RTWD brings challenge to Hobart

Bicycle Tasmania celebrated Ride To Work Day with a commuter challenge, as reported in the Hobart Mercury:

commuters used various forms of transport to travel the same distance to compare the cost and time necessary to get to work.

And like the recent challenge in Edinburgh motorbikes were the zippiest (including a motor-assisted bike in Tassie):

A speedy cyclist made the 8km trip from Springfield bus interchange to Hobart’s Mawson Place in just over 14 minutes—landing equal first place with a 750cc motorcycle.

Admittedly the cyclist did have some help—his bike was a power-assisted petrol-driven bicycle with a 49cc motor and an average speed of 28km/h.

The times and approximate cost for various vehicles over the route were:

Time   |Vehicle | Cost

—–:|:——-:|—-:

14 mins | petrol-assisted bicycle | $ 0.15

14 mins | 750cc motorcycle | $ 1

19 mins | cyclists | …

> 19 mins | taxi | $ 13

21 mins | private car | $ 5

22 mins | more cyclists | …

25 mins | electic-assisted bike | …

31 mins | runner | …

35 mins | Metro bus | $ 2.10

Bicycle Tasmania president David Edwards said the fun event aimed to raise awareness that high-cost petrol transport was not always the quickest.

More on related topics

• In praise of power-assisted bikes
• See a commuter challenge for what it is
• Hail a bike instead
• Bikes still win, even when they don’t
• Suddenly cycling is a sensible option