NYT article on the hidden cost of commuting

[Sarita]

Great article on the cost of long commutes and the culture of driving:

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/28/commutings-hidden-cost/?src=me&ref=general

..."The study examined the effects of a lengthy commute on health over the course of seven years. It revealed that driving more than 10 miles one way, to and from work, five days a week was associated with an increased risk of developing high blood sugar and high cholesterol. The researchers also linked long driving commutes to a greater risk of depression, anxiety and social isolation, all of which can impair the quality and length of life"

Seeing articles like this give me hope that mindsets are changing, albeit slowly.

[MilStachian]

Good find, thanks for passing this along.  Hopefully others will take a cue from this article and work to reduce their commute.

[Jamesqf]

Unfortunately, like all NYT articles that one seems to be behind a paywall.  From the quote, though, I would have to ask why they measure the commute in miles, rather than in minutes.  10 miles hereabouts would be a stress-free 10-15 minutes mostly on traffic-free rural roads (or a nice bike ride).  The same distance on say the Bay Area's I680-I580 on a Friday afternoon might be a stress-filled hour.

[chasesfish]

Unfortunately, like all NYT articles that one seems to be behind a paywall.  From the quote, though, I would have to ask why they measure the commute in miles, rather than in minutes.  10 miles hereabouts would be a stress-free 10-15 minutes mostly on traffic-free rural roads (or a nice bike ride).  The same distance on say the Bay Area's I680-I580 on a Friday afternoon might be a stress-filled hour.

+1.  My 9 mile commute in Atlanta could either be pleasant and relaxing or a 45 minute nightmare depending on the time of day

[netskyblue]

Agree with above posters.  My mom commutes over 30 miles each way, every day.  But I guarantee her quality of life would not be what it is now if she had to live in town as opposed to on their farm.  She hates being around people.

[hoppy08520]

I'm happy to belong to the 0.6% of Americans who bike to work, according to the article. It's depressing - for every 1,000 people, only SIX people bike. SIX. That is sad. I hope this message she writes about gets more play.

[cats]

I saw this earlier in the week and thought a lot of it was spot-on.  I occasionally have to car commute for work, and it *sucks* to be spending 30+ minutes in the car.  On regular days, I have a long commute also, but it's a mix of riding the train and walking.  The walking part has definitely been good for my health--on a "normal" day I walk around 5 miles now.  I use the train time for knitting or to catch up on reading.  I'd much rather cut out the train time and just have a short walking/biking commute, but every time I drive for work I say a silent prayer of thanks that at least THAT is not my normal!

[randymarsh]

I have a ~30 minute commute, both to work and to school. I think this is my max. Both locations are about 20 miles away. I couldn't imagine driving 30 minutes just to go a few miles.

[aj_yooper]

Nice article!  Thank you.

[dude]

oh yes, this article resonated very deeply with me -- I have a crappy, 35 mile/45-60 minute commute each way every day (it's 60 minutes on the way home because of a bottleneck area).  It sucks, and badly.  I HATE getting stuck in traffic on the way home, and driving a manual 5-speed makes it that much worse. However, I live very near the city of Boston, where all the amenities I desire are a short bike ride, walk, or T-ride away.  I hate the commute, but I would likely hate life in the far out 'burbs even more.  So it's a tradeoff.  Fortunately, I don't drive back and forth to a job I hate, so it makes it less onerous than it might otherwise be.  And I console myself with the fact that I can stop doing this commute in 5 years if I so choose.  That said, I do feel guilty about the environmental cost of my excessive driving, and I do need to get a high mileage vehicle when I'm done with the current vehicle.

[El Gringo]

Everyday I leave work in downtown DC, hop on my bike, and whiz by all the suckers stuck in their cars, honking their horns, freaking out, and raising their blood pressures. Meanwhile, I've got the wind in my face, the endorphins running through my body, and my bank account isn't decreasing by the minute. It's awesome flying by cars stuck in traffic. And I'm filled with a smug sense of joy and gratitude while I do it.

