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Thanks for the idea. I did consider, infact I own a foldable bike. I forego the thought due to following reasons.
- The roads are not that bike friendly with uphill in many areas.
- I sweat a bit more than usual,
- Hauling it in packed trains up & down Penn station.
- Lighter bikes don't have mudguards to prevent light water splashes. So have to buy a thicker tire bikes.
- The bikes are also not feasible in winter or rainy days. And in summers when it's pretty hot & humid, it could be a pain.
- I did not see any bike racks at metuchen station.
I am going to try it one of these days and post back my experience.
Whoa, I'm not suggesting a folding, I'm saying a bike. That you ride to the station and lock there and ride home. You're only going to sweat if you work, that's the nice thing about bikes. You can work and sweat the same as you would running or keep it at a walking pace and not exert yourself. You can also get mudgards and put them on a lighter bike.
You might not have seen bike racks, but what about light poles, trees, fences or anything similar. Might also be worth calling the city to ask for one to be installed.
if you dont really have a need for a second hope about something used and fucntional that is also cheap. You dont need to pay the extra money for a nice car if the only use is to and from a train station. Get basic insurance and use it for nothing other than to the train. Also is it possible there is a bus nearby that can get you to the train station?
if you dont really have a need for a second hope about something used and fucntional that is also cheap. You dont need to pay the extra money for a nice car if the only use is to and from a train station. Get basic insurance and use it for nothing other than to the train. Also is it possible there is a bus nearby that can get you to the train station?
Ditto, why have a monthly payment for a car when there are good condition used cars for like $2-3k that are perfectly driveable.
I've done the Uber route when I didn't have the car, but at some point you will run into the problem of a car not being available. The convenience of a car is the best route.
I just wanted to chime in as a former Metuchen resident (2008-2012). I used to ride an electric bike to the train station every day from roughly the intersection of New Durham and Central Ave. It took me 2-3 minutes, from leaving my door to being on the train platform. It was about a minute and a half of riding, then another minute or so of fumbling with keys, the helmet, and walking from the locker to the platform or buttoning up in the garage.
The Metuchen train station has bike lockers for $100/year which keep your bike completely safe and totally out of the elements.
An electric bike is anywhere from $300-$1000 used, and a good one is $700+ new. I paid about $400 for the bike then upgraded the battery for $300. Then, I would charge it roughly once or twice a week. Anything with a lithium battery is good.
I used it all winter long (just wear winter clothes) but took a taxi on the ~5 or so days where the roads were super slushy or not yet plowed. I also sometimes just walked if it was pouring in the morning since I could use an umbrella. I didn't really care about rain on the commute home since I would be washing my clothes anyway, and I also kept a cheap rain suit in the trunk bag which helped quite a bit.
Given that a car ride is 10 minutes for you in rush hour, I'd assume the electric bike would take you about 5-7 minutes. My bike went 18mph, but some go up to 30 (any faster than 25mph probably isn't a great idea). You don't have to sit in traffic and you can cut through some big parking lots to save time. The ride is overall pretty safe, but there are one or two intersections where you have to be proactive in order to stay alive, such as crossing Rt. 27. This means waiting for green lights, keeping an eye on people turning left, etc.
Most importantly, it was actually fun! And I never was sweaty since you let the bike do all the work.
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