Commuting? Have you done the math?

61–62 of 62 posts

Re: Commuting? Have you done the math?

#61

Post by pc86 » Mon, Nov 05, 2012, 2:14 PM UTC

incision wrote: post #18

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 MA…

I once very briefly considered taking a job in DC (I live in south central Pennsylvania).

It would have been a 2 hour drive not accounting for traffic, then a 30-minute metro ride into the city. Accounting for traffic I'd likely have to be out the door between 4 and 4:30 just to make it into the office by 8.

Re: Commuting? Have you done the math?

#62

Post by snogglethorpe » Mon, Nov 05, 2012, 10:04 PM UTC

pixelcort wrote: post #38

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 always wondered, in these situations, do you at least have enough room to use a smartphone, or is even that asking too much in the crowds? Where I live, public transportation doesn't typically get that congested.

There's of course a range of densities. :]

In the worst crush loads I've experienced commuting in Tokyo, I could read a small book only by holding it above my head and looking up... Most days weren't quite that bad, but "can't really move" was common.

[I tried to go in late so my morning commute was often downright pleasant, lazily reading in the morning sun... I also liked commuting because it took me through a range of interesting and popular station areas, and sometimes I'd get off and go shopping or meet someone for dinner or something; I found this much easier (mentally) than making a special trip to do the same after a hard day's work. Now I walk to work and sort of miss my commute...]

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