Win back some of your life, get a bike! Live better, commute smarter, says John Wheeler
Migration to towns and villages 50 and more miles from Dublin is fuelled by property prices and the desire for a better family life. Judging by the experiences of these migrants, recently reported in The Irish Times, they are happy with their new way of life.
There is a downside: Commuting to work in the city. For many, though, it's less of a downside than one might think.
Given Dublin's poor public transport, it can take less time to get from Rochfortbridge to the IFSC (48 miles) than to travel from Cabinteely to the airport (15 miles) at most times of day.
To make the good life in the country viable many city income earners leave home early to get into the city ahead of the traffic, secure an elusive parking space and often end up with time on their hands. Time for a leisurely breakfast (some commuters even take a nap in the car!), before the working day starts. A two-hour journey from door-to-desk is not uncommon. Tired out at the day's end one has to face the journey back, another two hours or more.
In a perfect world, few of us would spend half a working day getting to and from work. As traffic increases, as parking spaces become fewer and more costly, many commuters are coming to appreciate that the motorcycle is the better answer.
The advantages are that, as traffic flows increase, the motorcyclist can make much better progress than a car, in safety and within the rules. Regarding parking, whilst Dublin has little proper provision for motorcycle parking, there is a tolerant attitude to not strictly legal parking (most of the time), not that a bike needs much space.
In terms of the door-to-desk-time the motorcyclist has an advantage over a motorist of 50 per cent or more. Given a two-hour each way commute by car, the chance of reducing that to an hour each way has its attractions.
Being human, we prefer to do the things we like rather than the things we have to do. If a fairy godmother offered you two extra hours of time every day of each working week, which over a working year adds up to around 450 hours, we'd all go for it. Put another way, if retirement is 25 years away, the time you could save commuting adds up to seven working years. Who wouldn't choose to gain that time?
There are other advantages too. Most families relying on cars end up running two cars. With a motorcycle being used by the commuter, one car suffices. A new motorcycle with decent weather protection and some luggage capacity costs half that of a car, and running costs are less.
All very well, the car commuter will say, but the motorcyclist is exposed to the weather and lacks creature comforts such as the radio and CD. Not really valid. Good motorcycle clothing means that no one should feel sorry for the bike rider on a wet or cold day. If distractions such as a radio or CD are essential to your way of life they can be rigged up on a bike.
It is a fallacy to think a motorcycle is inherently dangerous, any more so than an axe or carving knife. It depends on how you use it. Good training facilities are available. Virtually anyone can become a good, safe rider. You can be, and feel, just as safe on two wheels as on four, if you go about it in the right way.
What the motorist never appreciates until they try it, is the huge difference between travelling in a car compared with a motorcycle. While the car is so idiot-proof that it almost drives itself, the motorcycle requires much more concentration. The scientists say five times more.
That means that riding a motorcycle is all-absorbing, making the journey a break from the day's toil, something to be looked forward to rather than dreaded. Everyone I know who commutes tells me that they look forward to the journey. Some say it has become a mini holiday.
There is a variety of practical, reliable machines to choose in the €2,000 to €10,000 range, most of which make more economic sense than the car, bus or train.
Win back some of your life, get a bike! Live better, commute smarter!