I had a long commute where 4 hours out of my day was spent comuting and sometimes it was longer than that. I was making great money and gave it all up to be closer to home. I now make a little less but have time to do things after work, ex. go to the gym, hang out with friends, go out to dinner, do freelance work,etc… Also when it came down to the difference in the money it wasn’t that much considering I wasn’t paying for the train and subway and I wasn’t buying lunch in the city.
If you ask me its much better to have a job closer to home.
15 min on my bike in the morning, 20 min in the afternoon. I say afternoon because sometimes I come in at 7 and leave at 3:30. paid my dues in nyc with the 1 hr each way though. If i do leave during the thick of rush hour, it does not lengthen my commute and i love to speed past the 20 cars lined up at the stop sign. but then my job is not design and is boring as hell. can’t beat time with family though.
I currently live one block away from my office. I have never actually measured the footsteps but it is probably close to 100 paces. It’s great, I cruise home for a quick break and get high and nobody even notices. I know I am spoiled. I will never have such a luxury at another job.
Live and work at opposite ends of Vancouver (city not metro area).
Bike: ~45 mins
Bus: ~50 mins
Car: ~20 mins (when I had one)
Company is considering a move to another city in the metro area with will double all the times and make it prohibitive to ride bike. For that I would consider a folding bike I could take on the transit system.
I have to cross the Bay Bridge to go into the city too. The traffic there is a total nightmare, but it got little better since they opened new Fastrac lane.
El trains and busses all run about 20-40 minutes. Bike is 20 minutes.
I love the fact that I have at least a half dozen routes I can take via public trasportation-- breaks up the monotony. I don’t miss my car one bit.
Commute progress:
First it was 45 min, crowded train sometimes missing a few due to no space, going to loop, transferring, then comming back out in a different direction.
Then found a bus route that was 30min. that went more directly that hardly anybody rides.
Now I decided to bike it and the same commute is only 10-12 min! Includes little known backstreets, special side streets for delivery trucks, and running reds and stopsigns… although now they’re going to be coming after us for that. $75 min. ticket for running a stop on a bike!
Chicagoland reverse commute (which you would think to be shorter): about 1 hour 30 minutes there and at least an hour and a half if not 2 hours on the ride home. Total time: 3 hours a day in a car. Then figure in a 9 hour work day. Thats 12 hours. Then add in 45 minute prep time at 5:30am in morning. 12 hours 45 minutes devoted to work a day.
I need about 7 hours of sleep, so that means in bed by 10:30ish (Which I absolutly hate, I don’t believe in going to bed before midnight.) I get home at around 7pm. So thats 3 and a half hours of personal time a day.
20 miles in Los Angeles in about 20 minutes. It’s a reverse commute, so I get to go full speed. Live north of downtown close to JPL, commute to the San Fernando valley. On Firdays in the summer, some of us come in early, go to my house for lunch and go swimming for 1/2 hour or so, then back to work to finish the day. (In the winter, Thursday nights are night skiing nights for the designers-90 minutes from work!)
I’ve just started commuting Kildare to dublin… Round trip 70 miles. Moved about a month ago - really takes over your week. It about an hour 10mins now but the kids are off school. Once they come back add another 30min minimum on to it. A right pain in the ass. You have to way it up… A nice big house in the country no neighbours for 1/4 mile either side for half the price with commute or small house in estate with little commute and massive mortgage…
I used to do a one hour commute each way from Lawrence, KS to Kansas City, MO. They were doing endless interstate construction which made it a nightmare. Finally moved into downtown KC and my commute dropped to 15 minutes each way by car, no public transit available, bike ride is too dangerous.
This Friday I leave KC for St. Louis which will probably put me at 30 minutes to get from the west suburbs to downtown. I’m trying to find a new job so who knows where it will be and how long it will take to get there.
I might move to Chicago where my sister lives. Lincoln park area right off the lake is easy, catch the bus at Sheridan and Diversey, takes you right down to Michigan - 20 minutes depends on traffic and how crazy people are driving.
I commute for 30 minutes on the highway which I thought was really bad but after seeing what you guys go through, I can’t complain at all. The beach is 5 minutes away from the office and we leave at 4 PM. (start at 8 pm)
The only problem is that the office is getting bigger and we need more space so it looks like we will move 30 minutes away from were we are (inland in the middle of nowhere)
I’m horrified!
But I like my job and the city I live in so who knows.
I just want to be in an inspiring and creative workspace, I don’t mind commuting if I am happy at work.
I commute 1.20min each way from Ann Arbor To Troy (in Michigan)
It sucks
The chance to buy a house in A2 happen before my current job, I can’t move because houses are too damn expensive now.
I hope you’re getting A LOT MORE MONEY for the trouble!!!
If anybody knows of any opportunities near Ann Arbor, let me know. My e-mail is pmaloney@comcast.net
Just got a job out of school around the beginning of June. Ever since I’ve been making the trek from Milwaukee, WI to Madison (85 mile trip). To top it off, I’m driving a '95 Ford Windstar (completely paid off), so I’m spending around $500/month in gas…
Of course, I’m still living with mommy and daddy for free, but I hope to change all of that soon.
My current commute is about 25 mintues, reverse, out of the city. The culture here is weak (TGI Friday’s again!), and the drive is up/down I-95, but it’s not too bad.
My best commute ever was a 3-block walk in Philadelphia. Quality-of-life and time-well-spent are very important to me. That said though, the car can be a nice de-compression chamber and help you forget the day at the orifice. I wouldn’t want to drive more than 25 minutes though. A 10-block ride on a subway is more exhausting and probably just as long as my commute.
Now that I am in Hong Kong, I commute about 30 minutes on the subway. I can do anything I want, since I no longer have to pay attention to driving. Public transport ROCKS!!
Thank you all for submitting your commuting situations… my chapter ends here.
I evaluated all facts and acted accordingly. I raised the compensation with the prospect (a lot) and they didn’t go for it. I guess it wasn’t meant to be. The commute would been a real drag, about 4 hrs per day in either a car or by train.
…I’m staying with my house… where my family loves it…
