I think this sort of conflict is something that most people used to have. In our modern world of infinite mobility and long commutes, people have forgotten that at one time, most people tried to live close to their job.
My grandfather anything but environmentally conscious, but he walked to took transit to work his whole life. He did it because he was cheap, there were streetcars in Milwaukee for much of his life, and because he lived through the rationing during the world wars and the depression and abhorred waste of any kind. I used to work for Waterford and a journeyman frame builder. I loved the combination of the light physicality and thoughtfulness of the work, but the factory was 28 miles from my house, my wife is an MPS teacher and has to live in Milwaukee, and our daughter started kindergarten. I was only making $10 an hour, so the economics of buying a car/gas/insurance or alternatively putting my daughter in day care before and after school so I could continue to bike made the job untenable. In the end, I quit a job I really liked because it was too far away. Now times have changed, and good jobs are more difficult to find, so the balance of choices may have changed. It might be more important to get that job, no matter where it is, than find a job a reasonable bike ride from where you live. Good luck with your job hunt, and let us know what you decide. Yours in cycling, Dave Schlabowske Dir. of Communications Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin 414-431-1798 (desk) 414-736-2209 (mobile) www.bfw.org 3618 W. Pierce Street Milwaukee, WI 53215 On Tue, Feb 7, 2012 at 5:57 AM, Steve Drake <[email protected]> wrote: > ** ** ** ** ** > > Hi Mark,**** > > ** ** > > I have applied for jobs solely based on their bikeability, but only when > currently employed. When unemployed, my geographic sphere of acceptable > commutes has expanded greatly. My feeling is that a person should strive to > use minimal resources, but there will be times when compromises need to be > made. For example, if you have to get a second car get one that gets decent > fuel mileage and continue to do your local errands by bike. If you do get a > job that requires a motor vehicle commute, you can still keep looking for > that bike commutable job and ditch the car when you find it.**** > > ** ** > > Hang in there,**** > > Steve **** > > ** ** > ------------------------------ > > *From:* [email protected] [mailto: > [email protected]] *On Behalf Of ***Mark Evans** > *Sent:* Sunday, February 05, 2012 6:14 PM > *To:* [email protected] > *Subject:* [Bikies] Sort of a Poll Question: priority of bike commuting > to jobchoice**** > > ** ** > > I reckon I'm preaching to the converted, but I'm curious... > I was laid off and been out of work for some time. As I search for a job, > I always scope out the location and ability to bike to that location. > Obviously, this eliminates things like jobs in **Ft.** **Atkinson** or ** > Mt.** **Horeb** or ****Oregon**** or whatever. > It's getting tough and my partner - who has been very understanding - > floated the idea of getting a second car (I sold mine and chose > ped/bike/bus commute options) several years ago. Part of me feels like I > want to remain committed to a greener, bike friendly lifestyle. By taking > some job with a 20-30 mile commute one way feels like I've abandoned that > green choice. By choosing a gas-powered vehicle over a bus/bike option I > feel like I'd be viewing cycling as more of a hobby than a lifestyle choice. > > Obviously tough times demand tough choices... but I'm curious about how > others feel. > Have you made employment choices based on the ability to reach work via > sustainable methods? > > MArk Evans**** > > -- > Follow Wheels for Winners on > FACEBOOK<http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=734289628&v=wall&ref=profile#%21/pages/Wheels-for-Winners/168983346461729> > **** > > Papa Wheelie's > Prints<http://personalpages.tds.net/%7Emstuartev/MSEvans_Prints/Papa_Wheelies_Print_Shop.html> > Check out My Prints for Sale At Etsy <http://www.etsy.com/shop/mstuartev>* > *** > > _______________________________________________ > Bikies mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org > >
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