The Commute
Average commute by Luas, Bus or Rail + walk can take anything between 30 min to 1,5 hour. Plus added danger of strikes, accidents, road closures, heavy traffic.
The vast bulk of people in Dublin City, Co Dublin and even the Greater Dublin Area live in easy to cycle distances and most people live in and around the M50.
Cycling To Work
The average cycling speed in Dublin is around 14km/h. Some people go slower and some go much faster, but using this speed as a guide, a trip of 5 km would only take around 20 mins, 7 km would only take 30 mins, and a trip of 10 km would only take a little over 40 mins + unlocking and locking of your bike time of 10 min for both sides of journey.
Average commute by bicycle can take anything between 15 min to 1 hour. With added health benefit. No traffic. No strikes. Very little chance of accidents or road closures affecting your commute.
The Weather
Rain Or Shine, both types of commute can be dreadful in rain, but with proper clothes you leave your house depending on weather anyway. Simple rain proof jacket or coat can make the difference between sitting in traffic in bus or cycling off to/from work on time.
Added benefit is that cycling heats your body much more than sitting in public transport, that means you wont need all the winter clothes on while cycling.
The Equipment
Bus, Luas, Rail? Yuck.
Bicycle maintenance issues can be solved by using integrated gears for hilly commute or single gear for shorter faster commutes and no puncture Tannus Solid Tyres. With a bicycle equipped this way you can enjoy the ride and not worry about it, no stress, just freedom, efficiency.
Other good bits are proper LED Lights keeping you illuminated and visible. Rain guards keeping the road dirt and water away from your legs. And bell making your presence known.
The Cost
We will compare capped prices, usually, commuter will use public transport at least 5 days out of a week.
Leap Card Caps your travel credit spend, so once you hit an applicable cap you can travel for free on those services for the rest of day or week. Most people will reach this in 3-4 days out of 7.
So your average weekly commute is costing you:
Adult between €23.5 - €40
Student between €18 - €30
Annual cost comparison Public Transport VS Bicycle
New Urban/City Commuting Bicycle can cost you anything between €300 to €1000 depending on your budget.
For example a dlb Single Speed/Fixie is about €350 plus Helmet, Lights, Lock and Rain-Guards maybe a Rain Jacket and Tannus Tyres which can come at anything between €50 to €250 depending on your needs. Total of €600 which you can pay over by Cycle To Work scheme with your employer or by instalments If you are a student with dlb cycles.
Annual cost comparison Public Transport VS Bicycle:
Adult between €1128 <> €1920 vs €600
Student between €864 <> €1440 vs €600
And bicycle with proper maintenance and good lock will last for years in your possession. So the savings will just pile up! Go Ride!
go FASTER. get FITTER. be GREENER.
Source: NTA, dlbcycles.ie