Author Topic: How far is your commute?  (Read 31982 times)

Theadyn

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How far is your commute?
« on: May 01, 2013, 08:58:07 AM »
And how do you get there?

I work 2 jobs, one job I walk to.  Can literally leave home at 7am and clock in at 7:03am (if I were late, haha). 

The second job is 2.5 miles away, in a not so bike friendly town.  For now I'm driving my paid for '06 Honda that gets 26mpg (stupid automatic).  Just acquired a bike, so will be looking for a decent path and hopefully gaining my bike legs soon.  :)

Was curious about others.

Donovan

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #1 on: May 01, 2013, 09:05:18 AM »
I'll be starting one of 3 miles in Chicago by bike in a week and a half.  Previously, I have averaged about 15 minutes by car to my various jobs since I was 15.

spider1204

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #2 on: May 01, 2013, 09:09:59 AM »
Currently it's a 15 minute walk, but I'm looking at a new job that would make it a 2.5 hour drive just a few times per month and the rest remote.

LightTripper

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #3 on: May 01, 2013, 09:11:10 AM »
Mine is also around 2.5 miles.  It is a fairly bike friendly route, but I don't have a good place to store a bike and am not a very confident cyclist, so I walk it in the morning (takes about 40 minutes) and get the bus home at night (takes about 25 mins and costs £1.40: about $2.20). 

London has a cycle hire scheme but it doesn't yet extend to where I live.  I will think again about cycling when that arrives, as it would be quite a bit quicker (and also cheaper than the bus: £90/year fee, but hires less than 30 minutes are then free) - though it would mean carrying a helmet around with me, so I don't know whether I really would do it in practice...  On the other hand maybe I should already be thinking about it, as it would still get me 2/3 of the way home...  there may be a bit of wussypants going on here.

boy_bye

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #4 on: May 01, 2013, 09:17:23 AM »
as the crow flies, i'm only about 4 miles away. but my preferred bike route is about 6.5 miles (largely along trails) and my driving route is about the same (to skirt around downtown).

i'm moving in august, and it will be a slightly shorter bike ride to work, 4.5-5 miles depending on how i decide to go. plus i will be within a mile of my favorite grocery stores, a few big beautiful parks, and several good friends. can't wait!

lauren_knows

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #5 on: May 01, 2013, 09:20:59 AM »
There are two common routes that I take, depending on the time of year.  The highway route is 12.5 miles, the backroads route is 10 miles.  The backroads route has a lot of roads with zero shoulder on them, so I'm trying to devise path that might be more conducive to riding.  Also, I changed my schedule to 4 10hr days to accommodate watching my son on Fridays.  I'm not necessarily sure I want to add commuting time onto my day  :(

Cecil

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #6 on: May 01, 2013, 10:00:49 AM »
12km (7.5 miles).

I usually take public transit at a cost of $4/day and 35 minutes, but as of yesterday I'll be biking a couple times a week. Took me 50 minutes yesterday with some pretty nasty hills in the middle. My home and work are about the same elevation, but there's a 100m (300ft) ridge in between that I can't go around and has 10-15% graded hills.

BlueMR2

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #7 on: May 01, 2013, 10:05:35 AM »
10.5 miles by city streets (takes about 40 minutes by car) or 12.5 miles by expressway (takes 21 minutes ).  Still commuting by car as bikes aren't allowed on the expressway and the city route involves passing through an area of town where the probability of being assaulted/stabbed/shot is higher than I care to endure every day.

Much better commute distance than it used to be though.  The company recently moved.  Before the move it was 22.5 miles, but on an expressway with much lighter traffic (only took 35 minutes).  Estimating $ savings of $3000 a year right off the top, plus almost a half hour of time a day.  Nice being able to go nearly 3 weeks without putting gas in the car (even though my gas mileage on the new route is slightly less).  :-)

Carolina on My Mind

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #8 on: May 01, 2013, 10:16:51 AM »
My commute is a little less than six miles each way (DC area).  I bike sometimes and take the Metro sometimes; either way it takes about half an hour (biking takes longer on the way home because it's uphill).

Good luck finding a bike route!  It takes some experimentation in the beginning, but I'm sure you'll be able to find a route that you feel comfortable with.

Spork

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #9 on: May 01, 2013, 10:27:00 AM »
Mine is a very unmoostached 15 miles (one way).  Yes, I could theoretically move close to work.  I love where I live out in the woods and I make this choice fully conscious of what it costs me.

