Continued: My personal experiences on the way to work:
From my home to Unterhaching and back by bike is about 12 kilometres. With a good bike, this costs about 20 cent/km (counting the original investment, wear and tear on tyres, chain, sprockets, maintenance and repair work). If you need a garage for all repairs, you may have to spend more.
Bike:
Costs: 12 km à 20 cent 2.40 EURO (not counting increased wear and tear on clothes).
Time: roughly 45 minutes for the round trip.
Advantages and disadvantages: Once in a while it rains. How much of a pleasure the ride is depends strongly on the weather, but with time you get used to cold and rain. A tuxedo definitely has not been designed to withstand cycling.
There is more than one way to get from Ottobrunn/Riemerling to Unterhaching. Besides the bike, I could choose the car, public transport, inline-skating or jogging.
Usually, the car is a little faster than the bike, though not necessarily during the rush hour. The costs are subject to your personal view. If I only count the diesel (since I have a car, anyway), then it is rather inexpensive. Take into consideration that the distance by car is a little longer than by bike, let’s say 13 kilometres. With my car, I need about 6-7 litres per 100 kilometres, which means about 1 litre for the round trip. That costs 1.40 € (as of May, 2008). A full-cost calculation would give around 35 cents per kilometre, which means 4.55 Euros for the round trip. Since we have spacious underground parking at InterFace (mostly for our guests), there is no need for me to spend ages looking for a parking place.
Car:
Costs: only diesel 1.40 Euros/ full costs 4.55 Euros (without Interface parking, 40 Euros per month).
Time: about 40 minutes for the round trip
Advantages and disadvantages: Occasional traffic jams, no exercise, but I remain warm and dry. Sometimes I get downright aggressive having to wait yet again at a red traffic light. Getting no exercise would also mean that I would have to pay for a fitness club in the evening.
By the way, there is another motorized alternative: my C1 by BMW. It is a pure object of desire, needs less gas and is something I definitely relish. Except for my conscience whispering: “You might as well go by bike”.
If I want to use public transportation, I can take the local train. From my home to Ottobrunn station is exactly seven minutes on foot. The S6 takes 11 minutes to Giesing, where I would have to wait 10 minutes until the connecting S5 takes me to Unterhaching in another 6 minutes. After five minutes on foot from Unterhaching station to the InterFace building, I would arrive after 27 minutes on trains and on platforms plus 12 minutes walking
S-Bahn:
Costs: two single tickets 4.40 Euros, if I take the strip ticket (4 strips for 1.05 Euros each), it is 4.20 Euros.
Time: 78 minutes for the round trip (provided the train arrives on schedule!?)
Advantages and disadvantages: You can read in the train. There are times when the train is overcrowded and I do not get a seat. On the platform in Giesing, it can be rather windy while waiting for the connecting train. And the problem of punctuality; in the Munich area, the reliability of the train service varies a lot. And if you miss the connecting train in Giesing, then you have to wait another 20 minutes.
Comparing the various means of transport is quite interesting. It may motivate others to start thinking about it. For me, the bike clearly wins, and public transport (unfortunately) comes in last.
In theory, I could also cover the distance between home and office jogging, inline-skating, or by taxi. I never tried the taxi, but jogging and inline-skating are real luxuries. I can do this occasionally because of the beautiful shower room in the basement of the InterFace building and because clean clothes hang in my office wardrobe.
RMD
Translation by Evelyn Gemkow
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