Author Topic: Article: Commutes in the US are getting longer and longer  (Read 5385 times)

hankscorpio84

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Article: Commutes in the US are getting longer and longer
« on: March 06, 2017, 12:22:57 PM »
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/02/commutes-in-the-us-are-getting-longer-and-longer?utm_content=buffer76ed7&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

No secret to anybody here.  The article touches on the growth of suburban sprawl, and the negative health consequences of commuting. 

Just Joe

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Re: Article: Commutes in the US are getting longer and longer
« Reply #1 on: March 06, 2017, 02:07:30 PM »
Why is this a surprise in 2017? In 1993 - yeah, might be a surprise to someone. Not saying you were surprised but that it is the subject of an article seems odd.

It is exactly why I don't want to live in a major metropolitan area while raising children.

joleran

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Re: Article: Commutes in the US are getting longer and longer
« Reply #2 on: March 06, 2017, 03:02:01 PM »
Why is this a surprise in 2017? In 1993 - yeah, might be a surprise to someone. Not saying you were surprised but that it is the subject of an article seems odd.

It is exactly why I don't want to live in a major metropolitan area while raising children.

If it weren't for biology and age-based risks with pregnancy moving children forward life-wise, there is no way in hell I would be living in the suburbs with over an hour commute.  Thankfully, occasional working from home and flexible schedules are practically standard in software now.

damyst

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Re: Article: Commutes in the US are getting longer and longer
« Reply #3 on: March 06, 2017, 10:31:45 PM »
Why is this a surprise in 2017? In 1993 - yeah, might be a surprise to someone. Not saying you were surprised but that it is the subject of an article seems odd.

It is exactly why I don't want to live in a major metropolitan area while raising children.

If it weren't for biology and age-based risks with pregnancy moving children forward life-wise, there is no way in hell I would be living in the suburbs with over an hour commute.  Thankfully, occasional working from home and flexible schedules are practically standard in software now.

Enlighten me: what do children have to do with any of this? Is it because children "need" a house with a yard?

Laura33

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Re: Article: Commutes in the US are getting longer and longer
« Reply #4 on: March 07, 2017, 07:57:47 AM »
The frustration is that I live in a first-ring suburb, chosen in large part for easy commute, and *my* commute is getting longer just because the traffic is getting worse.  I now have to leave by 7 AM to keep my 16-minute trip in; getting home has always been worse, but my normal 4 PM target departure is now closer to 25 minutes, and between 5-6 all it takes is one accident to turn it into 45 minutes or longer.  For 9 miles (6 as the crow flies).

infogoon

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Re: Article: Commutes in the US are getting longer and longer
« Reply #5 on: March 07, 2017, 08:07:33 AM »
There are fifteen or twenty people in the office where I work now, downtown in a major city. I am the only one who actually lives in the city.

The other people in my cube row seem to alternate between calling my neighborhood "the ghetto" and bitching about their long commutes.

RFAAOATB

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Re: Article: Commutes in the US are getting longer and longer
« Reply #6 on: March 07, 2017, 09:46:41 AM »
There are fifteen or twenty people in the office where I work now, downtown in a major city. I am the only one who actually lives in the city.

The other people in my cube row seem to alternate between calling my neighborhood "the ghetto" and bitching about their long commutes.

If I were them I would want to buy a multifamily in the ghetto to cut the commute, renovate into a single family, and cash out when the gentrification comes and they no longer need the job.  If I could get my coworkers to agree to this plan together, we might not have a ghetto for much longer.

Just Joe

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Re: Article: Commutes in the US are getting longer and longer
« Reply #7 on: March 07, 2017, 10:33:56 AM »
Why is this a surprise in 2017? In 1993 - yeah, might be a surprise to someone. Not saying you were surprised but that it is the subject of an article seems odd.

It is exactly why I don't want to live in a major metropolitan area while raising children.

If it weren't for biology and age-based risks with pregnancy moving children forward life-wise, there is no way in hell I would be living in the suburbs with over an hour commute.  Thankfully, occasional working from home and flexible schedules are practically standard in software now.

Enlighten me: what do children have to do with any of this? Is it because children "need" a house with a yard?

I did the multi-family housing for a while in various major metropolitan areas when I was single with roommates. I know it can be done and that many people here do it. I didn't enjoy multi-family housing nor the big city when i was single and having a family plus the family dog would exacerbate all my negative feelings about that lifestyle.

