[bblost]

I have four options at my disposal.

Feet: Very good and can usually walk about 10 kms without any prep. I use them when I feel like enjoying a pleasant evening.

Cycle: My choice for commuting home-office. The distance is about 18 kms one way and I have a shower in office. Its a Cannondale Quick 5, which I bought in 2011. Used at least 2 or 3 times a week. Last year had a couple of issues which reduced the usage but this year has been awesome. Already over 800 kms have been piled on.

RE Thunderbird: For shopping from near by places and long rides.

Sail UVA: When out with family and if I have a bit of shopping to do on my way back from office. If I wake up later than 9:30 AM, I end up driving to office instead of cycling.

[freedom]

I own a car and a bicycle and I 'walk'

Never felt the need to own a bike.
I board a rickshaw if going to crowded old city areas.

I belong to a very niche group of Punekars who can afford to buy a motorized 2 wheeler but decided against buying it.

[vinit]

I used to drive my car for all travel earlier.

However, few months back, I had to go to downtown Mumbai and I heard of heavy traffic jams in those areas. My son jokingly advised me to take his bicycle and I took that suggestion seriously.

And from that day onward, his bicycle became my bicycle and my primary mode of travel. Whenever I need to travel alone in around 15 Kms radius (between Andheri and Dadar) I use the bicycle only. Car is used only for family travel and long trips. The odometer reading of my bicycle has easily crossed that of my car

[venuvedam]

A near fatal accident in 2003 thanks to a jaywalker on Chennai's East Coast Road effectively put an end to my Bajaj Pulsar ownership. After spending a week in Malar hospital ICU, I walked out in one piece and almost immediately bought a second hand Santro.

Since then, I have always commuted by car - whether it is intra city travel or long distance. I have only one car now - an XUV500 and it is where I "live" if I am not in my apartment.

Since I live in Hyderabad, traffic/parking has never been an issue for me. However in those rare occasions where a trip to Koti or Badi Chowdi is proposed, I have a great solution. I bail out and let the family take an Uber.

So, my daily commute - 99.99% in my XUV500 and the remaining, by walk.

Regards
Venu

[Rohit_Quad]

Originally Posted by venuvedam

A near fatal accident in 2003 thanks to a jaywalker on Chennai's East Coast Road effectively put an end to my Bajaj Pulsar ownership. After spending a week in Malar hospital ICU, I walked out in one piece and almost immediately bought a second hand Santro.

Since then, I have always commuted by car - whether it is intra city travel or long distance. I have only one car now - an XUV500 and it is where I "live" if I am not in my apartment.

Since I live in Hyderabad, traffic/parking has never been an issue for me. However in those rare occasions where a trip to Koti or Badi Chowdi is proposed, I have a great solution. I bail out and let the family take an Uber.

So, my daily commute - 99.99% in my XUV500 and the remaining, by walk.

Regards
Venu

Similar story here. Was involved in a hit and run where i was the victim. Was in the ICU for 3 days and had some metal inserted into the body to re-enforce my bones. That didn't stop me, then bought the fastest bike on the market (then introduced all new P220F) . Enjoyed every second with the bike, till I sold it, just before I left for my further studies to Australia. Returned back to India and found it pointless to buy another bike.

1. Born and brought up in Hyderabad. But since i returned, i find it has become very hard to actually enjoy a good bike in the city with the large level of morons (increasing by the day) driving on the road.
2. I have my own Fiesta, in which i too practically 'live in'. I figured out that the money that would be needed to buy a new bike can be very well spent on fuel for the car (Imagine Duke 390 ~ 4k EMI, which is almost half my fuel expenses).

So for all occasions where my car is absent Uber it is. Available at any time and during the surge, Ola saves the day

So it's either my car or friends picking me up if going over my house or Uber.

[Zinda]

A few minor incidences (TOUCHWOOD) have happened, but I kept the motto "JO DARR GAYA SAMJHO MARR GAYA" , and never refrained myself from using my beloved 11 years/70k+ old Avenger. Thanks to the traffic on ORR - another reason why my Honda City enjoys resting (read rusting) from Monday to Friday.

[Flanker99]

Hello to all.

Like most others my primary means of transport is my car. I commute 16-17 kms daily during my home-office-home run. Earlier when the WagonR was the only car in our family I used to commute on the Activa. Although I would like to mention that like few other fellow BHPians even I had an accident involving the Activa, luckily not very serious. However I was allowed to still use it as getting an autorickshaw willing to travel sometimes proves to be quite a headache. When my dad bought an Etios in 2013 I began driving the WagonR. On the few occasions when it was away for repairs/servicing I used to travel on the Activa. Finally I bought my own car in 2015, after trading in the WagonR, and since then it has either been it (mostly) or a rickshaw for my daily commutes. Now-a-days even I have been 'banned' from using the Activa for the home-office-home runs .

However, nothing beats a two wheeler for its ability to duck past other vehicles in a traffic jam. This saves a lot of time if done carefully. I however hate those two wheeler riders who overtake from the left, always race away even when there are a few seconds left for the traffic signal to turn green, and who have no respect for one way signs.

