After work a couple of weeks ago I discovered that my car had a parking ticket, with a $77 fine. Fair enough, I’d parked all day in a one-hour spot. But this was only my second ticket in years of parking in that area ie Abercrombie St and the back streets of Chippendale. Since then, I’ve seen parking cops there every day. What once seemed to be a no-go zone for them is apparently now a priority. So my run of free parking has come to an end.
The university car park charges at least $13 per day. Assuming that I parked there three days per week, 40 weeks per year, that would cost me an additional $1560 per year, on top of the $2500 p.a. I already spend on rego/insurance/petrol/NRMA/maintenance. A total of over $4000 p.a. at a time when I’m trying to reduce my expenses, pay off debts and, god forbid, maybe even save some money, is just too much.
So, as you may have guessed, I bought a bike. Clarence St Cyclery had a sale last week, so I got a $1300 Trek 7500 hybrid bike for $1000 with a helmet thrown in, plus a bunch of other accessories that were also on sale. It’s my first bike since childhood and it’s amazing! 27 speeds and front suspension, which can be locked off for faster performance. I’ve been riding it around my neighbourhood for at least an hour a day, gradually developing my skills, fitness and confidence with the intention of eventually commuting to work. I got an excellent little book called Bike-it!, which has maps of suggested back-street routes for cyclists. There’s also a cool website called Bikely which serves a similar purpose, and I’ll be making my own custsom Google Maps as my knowledge improves.
I’m guessing that my 30 minute drive to work will probably take about 45 minutes by bike. That’s a serious daily workout, especially as the terrain is quite hilly. I look forward to being that fit! In the mean time I’ll be taking the train, or a combination of bike & train, as the uni is right next to Central station.
The next step is to sell my car, which makes me sad as it’s served me well and is a very cute little 1974 Datsun 120Y fastback - a vintage car! It has loads of personality and is instantly recognizable with its blue and yellow panels and random bits of paint - it gets enthusiastic comments from strangers all the time. UPDATE: sold.
With the car sold, even if I spend $1000 p.a. on public transport, taxis and bike stuff, I’ll save about $3000 p.a. That’s a few months’ rent, or a big chunk of HECS debt, or a new computer, or an overseas trip… Yeah, I need to do this.
