Underlying data for Bicycle versus Bus cartoon

Inbound bus journeys

Date Time left house Time walking to bus stop Time waiting for bus Bus journey Time walking to work Total time
8/1/08 6:41:30 0:30 5:45 23:00 3:00 32:15
9/12/08 6:42:00 0:30 7:15 24:00 3:00 34:45
10/12/08 8:08:15 0:30 3:00 34:15 3:00 40:45
12/12/08 6:45:00 0:30 4:30 25:30 3:00 30:30
5/1/09 6:47:00 0:30 0:00 20:30 3:00 24:00
Averages   0:30 4:06 25.47 3:00 33:05

Outbound bus journeys

Date Time left work Time walking to bus stop Time waiting for bus Bus journey Time walking to home Total time
8/1/08 15:53:00 2:30 2:30 14:00 0:30 19:30
9/12/08 17:15:30 2:30 2:00 20:75 0:30 25:45
10/12/08 17:45:45 2:30 3:15 22:30 0:30 28:45
11/12/08 18:18:45 2:30 0:45 21:15 0:30 25:00
30/12/08 15:48:00 2:30 6:15 13:00 0:30 22:15
Averages   2:30 2:57 18:18 0:30 24:15

Inbound bike journeys

Date Time left house Bike journey (including walking bike right up to parking spot) Shower time (including changing clothes, drying) Total time
27/12/08 7:05:00 20:45 forgot to time  
30/12/08 6:46:00 19:30 10:00 29:30
3/1/09 7:14:30 21:00 7:30 28:30
19/1/09 7:10:00 22:30 10:45 33:15
20/1/09 6:50:00 20:30 9:00 29:30
Averages   20:51 9:03 29:54

Outbound bike journeys

Date Time left work Bike journey (including walking bike right up to parking spot) Shower time (including changing clothes, drying) Total time
27/12/08 13:58:00 22:45 forgot to time  
31/12/08 15:57:30 25:30 4:30 30:00
5/1/09 16:20:00 23:00 3:30 26:30
19/1/09 16:45:00 22:00 3:00 25:00
20/1/09 16:15:00 22:45 2:45 25:30
Averages   23:12 3:26 26:38

There are some gaps between the dates recorded because there are occasions where I use other transport options to get home (or go shopping after work, etc). Also, there was a period where I had a buckled bike wheel, and a period where I was on holidays!

The route I take into work is 7.2km long, with a 7.5km journey on the way home. Annual distance based on these figures is actually 2116.8km, but who's counting?

Yes, it would be more valid to use more than 5 pieces of data for each transport mode, but this is just a simple experiment. I didn't think the results would be so close...and actually thought that the bus might come out in front given some of the relatively quick journeys I had!

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