Getting to work can be quite a problem. Whether you live a short drive from your place of work or you’re a little further afield, traffic can become a bit of a nightmare at peak times. Within reason though, there’s a few ways to help get the most from your body at the same time as avoiding as many traffic jams.
The first is to use public transport. The majority of the time trains run pretty on time and have the advantage of being faster then other transport modes. If your work is slightly closer buses can help, both ease the traffic but also help speed up your journey. Many cities have many dedicated bus lanes that can help sustainable transport get through the traffic a little quicker. It may also be possible to car share with a colleague.
The above to options are a little more sustainable for the planet as they reduce emissions and help improve air quality. However, they aren’t that sustainable for your own pocket. The cost of travel is constantly increasing. There also may not even be the right connections to get you to your workplace on time. So there are a few other options that you could consider.
The first of these is simply walking to work If you live within half an hour of your workplace, this can be a great switch. You get in some exercise and fresh air, and save a little bit of money by not paying for fuel. On stormy days, take care and do choose the most appropriate travel method, but for many days a short walk in the rain will only dampen your clothes. If staying in damp clothes for the work day doesn’t sound nice, you could always take a spare set with you or if you have a locker leave some in there for when you need them.
Secondly, you could also consider jogging or running to work. Comfortable runners could consider running to their place of work, provided they’ve a suitable changing facility. If you’re a heavy sweater whilst out on the run this might only be appropriate if you have showers at the work place, to help save you from the smell. For this option it’s best to run in your run kit and then change for work once you’re there, this will ensure you’ve dry, clean clothes for your work day. You may also consider this in combination with other options, getting the bus into work and then jogging back out at the end of the day, or jog in and walk out. This could help time management as well, as you’d no longer have to discover some other way to find time to run.
Lastly for workplaces further than a suitable running or walking distance, there is the possibility of cycling to work. It doesn’t get you away from traffic per say, but bikes can use bus lanes, and many cycle paths that are unavailable to cars, meaning you can plan your route to avoid areas of congestion. Dedicated cycle paths also have the benefit of only being open to cyclist and pedestrians, making them a great place to pop in some effort to get your bike moving. At commuting times there’s often quite a few other cyclists all wanting to get to the other end on the Bristol to Bath cycle path, at other times it can be a little less busy making it a nice relief from the bustling of work or home. There’s the added benefit that you don’t have to put in that much effort all the time, so you may get to work a lot dryer than expected. Depending on distance will depend on what is most suited for travelling in, short journeys you may be able to wear work clothes, but for longer journeys it may be more appropriate to wear a separate cycling kit to improve your comfort levels and then change when you get in to work.
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