Budget bicycling gives a ride log which prices each ride at $6.00 the cost of a bus ticket in Canberra (I can’t remember if it is a return ticket). I have wanted to do something similar but the problem is I live close enough to work to make the $21.00 return ($1664.00 yearly) ticket to the International Airport railway station an outragous waste of money.
In previous years I would have been able to drive into the airport carpark and base it on a tank of fuel or something like that. The problem with this is fuel fluctuates and now there is a limit on the number of car places. On thursday my conunderum was solved. Customs has now adopted a pay for parking policy which will set the price of car parking at Customs House Sydney International Airport.
Starting on the first of April (probably very fitting for anyone who wants to drive to work) parking will cost $4 a day. In October it will rise to $8 – which is the full cost. Some bright sparkes have done their sums and found that this will cost them something over $2000 at year.
This is the equivilant of a reasonably priced road bike and a crumpler messenger bag or a hybrid or MTB with rack, panniers, lights, cycling gear (including a helmet) and Bicycle NSW membership. Being a doubter I feel that there is not going to be many people taking up cycling.
I gather the meetings where the policy was unveiled were quite Jerry Springer. The presenter from Canberra was not prepared and did not have any answers to questions, and to make things even more problematic the Regional Director said “I worked hard for my position, don’t question me” when asked about if he paid for parking his car in the garrage at Customs House. I related the story to my supervisor who said that the parking spot came with the car which is part of their salary package so if he had his wits about him he could have said yes. Instead from what I have been told the meeting became quite hostile after that. There were some who asked me “What are you going to do when you get artheritis or if you have an accident and cannot make it to the train station” (I felt like saying if that is the case I will be an old man and retired in relation to the artheritis and have enough sick leave owing to cover any accidents) when I mentioned bicycle parking is free
I have mixed feelings about the changes to the carparking arrangments. There are some people who live in the outer suburbs who have next to no public transport and who may be working difficult hours, shift workers for example who will need some form of car parking. On the other hand there are some people who will snub public transport, cycling and or walking because it just does not suit them. They will complain about the policy and there will be some interesting out comes.
I noticed some people looking at changing jobs. They claim that there are other government departments that are not forcing their staff to pay for parking. An example is the co-tennant of Customs House, the Australian Federal Police Protective Service. The AFPPS has said it won’t pass the parking on to it’s people. I doubt if they will continue to absorb the price of parking for too long though.
There are others who will be eying up the parking in the near by Tempe Reserve, this may become timed parking sometime in the near future but we will have to wait and see about that. There is likely to be some grumbling to the union. The CPSU rep told me we weren’t the worst affected, apparently our staff in Brisbane are moving to a building 2 kilometers from the nearest train station and are now copping quite a hammering. The policy is supposed to be a national policy but it is full of holes. For example staff at Customs House will pay for parking but staff working at the international airport proper will not. The staff at Sydney International Airport will continue to received Isolated Establishment Allowance etc which will make them well paid compaired to those at Customs House. However the union has some doubts about what legal standing any challenge to the carparking charges would have as Customs doesn’t have to provide free parking – it just has to provide parking.
The motorcyclists and motorscooter riders will probably continue to find new and interesting ways of getting in and out of the carpark without paying and will probably become a growth group as regards the commuters at Customs House.
I have done my best to promote cycling in the building. It may take off with a bit of luck. I have organised ride to work day and will wait and see how many people turn up to that. I am cautious about biting management for some money to put on a breakfast or get some freebies like water bottles to give away due to the strength of the hostility shown towards the plan but will probably ask management for something next year.
In the mean time I will try to get myself organised for a possible move to Port Botany (management apparently want to put more executive cars in the garrage and are eying up the parking spots occupied by work cars used by my section to do examinations at bonds etc. They are proposing to move us to the CEF this would make life commuting to the CEF difficult for me but you never know. I have heard from various sources that a commute could be possible. The thing is this again puts me in the position of not being able to price the commute accuratly. I am on the redeployment list so I may still find myself working at Customs House although I doubt it seriously.
Should it happen though I would score myself a new bike probably from cell and rig it for commuting/general touring and then start a log book for rides. I would go from the red to break even and then to profit relatively quickly. This will bring out the hard headed economic rationalist in just about everybody. However it will illustrate the value of cycling in an increasingly expensive city.
Jonathonsbicycleblog's Weblog 