Commuting distance

[Bottletop]

A few jobs ago I worked in Sheffield centre, was a horrible experience trying to get there every day on 2 crowded buses from Dronfield, so I ended up buying a moped then moving to a motorbike - cut my journey time by a third.

Then they upped and moved us all to Wakefield, I tried commuting on the motorbike, took 90mins+ and one winter was enough for me.

 

I lost the bike in an accident in-between, then my last job I had was in Balborough, only took me 30mins tops and was a nice countryside drive twice a day, but that was a reduction in my pay. I then found a job in Worksop, so took me an extra 15mins to get there, but the pay was better.

 

I'm now going for a job in Bepler, which will again be a further 15mins away plus having to use the M1 . I dread the thought of that journey every day, but then the pay will be better again so maybe it'll be worth it!

 

So basically for me, journey time is only worth what I'll get paid for it. I think an hour each way is my maximum though, I'll miss too much of my home life otherwise.

[bkcin]

Commute for me (working in the city centre) is 7 or 9 mile drive each way depending on the route I take and takes anywhere between 25 minutes to 45 minutes depending on what shift I'm working.

 

Using public transport with a bit of walking takes around 90-100 minutes each way making driving in and paying for a private parking space more economical for me (saving me approx 10 hours a week).

[L00b]

16 miles across A57, M1 and around M'hall, and return. Daily at rush hours.

 

Not too bad except at Xmas time (around M'hall and Jct 34 are a 'mare for most of December) and whenever there's roadworks (which, on my stretch, has been for the last 3 years or so and prompted our little chat with Cyclone and this thread). I am somewhat apprehensive about how IKEA may change that further still.

 

All the same, it's still so much more pleasurable than some of my previous commutes (European capital cities, lastly Dublin: that was 6 miles, intra-M50 south Dublin to hyper-centre near St Stephen's Green, 1hr by car (basically, 6 mph!), 15 mins by motorbike).

The difference is staggering.

Sheffield - 20 min cycle each way and I get 40 mins of exercise a day for "free".

Leeds - minimum of 1hr each way in the car, no exercise included.

That was what prompted to consider motorbiking in Dublin, after around a year of car commuting (at 6 mph).

 

The danger factor was exceedingly high (cagers there can't ever see farther than the end of their bonnet...if that far, and drive as if their side windows are permanently whitewashed) but I 'regained' an hour and half of my day to spend with my family and baby daughter, to say nothing of how much I saved in fuel and parking (and still more during the year and a bit in which I had a full-EV motorbike). I remember calculating the cost difference between motorbike and car per year as a saving comfortably into 4 figures.

Edited April 21, 2016 by L00b

[the fonz]

It amazes me how far some people are prepared to commute, its pretty depressing the chunk it takes out of your life.

 

My longest was 1hr 20 but that was only 3 days a week so didn't seem as bad. Currently its 20-40 mins.

 

Half an hour was always my target.

[JFKvsNixon]

It amazes me how far some people are prepared to commute, its pretty depressing the chunk it takes out of your life.

 

My longest was 1hr 20 but that was only 3 days a week so didn't seem as bad. Currently its 20-40 mins.

 

Half an hour was always my target.

 

I'm moving soon where my cycle commute with be around 1 1/2 hours each way. I'm actually looking forward to the extra time on my bike.

[Jeffrey Shaw]

Some time ago, I used to commute daily to Manchester: a two hours round trip

(unless leaves on line, wrong type of snow, railstrike, etc)!

So I don't recommend it.

[Obelix]

I once had a contract for 2 months in Leipzig. I didn't want it so I foolishly suggested that I'd only take it if they paid the commuting costs daily from Surrey.

 

They did. I got very familiar with the vagaries of airline food during that. Checking in was very quick though - fortunately pre-9/11 this was.

[Isabelle]

I'm moving soon where my cycle commute with be around 1 1/2 hours each way. I'm actually looking forward to the extra time on my bike.

 

I'm just getting back into cycling now, and I am trying to add extra miles on to my commute, Tuesday I managed an additional 18

 

---------- Post added 21-04-2016 at 18:15 ----------

 

A few jobs ago I worked in Sheffield centre, was a horrible experience trying to get there every day on 2 crowded buses from Dronfield, so I ended up buying a moped then moving to a motorbike - cut my journey time by a third.

Then they upped and moved us all to Wakefield, I tried commuting on the motorbike, took 90mins+ and one winter was enough for me.

 

I lost the bike in an accident in-between, then my last job I had was in Balborough, only took me 30mins tops and was a nice countryside drive twice a day, but that was a reduction in my pay. I then found a job in Worksop, so took me an extra 15mins to get there, but the pay was better.

 

I'm now going for a job in Bepler, which will again be a further 15mins away plus having to use the M1 . I dread the thought of that journey every day, but then the pay will be better again so maybe it'll be worth it!

 

So basically for me, journey time is only worth what I'll get paid for it. I think an hour each way is my maximum though, I'll miss too much of my home life otherwise.

 

I've got myself a 125cc bike for commuting, looking forwards to using it (it's being repaired currently), and being able to use the bus lane on Penistone Road on the way home (and filtering too once I'm confident enough)

[Eater Sundae]

It amazes me how far some people are prepared to commute, its pretty depressing the chunk it takes out of your life.

 

My longest was 1hr 20 but that was only 3 days a week so didn't seem as bad. Currently its 20-40 mins.

 

Half an hour was always my target.

 

A long time ago (early 70s), I was traveling by train to visit a friend in Brighton. I got talking to a chap who commuted, every day, from Hove into London. As I remember, he said his day started around 5am with his wife dropping him off at the station, and finished around 8 to 8:30 in the evening when she picked him up. He had been doing it for years and was used to it. One benefit was that he became a dab hand at the crossword in his paper. I suppose that the travelling time is an opportunity to relax, but it still puts a big hole in the day, and means that the only free time is the weekend.

[the fonz]

I suppose that the travelling time is an opportunity to relax, but it still puts a big hole in the day, and means that the only free time is the weekend.

 

Depending on your mode then yes, public transport allows you to do something else, whether it be do a crossword, read a book or catch up on some tv and there is a certain benefit to having some downtime.

 

I suppose its all down to personal preference, I enjoy spending time with my young family so the last thing I want to do is spend the equivalent of an extra day at work a week commuting.