[charanreddy]

Practicality dictates that I use only my car in the city with the rising pollution, unsafe roads and unpredictable weather. My Chevy Beat D is my primary companion. On very rare occasions, I take out my parents' car, a 15yr old Zen LXI.

I used to love riding on motor bike and had quite a few memories on my P180. Though I still long to ride, I realize it is not practical anymore and hence have stuck to my car.

I dare say, a compact hatchback will offer a decent degree of convenience as well as practicality.

[hybridpetrol]

Interesting thread!
I use car as my current primary vehicle, and apart from this I do not own any other vehicle. I used to drive bike & activa in the past, but after we shifted 10 km out of the city, car is the sensible choice, as we need to commute a minimum of 10 km for any reason.
Apart from this, I have a bicycle which is out of order, and a TVS Excel Super, which I rarely use to get milk etc from nearby store. I feel pretty boring to drive the Excel Super for longer duration, so I would rather drive if the distance is more than a few kms.

Problems I face everyday due to my practise of relying on car:
a) I have to club a lot of activities together. I just cannot go back and forth, like a two wheeler
b) Parking: It means, I have to find an apt parking place and walk in one direction, and get it all done by the time I come back. I have to do this, even if I walk more and carry a lot of stuff.
c) Increased travel expense - Though it is a problem, but I am used to it, due to the convenience it offers.

[NiInJa]

My rides depend a lot on season and time of the day.
During monsoons, I use the car. Activa is a strict no. I use my bike to run errands if no option as it is less slippery than Activa.
During summers, I take bike twice and car thrice each week to office (23 kms). I take the city route when on bike and outer high speed route in car, city routes are less risky as traffic is slow.
Winters are easy on body so take bike most of the time to office.

Luckily, my current project has plenty of 'work-from-home' so bike is resting since last ten months. Wife met with an accident on activa, since then she is banned permanently from using any two wheeler. Activa is used for running errands in general and specifically for a visit to hair cutting saloon as I wear a helmet religiously but cannot wear it on the way back home.

I dont take my wife out on either of the two 2-wheelers except when going in downtown Pune (Punekars will know what I'm saying) that too during daylight. I don't ride bike during early morning and late nights as their are a lot of speed demons doing their thing at this time.

Coming to cars, I got my wife's car as 'dahej' after marriage , so we have it as our primary car now. The Beat Diesel which I shared with my dad is usually with him now-a-days, but I borrow it once in a month for usual running and monitoring and occasional maintenance as he is perennially bored of doing those things by himself.

[saion666]

I was in the same shoe as yours.For places like charminar/mehdipatnam/nampalli we had to park our car around 2-3 km away and then walk or take an auto. Even for regular shopping taking the car out and parking it was a chore. This was all aggravated by the scarcity of four wheeler parking space in our office campus and also a steep increase in parking fees.

The solution: I got a second hand more or less well maintained gearless scooter(suzuki access) at dirt cheap price. Have been using it for daily commute and when visiting old city. I use the car only on weekends,airport drops and if on long drives.

[P0kerDem0n]

This is an interesting discussion. I work from home. I drive my car EVERYWHERE. I actually do a lot of trips that are less than a kilometer and only drive less than 7k a year including my drives on holidays. I feel very unsafe or rather nervous on a two wheeler because of being habituated and very comfortable in a car. Each to his own.

[ObsessedByFIAT]

I was a biker earlier and did close to 90k combined on the bikes I owned in the past. However, ever since my C5 and C6 discs have herniated, the only mode of transport is Ecosport. Be it crowded areas, long drives, short drives, it is the only means of transport.

Only for distances less than a kilometer, I am permitted to use either the Wego or Activa.

Just a week back we got a Nano AMT for the crowded areas. Enjoying it so far!

[anubshar]

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[The Observer]

After my graduation i got posted in Chennai and dad lent me his old M 800 for my commute - 25 km one way. Within 6 months i was tired of waiting through traffic, sold the M 800 and bought myself a bike. Within a year i had 3 accidents one due to skidding and 2 due to people crossing the road without looking.The last accident i had was serious, on a highway ( to work) and was wearing a helmet and thank God escaped with some scraped elbows. That moment i decided am not risking my life on a bike just for a few minutes of time, sometimes i had to ferry my parents too and the thought of it in a bike was scaring. So kept the bike at home and bought a Wagon R ( that is a new one in 2008 ) Have it with me till now and a month ago bought myself a new Linea Elegante ( buying experience coming soon). I moved to Bangalore 6 years ago and trust me taking the Wagon R then and the Linea now through Bangalore traffic daily is no way near pleasurable but when it comes to being safe i do not want to risk it. So is my suggestion to you.

When going to crowded places with no parking and heavy traffic, take a taxi to a nearby spot and walk or take a cycle. For me its a no brainer, unless you are an avid biker , use a car.

Safe and happy riding.