Plus, the last thing I want to do after a 12-hour shift at a physical job is to bike several miles uphill to get home.

That's a fair point. My job is sedentary and cycling is my primary form of exercise. (That said, I do have an ebike so the workout is not mandatory. Don't tell my dietician that…)

I guess what got me into the cycling option was having a good hard look at the map. I work in an industrial park with a railway running next to it, but that railway was decommissioned years ago, and it turns out that it had been converted into a public trail. Much of the time I was driving to work, I was not even aware of this. But I tried out the trail. Not only does it knock about a mile off the street route, but it replaces slow-rolling trucks with tree tunnels and, because it had been a railway, the grades are gentle and bike-friendly.

I no doubt lucked out there but what I'm trying to say is it's worth checking where bikes can go and cars cannot, as it can be a better experience to take those routes if they exist?

zero effort

Ebike.