I like my independence too much for that! And I feel guilty making the newborn get in and out of the car irrespective of her sleep cycles and whether she is due for a sleep etc.
My Dad has a scooter, my Mum hates it lol. He has had one tumble but was okay which he mostly credits to his clothing... so my advice would be get a good quality, thick riding jacket!
Neither offers more protection than the other really. Sometimes it can be easier to jump off a scooter, because of the step-through design, if you have to ditch the vehicle (yes, it does happen). Some think a motorbike is safer as it (usually) is more powerful and responsive , to 'get you out of trouble faster'. That said, the same reason can also get you into trouble faster than on a scooter.
You still need a licence for a scooter I am sure (at least in Victoria).
The safety gear for both vehicles is the same. I *HATE* seeing people in their office garb with just a helmet on, buzzing around on their scooters, because they're "safer" than a motorbike. The amount of gear may put you off, as you will spend ages faffing about getting dressed and undressed, which may be longer than "destinking".
Make sure, whichever vehicle you go for, that you let it warm up sufficiently. A bike or scooter is no different to a car in terms of needing to get warm. Extra wear and costs if you only ever ride (or drive) short distances without the engine warming up.
Don't ride either without doing at least one course. Do the full day licence course, and then extras if you can. If you were in Victoria I would send you to the guys at Rider Bros, who are brilliant. They can even teach you how to "knee down" on a scooter. I know different riding schools teach different things. Many only the basics required to pass the licence test, and nothing on how to reallt "ride", incpuding the basic skill of countersteering (pushing the bars to 'turn' the front wheel in the opposite direction of where you want to go).
And it's not really about zipping in and out of traffic, or highway riding. Most road accidents happen within 10km of home.
Scooters are cheaper to run than most motorbikes (I used to know a Harley salesman who would ride his scooter to work in Melbourne cbd and keep his harley for the weekends, purely based on cost of fuel. But, that's a harley, not some little commuter bike). That said, there are some pretty nice looking bright red motorbikes too.
I would get dh to drive you to the station. Also because at the end of a bad and long day at work, the last thing you're going to want to do is lug all your riding gear home on the train, get dressed, and concentrate on the ride home. And it is 110% concentration. Add to that bad weather, being unwell, etc. I don't know your riding level or skill, but its worth considering. Good luck.
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