Unemployment - Transport - Cycling

[steveindenmark]

I find this entire topic a bit strange and flawed at every turn. You could be as skinny as a whippet and unemployed. But why would you take a job 5 miles away, just because you are given a bike? If you really wanted that job, you could walk the 5 miles and earn the money in the first month or two to buy a second hand bike.

Is the state also going to supply waterproofs, tubes and tools?

As for getting obese people to take medication and ride bikes to work. Its pie in the sky stuff.

 

[Alex321]

Fair point. The population as a whole, by gender and age range is clinically overweight with the exception of, IRC, 19-24 year old men.

I thought it was only something like 20% obese?

Clinically overweight does not mean obese. There is quite a large area between "normal" and "obese" which is part of the Clinically overweight set.

Some professional women I know do cycle commute, but by large it's the guys, easier for them, a quick shower, change and go on duty.

I don't understand why that would be different for women?

Maybe they'll want to add make up, but that would be the only difference I can see.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Mod note:
The long, meandering OT argument has been deleted.
Please refrain from bickering/going off topic.
Cheers!

 

[Andy in Germany]

From experience working with long term unemployed people, many are already taking a fair bit if medication; part of my job is helping them reduce their dependency.

NHS Scotland partners up with community gardening projects in order to offer patients the benefits of outdoor activities that can improve mental health and wellbeing.
Those projects are paid a fee per client, there are a couple near me.
I don't know the results.
I am not aware of any cycling hubs that have partnered with the local health authority, but there could be.

Okay, I'm in Tübingen, but this is basically what I do, with added services like a full 2-year state registered bike training apprenticeship, or assistance looking for a different job. Clients come for six month contracts, up to a total of 2 years.

I do a lot of grocery shopping by bike and this is also something I wouldn't recommend either. Its very hard carrying £40+ worth of groceries in 2 panniers up big hills etc. Not many bikes are left outside supermarkets where I am, that's for sure. I think if you had kids and were working full time and commuting and shopping by bike you would be heading for a breakdown.
No workplace I've ever worked has had staff showers. Only a basin in the disabled toilet and that's it.

Our family has been doing that for 20 years.

Is the state also going to supply waterproofs, tubes and tools?

Tübingen has a system called the "bonus card" for low income families, one part of it is that they can come to our workshop on certain days and get a subsidy of up to 20€ for parts and 27€ for labour costs. This would cover a puncture repair, for example. The theory is that we should teach the 'customer' to do the job so next time they can do it themselves but sadly that doesn't work at the moment because we're short staffed.

 

[mjr]

The theory is that we should teach the 'customer' to do the job so next time they can do it themselves but sadly that doesn't work at the moment because we're short staffed.

Why are you short staffed? Do you expect the german government collapse to make things better or worse?

 

[wiggydiggy]

I find this entire topic a bit strange and flawed at every turn. You could be as skinny as a whippet and unemployed. But why would you take a job 5 miles away, just because you are given a bike? If you really wanted that job, you could walk the 5 miles and earn the money in the first month or two to buy a second hand bike.

Is the state also going to supply waterproofs, tubes and tools?

As for getting obese people to take medication and ride bikes to work. Its pie in the sky stuff.

Don't underestimate the power of the lazy or ignorant, that was me! The first 5 years I lived in Leeds all my jobs were within 5 miles of me. The only one I walked to was one that was about 1.5 miles. The others were more and I got the bus, horrible First service and overpriced but cycling never crossed my mind.

Fast forward to my last years in Leeds and I started cycling because I'd moved outside of the 'Inner City Zone' for the bus and couldn't afford it. I actually went all in at the start, got a Cycle2Work bike, lots of gear, racks, panniers the lot. It was all new and exciting but I can see why someone might be put off at the start

So if someone had sat me down and said 'Its a 3 mile ride, just wear what you normally do and take your time' it'd have been a lot quicker, easier and cheaper! Leeds has several cheap and accessible social bike repair shops so no tools needed really. I wasn't unemployed but if someone had given me a job, and a bike to get there I'd have been happy as a pig in 💩

 

[MontyVeda]

Some people (many) just won't cycle anywhere.

Everyone i work with who has at least a half hour walk to work, i'll suggest they cycle instead because it'll take less than ten minutes. But they won't. They'd rather walk. One bloke has been known to walk 5 miles regularly to get to work at 4.30am if there's no one to give him a lift. He sets off at 3.00am

Ps. there's no buses for those of us on earlies.

[edit] there was another lad, a student living at the Uni who worked at the morecambe store who also walked. I've just checked. 7 miles!

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Okay, I'm in Tübingen, but this is basically where I work, with added services like a full 2-year state registered bike training apprenticeship, or assistance looking for a different job. Clients come for six month contracts, up to a total of 2 years.

Andy, in your case you help clients to gain access to work opportunities.
What I mentioned is a bit different:

Yes, NHS Scotland partners up with community gardening projects in order to offer patients the benefits of outdoor activities that can improve mental health and wellbeing.

are projects to help people with their physical and/or mental health, they are referred by their doctors.
The outdoor activities are meant to replace/complement the usual prescription medicines.

 

[classic33]

I was considered nuts for cycling the 181/2 miles to & from Leeds when I worked there. Northern Rail gave me the final push required to cycle all the time.

After that I got another job purely because I turned up for the interview on my bike. No public transport went near it, but the bike enabled me to get there and back, at unsociable hours.

 

[classic33]

Andy, in your case you help clients to gain access to work opportunities.
What I mentioned is a bit different:

are projects to help people with their physical and/or mental health, they are referred by their doctors.
The outdoor activities are meant to replace/complement the usual prescription medicines.

I think both projects work at the same problem, but from slightly different angles.
Both seem to be able to help people, medically.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Why are you short staffed? Do you expect the german government collapse to make things better or worse?

There's not many people with the necessary qualifications to work in a workshop like this. In fact, one of the goals for this year is to get me some guild certification so I can check customer's bikes before they are sent out.

The current situation is a bit strange. German politics is designed to be boring, but the current coalition had some very good policies, and some absolutely appalling policies. We're all hoping that the next one keeps the good bits and drops the bad bits. Either way, with the federal structure we have, not a great deal will change because most of what we do is funded and decided at a state level.

 

[Andy in Germany]

I was considered nuts for cycling the 181/2 miles to & from Leeds when I worked there.

Only for that? They didn't know you very well, did they?

 

[Andy in Germany]

Andy, in your case you help clients to gain access to work opportunities.
What I mentioned is a bit different:

are projects to help people with their physical and/or mental health, they are referred by their doctors.
The outdoor activities are meant to replace/complement the usual prescription medicines.

I think both projects work at the same problem, but from slightly different angles.
Both seem to be able to help people, medically.

Poor communication from me. As @classic33 says, we do both; it depends on the clients.

 

[classic33]

Only for that? They didn't know you very well, did they?

They thought they did.