[hybrid]

I have the best of both worlds as far as a commute of any length goes.  Mine is 7.5 miles each way, and it goes through a quiet part of the city so I am at work in less than 20 minutes and never worry about traffic.  And, of course, I am biking it some now too which is even better.  Richmond does not have traffic the way truly big cities do, but even so we have folks who drive 45 minutes a day every day through thick Interstate traffic so they can live in the trendiest suburbs.  No thanks.

I have no idea how people tolerate really long commutes.

[Quinn]

There is a nice Ted talk promoting walkable/bikable cities vs long commutes to suburban sprawls.

http://www.ted.com/talks/jeff_speck_the_walkable_city.html

[thelamb]

Over the years, commuting has become something I refuse to do, less because of the cost (although that is more highly considered these days) and more because of how much it sucks, affects me emotionally, and wastes considerable time.  My "office" is in another state, halfway across the country, so I mostly telecommute.  It's in many ways ideal as I don't need a car for work and, since I live close to down town, I don't really "need" a car for anything and am about to get rid of it altogether and occasionally use car2go when need be. 

That being said, working from home with little human interaction gets old, frankly kind of lonely.  I've looked for local jobs and they're mostly in the burbs and/or I don't want to leave any money on the table until I'm FI.  As a result of my refusal, I'm stuck, which makes me wonder how prevalent my mindset is and as a result, how many qualified candidates businesses are losing because they setup shop in such horrible places. 

Probably a bigger discussion in regards to where cheap land is, lack of public infrastructure, etc. 

[El Gringo]

There is a nice Ted talk promoting walkable/bikable cities vs long commutes to suburban sprawls.

http://www.ted.com/talks/jeff_speck_the_walkable_city.html

Jeff Speck is the man.

[ichangedmyname]

Definitely gonna learn to ride a bike next Spring.

[Eric]

I have no idea how people tolerate really long commutes.

Just like anything else.  You get used to it.  For 3.5 years I had a 25 mile commute that ranged between 50 and 75 minutes.  I generally rolled down the windows, cranked the music, and tried to do my best to ignore the other cars.  The only time it was really frustrating was when that 75 turned into 120 because of a major accident or something similar.  Otherwise, if you expect it to take 75 minutes and get home in 60, no matter the distance, you're reasonably happy about it.

Although now I have a 10.5 mile bike commute instead and it's awesome and I can't imagine going back.  Yeah!

[JennieOG]

I had a hideous commute into Chicago from Northwest Indiana for 5 years.  It was terrible, and public transportation wasn't a great option because I was about 1/2 hour from the train, even, and the train only departed hourly at certain times of the day.  It killed me to think I was putting in two or more unpaid hours every day, not to mention putting 80,000 miles on a car in 3 years!  I ended up getting Sirius radio and listening to Howard Stern because I am not a big music person and I couldn't handle it when NPR was talking about music or poetry. 

[hybrid]

I have no idea how people tolerate really long commutes.

Just like anything else.  You get used to it.  For 3.5 years I had a 25 mile commute that ranged between 50 and 75 minutes.  I generally rolled down the windows, cranked the music, and tried to do my best to ignore the other cars.  The only time it was really frustrating was when that 75 turned into 120 because of a major accident or something similar.  Otherwise, if you expect it to take 75 minutes and get home in 60, no matter the distance, you're reasonably happy about it.

Although now I have a 10.5 mile bike commute instead and it's awesome and I can't imagine going back.  Yeah!

That's the way I hear it, especially from the Northern Virginia crowd, I guess I should rephrase and say there is no way I could tolerate it having known what a truly easy commute is like. 

[JRogers81]

Everyday I leave work in downtown DC, hop on my bike, and whiz by all the suckers stuck in their cars, honking their horns, freaking out, and raising their blood pressures. Meanwhile, I've got the wind in my face, the endorphins running through my body, and my bank account isn't decreasing by the minute. It's awesome flying by cars stuck in traffic. And I'm filled with a smug sense of joy and gratitude while I do it.

