Whats your commute time?

Just wanted to get an idea about what everyone's commute time to work is and how you feel about it.. I was having a discussion with SWMBO regarding a job that would possibly require a minimum of 50 miles and an hour each way without traffic, and I think there would be some traffic. I was trying to explain that I dont think or want to put up with that commute for very long. She was arguing that she "doesn't think its that bad."

Now I live around D.C. and I know what commute times are like around here and its bad. I used to take the metro and it would take a little over an hour every day. I really disliked that commute BUT it was somewhat bearable cause I could read on the metro for 35-40 minutes - I wasn't hitting the break and gas pedals. I was able to get my hours move around at my current job so I could come in earlier and now I drive and it takes 30-40 minutes, much better! This job would be Northern Delaware (newark/wilmington) and I would move in with SWMBO around the Dover Delaware area. Anyways, looking for others opinions on whether this commute is somewhat reasonable and I just need to suck it up, or if its more on the extreme end.

Thanks!

I usually take the bus to work and it takes about 25 minutes. When I drive, it's about the same (sometimes shorter, sometimes longer, especially if I can't find a parking space).

Two of the major aspects I take into account when choosing a place to live are 1.) commute time to work and 2.) broadband internet access.

Now, I have NO commute time because I'm retired. I lived in Plano, Texas for 5 years, and my job was in north Dallas. When we moved there in 1992, it took me about 25 minutes to get to work [Central Expressway]. Just before we moved, I noticed that it was taking me 35-40 minutes, due to increased traffic from subdivisions being built north of Plano. And I absolutely HATED the morning commute. So, when we moved to northern Illinois, we bought a house 7 tenths of a mile from where I worked.

glenn514

Woodbridge to DC. Used to car pool = 30 minuts. Now I take the commuter bus and the trip is about 1 hour and 15 minutes. The good news on the longer commute is that the gov't pays us feds to use public transit. Now that is insane with the size of the deficit, but who am I to argue.

@ArcaneXor and @glenn514 - I am definitely with your thought process here!

@sheeldon - Woodbridge to dc without carpool or bus (where you aren't driving and can do something else) would be miserable! If we end up having to live in the D.C. area Im sure I will have a similar situation. I am in a prime location living with the parents until SWMBO and I get married in September. Definitely can't afford to live in McLean then!

Used to drive into Boston everyday from NH, about 1 - 1 1/4 hours each way. Now I work in NH and it about 30 minutes and I have options ( back roads vs highway ).

Look at it this way, moving to the Dover area puts you closer to DFH.

Exactly two miles. I wouldn't drive two hours each way if they doubled my salary.

When I first moved after college, I lived in Gaithersburg with my ex-girlfriend and was commuting (driving) to Arlington (Ballston to be exact) and it would roughly take me an hour. Then I finally got my feet on the ground and moved to DC and would only commute a half hour by means of the metro. Back in October, I switched offices and now commute maybe 10 minutes.

That being said, the gas and costs to maintain your car for a 100 mile round trip commute everyday could add up very quick. I mean, I honestly don't mind driving. I hate traffic but I just throw on my XM radio and it makes life more bearable. Plus, I'm not exactly at the mercy of others like when you take public transportation. I would definitely evaluate the job offer and see if the pros outweight the cons. If you think it's worth it then take it!

15 minutes average.

15 minutes each way by car, 20-35 each way when I ride my bike. I used to have a 35-70 minute commute each way by car, and hated it.

I drive from Wilmington, DE to Middletown, DE every weekday and it is not a bad commute. I would try to find a back roads way to take-maybe check Google maps. If I took the main road my commute to work would be about 45 min but taking back roads cuts it down to 35. Plus the view is nice.

Danbreeze said:

I drive from Wilmington, DE to Middletown, DE every weekday and it is not a bad commute. I would try to find a back roads way to take-maybe check Google maps. If I took the main road my commute to work would be about 45 min but taking back roads cuts it down to 35. Plus the view is nice.

