Author Topic: Turns out you can save a lot of money by cycling to work...  (Read 3757 times)

coin

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https://www.watoday.com.au/national/western-australia/how-i-saved-14-000-in-a-year-by-going-car-free-yes-in-perth-20190327-p5187f.html

Not going to quote the whole thing but geez, this lady is way more direct about challenging the local car culture than I'm used to here in my amazingly car-centric city.

Quote
I looked at our transport costs for the past year (we track expenses using free software Pocketbook): $3937.94.

To recap – the average household spent roughly $18,000; mine spent roughly $4000.

If you don’t hate me already, we have also put $15,000 into a share portfolio over the same period of time. Instead of going down the tube, that transport money's now working for us.

...

This might sound restrictive, but we are all always too busy, overwhelmed and tired. One of the nicest things about living car-free is that it forces you to re-evaluate things you used to automatically say ‘yes’ to. Sometimes it is positive to have restrictions imposed.

...

I can’t judge you for the choices you make about your child’s school – everyone has different needs and values (and children).

But I can judge you if you have the privilege to think about your values, do research and make lifestyle choices, but instead choose to sleepwalk through life, hemorrhaging money and time and surrendering your free will, then turn around and complain that you are tired and broke.


...

Adding, say, $14,000 to your cost of living every year can make a huge difference to the number of hours – or years – you need to work.

...

All this requires a paradigm shift in mindset. Perth is a Matrix built for cars and opting out is not for everyone.

...

Don’t be a slave to your car – if you have one make it work for you, not the other way around.


Okay, admittedly I might as well have quoted the full thing.

When I first moved and sold my car, my parents acted like I was either taking crazy pills or my partner was mistreating me. Their minds were blown that I might not even need a car. There's a bus stop! And a train station! And I have my ebike! And I'm saving so much money Not Owning A Car that I can just take a taxi or pay to have things delivered on the extremely rare occasions my bike or the public transport service doesn't work out.

jengod

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Re: Turns out you can save a lot of money by cycling to work...
« Reply #1 on: March 28, 2019, 02:02:05 PM »
We are also in a very car-centric city. I told one of my doctors yesterday that I was looking forward to walking and taking the bus home from her office.

“The bus? What? Why?”
“Oh I love the bus.”
“Really?!”
“Yes!”

If nothing else I love not paying for parking-structure parking. But I also enjoy the exercise and not driving.

I think I calculated that I save a $1 every time I don’t drive to drop off or pick up the kids from school. If I did it all the time (I don’t), that’s $500 a year etc.

eostache

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Re: Turns out you can save a lot of money by cycling to work...
« Reply #2 on: March 30, 2019, 08:51:36 PM »
I haven't tracked my expenses but I have kept an eye on my cars miles for the past couple of years since I got a job about 3 miles away and ride my bike to work most days. The first year I kept track I had driven my car 1840 miles from June 2017 to June 2018. Yes, 1,800 miles.

My car is a 2001 Subaru Outback that I bought in 2007 for $4600.

I do try to drive it about once a week to keep it from sitting too long.

GreenToTheCore

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Re: Turns out you can save a lot of money by cycling to work...
« Reply #3 on: April 01, 2019, 11:45:35 AM »
We are also in a very car-centric city. I told one of my doctors yesterday that I was looking forward to walking and taking the bus home from her office.

“The bus? What? Why?”
“Oh I love the bus.”
“Really?!”
“Yes!”

If nothing else I love not paying for parking-structure parking. But I also enjoy the exercise and not driving.

I think I calculated that I save a $1 every time I don’t drive to drop off or pick up the kids from school. If I did it all the time (I don’t), that’s $500 a year etc.

This! I feel like if we just hired a good marketing person, we could change quite a bit of the public reaction to public transport.
So, how do we make buses/bikes sexy? Or, for the younger generation (get 'em young is a solid strategy), how do we make buses/bikes "cool"?

There are so many stereotypical culture links, I feel like this community could figure out how to use the general population's weaknesses for the greater good:
- save money --> more money = more success/buy things to make you look successful = means more chances of getting laid
- healthier --> look better --> more chances of getting laid
- save time --> now you can read that book and become the cultured socialite and have more followers
- get rid of the stress of driving/keeping track of the other crazy drivers --> less stress means less wrinkles --> It's the new anti-aging cream!
- safer --> don't you want to be a good parent?
- what else can we tweak from traditional marketing?

therethere

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Re: Turns out you can save a lot of money by cycling to work...
« Reply #4 on: April 01, 2019, 12:01:57 PM »
We are also in a very car-centric city. I told one of my doctors yesterday that I was looking forward to walking and taking the bus home from her office.

“The bus? What? Why?”
“Oh I love the bus.”
“Really?!”
“Yes!”

If nothing else I love not paying for parking-structure parking. But I also enjoy the exercise and not driving.

I think I calculated that I save a $1 every time I don’t drive to drop off or pick up the kids from school. If I did it all the time (I don’t), that’s $500 a year etc.

This! I feel like if we just hired a good marketing person, we could change quite a bit of the public reaction to public transport.
So, how do we make buses/bikes sexy? Or, for the younger generation (get 'em young is a solid strategy), how do we make buses/bikes "cool"?

There are so many stereotypical culture links, I feel like this community could figure out how to use the general population's weaknesses for the greater good:
- save money --> more money = more success/buy things to make you look successful = means more chances of getting laid
- healthier --> look better --> more chances of getting laid
- save time --> now you can read that book and become the cultured socialite and have more followers
- get rid of the stress of driving/keeping track of the other crazy drivers --> less stress means less wrinkles --> It's the new anti-aging cream!
- safer --> don't you want to be a good parent?
- what else can we tweak from traditional marketing?