I recently replaced my voracious SUV with a little 30+mpg used Toyota, so I can make the round trip with about a gallon of gas.  (Based on yearly mileage, I estimate $2k savings/year in gas alone.)
« Last Edit: May 01, 2013, 10:40:19 AM by Spork »

madage

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #10 on: May 01, 2013, 10:28:26 AM »
My office is 42 miles away from my home. I ride a vanpool (light traffic) which requires me to drive ~5 miles on the highway to the pickup spot. Living in the same town as my job would be a huge sacrifice in many areas for my family. Moving is not worth it to us. The vanpool is much better in many ways ($, gasoline burned, personal time and stress) than driving my reliable Corolla every day, which I did for about 13 months.

rugorak

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #11 on: May 01, 2013, 10:30:46 AM »
10 miles - 15 minutes. Paid for Toyota Corolla. Get about 32-34 MPG usually. Rural state road. Huge set of hills right before town so it would be difficult to bike and not get stinky in the summer coming to work (I hate the heat and sweat horridly). And we have no showers or anything at work. I am in upstate NY so with the snow in the winter there is no shoulder most of the time (and even the rest of the year the shoulders are tiny). I would love to live closer and just walk. But I pay $580 a month for a house. To rent an apartment in the village would cost me $1000 a month. A house in the village would cost me $1750. And I have a dog so the house is preferable (for the yard mainly). I also work from home 1 day a week. So 80 miles a week. 2.5 gallons of gas. Even if gas got to $5 a gallon it would cost me $12.50 a week or about $55 a month (4.4 weeks a month). Even if you say wear and tear on the car is $45 a month still not worth moving into town.

philosophia

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #12 on: May 01, 2013, 10:32:39 AM »
My commute is 3 minutes by walking. I go home for lunch every day and I love it.

When I was first hired, I took a walk around the neighborhood and looked for "for rent" signs. I found a great place less than 2 blocks away. Once I moved in I sold my car and have been carfree ever since. I made this lifestyle choice years before I discovered ERE or MMM - I think I have always been naturally Mustachian.

Frugal_in_DC

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #13 on: May 01, 2013, 10:35:36 AM »
9 miles each way.  I take public transportation four days a week and telework one day a week, sometimes more if needed.

jpo

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #14 on: May 01, 2013, 10:37:52 AM »
13.5 miles driving, 8.5 miles biking.

Moving closer after my lease is up.

AJ

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #15 on: May 01, 2013, 10:45:09 AM »
About 2 miles - takes me 40 minutes to walk.

EMP

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #16 on: May 01, 2013, 10:53:55 AM »
3.5 miles.  Mostly along lovely bike trails.  Now if it just decides to stop snowing...

I'm all for cycling in the snow BTW.  Just not in the snow while 9 mos pregnant. 

Justin234

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #17 on: May 01, 2013, 10:55:07 AM »
I work in two locations, each of which, coincidentally, is almost exactly 5 miles from my home: one is due north, the other is due south.

I almost always ride my bike to both locations - I only drive if I'm not feeling well or if I have to commute with kids/wife.

The commute takes me about 20-25 minutes, and I'm on a bike path most of the way.

Johnny Aloha

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #18 on: May 01, 2013, 10:58:28 AM »
Yesterday carpooled in and rode the bike home.  The safest route in this not-friendly bike area is about 26 miles.  It was a great ride and took about 2.5 hours, but we stopped for a lot of pictures.  Next time we won't stop as much and it should be under 2 hours.

chicagomeg

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #19 on: May 01, 2013, 10:59:08 AM »
Mine is a little under two miles. I bike in the nice weather and take public transit or drive when its snowing out.

olivia

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #20 on: May 01, 2013, 11:07:47 AM »
Mine is 2.5 miles, so 5 miles round trip.  I started biking 3 weeks ago, but prior to that I walked about 8 minutes to public transit.  Unless everything is timed perfectly (the subway pulls up right when I get there) biking is quicker.  I still plan to take public transit here and there if it's pouring rain or if I have to go somewhere else after work. 

Zaga

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #21 on: May 01, 2013, 11:11:29 AM »
No one else is going to admit to a crappy commute?

25 miles each way, at least half of it on the highway.  My husband and I work 1 mile apart with the same schedule as of last week though, so the commute now is a huge improvement.  He will never be willing to move, but in time we'd like to work closer to home.  Next year when my car dies we're planning on replacing it with a Honda Fit, we've done test drives and those are comfortable for both of us, inexpensive, and get great gas mileage.

jambongris

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #22 on: May 01, 2013, 11:18:59 AM »
1km each way (5/8 of a mile).

Most of the year I bike but for several months in the winter I put away the bike and walk.

For about a year my wife was working across the street from my work so we would walk together. She took a better job downtown now and buses which takes her about 20 minutes.

