Commute Time

Anything to do with the traditional world of get a degree, get a job as well as its alternatives
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denise
Posts: 48
Joined: Sat Oct 12, 2013 11:53 pm
Location: Georgia
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Commute Time

Post by denise »

I currently have a 45 second commute to work by car - before you admonish me, I commute by car as to not get accosted by homeless people. I have a chance to move back in with my mom if I can find a job in my field in her city. If I get a job there, I can save 70% of my income, but I would have to drive 15 minutes without traffic, if I'm lucky, to the train station parking lot, then take the train for 30min, then walk for 10 minutes to get to the center of the city where all of my interviews currently are. Or, drive through 1.5 hours of morning traffic.

Does anyone else have a long mutlimodal commute? Or long drive?

How do you get through it, and if you take the train, does not driving take the sting out of the commute?

I know I'll take a job there regardless, I can't pass up the savings and I actually enjoy living with my mom rather than alone. I just need to prepare myself for a long commute.

Riggerjack
Posts: 3182
Joined: Thu Jul 14, 2011 3:09 am

Re: Commute Time

Post by Riggerjack »

I have a ferry commute.

8 minutes to boat in the morning, 20-25 minutes crossing, 12 minutes drive on the mainland. 20 minutes to the ferry line evenings, 20-120 minutes of ferry line, 20-25 minutes crossing, 8 minutes island driving.

I could speed that up by motorcycle (skip ferry line) or bicycle 15 miles of hills is outside my current comfort zone. Or take public transportation for about the same time, but, more trials if the public transport variety.

I carpool with my wife, and I surf my phone. Way better than sitting in traffic. But it does lead to too much time sitting.

If you aren't comfortable with 45 seconds of homeless exposure, how will you deal with the 10 minutes from train to work?

denise
Posts: 48
Joined: Sat Oct 12, 2013 11:53 pm
Location: Georgia
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Re: Commute Time

Post by denise »

Riggerjack wrote:I have a ferry commute.
If you aren't comfortable with 45 seconds of homeless exposure, how will you deal with the 10 minutes from train to work?
I'm hoping they don't have as bad a problem on the train, which is a paid for entity, as they do where I live. I also don't think the same guy that asks me out will be there :? Plus there are usually transportation police in large systems.

SavingWithBabies
Posts: 882
Joined: Mon Aug 31, 2015 2:50 pm
Location: Midwest, USA

Re: Commute Time

Post by SavingWithBabies »

Have you tried the train line when you would be commuting on it? 30 minutes might be an uncomfortable amount of time to stand. I've only had 18-20 minute train rides and typically those have been standing. It strains my back a little to stand in one spot that long. Your experience will vary but something to think about!

Right now, I have a 8 minute walk + 18-20 minutes on train + 12-15 minute walk. This is quite nice. I'd rather be closer of course and I wish the train and underground stations weren't so warm but this short trip keeps my rent not completely insane in this area.

vexed87
Posts: 1521
Joined: Fri Feb 20, 2015 8:02 am
Location: Yorkshire, UK

Re: Commute Time

Post by vexed87 »

I currently have a 45 minute bike ride through some pretty impoverished and decaying urban areas, its the fireworks season in the UK now, and I get a little nervous about idiots launching rockets into traffic, it happened to me a couple of years ago, but I saw it coming and got behind a car.

I usually expect a little jeering or sarcastic comments from teenagers or scruffy passersby, but most days It'll just be kids shouting something along the lines of "nice bike!" You can get used to that :lol: .

If I get the impression that someone ahead means trouble, I'll speed up, take the center of the road and look imposing so they get no ideas about me being an easy target. Never had a problem yet. Sitting in a car for an hour, or on a bus for 1.5 hours are the only alternatives for my commute, I'll ride a bike any day, any weather.

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jennypenny
Posts: 6851
Joined: Sun Jul 03, 2011 2:20 pm

Re: Commute Time

Post by jennypenny »

vexed87 wrote:I currently have a 45 minute bike ride through some pretty impoverished and decaying urban areas, its the fireworks season in the UK now, and I get a little nervous about idiots launching rockets into traffic, it happened to me a couple of years ago, but I saw it coming and got behind a car.
Is that a euphemism for something or are people really shooting fireworks at you? I've never heard of the fireworks season.

cmonkey
Posts: 1814
Joined: Mon Apr 21, 2014 11:56 am

Re: Commute Time

Post by cmonkey »

I have a 1 hour commute by bus, so 2 hours per day. 4 days (sometimes 3) per week. I get on the bus 1/8 mile from my house (so a 10 minute walk) and walk about 2 blocks when I get off. I don't have to change buses so it is very nice.

