Commuting? Have you done the math? • Hacker News Board

Re: Commuting? Have you done the math?

#11

Post by LeafStorm » Sun, Nov 04, 2012, 9:27 PM UTC

One of my coworkers and I both live around the same area. I commute to work via bus, he drives (occasionally we carpool, but our schedules are different most days). He doesn't understand why I would take the bus when it's a fifty-minute ride via bus and a twenty-five-minute ride by car.

However, I can use the time on the bus to catch up on email and news (I'm paid by the hour, so no point in working on the bus if I'm going to put in an 8-hour day anyway), or even doze off slightly. By contrast, when you're driving, your attention has to be entirely focused on the freeway. So while he has 50 minutes of being locked up driving, I have 100 minutes of time to relax.

Re: Commuting? Have you done the math?

#12

Post by lazerwalker » Sun, Nov 04, 2012, 9:32 PM UTC

walshemj wrote: post #7

mijustin wrote: post #3

For me, the answer was to relocate and move within cycling distance of my office. Compared to driving, cycling is incredibly life-giving. I get exercise, and can maneuver around downtown with ease (I never have to worry about a parking spot).

Doesn't work for major cities an example from the UK 2 bed flat in Bedford a 35/50 min commute is £115,000 red lion square near our office its £625,000.

There are lot more factors at play than simple cost of housing. Financially speaking, there's the cost of commuting to be factored in, which depending on whether you drive or use public transit might or might not be substantial. More significantly, there's comfort: would you rather live in the middle of the city, or the burbs? How much is it worth to you to be able to bike to work?

I've made a point of living biking distance from every job I've had. It's definitely cost me much more in rent than it's saved me in automobile costs because of the astronomical price of living in an urban center (downtown San Francisco and Manhattan, in my case), but for me the financial aspect was dwarfed by quality-of-life preferences (and the good fortune to be in a situation where I could make such a trade-off).

Re: Commuting? Have you done the math?

#13

Post by praptak » Sun, Nov 04, 2012, 9:35 PM UTC

See also "The True Cost of Commuting" http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/10/06/the-true-cost-of-c... with some more math.

Re: Commuting? Have you done the math?

#14

Post by dasil003 » Sun, Nov 04, 2012, 9:36 PM UTC

walshemj wrote: post #7

mijustin wrote: post #3

For me, the answer was to relocate and move within cycling distance of my office. Compared to driving, cycling is incredibly life-giving. I get exercise, and can maneuver around downtown with ease (I never have to worry about a parking spot).

Doesn't work for major cities an example from the UK 2 bed flat in Bedford a 35/50 min commute is £115,000 red lion square near our office its £625,000.

35 minutes from Bedford to Holborn!? Do you sleep under the platform and have a private zipline from the station to your office?

Re: Commuting? Have you done the math?

#15

Post by Osmium » Sun, Nov 04, 2012, 9:39 PM UTC

petercooper wrote: post #2

If possible, use public transport. Even if your total time enroute increases, you will have more time to do something productive If you're lucky! I commuted on public transport for a while in the south east of England and if your face wasn't smashed into someone's armpit for the entire journey, you were doing well (or working unsociable hours) ;-)

I've grown to be a big fan of public transport. I've had a substantial commute in both Berlin and London, but public transport in both cases. Obviously I'd rather not have to do it, but it's had benefits for me. It's time every day when I'm "unplugged," and have a chance to read, something I'd found I'd done less of in recent years.

So, yeah, commuting can be a gift in disguise. But only if you're "lucky" enough to be able to use public transport. Not to mention the environmental benefits.

Re: Commuting? Have you done the math?

#16

Post by praptak » Sun, Nov 04, 2012, 9:41 PM UTC

walshemj wrote: post #7

mijustin wrote: post #3

For me, the answer was to relocate and move within cycling distance of my office. Compared to driving, cycling is incredibly life-giving. I get exercise, and can maneuver around downtown with ease (I never have to worry about a parking spot).

Doesn't work for major cities an example from the UK 2 bed flat in Bedford a 35/50 min commute is £115,000 red lion square near our office its £625,000.

It boils down to what factors you chose to treat as fixed. To each his own (obviously) but I think that most people undervalue the long commute and (comparatively) overvalue the hassle of changing jobs or moving.

Re: Commuting? Have you done the math?

#17

Post by cawhitworth » Sun, Nov 04, 2012, 9:41 PM UTC

lazerwalker wrote: post #12

walshemj wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Doesn't work for major cities an example from the UK 2 bed flat in Bedford a 35/50 min commute is £115,000 red lion square near our office its £625,000.

There are lot more factors at play than simple cost of housing. Financially speaking, there's the cost of commuting to be factored in, which depending on whether you drive or use public transit might or might not be substantial. More significantly, there's comfort: would you rather live in the middle of the city, or the burbs? How much is it worth to you to be able to bike to work? I've made a point of living biking…

I made the same decision when we moved to Cambridge (UK). It's a really, really big cycling town and there's a noticable drop off in property prices once you go beyond about a half-hour cycle commute to the science/business park part of the city. The A14 (the main commuter road to that part of Cambridge) is basically a carpark during peak times, and I can cycle to work on (relatively) quiet cycle paths in less than half the time it would take me to drive.

Re: Commuting? Have you done the math?

#18

Post by incision » Sun, Nov 04, 2012, 9:44 PM UTC

rayiner wrote: post #8

Thank god for commuter rail. My commute is 20 miles. I take Metro North every day into Manhattan, and it's absolutely the most civilized way to commute. The trains run frequently (~4 an hour), are pretty cheap (~200 pre-tax), and are never very crowded. It's ~30 minutes at the beginning of the day where I can check my e-mail, plan the day, etc, without anyone bugging me. I used to car commute that distance from the D…

>I used to car commute that distance from the DC suburbs into DC, and it was hellish. 2 hours of my life each day wasted in ungodly traffic. That's not how people were meant to live. I'd much rather have Biden's 100 mile Amtrak commute into DC from Wilmington than the 20 mile car commute into DC from the suburbs.

I'm always surprised by how many people drive in and out of DC every day rather than take Metro and/or MARC / VRE.

I understand the shortcomings of Metro as well as anyone and better than most, but still consider the time I can spend reading or otherwise engaged while in the system preferable to slogging through traffic.

Re: Commuting? Have you done the math?

#19

Post by walshemj » Sun, Nov 04, 2012, 9:45 PM UTC

dasil003 wrote: post #14

walshemj wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Doesn't work for major cities an example from the UK 2 bed flat in Bedford a 35/50 min commute is £115,000 red lion square near our office its £625,000.

35 minutes from Bedford to Holborn!? Do you sleep under the platform and have a private zipline from the station to your office?

Oops I meant Bedford to st pancras the midland mainlines intercity 125 are 35 min station to station.

First capital connect is a bit longer (50-55 min) I normally catch 7:30 and am in the office at 8:40.

Re: Commuting? Have you done the math?

#20

Post by barrkel » Sun, Nov 04, 2012, 9:49 PM UTC

Consider taking up motorbikes, especially if you can legally filter / lanesplit. What would otherwise be dead time can be a whole lot of fun. Traffic makes it far more interesting.