Commuter Belt

Don Wycherley - Actor

How do you travel to work? It depends what I'm working on. At the moment, I'm rehearsing a play Eden, which opens on December 7th in the Abbey during the day and in one Whistle In The Dark at night. So I cycle into the Abbey in the morning and home at the end of the day. I take the car back in the evening for the show. When I was working on Bachelors Walk, I was collected by a driver - not because I'm famous but because I was only covered by insurance if I was travelling in a car.

How long does it take? It takes 20-25 minutes to cycle in. It takes about half an hour to cycle back, because it's an uphill journey. It takes between 15 and 20 minutes to drive in and out in the evenings from where I live, in Beaumont.

What time do you leave home? When I'm rehearsing, I leave at 9.30 a.m., for a 10 a.m. start.

What time do you arrive home? Between 6 p.m. and 6.10 p.m., depending on how quickly I want to cycle. After the show, I'm home at about 11.30 p.m.

Do you travel the same route every day? Generally, yes. If I'm travelling by car, I'll take a few short cuts to avoid traffic.

What do you enjoy about your commute? On the bike, I enjoy running a scene through my head, and I sometimes vocalise it. So you're likely to see this strange man talking to himself as he struggles uphill on his bicycle. If I'm in the car, I enjoy the time on my own to listen to a radio show.

What bothers you most about your commute? I hate when I'm in a rush. I have been known to get off my bike, lock it to a railing and hop on a bus. The problem with the buses is that I never know the timetable and how long I'll be waiting for one. And I don't like if I decide to take the car and then find myself in a tailback.

Would you change your mode of transport if you could? If I could, I would have Joe, the driver from Bachelors Walk, on call all the time but, unfortunately, I can't afford Joe. That aside, I've the best of both worlds, in that I don't live too far from the city and I've a choice of bike, bus or car.

How could your journey be improved? If people didn't turn right into Griffith Avenue from Grace Park Road, as it causes a huge jam up Collins Avenue. Also, everyone turns into dreadful drivers in the rain. The traffic gets worse, your windows mist over and you begin to feel like Michael Douglas in Falling Down.

In conversation with Sylvia Thompson