So yeah, I like having a smallish house on a quiet street with an easy drive to shopping, school or work. I like that my kids can play in the yard with the dog and that we can have a fire circle and smores. I like that I can repair the family car in the driveway and take a bathroom break without locking up every last thing so it doesn't "walk". I like living some place with a murder rate of more or less one a year - and that's usually a situation where the victim was friends or family of the perp i.e. a tragedy but not something that affects anyone beyond that group.

We enjoy visiting the big city but I don't ever wish to live there unless we were working in close proximity to our home and our kids were grown. Just too crowded and too busy to enjoy on a daily basis.

infogoon

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Re: Article: Commutes in the US are getting longer and longer
« Reply #8 on: March 07, 2017, 12:06:42 PM »
There are fifteen or twenty people in the office where I work now, downtown in a major city. I am the only one who actually lives in the city.

The other people in my cube row seem to alternate between calling my neighborhood "the ghetto" and bitching about their long commutes.

If I were them I would want to buy a multifamily in the ghetto to cut the commute, renovate into a single family, and cash out when the gentrification comes and they no longer need the job.  If I could get my coworkers to agree to this plan together, we might not have a ghetto for much longer.

Hilariously enough, the neighborhood I live in has already gentrified. It's nicer these days than most of the far-flung suburbs they hail from.

I'm looking for a bigger house in a (currently) worse neighborhood, so I can do it again.

damyst

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Re: Article: Commutes in the US are getting longer and longer
« Reply #9 on: March 08, 2017, 01:09:55 AM »
It is exactly why I don't want to live in a major metropolitan area while raising children.

Enlighten me: what do children have to do with any of this? Is it because children "need" a house with a yard?

I did the multi-family housing for a while in various major metropolitan areas when I was single with roommates. I know it can be done and that many people here do it. I didn't enjoy multi-family housing nor the big city when i was single and having a family plus the family dog would exacerbate all my negative feelings about that lifestyle.

So yeah, I like having a smallish house on a quiet street with an easy drive to shopping, school or work. I like that my kids can play in the yard with the dog and that we can have a fire circle and smores. I like that I can repair the family car in the driveway and take a bathroom break without locking up every last thing so it doesn't "walk". I like living some place with a murder rate of more or less one a year - and that's usually a situation where the victim was friends or family of the perp i.e. a tragedy but not something that affects anyone beyond that group.

We enjoy visiting the big city but I don't ever wish to live there unless we were working in close proximity to our home and our kids were grown. Just too crowded and too busy to enjoy on a daily basis.

Thanks for this perspective. Sounds like your distaste for cities has little to do with commuting, and more to do with personal preference and bad previous experience (you indicate that you consider cities to be less safe, which is not what the statistical data says).

My feelings about this are pretty much diametrically opposite. I enjoy traveling to small places, but would not consider living in one.
"An easy drive to shopping, school or work" would be a severe downgrade, compared to walking and cycling everywhere.
Same for exchanging our lovely taxpayer-funded city parks for a small patch of land that we'd need to tend to ourselves.
I enjoy not repairing the nonexistent family car, and instead just hopping on a bus or in a car-share vehicle if I want it to get somewhere.

To quote MMM:

Quote
“But people want a back yard. For their kids, or their dogs.”

Are you JOKING?? When you live in a high-end district, ignoring the fact that luxury apartment buildings typically have amazing landscaped common areas, you have literally a multi-billion dollar back yard.

Just Joe

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Re: Article: Commutes in the US are getting longer and longer
« Reply #10 on: March 08, 2017, 12:45:35 PM »
Well, we can bicycle here too. Some do like me. Walking to the shopping center might be a stretch unless you want to walk 2-3 miles each way which would be better with sidewalks but that is only closer to town at this time in this town.

I would not live downtown in a big city for all the reasons I mentioned but I don't want to do the 45+ min commute in from the suburbs either. That would deliver the house and yard that we might be able to afford but there would be the ever worsening commute, the costs of commuting, the wear and tear on mind, body and vehicle. What if there was severe weather, sick child, etc? My parents did this my entire childhood. They thought it was worth it, I do not. My sibling does. Whatever works for you. I did it for a while and was not impressed.

For us the small town lifestyle - with a university to provide a group of creative thinkers for flavor - works really well for us. Plenty a variety of most topics - entertainment, food/drink, shopping, and close to the outdoor adventure that we like, etc without the big commute.

wevan

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Re: Article: Commutes in the US are getting longer and longer
« Reply #11 on: March 10, 2017, 12:35:16 PM »
The frustration is that I live in a first-ring suburb, chosen in large part for easy commute, and *my* commute is getting longer just because the traffic is getting worse.  I now have to leave by 7 AM to keep my 16-minute trip in; getting home has always been worse, but my normal 4 PM target departure is now closer to 25 minutes, and between 5-6 all it takes is one accident to turn it into 45 minutes or longer.  For 9 miles (6 as the crow flies).
Have you considered biking?  6-9 miles should only take half an hour at most; it's a lot stabler time-wise, gets you more exercise, and (at least for me) puts you in a better mood at the end.

