The journey by car - Monday 18 June


  • Distance: 7.53 miles
  • Journey time: 29 mins 57 secs
  • Cost: £9.76 (comprising £6 car park charge and £3.76 vehicle costs using AA estimates)

The commute to work in my car this morning was straightforward and quite pleasant.

Due to the largely blue skies and mild temperature outside at 7.30am, I wished that I was heading to work on my bike instead, but one car journey during the week is necessary for comparison purposes, and this was the day for the car.

I understand all the reasons why the car is such a popular and convenient form of transport for many commuters, but even so, the journey did take around five minutes longer than the average time it takes me to cycle to work. This was mainly due to some minor road congestion and parking a short distance away from my office and walking there from the car park, whereas the building I work in has secure bike parking.

The traffic seemed slightly lighter than normal for a Monday morning on the route I used - the A52 through Bramcote, Beeston and Lenton - but experience tells me that this route does become less congested at this time of the year when students at the University of Nottingham, which I pass most working days, have either finished their academic year or are close to doing so. The only hold-ups were, as usual, approaching the Priory roundabout.

On the plus side, I arrived at work without having to shower and change, and the car radio had provided good entertainment on the journey. I listened to BBC 5 Live and felt well informed about, among other things, a new funding deal for the NHS and this week's 70th anniversary of the arrival of HMS Windrush, the ship that carried around 500 migrant workers to the UK from the West Indies after World War Two.

I was also amused by the rather wishful and illogical proposition by some commentators on the radio that because Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Spain and Portugal, nations among the favourites to win the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, had not won their opening matches, somehow that meant England were guaranteed to beat Tunisia in their first match tonight!

The cost of the journey worked out at just under £10, as I've itemised above. I would like to be able to give you an indication of how much air pollution I was exposed to during the journey but, unfortunately, I haven't so far been able to source a measuring device. I'm hoping to do so at some point this week.

Tomorrow, I'll be commuting using a combination of walking and the Nottingham Express Transit tram.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The journey on foot and by bus - Wednesday 20 June

Image
Distance: 8.23 miles Journey time: 1 hr 00 mins 36 secs Cost:  £2.60 (Indigo bus ticket) On what would have been another glorious, sunny morning for cycling to work, I set out on foot for today's journey, headed for the bus stop outside the Manor pub in Toton, a 15-minute walk away. I use buses very infrequently, mainly because the tram station is nearer to where I live than the nearest stop for the Nottingham-bound bus service. In fact, it must be several years since I last boarded the Nottingham to Derby service run by Trent-Barton called Indigo. It was called the number 5 bus in days gone by. The bus journey wasn't as pleasant as yesterday's tram ride, mainly because the bus doesn't run on the road surface as smoothly as a tram glides on rails. I was almost being unseated by the vibrations of the vehicle as it passed over potholes, sunken manhole covers and sections of tarmac repairs to the road surface, and also when it went round tight bends in the road.
Read more

Who am I and what am I doing?

Image
These are questions I ask myself frequently, but for the purposes of this blog...I am Tim Baggs, I work in Nottingham city centre for the Royal College of Nursing and I almost always do my commute to work on a bicycle. I cycle for commuting, pleasure, fitness training and competition, riding between 5,000 and 6,000 miles a year. I live seven miles away from the RCN’s Nottingham office and I find cycling is the quickest, most convenient and most cost effective way to commute. For me, it’s by far the most enjoyable method, too – I am rarely delayed by traffic congestion and if the roads are too busy I can cycle along the canal towpath into town instead. In fact, the canalside is sometimes my route of choice because it’s tranquil and free of traffic and stop signals. The 'argh' factor of stopping for a red light just isn't the same as the 'ahh' factor of giving way to an assertive mother duck crossing the path with her ducklings obediently in tow. I’ve cy
Read more

The journey by bicycle - Thursday 21 June

Image
Distance: 6.88 miles Journey time:  23 mins 40 secs Cost:  £0.00 Today, I did my usual commute on my bicycle and, needless to say, I really enjoyed it. It was a bit cooler and breezier outdoors than the last few mornings but it was dry and sunny. My normal route is on the road through Chilwell and Beeston until the junction at the western end of University Boulevard where I join the pedestrian/cycling path that borders the university campus. Thereafter, from Dunkirk roundabout, it's either the road or the cycle path, including the relatively new western corridor cycling lane over Abbey Bridge and on to Castle Boulevard. I find some motorists are still adjusting to the cycling lane on Castle Boulevard, and it's not really a surprise. The way the lane has been carved out of the existing carriageway means that if you're driving towards the city centre and want to turn right across the cycle lane, you have to not only be aware of oncoming cyclists - as you would
Read more