Depaving?

Tim said:

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 said:

"Theo Bekkers" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

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):

Quoted message said:

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.

Quoted message said:

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.

Quoted message said:

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 said:

On 22 Dec 2005 06:22:29 GMT, Zebee Johnstone said (and I quote):

Quoted message said:

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.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

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.

Quoted message said:

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 hidden]
Drop DACKS to reply
"LotteBum" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Theo Bekkers said:

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

Quoted message said:

maybe even try to get to know your neighbours!

Theo Bekkers said:

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 said:

In aus.bicycle on Thu, 22 Dec 2005 15:29:11 +1100

Peter Signorini said:

"Theo Bekkers" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

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 said:

Theo Bekkers Wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

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.

Quoted message said:

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 said:

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 said:

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. :-)

Quoted message said:

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

Bleve said:

Stuart Lamble said:

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".