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hmmmm... This is reverse commute and Dover is like, what another good 20-30 minutes south of middletown? I'm not liking the sound of that!

@Bobby_M - You could probably quadruple my salary and I wouldn't want to do 2 hours each way. There are so much more important things I want to do with my life

@PirateBrewer - I-270 is a wretchid mess, im sure you didn't enjoy going to ballston everyday

Man.. I hate commuting. I worked at this company in southern Indiana, and with morning/evening traffic, it was easily a 90 minute drive each way. It was terrible, you can deal with it for a little while, but after a while it just starts to eat away at your time and the rest of your schedule.

Now I'm able to commute about 15 minutes when I head to work. The job is just a short drive in the same little town I live in. If I get asked to help out at the brewery, its a 25 minute drive with little to no traffic.

If the job paid 100k a year, I don't think I would complain about a 90 minute commute but I'm in college and they don't pay me enough to justify a long work commute.

However long it takes me to walk from the couch to the desk behind it.

I live 62 miles away from work, all freeway driving. I can make it in in under an hour if there is no traffic, but that is almost never. It normally takes me between 60 and 75 minutes. It's really about stupid drivers more than anything else. I start work at 8:30am, I leave at 7am so there is a cushion in case of bad traffic, but most days I'm in my office by 8:15 especially in the summer when traffic volumes to the university are light.

@Laughing Gnome Invisible - One day, about 40 some odd years down the road, I will be there

@Revvy - Do you find that the commute home is a little more traffic laiden and longer? Never could figure out why, but that ALWAYS seems to be the case for me.

when I was Managing a Chipotle Mexican Grill in Ca I lived 26 miles away and that 26 miles took me 45-1-1/2 depending on traffic. I was planning on moving into an apartment closer to work making my commute 15-20 minutes.

plans changed I moved to Az switched carriers from Restaurant industry to Underground Utility sales so to speak.

my hours are mon-friday 40 hours a week 4 weeks paid vacation and holidays and my drive is 20 minutes and I live 15 miles away. I absolutely LOVE IT....

having a long drive to work just isn't worth it at all IMHO unless you are single and really don't have a social life or hobbies to attend to.

-=Jason=-

When I lived in Upstate NY, I lived 6 miles from work and my commute time was quite low, no highways. I could even run home at noon to have 'lunch' with SWMBO.

We moved to Metro Atlanta last Summer and chose where we live very carefully to balance commute time with school quality and other factors. My commute in the morning is usually around 30-45 minutes. Going home takes me anywhere between 45 minutes and an hour.

While I wouldn't go for a 2 hour commute, I don't mind what I have right now at all (and I drive a manual trans car, so there is plenty of shifting.) I typically listen to The Football Show on XM going in and The Jason Ellis Show on the way home. Back in NY I would just be getting into what was going on and I'd find myself in the driveway!

brettwasbtd said:

@Revvy - Do you find that the commute home is a little more traffic laiden and longer? Never could figure out why, but that ALWAYS seems to be the case for me.

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No not really. In my situation it's the same either way. It's basically in the morning everyone driving into Downtown Detroit and at quitting time driving out. It's a crawl coming in for the last 10-12 miles or so, and coming out it's slow the first 10-12 miles, then opens up as folks split off to the various suburbs.

For example, once last winter it took me 3 hours to get in....Only one hour of it was getting to that 12 mile marker, then we were screwed for the last part of the journey.

I used to live in the DC area and would take the metro from Alexandria to the Navy Yard (about 40 minutes). I liked it because I could read on the metro and I didn't have to put up with the infuriating drivers that live in that area (seriously, it's just a light dusting of snow! get over it and learn to drive!). I tried riding my bike into work, and it was nice while it lasted. It added about 20 minutes onto my commute (including the showering once I arrived), but the exercise was nice. That stopped the second time I got hit by a car.

When I moved back to Chicago, SWMBO and I made it a point to live near the El. My commute is still 40 minutes door-to-door, but you can't beat being able to relax and listen to music or read while commuting (or check HBT on my Android with HBT Moblie! ). I hate putting up with idiot drivers and couldn't stand to have to drive in to work everyday.

