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Cycling to work this morning got me thinking....
I live a 5 minute cycle along a bike path from work. However I can take a long route ( which I mainly do) which involves singletrack through woods and coastal path runs which is pretty much car free with spectacular views. Â I Will shortly change locations with my job to live in a city, through whilst still able to bike to work, there will be no singletrack commute.
So the crux is this.... how much pay would People be willing to sacrifice not to drive to and from work and keep the joy of a fun commute to work?
So the crux is this…. how much pay would People be willing to sacrifice not to drive to and from work and keep the joy of a fun commute to work?
Dunno, but as someone who has cycle-commuted for the last 15 years, you'd have to give me a massive pay rise to get me back into a car.
I think I'd take a 30% cut in pay not to have a 30 mile each way commute into Crawley and have a job that I liked or at least wasn't five days a week of tedium.
So long as I have a decent public transport option I don't care. Its nice having the option of an off road commute but the I'd rather be able to go to fun places with my bike more often.
Nothing as I can walk to work or take the long route on the bike via the canal and a tiny bit of singletrack.
I have a 25mile each way ride on the roads (quite busy ones in places too) with no sensible off road option and I can see the upside of even that.
Cycling through cities is fun if you have a nice route and a proper 'commuter' bike (I.e. sit up and beg Boris style bike). Just look forwards, enjoy the architecture, take some diversions through parks, explore a bit, and wear some dark sunglasses in summer for perving.
Although back to the original question, I moved to reading for work. Pay was about 15% more than similar jobs in Manchester. After a few years I'd figured out where the good riding was but I've ended up very car dependant despite being able to walk to work as Reading offers very little riding (or frankly culturally) on your doorstep.
Since then I've lost that job and started a lower paid one an hours drive away (28miles but heavy traffic).
As I can't practically commute by bike (50miles) then divert via a local night ride (12-15miles + the same riding). So most days (2x night rides and inevitably one day I can't cycle) I spend 2 hours in the car, 3 if I'm going cycling.
So I can't take a further paycut for a nicer commute, although if this job was on my old salary I'd maybe have considered quite a big paycut to get my walk to work commute.
I have a 20 mile mountain bike commute to work and in the summer it is nice, but the trails in the Dark Peak will always be better and given the choice I'd rather live closer to good trails than have the option of a fairly good MTB commute all the time and an hour and a half cross city drive to the riding I actually want to do, rather than what's convenient.
Singletrack commuting is brilliant (I used to book a hotel in Bracknell when working in Farnborough, so Swinley red/blue was half of my commute) but only when it's dry. When not, it's a PITA keeping yourself and your bike clean.
I'd take a pay cut for a short walk for a commute though - then you can be in for 8, home by 4 and pop out on the trails wherever you want.
I can ride almost door to door on a tow path or somewhat adjacent main road to work
its 16 miles each way so I rarely do it
But it is always nice when I do