Your post gives me hope!  I will be moving to work in DC next March.  I am not sure where yet, but I am a Defence Intelligence Analyst so it could be at any of the bases or agency locations.  Regardless, I plan to do what you are doing and live close enough to ride my bike as much as possible!  Mind if I ask where you work (location) and where you live?

[El Gringo]

Your post gives me hope!  I will be moving to work in DC next March.  I am not sure where yet, but I am a Defence Intelligence Analyst so it could be at any of the bases or agency locations.  Regardless, I plan to do what you are doing and live close enough to ride my bike as much as possible!  Mind if I ask where you work (location) and where you live?

I work right downtown (near the Farragut metro stations) and I live on Capitol Hill. It's a four mile/20 minute bike ride. If you're gonna be on a base or at an agency, you'll likely be out in the suburbs. That won't be as ideal as being in the District, but still possible. Some locations are better than others. Feel free to PM me - I'm happy to be a resource for you.

[JRogers81]

Your post gives me hope!  I will be moving to work in DC next March.  I am not sure where yet, but I am a Defence Intelligence Analyst so it could be at any of the bases or agency locations.  Regardless, I plan to do what you are doing and live close enough to ride my bike as much as possible!  Mind if I ask where you work (location) and where you live?

I work right downtown (near the Farragut metro stations) and I live on Capitol Hill. It's a four mile/20 minute bike ride. If you're gonna be on a base or at an agency, you'll likely be out in the suburbs. That won't be as ideal as being in the District, but still possible. Some locations are better than others. Feel free to PM me - I'm happy to be a resource for you.

Those are beautiful locations!  I will tell anyone who asks that DC is the greatest city in the world.  There is ALWAYS something to do and the sights are breathtaking.  I would not, however, want to live inside DC proper.  I like my pistols and carrying concealed, rights that are not granted within DC, but are legal in VA.  Thanks for the offer of help.  I will most likely take you up on it when I know where/when I will be moving.

[Ottawa]

This article does a good job of outlining some of the health benefits of self-propulsion rather than clown-car commuting.  However, it really doesn't show the monetary cost of commuting.  So far, the best article on that aspect I've seen is MMM's :http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/10/06/the-true-cost-of-commuting/

[El Gringo]

I will tell anyone who asks that DC is the greatest city in the world.

I agree! I love this town. :)

I would not, however, want to live inside DC proper.  I like my pistols and carrying concealed, rights that are not granted within DC, but are legal in VA.

Haha yeah. That's not much of an option in DC proper....

Thanks for the offer of help.  I will most likely take you up on it when I know where/when I will be moving.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

[Tetsuya Hondo]

Unfortunately, like all NYT articles that one seems to be behind a paywall.  From the quote, though, I would have to ask why they measure the commute in miles, rather than in minutes.  10 miles hereabouts would be a stress-free 10-15 minutes mostly on traffic-free rural roads (or a nice bike ride).  The same distance on say the Bay Area's I680-I580 on a Friday afternoon might be a stress-filled hour.

Unless you've gone over your limit of free articles, you should be able to view it. But even if you have, it's a squishy paywall. If you go up to the URL and highlight and delete everything from the ? on and then reload, you should be able to view about anything in the NY Times.

[Jamesqf]

Unless you've gone over your limit of free articles, you should be able to view it.

AFAIK, the NYT has no free articles.  At least I've never been able to look at them when they pop up on Google News or similar links.  But thanks for the suggestion of editing the URL.

[Tetsuya Hondo]

Unless you've gone over your limit of free articles, you should be able to view it.

AFAIK, the NYT has no free articles.  At least I've never been able to look at them when they pop up on Google News or similar links.  But thanks for the suggestion of editing the URL.

It must just be an issue when you link in from another site, because I read the NYTimes all the time and I've never paid a dime. And when I hit the monthly limit, I've just used the URL trick and I'm back in.