not owning a car!

BugBrother 13y ago
If they plough well where you are, get winter tires for the bicycle. They are magical. For clothes, use double gloves and pull over pants. I can guarantee this down to less than -20C. Caveats: Good winter tires are expensive, the magic isn't the spikes but the rubber. Be careful when you step off the bicycle, you have no clue how slippery it is. After bicycling a while with winter tires you can't bicycle without them, you lose all reflexes for handling slippery ice.

Yetanfou 13y ago

And when distance becomes to long for human-powered transport you can always use something like this: http://databikes.com/infophoto/ural/dnepr_mt_9-1969.html http://databikes.com/infophoto/ural/dnepr_mt_9-1969.html It is what I use, summer and winter, in the Swedish countryside. While these older bikes might not be the epitome of efficiency (which is part of the reason why I'm trying to convert one to wood gas - plenty of wood here) they are easy to fix and a lot more fun than many other self-propelling vehicles. When it rains your clothes get wet, when it snows they get white. So what? When it is cold you dress up, when warm you do the opposite. You might think this is impractical. You're probably right. Sometimes you have to trade in some efficiency and practicality for other, less tangible benefits.

facepalm 13y ago
Motorbikes are too deadly for my taste. But perhaps computers will make them acceptable in the future (self-driving motorcycles).

codfrantic 13y ago

Like Yetanfou I use a motorbike to get to and from work (no sidecar though, maybe in the future for winter riding!). I absolutely love to air out (literally) my head on the ride home every day. I get home totally relaxed. This is probably helped by the fact that the activity of riding a motorcycle is much more demanding than some other forms of transport this mainly because of all the cars that are actively trying to assassinate you daily! Because of this focus it is much easier and actually important to let go of work-related things!

gruseom 13y ago
I love motorcyles and motorcycle-commuted for years, and yes—it sure beats driving a car. But it's not a counterexample here! There is no comparison to walking or biking, especially to work. As I said above, the effect is astonishing. If I'm walking or biking somewhere, especially anywhere work-related, it feels so damn good. If I know that in the past I'd have been doing it in a car, it feels twice as good. If I see lots of other people in cars trying to do the same thing, I have the moral problem of trying to control my schadenfreude. The one exception I'd make for automated vehicles, but it's only a partial exception, is trains. As someone once quoted on HN: "Everybody hates buses and everybody loves trains." Trains don't have the quality of walking or bicycling, but they have some other lesser quality that still feels pretty good. Well, maybe motorcycles and trains are tied for second. :)

sebnukem2 13y ago

I moved to a new job 2 years ago. Everything got better, the pay, the people, the work, except one thing. My commute got too short! My bike commute is the highlight of my day. I am privileged with not having to own a car.