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The True Cost of Commuting

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Re: The True Cost of Commuting

#31

Post by saturdaysaint »

cschneid wrote: post #26

Funny. I drive from Ft Collins, to the same Broomfield he's talking about (yay Colorado). I love my 50 minute commute. I use it to listen to podcasts and music. It gives me time to unwind and think. And most importantly, it came along with a raise that more than makes up for the monetary costs of driving. I'd love a mass transit or car pooling solution, but I haven't run across a viable one yet. Anyway, I really like…

I agree that technology has eased the psychological pain (if not the financial impact) - between podcasting, audio books, streaming music, voice journalling and calling friends, my drive is something I look forward to.

Re: The True Cost of Commuting

#33

Post by timjahn »

Hisoka wrote: post #21

The true cost of commuting is actually the stress that piles on you, bit by bit.. it can contribute to divorce, physical disease, high blood pressure, loneliness, etc. Just ask anyone that has to ride their car into NYC traffic, or even take the crowded subways on a daily basis.

In my eyes, this is the biggest cost of commuting, especially you're driving. It used to take my wife anywhere from 1-3 hours on her return trip (depending on rain, snow, traffic, people looking at flashing lights, etc. - it is Chicago after all).

She doesn't do that anymore. Now she drives 10 minutes maximum each. The less stress is very noticeable, both for her and me.

Re: The True Cost of Commuting

#34

Post by ronnier »

potatolicious wrote: post #30
ronnier wrote: post #19

I work in Seattle and have a one hour, one way commute. I live 15 miles away. Getting to the bus stop, waiting for the bus, and then walking from the bus stop to work really adds up.

Seattle proper -> MSFT campus? That commute is the main reason I've never entertained any thought of joining MSFT. The choices are to live in comically stereotypical suburbia, or to suffer that commute daily. Amazon is hiring...

I live in Kirkland and work at Amazon.

Re: The True Cost of Commuting

#35

Post by larrys »

dasil003 wrote: post #15
bdunbar wrote: post #2

In an earlier life, I lived in the Dallas area. Moving to be near work sounds great, but it would not have been practical. - I lived there for nine years. My average tenure was 18 months for each employer: Laid-off, right-sized, down-sized. Finding a new house for each new employer would have been costly. - One employer was way the heck out by the airport. There were no houses within biking distance. Or not ones I co…

> My house is two miles away from the office. I still need a car: biking to work in the winter is just crazy. I grew up in Minneapolis, you should check out the bicycle commuting scene where you live. It varies by location, but in Minneapolis I was able to bicycle commute at least 4 days a week all winter long thanks to good plowing of bike paths, studded tires (only occasionally) and substituting a bus ride in right…

"I was about (sic) to bicycle commute at least 4 days a week all winter long"

I think you also have to factor in safety. You will inevitably take chances over time and one of those chances could lead to an injury that keeps you from working or gives you lifelong pain. Either from a mistake you make or from someone in a car or bus. (Of course this can happen in dry weather as well...)

Statistically you can also use the historical weather info on http://www.wunderground.com to look over several years data for the winter.

Re: The True Cost of Commuting

#36

Post by FrojoS »

cletus wrote: post #27

The problems with long commutes all revolve around home ownership. People want big houses on big yards. Most can't afford that close to work, which means they make the economic choice to trade the commute time for that "dream". That's fine but the problem is that government subsidizes that dream to a ridiculous degree. Urban sprawl has a huge cost in infrastructure, largely borne by the taxpayer. Low-density urban sp…

I would be interested in the history of that. Homeownership seems very American to me, but subsidizes not so much [1]. And books or links, that you can recommend?

[1] I'm aware there are many subsidizes in the US, for instance in agriculture. Still, it seems to be less than in Europe. There are subsidizes for homeownership in Germany but more people live in rented accommodation.

Re: The True Cost of Commuting

#37

Post by mahyarm »

barrkel wrote: post #23

I work from home, but I still "commute" to get a fresh breakfast every morning - by scooter. It is such a joy to ride a scooter in London traffic that I deliberately go to much farther shops just to extend the amount of time I'm zooming past the traffic... Quite frugal on fuel (I get about 70 MPG, but I ride a fast 300cc scooter and don't have a light throttle hand), and I can do most regular maintenance (oil & filte…

Aren't you worried about the higher likelihood of death (4x) and injury (6x) on motorcycles?

Re: The True Cost of Commuting

#38

Post by bdunbar »

GiraffeNecktie wrote: post #6
bdunbar wrote: post #2

In an earlier life, I lived in the Dallas area. Moving to be near work sounds great, but it would not have been practical. - I lived there for nine years. My average tenure was 18 months for each employer: Laid-off, right-sized, down-sized. Finding a new house for each new employer would have been costly. - One employer was way the heck out by the airport. There were no houses within biking distance. Or not ones I co…

Two miles is very walkable (given clear sidewalks in the winter)

Agreed. I've done it.

In my case it's not always practical - I like to come home for lunch, see the kids, have lunch with my wife.

Re: The True Cost of Commuting

#39

Post by omellet »

FrojoS wrote: post #36
cletus wrote: post #27

The problems with long commutes all revolve around home ownership. People want big houses on big yards. Most can't afford that close to work, which means they make the economic choice to trade the commute time for that "dream". That's fine but the problem is that government subsidizes that dream to a ridiculous degree. Urban sprawl has a huge cost in infrastructure, largely borne by the taxpayer. Low-density urban sp…

I would be interested in the history of that. Homeownership seems very American to me, but subsidizes not so much [1]. And books or links, that you can recommend? [1] I'm aware there are many subsidizes in the US, for instance in agriculture. Still, it seems to be less than in Europe. There are subsidizes for homeownership in Germany but more people live in rented accommodation.

The single biggest subsidy for homeownership in the US is the mortgage interest tax deduction, where you can deduct interest payments on the first $1,000,000 of debt on your first or second home.

Re: The True Cost of Commuting

#40

Post by bdunbar »

tomjen3 wrote: post #9
GiraffeNecktie wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Two miles is very walkable (given clear sidewalks in the winter)

True, but you will very selldom have clear sidewalks and even if they have been cleared you still risk falling on some piece of ice.

Most civilized towns in the snow belt have a law saying the walks must be cleared X hours after the snow stops falling.
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