Slashdot Mirror
Forms of Alternative Transportation to Work?
puargsss asks: "For many people a bicycle is not a viable form of transportation to work due to lack of storage space. Are there any products out there suitable for transportation to a working environment (the ability to store them inside is essential), or a detachable/retractable set of wheels similar to heelys that are built for a working environment? I normally rollerblade for sport/exercise, but it is fairly unprofessional to show up in my workplace with the rather large and clunky traditional equipment. Any ideas?"
Not too clunky, and you can take them inside with you.
It's that I'd have to ride on busy streets to get there, and I'm too young to die (or worse).
Attention zealots and haters: 00100 00100
I know this is SO 2001 but the scooter has really been a life saver for me. I was never happy with the cheap $50 scooters you can pick up at the local Toy Mega Stores so I did a little research and found the Xootr Scooter.
They are a little expensive starting at $150. But you will find the construction to be far superior to any razor scooter with its sturdy frame and large 7" (180mm) wheels. It cruises like nothing else. Taking very little effort to gain and maintain momentum.
I opted for the Xootr Mg ($189) with a solid magnesium deck. It comes in under 10 lbs and is east to fold and carry. Fits nice under my desk at work and take up very little space in my home. Pick up the shoulder strap to make transportation even easier on crowded streets or into your place of business.
The only such situation I can imagine is where you ride so far that you need a good road bike that you can't leave locked to a parking meter. But if that's so, wheelie shoes are hardly a workable alternative.
What I'm listening to now on Pandora...
So showing up to work in a giant 4,000lb gas guzzling, exhaust spewing, parking-space using hung of metal is professional, but a pair of wheels on your feet is not?
This makes about as much sense as those people who judge employees based on whether or not they're married and have kids.
Get to work however the hell you want. If your boss somehow insists that you use one method over another, the fat fucker can pay for it.
Try these in winter.
a horrible place
by living in your cubicle.
Bonus: You can then read slashdot in office all day.
I pretty much had the same situation, and I have a nice bike. So I built something for inside my cube. Details: http://berserk.org/cbr/ Hope this helps.
For years my grandad swore by his foldable bike. It folds in half and fits in the back of a car. No reason you couldn't get one of them.
Or as you said roller blades, they'll do the job just fine.
I like muppets.
I think I know her, I still have the scars.
Beta sux! Join the Slashcott! http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=4760465&cid=46173047
cross-pollinated via Make.
Cool, but useless.
I've got a Vespa beat all to hell.
I ride a 1964 bright red Honda Super 90
Bought it as a basket case, spent 4 months rebuilding it. It gets 175 miles/gal, does 55 and parks like a bicycle.
It also is a great conversation starter "I had one of those in high school" is the most common.
"Eve of Destruction", it's not just for old hippies anymore...
Here you go. Bonus points for looking like a haker^W hiker.
The Stone Age did not end because humans ran out of stones. - William McDonough
Is it actually against the rules where you work to bring a bike inside? Ask around (your manager, or the HR dept) maybe there is a storage closet you can use or an unused cubicle somewhere.
If you work someplace with tedious people who are not accomodating, maybe transportation is not your number one problem.
"I normally rollerblade for sport/exercise, but it is fairly unprofessional to show up in my workplace with the rather large and clunky traditional equipment."
If this is your excuse for not rollerblading, you're not likely to like anything anyone here has to pitch.
But honestly I think the problem is all in your head. I think if you had a backpack and stowed all your gear in the pack before walking in the door nobody could possibly object.
I've ridden my Brompton to various jobs for years. I don't know how many miles are on it but well over 4,000 since I finally put on a bike-computer. I got (at the time) top-of-the-line version along with extended seat-tube due to my leg-length, rack, and the nice removable front bag. I also added some more lighting and reflectors and replaced the standard seat.
Folding or unfolding takes 15-20 seconds and it is very small when folded so I can put it in any number of out-of-the-way places. It will fit under my desk if no other spot is available.
All told I probably have spent ~$1,400 on the bike, upgrades and maintenance. Assuming a very conservative 4,000 miles, my per/mile cost is $0.35. If the current IRS business mileage deduction rate of $0.405/mile in some way reflects average operating costs, then the bike became "free" quite a while ago. At current rates, fuel cost alone for my 30-something mpg car is over $0.08/mile so given my approximately 13 mile round-trip commute, I save about $20/month on fuel alone. Parking in the building would cost another $60/month. Incremental maintainence on the car is probably at least another $20/month. All told, it's easy to save $100/month and get some exercise as well.
It doesn't take long to pay for even a moderately pricey bike at those savings.
~~~~~~~
"You are not remembered for doing what is expected of you." - Atul Chitnis
"I normally rollerblade for sport/exercise, but it is fairly unprofessional to show up in my workplace with the rather large and clunky traditional equipment."
In my workplace, it's unprofessional to show up soaking wet and smelling like a pig, which is what I'd be if tried to rollerblade or bike to work. I might consider a motorcycle for myself. But you might want to see if your employer will let you chain a bike to something that's not really for that purpose like a lamppost.