Ottawa

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #23 on: May 01, 2013, 11:29:18 AM »
8km each way for myself...11km for Mrs Ottawa...38km per day combined - all bicycle...all year for myself ... 4 months of bus for Mrs Ottawa in winter.

igthebold

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #24 on: May 01, 2013, 11:30:25 AM »
I work at home, but periodically drive 50 minutes to work/network (good for business). I also ride my bike 1.5 miles downtown to work from a coffee shop. I have the luxury of simply not going if the weather is too miserable, e.g. cold AND wet.

Zoe

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #25 on: May 01, 2013, 11:31:32 AM »
Mine is about 40 round trip. And 60 on the days where I take my son to my mom's.

My husband's is 32 round trip. Aaaand about 60 on the days he takes our son to my mom's.

Geez.

Just bought a Honda to try to mitigate these fuel costs. And of course our jobs are in the complete opposite direction of each other.

Joet

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #26 on: May 01, 2013, 12:09:16 PM »
~8.5 miles each way, I take a mtbike or a hybrid road bike [flat bar, weeee] whenever I can and my electric bike whenever I have to meet a client/partner/customer if it's at our campus. If I absolutely have to, I'll take a car if I have to go to a more remote location that day [rare]

strava has me at over 1k miles YTD bike commuting already, which includes a couple weeks of zero for business travel

Jamesqf

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #27 on: May 01, 2013, 12:14:56 PM »
About 30 feet, from bedroom to office :-)

icefr

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #28 on: May 01, 2013, 12:27:21 PM »
Just under 2 miles. It takes me 35-40 minutes to walk, door to desk. One of my goals for the summer is to pull my bike out and try riding that with the intention of riding it to work. I think I should be able to cut the commute down to 20 minutes if I bike rather than walk.

ace1224

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #29 on: May 01, 2013, 12:48:23 PM »
about 2.5 to 3 miles each way.  not a bike friendly city though.  i bike on nice days in nice weather.  below 40 or above 90 i will be driving.

jrhampt

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #30 on: May 01, 2013, 12:55:52 PM »
I telecommute 3 days a week, and the other 2 days my commute is about 14 miles each way (driving). 

jrs

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #31 on: May 01, 2013, 01:00:55 PM »
about 5 miles.

FI@2022Jem

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #32 on: May 01, 2013, 01:53:25 PM »
Zaga: I wil admit to a crappy commute:

48 miles round trip 3 days a week.

I used to work 90 miles away round trip 5 days a week so this is actually a great improvement!
Granted, this is totally excuse making, but I work in mental health and it is common for my colleagues to live just outside of where we work to minimize running into clients.  This trade-off is worth it for me at this point of my life.

I have done my best to optimize this commute by working 12 hour shifts so I only drive 3 days per week.  I also get 50+ mpg.

We do live close to my husband's work.

giggles

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #33 on: May 01, 2013, 01:57:45 PM »
I am 50 miles round-trip right now.  *GROAN*
My spouse is 7 miles, plus he gets reimbursed when he is on the road.  I am hoping to make the leap to a commute of the same distance within the next 5 years.

Fletch

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #34 on: May 01, 2013, 02:05:40 PM »
About 2 miles each way. Walking door-to-door is about 40 minutes, taking the metro averages 20-30 minutes door-to-door, but it has been as much as 1.5 hours on more than one occasion. If I can time the bus, it is in the 25-30 minute range, but it only comes every 30+ minutes so I consider it a happy accident if I catch it but I never plan to take it.

GuitarStv

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #35 on: May 01, 2013, 02:06:08 PM »
11 miles each way.

Car - 30 minutes
Bike (Summer) - 40 minutes
Bike (Winter) - 50 to 60 minutes
Public Transit - 90 to 120 minutes

I bike in once or twice a week, and carpool with my wife other days.

ScottEric

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #36 on: May 01, 2013, 02:20:31 PM »
Currently 5 miles and 30 minutes by T (Subway) or bike each way.

In a few months it's going to double to 10 miles, which is an hour by bike or mass transit (Bus + T) or 40 minutes by commuter rail.

I still have to figure out if commuter rail passes or single ride tickets are worth it, they'd basically make my commute go from a very mustachian $75 a month to $190 a month.  Plus I'm going to work from home at least once a week which make the math less straightforward.

StarswirlTheMustached

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #37 on: May 01, 2013, 02:30:06 PM »
About 10km, (6.2 miles) each way. It's 30 minutes by bicycle, rain, snow or shine, 40C to -40C (that's 105 to -40 in F).

When I do take public transit it's... 30 minutes, plus waiting. 2$ each way to forgo my exercise? No thanks! That's only for freezing rain, snowpocalypse or injury.  I'm hoping to get the biking time down this year, too, which will improve its advantage over das bus. I've never driven the route.


smalllife

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #38 on: May 01, 2013, 02:34:02 PM »
4.5 miles each way.

