Paddle-powered commutes
UK man takes kayak to work
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The morning commute to work can be more like a grueling crawl, complete with a soundtrack of honk, brake, gas, honk, brake filling our ears.
With the recession in full-effect, plenty of people now get to work through a pedal-powered commute. But for Gary Woodhouse of West Bromwich, UK, his six-and-a-half-mile trip to work each day is paddle-powered.
Since January, Woodhouse, 41, has paddled his red and white kayak to his job as a security guard each day. Woodhouse hops in his kayak around 5:30 a.m.—a new means of transportation made easier since he lives near a 100-plus-mile canal network in his city.
Fuel costs are down for the married father-of-three: He guesses he saves around $28 per week on gas. Last year, Woodhouse’s commute by car took about 35 minutes. With his kayak, Woodhouse gets to work in around 50 minutes—not too shabby, indeed.
Woodhouse told the Telegraph about his morning kayak routine:
“When I set off in the morning, it’s so peaceful and quiet- it’s a lot more serene than joining a traffic queue, that’s for sure.”
I don’t know how many of us Americans can join Woodhouse for a morning paddle (I am jealous if you can!) but we can sure drop the drive time by utilizing mass transit, riding a bike, or, like we reported on before, taking to bus to a hiking spot.
Do you get to work by alternative means? Tell us about it in the comments section below.
–Matt Draper
Security guard kayaks to work to beat credit crunch (Telegraph UK)