your work commute

Mines about 8 minutes.

Used to be 3, but we moved the shop two years ago....

 

It is not the distance or even time... I see how much trouble it takes

Like how many stop signs and traffic lights? 5 to 10 one way max is reasonable to me

I also count distance using songs. How many songs away is it? 4 to 8 is reasonable to me

Like MM said I use commute time as my time. It is very precious to me. So if it is a stressful time due to lack of smooth flow then anything more than 30 min is HARD.

 

But what kind of songs? I mean, there's a big difference between "Shine On You Crazy Diamond," by Pink Floyd, or "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (full version)," by Iron Butterfly, or "Alice's Restaurant," by Arlo Guthrie, versus, say, "I Wanna Hold Your Hand," "Peggy Sue," or "La Bamba."

 

That made me laugh... I measure time in songs sometimes, too. It sounds odd, but I like to say an average of two-three minutes per song.

 

Most of you are lucky.

Sometimes I work at home. My commute right now is fine and normally takes an hour (never less) and I consider it easy.

Going into London was about 1.5 hours but could take 2 hours - but that was a drive to the train station and then public transport the rest of the way. A car is much easier - it's just sitting down and listening to the radio.

I generally think of anything within 1.5 hours as commutable. Over that, I may commute a couple of days a week but would then stay over or work at home - assuming it is going to be sustainable and not just short term.

 

If I am vacationing in a big city, public transit is fun. I'm not sure I would be able to handle it every work day. Especially if the subway didn't run very often. Like if you really had to be at the train station at a certain time or you would have to wait for 30 minutes...much too stressful for me and my lack of time management.

 

When the road isn't washed away, my commute is 20 miles. 15 of these are down a very steep winding canyon. It's a blast on a motorcycle and not so much in a 4wd Tacoma on the ice and snow. These days it's 35-45 depending on weather and how I feel about law breaking.

 

My commute is a solid hour on a Metra train, and is 45-50 miles depending on which train I take. I have to factor in an extra hour each way to get to day care and then to the train, and the reverse home.

Is it worth it? Many many commuters in Chicago area do the exact same thing I do. I have a small cost offset because I qualify for reduced fare. The pay itself doesn't neccessarily warrant the time, but I do work from home 1 day a week now, and I have extreme flexibility with my schedule to Deal With Life. I feel the commute is worth the time for that flexibility, and to be part of a company that is growing in worth and size and compensation over time.

 

My first job since moving to this area was about 50mi away. Part of the reason we ended up living in this town, despite the distance to the nearest major metropolitan areas (Washington D.C. and Baltimore), was the availability of a commuter train line opening up right around the time that we arrived. The train trip was scenic but long, typically an hour and a half one way. It wouldn't have been so bad had there been more than three trains running each way. With only two and my work day typically not ending until close to 6, I'd usually get home later than 8pm every night. Since leaving that job, each subsequent position has gotten me closer and closer to working in my own town, every time thankfully accessible to public transportation.

I currently work just about a mile from my home and ride my bike every day, rain or shine. It takes about 7 minutes if I hit every light on green. I couldn't be happier.

 

Currently, I ride my bike to school. It is usually 10 minutes door to door for me, and I love it, although not in inclement weather. My commute increases to 30 minutes or more if I need to take a bus or walk to class instead.

At one point (in the DC area), I was doing a round trip of about 75 miles a day, but each way would take me between 50 and 90 minutes, depending on what time I left home or the office. If it was a holiday weekend, fuck everything - tourists destroyed the traffic patterns during rush hour, and some days it would take me 3 hours to get home. The tolls were the worst - each way to and from work was $11.90 in tolls, and I'm sure it has increased significantly now, 4 years later. I once tried to decrease my commute time in a car/decrease mileage on my car by switching to public transportation. It was a 20 minute drive to the train station, a 45 minute+ ride on a train, a transfer to the metro, a 5 minute ride on the metro, and then another 5-10 minute walk from the train station. It was ridiculous and significantly limited my flexibility to stay late at work/arrive early, so I switched back to driving. I got through a LOT of audiobooks that year - including Atlas Shrugged. I hit fast forward through the preachy parts, though.

 

They can't handle driving in rain, snow, fog, or sunshine, and certainly not on holidays.

I don't miss it, at all.

 

Wow. More power to you.

I looked into taking the Metra and bus to work, since I live around half a mile from the Deerfield train station. Turns out it would have been a nightmare of changing trains and buses, close to a two hour commute, and would only have gotten me to work either late or half an hour early. And since my first class starts at nine, and I am not a morning person, there was just no way I was going to do this.

Chicago is supposed to have great public transportation, but I think that's just the city. If you're in the suburbs-- especially the North Shore-- the public transportation is nowhere near as great. Better than LA, definitely, but not convenient enough, to my mind, to rely on for commuting, unless you just happen to work near a train station that's a straight shot down the single line on which you live.

New York definitely has us beat in public transportation, and I have never been to any city that equals London for quality, availability, and user-friendly public transportation.

 

I am currently 40 minutes door-to-door using the MRT (subway). If I ride my bike it's around 20 minutes travel and another 60 minutes to cool down and shower (it's hot!).

I use my commute time to read the news or books and listen to music. I don't understand how people can sit doing nothing.

With my last job the commute was 10-15 minutes door-to-door using the MRT. It was pretty sweet.

 

If I drive, it takes me about 10-15 minutes. If I bike, it's about double that. Luckily it's only about 5 miles, so it's not a huge deal, but because I'm a wimp I don't bike there anymore (mostly because of the now-constant sub-freezing temperatures and snow).

 

I was making a 45+ minute morning commute in crazy traffic. I was barely arriving on time feeling rushed and stressed. I started leaving 30 minutes earlier, missing most of the traffic, and spending the saved time over a relaxed breakfast at a nearby cafe. The drive averages @20 minutes now.
There's no escape from the traffic going home. 45 to 60 minutes is the best it ever gets. Sports talk on the radio keeps me company.

 

I was asking because I have been offered a new job and it's a very good job but it's an hour and ten minute ride and I did not know if that was reasonable compared to everybody else.

 

I know people who travel longer than 1:10 to get to work. It's a bit on the long side, but not completely unheard of.

If you don't mind the 2+ hour round trip commute, and will be able to cover the cost of getting there and back (public transit, gas in your vehicle, etc) and will enjoy the job more than what you're doing now, definitely go for it!

 

Well, it COULD be reasonable. Does it pay well? Are the benefits good? Are both of those combined worth being in your car for two hours and twenty minutes every day?

If it was something I liked, and something that paid well, I wouldn't mind the drive. There are other factors, though--is the money worth the time spent away from your family? Is it a high traffic commute? Do you have to get up ridiculously early?