I bike 3-4 days per week, depending on weather and body strength (I do a lot of sports in addition and it gets to be a bit much occasionally).  It takes 30 min door to clock in to leisurely bike through the city and 10-15 min to drive.  I could probably get there faster but I prefer to enjoy the fresh air and not getting sweaty. :-)

AccidentalMiser

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #39 on: May 01, 2013, 02:34:45 PM »
Mine is 25 miles each way.  DW's is 37 miles each way (in the other direction.)  We live out in the sticks, I work downtown, she works at a nuke plant.

Rural

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #40 on: May 01, 2013, 02:44:05 PM »
35 miles each way, over two mountains on country backroads. I generally don't have to go in every day, but the average is about four days a week.

I've lived in the city and walked to work; this is much, much better, and I don't regret it one bit. The only change I plan to make is to quit driving it when I retire.

I drive a little Kia I got for $1200 and get 35 mpg in it, a figure that's probably lower than ideal because of the mountains. When the used hybrid market gets decent I'll probably make the switch (once the Kia or its replacement is dead).

anastrophe

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #41 on: May 01, 2013, 02:45:16 PM »
7 miles ish. Bike 40 minutes, bus 45, car 25.

Might this be a good place for a poll? Although I'm not sure exactly what we'd get out of this information. Do Mustachians have different commutes than the average population?

velocistar237

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #42 on: May 01, 2013, 07:00:01 PM »
2 miles, usually by bike, sometimes walking if the weather is favorable.

kendallf

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #43 on: May 01, 2013, 07:32:11 PM »
Mine's 18 miles one way.  My wife's is 25 miles, across the river.  I ride in with a friend and then ride the bike home a lot of days.  I recently bought my wife a Prius which has cut her gas bill drastically over the previous Lexus.

When we move this fall, both of our commutes will be about 12-13 miles.  I'm planning on changing my schedule then as well so I don't have to be in before dawn, which will allow me to ride the bike both ways pretty much all of the time.  With our youngest daughter going off to college, that will let us downsize by a car and generally slash our transportation costs.  :-)

Kriegsspiel

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #44 on: May 01, 2013, 07:54:00 PM »
A little less than 2 miles for me.  Picked where I lived based on proximity to work.

D-T

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #45 on: May 01, 2013, 08:30:26 PM »
A little less than 2 miles for me.  Picked where I lived based on proximity to work.

Same here. Although, I admit I'm not very mustachian and drive (and go home for lunch).

My spouse has a 35 minute drive.

mc6

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #46 on: May 01, 2013, 08:37:21 PM »
7 miles in a gas guzzler.  On the bright side my employer has a number of different offices in the area and I'm pretty much in the middle of them all. 

MountainFlower

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #47 on: May 01, 2013, 09:06:28 PM »
35 miles each way, over two mountains on country backroads. I generally don't have to go in every day, but the average is about four days a week.

I've lived in the city and walked to work; this is much, much better, and I don't regret it one bit. The only change I plan to make is to quit driving it when I retire.

I drive a little Kia I got for $1200 and get 35 mpg in it, a figure that's probably lower than ideal because of the mountains. When the used hybrid market gets decent I'll probably make the switch (once the Kia or its replacement is dead).

Mine is similar.  I go in 3-4 days a week.  Rarely 5.    I drive from 9000 ft elevation to 5000 ft elevation.  7 miles on an unpaved road with drop dead gorgeous views.  On Monday I saw a moose.  On Tuesday, a herd of about 50 elk.  I listen to books.   It's my alone time without the kids.  I've always enjoyed driving and I actually enjoy my commute.  Often I have no one in front or behind me until I hit the front range.   Having said that,  I would give up the commute in a heartbeat, but the only jobs up here are in casinos.  No thanks.  I'll take my commute.   I've been doing it for over 15 years. 

My property taxes are crazy low due to legalized gambling down the road.  My kids go to a school with class sizes of 12, which is also highly subsidized by gambling taxes.  Frankly, It's still far cheaper than living in Boulder where I could walk/bike to work. 

Alberto

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #48 on: May 01, 2013, 11:44:59 PM »
5 miles each way on an awesome bike trail, which takes me 25 minutes at a non-sweating pace. Moving pretty soon 2 miles farther away. Cycling everyday from 5C in winter to 40C in summer, with a lot of rain in between, and it's much easier than a lot of people thinks.

Nudelkopf

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Re: How far is your commute?
« Reply #49 on: May 01, 2013, 11:50:25 PM »
To uni: 20minute walk - and it's brilliant! Through an old gaol, a park, a bridge, and through a lake :) (Not actually through the lake..)

To work: 40mins on the bus, with a bunch of school kids :( (6km)

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!