Commuting weather diary

Mr_A wrote: »

I don't see why the OP has some obligation to use input other than their own when putting together a report. As has been pointed out, the same option is open to everyone else.

gordongekko wrote: »

True but if its only relevant to the people who travel between the ops house,where their kids go to school and their place of work then its not supposed to be in the Galway forum.

I think it finally dawned on me this morning what the (perceived) issue is.

It all hinges on the word "diary".

gordongekko wrote: »

so once again this has nothing to do with Galway and only relevant to your household. ... Its only since you were challenged on it that you have started to see some rain. And do you not commute on days that kids are off school?

inisboffin wrote: »

I think people thought it was something other than it is.

inisboffin wrote: »

Wait, so you're only taking into account your own posts on this thread? Why not just keep a diary at home? I thought you were looking for a representation of everyone's experience.

My intention was that any interested commuter could maintain their own diary in the thread. Obviously I was motivated to do so, or I wouldn't have started it in the first place. Other posters may not be equally motivated or may just be too busy or whatever.

However, a key point is that each diary within the thread must have its own separate and independent existence. The reasons are obvious, or so I would have thought.

My commuting diary began on 18th November 2013 and focuses on the morning school run over 3 km from A to B. Sometimes it involves an extra 4 km school-to-work journey from B to C.

Jo Bloggs started her diary in mid-February and walks 4 km from home in E to work in F, which is a different part of the city altogether from B, leaving home after 9am.

A. N. Other's diary commenced on March 21st, and his commute is 5 km by car from his home in location G to college in H, and the hours vary because of class timetables.

The A-B, E-F and G-H commuting weather diaries cannot be combined into one mega-diary for the simple reason that they are not comparable in terms of location, distance and time of day.

The weather in Galway is changeable.

The 'hypothesis' stated in the OP and subsequent posts is that it is possible to walk or cycle a reasonable distance (say 4-5 km or maybe more) to work or school without being soaked on a regular or frequent basis.

Each diary can be used to test that notion independently, by keeping a daily record of every trip for a reasonable length of time. I don't know what the minimum duration of such a diary should be, but my guess is that you'd need at least a couple of month's worth of daily reports to build up a reliable and realistic picture of the commuting weather experience.

But, crucially, I can't take bits of the E-F and G-H reports and stick them into the A-B diary in order to create a single catch-all "representation of everyone's experience".

Each diary has to be assessed separately once it's finished, with the main objective being to work out the percentage of trips during which rain actually fell, relative to the total number of trips recorded in each diary. Jo Bloggs and A. N. Other will experience whatever the weather was during each of their individual commutes, but neither has a direct bearing on what the weather was like during my A-B trips. So the only way to draw valid and informative conclusions about rainfall and commuting is to compare the frequency of wet commutes in each diary, subject to the proviso that all trips were recorded.

Ideally there would be several diaries on the go, covering most of the day and over a range of distances up to, say, 10 km. That would provide a bigger picture that would be closer to a "representation of everyone's experience".

However, it remains the case that the weather recorded in each diary is representative of the experience of everyone else who does -- or could do -- the same commute. In other words, everyone in location A who cycles, or could potentially cycle, 3 km or so to school in location B around the same time every morning would experience the same weather.

As I've stated previously in this thread, this is where it's possible to make generalisations because individuals are part of communities and the weather affects us all in much the same way over time. When we cycle the A-B route to school in the morning, for example, we are travelling on the same roads and pretty much the same trips as hundreds (perhaps thousands?) of other commuters. We are all experiencing the same weather, because we are travelling at the same time over similar distances to adjacent locations. Where the circumstances are the same the weather for one is the weather for all, regardless of mode of transport, which is what this thread is about.

90th consecutive weather diary report. Last one was Friday 11th April, just before the Easter break.

Usual morning school run, with Senior Infant on own bike. Lovely weather -- no rain. A small amount of fog earlier, clearing to beautiful sunshine. Thermometer says 17%, but it feels a lot warmer.

Usual morning school run by bike. Beautiful warm sunshine. Yesterday I saw car occupants wearing coats, but I forgot to look today.

Usual morning school run. Cool and cloudy, but no rainfall during trip. Recent rainy weather doing wonders for the garden, mind you.

Spotted the sign below in the back window of a car this morning. Prompted a wry chuckle.

Morning school run. Cool and cloudy, but no rain.

Usual morning school run. No rain on outward journey. Caught in light shower on way back. Stationary traffic blocking access to "courtesy crossings".

Morning school run. After delayed departure, Senior Infant started out on own bike. Misjudged the weather entirely, and got caught in nasty shower less than 1 km out. Switched to Plan B. Fair bit of rain during outward leg, but clear on return. Clothes actually dried out. Traffic heavy. Saw two buses stuck among stationary and slow-moving cars.

Usual school run, by bike. Much too wet for Senior Infant to cycle own bike.