Many companies have incentives from city or local governments to reduce the # of parking spots or automobile commuters arriving at the workplace. Talk to your Company and ask the tough questions: what is this company doing to support alternatives to driving to work? Every place I have ever worked I've contacted everyone I could think of to ask about showers, changing areas, lockers, and parking for bicycles. Many times the answer is "We dont have any" but unless people ask for these things, why would a company build them? A few times I was suprised and the company relocated (from somewhere they were unused) or erected outside bicycle-storage lockers which I could then use. Its up to you... Participate in building the workplace/world you want.
Agreed, that's why you should shower once you arrive and change into a new set of clothes which you brought with you to work.
I have the good fortune to work in an office attached to a factory, which for OSHA reasons needs an emergency shower. I shower off, change into dress pants, shirt, and tie, then go sit in my "open concept" office all day.
The only exercise I get in an average week is the bike ride to work to and from work, which is about an hour a day. I just can't describe to you the total feeling of power and control that is possible after having biked to work. Driving a shiny metal box to work and drinking coffee afterwards just does not compare.
Besides, I have to admit that I am actually treated better by my bosses and co-workers. Because I bike, they have come to consider me the healthy, awake and alive, mover and shaker in the office. It gives me credibility that my fatter SUV-driving co-workers can't buy for themselves.
So, returning to the issue at hand: How can our "Ask Slashdot" poster get to work? My answer (sorry) is to cycle there. If there is no where to park at your office, that's fine. Find a place within a 5-10 minute walk that you can park and shower at and change there.
Ignore what you think the fat, ignorant sheep that make up the bulk of the population think. Lead by example. Show that you can exercise, enjoy the outdoors, and save the planet all in one fell swoop.
Incidentally, all that advice that comes out of California doesn't work for the rest of the world. These people ask: "Why not bike everyday to work?" Well, for people like me at 42 degrees North latitude, late fall / all winter / early spring have two distinct problems:
- It's pitch black during the morning and evening commutes
- It's cold outside, with snow on the ground
I'm sorry, but when my body starts to freeze to a block of solid ice while cycling, it's time to put the bike away.And finally, to all you bicycle riders out there, a reminder: You are a vehicle on the road. Follow the rules of the road. Drive with traffic. Signal when you turn. Take an entire lane when you need it, and when you don't let others pass. If you do this, motorists won't go to pieces when they pass you, even if they don't want you on the road.
Oregon is full, so this really doesn't apply to people outside of Oregon (save for the tourists...remember to leave when you're done visiting). Oregon law requires weather-protected bicycle parking for most commercial and all government facilities. If you are in Oregon, and you can't park your bike, it might be time to remind them of their legal obligation to bicyclists.
Help us build a better map!
Unicycle
Skateboard
Cross Country Skiing
Moon Shoes
Stilts
Dog Sled
Hot Air Balloon
Ya know, this is why you're not getting that promotion. Fred's getting promoted cause he wears moon shoes. Get with the program slacker.
It's that I'd have to ride on busy streets to get there, and I'm too young to die (or worse).
You might be surprised to find that cycling is no more dangerous than driving.
Follow that link. It leads to a "cycling safety perception" quiz, with some pretty surprising answers.
... are the way to go. They are the most efficient means of transportation in terms of how many kilometers you can go with X amount of energy (or so my physics professor said). This also means that, if it's hot out, you can go nice and slow and not arrive all sweaty. Things like scooters or in line skates might be ok if you have to involve a bus or some other public transport in your commute, but... otherwise nothing really beats a bicycle. And riding a bike is just so much more fun than walking or driving a car!
I agree 100% with the strategy of having a clunker for use around town. It might be more fun to ride a nice mountain bike around, but the peace of mind is really worth it.
http://www.welton.it/davidw/
I live in Cambridge, UK (the old university city) where cycling is a Very Big Thing. Many people use it as their main form of transportation, not least because 15,000+ university students aren't allowed to bring their cars with them when they come here to study.
Our accident statistics show that cycling is far more dangerous than driving by just about any measure you care to pick. Involvement in accidents, and the results in terms of injuries and equipment damage, are far worse at all levels for cyclists than for cars. And of course, many relatively minor accidents involving cyclists go unreported, whereas almost all accidents involving a car and causing serious damage or injury get into the records.
The quiz you linked to is a fascinating exercise in defending a position, but certainly isn't anywhere near representative of the situation in this cycling-heavy city. The questions are almost all loaded. In particular, the accident statistics for what they call an "enthusiastic cyclist" are much better than the average. They do concede that in Britain, cycling is more dangerous than driving, while apparently it's not in a few other countries. I'd be interested to see how many of those other countries use cycling as heavily as we do here in Cambridge. And I've never heard of the "Cyclists Touring Club", despite knowing people (and for several years being one of them) who cycle almost everywhere.
Perhaps we really are uniquely bad in this respect. God knows, there are plenty of local cycling enthusiasts pushing ideas to make cycling safer around these parts, and the local councils' pro-cycling measures are frequently attacked as being ineffective. But I'd like to know how many average people (not "enthusiastic" cycling club members) use a bike as their primary means of travel in the other places considered before accepting their conclusions.
If you disagree, post your argument. (-1, Overrated) isn't your personal censorship tool for views you don't like.