There's actually the potential to meet someone on a bus or a train. Unlike sitting in your car by yourself on your commute.

gatortator

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Re: Turns out you can save a lot of money by cycling to work...
« Reply #5 on: April 02, 2019, 08:57:11 AM »
I love this video out of Denmark, "The bus is cool"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snKbU5r0pBo
« Last Edit: April 02, 2019, 10:52:23 AM by gatortator »

coin

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Re: Turns out you can save a lot of money by cycling to work...
« Reply #6 on: April 04, 2019, 06:26:07 PM »
We are also in a very car-centric city. I told one of my doctors yesterday that I was looking forward to walking and taking the bus home from her office.

“The bus? What? Why?”
“Oh I love the bus.”
“Really?!”
“Yes!”

If nothing else I love not paying for parking-structure parking. But I also enjoy the exercise and not driving.

I think I calculated that I save a $1 every time I don’t drive to drop off or pick up the kids from school. If I did it all the time (I don’t), that’s $500 a year etc.

This! I feel like if we just hired a good marketing person, we could change quite a bit of the public reaction to public transport.
So, how do we make buses/bikes sexy? Or, for the younger generation (get 'em young is a solid strategy), how do we make buses/bikes "cool"?

There are so many stereotypical culture links, I feel like this community could figure out how to use the general population's weaknesses for the greater good:
- save money --> more money = more success/buy things to make you look successful = means more chances of getting laid
- healthier --> look better --> more chances of getting laid
- save time --> now you can read that book and become the cultured socialite and have more followers
- get rid of the stress of driving/keeping track of the other crazy drivers --> less stress means less wrinkles --> It's the new anti-aging cream!
- safer --> don't you want to be a good parent?
- what else can we tweak from traditional marketing?

There's actually the potential to meet someone on a bus or a train. Unlike sitting in your car by yourself on your commute.

For a lot of people that's not a bonus, though. Like a friend of mine gets harrassed on public transport on a semi-regular basis.

Most of my interactions with people on public transport are pleasant ones, but that's due to the good fortune of being rather plain - people only want to talk to me to ask directions or talk about the weather. I don't have people following me asking for my phone number or sitting right next to me when there's plenty of seating on the bus like what happens to my friend regularly.
« Last Edit: April 04, 2019, 06:30:27 PM by coin »

middo

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Re: Turns out you can save a lot of money by cycling to work...
« Reply #7 on: April 04, 2019, 07:04:58 PM »
Perth is not exactly well served for public transport, so I am impressed they got rid of the car altogether.  Where you live in Perth is also important for this kind of lifestyle.  The outer suburbs are car wastelands.  But it is good to see this being upheld as something to do, rather than just being poor or nuts.

Kyle Schuant

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Re: Turns out you can save a lot of money by cycling to work...
« Reply #8 on: April 04, 2019, 08:52:05 PM »

Obviously using your care less or getting rid of it has direct financial benefits, but it also has indirect ones, with improved physical health by doing more walking. But I would suggest it improves your mental health, too.

One of the things about walking more is seeing parts of your neighbourhood you wouldn't otherwise. Trees and houses and little shops you never knew about, and of course meeting strangers, who always smile at children, at least the mature adults who aren't magnetically attached to their phones. Nobody smiles and says hello from their car.

Today we walked from our home to my son's school 3.5km away, and from there along the railway trail to a station 5km further on. Outside the train station they'd put a piano with an invitation for anyone to play. A couple of young women sat to play for a bit before their train, and they played well. Then my daughter had a go.

Going for long walks gives you moments of unexpected beauty. Long walks are good for your heart in more than just one way.

coin

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Re: Turns out you can save a lot of money by cycling to work...
« Reply #9 on: April 05, 2019, 08:01:46 AM »
Perth is not exactly well served for public transport, so I am impressed they got rid of the car altogether.  Where you live in Perth is also important for this kind of lifestyle.  The outer suburbs are car wastelands.  But it is good to see this being upheld as something to do, rather than just being poor or nuts.

I don't think Perth is too badly served... So long as you tick most of the boxes of living within 10-15km of the CBD, being able to walk/cycle any required connections and being cool with it taking a bit longer than driving.

I sold my car nearly a year ago, but my household still has one car, and I have the luxury of an electric bike. I also accept rides from friends and family and take the occasional taxi.

But... I couldn't have done it had I not moved closer to public transport and cycle paths. I also think more needs to be done to end the stranglehold car culture has on Perth, particularly in the inner suburbs. I think it's bananas that for me to go to the Beaufort St strip I have a 50-60 minute journey by bus and train, or a 10 minute one by car. Or I can have a super dodgy unsafe trip by bike where I try to ride my ebike in a few 60kmph zones. I'd prefer the bike trip, it's closer to my house than my work, yet because it's not safe nobody in their right mind would try cycle it, especially at night.

MonkeyJenga

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Re: Turns out you can save a lot of money by cycling to work...
« Reply #10 on: April 08, 2019, 03:49:43 PM »

GreenToTheCore

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Re: Turns out you can save a lot of money by cycling to work...
« Reply #11 on: April 11, 2019, 06:57:02 PM »
Lovin' these positive marketing examples.

Anyone have anything pro-bycicle that doesn't involve lecturing about safety and how you could die?

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!