Just Joe

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Re: Article: Commutes in the US are getting longer and longer
« Reply #12 on: March 10, 2017, 12:38:02 PM »
And an electric bike makes biking even easier if you live in a hilly place or want to arrive perspiration free. I have changed my biking life into something useful and not just entertainment.

obstinate

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Re: Article: Commutes in the US are getting longer and longer
« Reply #13 on: March 10, 2017, 09:17:04 PM »
Not for me! Moving to a place with a ten minute walking commute to work. Costs less than my current place too.

I wonder whether this effect concentrates in certain cities, and what the cofactors are. Economic growth, obviously. What else?
« Last Edit: March 10, 2017, 09:20:12 PM by obstinate »

Laura33

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Re: Article: Commutes in the US are getting longer and longer
« Reply #14 on: March 11, 2017, 11:35:43 AM »
The frustration is that I live in a first-ring suburb, chosen in large part for easy commute, and *my* commute is getting longer just because the traffic is getting worse.  I now have to leave by 7 AM to keep my 16-minute trip in; getting home has always been worse, but my normal 4 PM target departure is now closer to 25 minutes, and between 5-6 all it takes is one accident to turn it into 45 minutes or longer.  For 9 miles (6 as the crow flies).
Have you considered biking?  6-9 miles should only take half an hour at most; it's a lot stabler time-wise, gets you more exercise, and (at least for me) puts you in a better mood at the end.

Yeah, I figured someone would ask.  Unfortunately, that route would take me through one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the city.  And the route around (the daily driving route) is interstate.

GuitarStv

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Re: Article: Commutes in the US are getting longer and longer
« Reply #15 on: March 11, 2017, 01:51:50 PM »
I just recently had the choice of two jobs.

One was about a three hour drive away, and would require that I live on site four days / five nights a week for about 120 grand a year, the other job was a 45 minute bike ride from my house for about 80 grand a year.

The distance away, and time travel ended up being the primary reason that I went with the second job.  It took me a while to really wrap my head around the idea that it's worth 50 grand a year to be closer to my family and to spend less of my life commuting, but I'm reasonably sure that it was the right decision to make.

Metric Mouse

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Re: Article: Commutes in the US are getting longer and longer
« Reply #16 on: March 20, 2017, 05:00:41 AM »
I just recently had the choice of two jobs.

One was about a three hour drive away, and would require that I live on site four days / five nights a week for about 120 grand a year, the other job was a 45 minute bike ride from my house for about 80 grand a year.

The distance away, and time travel ended up being the primary reason that I went with the second job.  It took me a while to really wrap my head around the idea that it's worth 50 grand a year to be closer to my family and to spend less of my life commuting, but I'm reasonably sure that it was the right decision to make.
The marginal utility of higher incomes! Do you feel the calculation might have been different if the offers had been between $80K a year for option A and $30K per year for Option B?

GuitarStv

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Re: Article: Commutes in the US are getting longer and longer
« Reply #17 on: March 20, 2017, 06:13:47 AM »
I just recently had the choice of two jobs.

One was about a three hour drive away, and would require that I live on site four days / five nights a week for about 120 grand a year, the other job was a 45 minute bike ride from my house for about 80 grand a year.

The distance away, and time travel ended up being the primary reason that I went with the second job.  It took me a while to really wrap my head around the idea that it's worth 50 grand a year to be closer to my family and to spend less of my life commuting, but I'm reasonably sure that it was the right decision to make.
The marginal utility of higher incomes! Do you feel the calculation might have been different if the offers had been between $80K a year for option A and $30K per year for Option B?

I'm not entirely sure, but I suspect that my decision would have been different.  I'd be more inclined to remain unemployed than take a job at 30 grand a year due to the cost of child care and transportation in this city.

Metric Mouse

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Re: Article: Commutes in the US are getting longer and longer
« Reply #18 on: March 20, 2017, 06:16:26 AM »
I'm not entirely sure, but I suspect that my decision would have been different.  I'd be more inclined to remain unemployed than take a job at 30 grand a year due to the cost of child care and transportation in this city.
Oof-duh, that's a steep childcare bill, no doubt.  Either way, it's great to have enough of a 'stache, and low enough spending, to have those options, if needed!

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!