A man has started swimming to work after he got fed up with commuting and being stuck in traffic. Benjamin David, 40, now beats the traffic by swimming 2km down the Isar River in Munich, Germany. He puts his laptop, phone and his suit in a waterproof bag that he drags behind him. David got the idea by watching the river outside his apartment. He looked on a map and realized the river went past his office. He decided to swim to work and get some exercise. This was better than fighting commuters on buses and trains or breathing fumes from traffic while cycling.
David's river commute has changed his life. He is fitter and less stressed. Commuting used to make him stressed. He said: "I'm not a monk. When I was on my bike, I would yell at cars. When I was on foot, I would yell at cyclists, and so on." He said: "Just a few metres to the side of [all the traffic] is the river, and if you just swim down that, it's completely relaxing and refreshing." David spoke about the dangers of river swimming. He always checks the water temperature. Not everyone can swim to work in the city. In Central London, it is illegal to swim in the River Thames.