Walk or cycle to work, says the Government

[yellowbrickwhorl]

I'm just deciding whether to walk or cycle the 25 miles to and from work each day. Which would be preferable, do you think?

I’d walk, then when you get there it’s time to go home again!

I think you've slightly missed the point...

If it encourages more walking and cycling in cities, by people who would otherwise have driven, it's an excellent initiative.

Seems pretty clear the advice doesn't apply to you with that sort of commute. What's your beef? In London busses are only going to be allowed 15 people instead of 85. The only way to square that circle is if the people who can, stay off public transport.

I'd totally walk five miles to work and back, every single day

I'm also intrigued by the discussion about it being okay to drive to the countryside to go for a walk, but we're not allowed on public transport. I'm a Londoner, I don't have a car FFS. Nor a bike, nor do I want one.

I stopped cycling when I left Oxford, a cycle-friendly city. It’s just too terrifying on a bike in the majority of towns and 60mph national speed limit. Cycle happily in Holland though.

I am considering an 18 mile cycle. Likely to be only one day a week so I could probably manage for that. Would be a very long day though

If it encourages more walking and cycling in cities, by people who would otherwise have driven, it's an excellent initiative.

If you work in Central London then hardly anyone drives. I never had a car in the first place.

Also can we please stop lumping in "walking and cycling" as if they're the same? They are two very different things.

Also if I really needed to walk that far then they'd have to open some toilets.

Of course it won’t work for everyone. But for many it will now become a much more desirable option than public transport.

If your fit and healthy and live within a couple of miles of work then walking one way at least is probably feesible for most. If you live within 10 miles then bike may work.

A lot is going to change going forward and this is going to be one of the things

I have been walking there and back to avoid public transport, but it’s a couple of miles so doable. Not sure I’ll feel the same way come the winter.

I could cycle but the roads are busy main roads and I’d really rather not.

A 25mile cycle is not that far. Get on yer bike. Take you about 2hrs.
Stop being so lazy.

I would like to think that one good thing to come out of this would be investment in proper Off road cycle paths. The on road ones are crap - no distance from thundering lorries and people seem to use them as parking spaces. Lots of them here are shared with buses which feels horribly unsafe.

They said if possible, they don't mean people who live 25 miles from work, as you well know.

They mean the very many people who live literally a mile or two from work. I work in an office of about 30 people and at least half have a round trip commute of 5 miles or less and most of them drive nearly every day, which is ridiculous.

It’s if possible to help people thin out, stop being so negative. I don’t work in London anymore but if I did I would consider getting off my overland service as early as possible and walking/boris biking the rest of the journey for instance.

I'm amazed that many workplaces have enough showering facilities.

I think you've slightly missed the point...

Thank you so much for explaining it all. And there was me thinking I was going to have to buy a bike.

So my commute is 12 miles into Central London. Not feasible to walk. I don’t own a cycle, let alone being fit enough to cycle up to the highest point in London and down again. I haven’t cycled on a road in years and realistically not happening.

What's your beef?
No beef - this is chat, not AIBU.

I could possibly walk to the childminders I dont think the kids would feel the same way

DH used to cycle 90miles to work in London from where we live (180 mile round trip) but to be fair he was in training for racing at the time . And it was thirty years ago. He says he’ll consider it (I think he’s joking).

What's that noise I can hear......?

Surely even if say only around a 1/3 of people take the cycling/walking route ,then maybe a 1/3 work from home .frees up a lot of buses /tubes for those still travelling to work?This is the idea I think .TBH this is probably one of the few things to come out of this awful pandemic really I am a SAHM and usually go out at "quiet" times of day ,we live in the suburbs (still very busy!)and the amount of Traffic is unsustainable at its pre lockdown levels .

But 12 miles into central London on an electric bike that assisted you on hills would be very doable for a lot of people. Lots of electric bikes have a changeable assistance level, so you could start off with a lot of help up hills and then bring that assistance down once you got fitter.

My work offers free cycle maintenance and secure bike parking, showers, a drying room for clothes and charging points for electric bicycles. It offers cycle to work scheme vouchers so you can get a bike tax free and pay for it over several months like a season ticket. Those may well be things offices and other workplaces don't have but they could have them.

There are lots of people at my work who drive when they could walk or cycle. But because my work facilitates it, a lot more cycle than would otherwise. There's no reason other places can't do the same.

Surely even if say only around a 1/3 of people take the cycling/walking route ,then maybe a 1/3 work from home .frees up a lot of buses /tubes for those still travelling to work?

Cue a queue of bus and train operators with their hands out as they no longer make money ...

@Dfg15
At least there's two of us on the same wavelength

@yellowbrickwhorl