By car it would be about 20-25 minutes one way, but I'd be giving up a lot more (sanity, money) by driving. DW's cousin comments regularly on the ridiculous drivers in cities (this one included).

Riding the bus I usually read in the morning and nap in the afternoon so I am ready to tackle my evenings with a good energy level.

jennypenny wrote:I've never heard of the fireworks season.
Fireworks season around here is practically all of June/July. I sympathize with vexed in this as since we live in IL, fireworks are legal to sell. We have one seller who lives across the road from us and is constantly shooting them off. :evil: Another larger one by my bus stop. So for the month of June/July all the local veterans are cringing.

vexed87
Posts: 1521
Joined: Fri Feb 20, 2015 8:02 am
Location: Yorkshire, UK

Re: Commute Time

Post by vexed87 »

The UK celebrates the foiled plot to blow up the houses of parliament, AKA bonfire night on 5th November, so between now and new year, fireworks can be expected at any time! The novelty wears off a few weeks after bonfire night, and starts again around new year. You have to be 18 to buy them here, but that doesn't seem to stop kids getting their hands on the stuff, either theft or unscrupulous shop owners.

Yes, there was the one occasion where a rocket of some form was launched in my general direction! :evil:

Lucky C
Posts: 755
Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2016 6:09 am

Re: Commute Time

Post by Lucky C »

I'm currently renting close to work, but probably going to buy a house soon that will commit me to a long commute. It makes sense in my case, because I have a high-paying job relative to transportation costs, and home prices are bubbly close to work but depressed an hour away.

A home near work (say 15 mins away) would add about $200k to my FI number vs. a similar one in certain areas about an hour out. Using a conservative estimate of time left until FI, I would have to drive another 1000 hours with the long commute vs. keeping the short one. Many people wouldn't be able to tolerate an hour-long one-way highway commute, but I will gladly sign up for that if it means making (saving) about $200/hr driving. Worth it!

If I bought a house close to work, I'd have to work a couple years longer to pay for it anyway, so I'd really be losing out in terms of hours of my time needed to reach FI.
[Working + commuting hours remaining, closer house] - [Working + commuting hours remaining, farther house] > 3000 hours
Wow, this longer commute is going to save me so much time!

The Old Man
Posts: 503
Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2012 5:55 pm

Re: Commute Time

Post by The Old Man »

I leave the apartment around 5:30am and I am at work by about 7am. Somewhat over an hour is spent on the train. The rest of the time is spent walking to the station, walking from the station to work, and waiting at the station for the train connection. I take two trains. The first train is fine. The second train, it is not uncommon for me to have to stand for at least part of the way. Because of the long commute I have structured my work week, so that I only work four days a week.

bryan
Posts: 1061
Joined: Sat Nov 29, 2014 2:01 am
Location: mostly Bay Area

Re: Commute Time

Post by bryan »

My commuting history:
  • university (four different dwellings, two separate commutes): walking (+10m drive)-> 5m drive (+10m drive) -> 10m drive (+12m drive) -> 10m bicycle (+8m drive)
  • job 1: 12m drive
  • job 2: 10m drive (20m bicycle)
  • job 3: 0m (work from home; if needing to go to office it's about 40m drive but sleep in the van while down there to ameliorate. For a couple years it was the #vanlife so it was 0m commute, just had to schedule occasional migrations to the office)
Have pretty much always set myself up for short commutes (jobs 2 and 3 are in the two very worst cities in the US for commuting according to one list. Though, I just looked at other lists and they are all different...). Long commute maybe not so bad if you can turn it into a leisure time; I would probably read if on train or work if on private bus (and shorten my work day slightly).

Earlybath
Posts: 43
Joined: Thu Sep 22, 2016 8:43 am

Re: Commute Time

Post by Earlybath »

At one point I had a 1 hour car commute, then changed jobs to a 1 hour train with 30 mins cycle commute. Neither was pleasant but I found the train / cycle commute more bearable over the long term.
If it's unavoidable then I'd attempt to mitigate by
1. Getting enough exercise (preferably outside) to actually feel physically tired at the end of the day
2. Setting an end point either financial or temporal to change job or location.

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