panish Point. Let?s face it, it?s not one of Bermuda?s most elegant addresses, but that wasn?t my primary concern when I moved to this part of the Island two years ago.The biggest selling point for me was that my new home would be just a hop, skip and a jump away from the office.

As any realtor will tell you, location is everything, and for me that meant one thing ? a vehicle-free journey into work.

The advantages seemed endless. Bermuda?s roads can be pretty dangerous and as a rather timid driver of two wheels who?s suffered his fair share of road rash, the prospect of a casual 25 minute walk into Hamilton was a lot less intimidating than driving in from the West End on a wet Wednesday morning.

What?s more I?d be saving some money. While I agree that bikes are pretty economical, they still need feeding. Why spend $10 a week on gas when you don?t have to?

Health was another positive in my favour. For somebody who?s chained to a desk for the best part of the day, stretching the legs to and from the office is about the only chance I get to do some exercise. And walking nearly an hour a day is surely going to make the pounds drop off?

And then the smugness factor kicks in. For as long as I can remember, politicians and radio talk show hosts have been going on about how we should all make an effort to reduce the amount of traffic on our roads. Living just a mile or so out of town means I can walk into work guilt free and head held high knowing that I haven?t contributed to the Island?s congestion or pollution problems.

Any other benefits? Well, if a ?quick beer after work? turns into something a bit more languid then I don?t have to worry about what to do with the bike or have the hassle of finding a taxi for the journey home.

So is walking into work really just a stroll in the park? Actually I have to say it isn?t. As easy as it is to reel off the advantages, it?s just as easy to score a red line through most of them.

Sure, Bermuda?s roads are dangerous, but I?ve discovered they?re as dangerous for pedestrians as they are for motorists. Believe me, there?s nothing more frightening than walking along an unlit road (there are few sidewalks on my route home) late at night and having some speed merchant in a high-powered sports car come hurtling around the corner, missing you by inches. Where are all these boy racers rushing to at 1 a.m.? Admiralty House Park perhaps?

And while I might save money on gas, I?m definitely spending more at the laundromat. If it?s raining I arrive at the office soaking wet, if it?s a blazing hot day I arrive even wetter. Every day my first task at work is to get changed. And if I?m ever running late, the temptation to flag down a taxi always proves too great. The $10 I end up forking out for a single trip would keep a bike ticking over for a week or more.

As for the health factor, well, walking is hardly strenuous exercise is it? In terms of burning up the calories it?s probably up there with gardening. My waistline hasn?t dipped so much as an inch.

So why do I walk to work? Well, despite the inconvenience, it does allow me one luxury that I think makes all the disadvantages worthwhile. I never have to face that annual nightmare of wasting an entire day waiting at the Transport Control Department, only to eventually be told by some surly mechanic that my battered bike isn?t roadworthy until I get the seat cover replaced.