I used to work in DC and my commute started at 1 hour each, whether I drove into the city or used the Metro for 1/2 of it. It gradually increased to at least 90 minutes each way. I did that for almost 6 years. Then I found a job closer to home and the commute was 45-60 mintues each way. Now it's 4 minutes each way as I found a job on the Army base right across the street.

brettwasbtd - i usually sleep both ways, i am on the bus at 5:25AM. The good news is that I walk 2 blocks from my house to bus and one block from drop off to my office.

I live a couple of blocks away in a small town. It takes me about 5-7 minutes depending on my mood and if I hit the light or not. I get a 1/2 hour lunch and can drive home, fix a sandwich and eat it while playing WoW and get back to work on time...

I walk from my bedroom over to my laptop, either in the office or living room.

my commute is about 25 miles and it takes me upward about 40 minutes with traffic. I don't really mind it, but my opinion is skewed from having lived in the San Fran bay area for 7 years prior to moving to north carolina.

When I was out there, I lived less than 10 miles from my work, and it took me a f*cking hour to get there on an average day, with my feet pumping like mad on the clutch, brake, and gas the whole time.

THAT was a lousy commute. At least here, I am actually MOVING the whole time.

weirdboy said:

I walk from my bedroom over to my laptop, either in the office or living room.

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Yeah, this, too. I am free to work from home, so I often don't even bother getting in the car.

About 3 min if I drive but I usually walk. It's just a block away but crossing the fairly busy street is a bit like playing frogger. I do like being able to go home for lunch everyday.

840 miles a week, and that's all done in 3 day's.


_

Mine is about a hour each way. I really don't mind it cause i listen to radio programs i like. Plus if i have a really $hitty day i am usually unwound and not so pissy by the time i get home.

I-25 from downtown to the Tech Center

5 am = 17 mins
5 pm = 45 mins - 1 hour

DC Metro guy here too... i live 27 miles from work, and it typically takes me over an hour every day. i take the bus and metro though, since we only have one vehicle.

I live in Bel Air, MD and work in Laurel. Just over 50 miles one way. If there aren't any traffic problems other than the usual construction, it's about 60 minutes one way. Been doing it for 14 1/2 years.

Bobby_M said:

Exactly two miles. I wouldn't drive two hours each way if they doubled my salary.

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Agreed.

I live in the desert and drive 57 miles into LA everyday. My shortest commute time is 75 minutes, and my longest has been 2.5 hours. I've been doing this for 7 years now, and I'm used to it. You just can't let the traffic stress you. I get into the center lane and stay there, turn on my XM radio, and just don't worry about how long it's gonna take.

I think the key is that everyone has to understand that you're operating on the traffic's schedule. I leave the house at 6:30am and am normally in the office just before 8:00, but my boss understands that occasionally I may be a little late. My wife and kids eat dinner already before I get home, and she saves me a plate to nuke. I'm not rushing to get home on time to eat dinner with the family, when I get there, I get there (usually about 7:30pm).

Some drawbacks: I lose a couple hours a day of time I could have spent with my family. I've gained weight, because I'm just to tired to exercise when I get home, and I eat so late. Most of the honey-do's have to be saved for the weekends. I put 35k miles per year on my truck. When gas prices are high, my fuel bill can be $800 a month. (I need my truck for work as well, so a hybrid isn't really feasible for me.)

Can one just "suck it up" and commute? Certainly. It's pretty much the norm here in So Cal. Will you be miserable? Maybe, but maybe for different reason's than you think. Will it take it's toll on your health and quality of life? Probably.

Moose

I live less than 4 miles from work, and the drive averages 8-10 minutes. I spend another 5-10 minutes just walking from my parking lot to my cubical.

I liked it better when I lived downtown and walked 4 blocks to work, which also took 8-10 minutes. But costed me nothing and on days like today my legs only went numb for a few minutes.

Small towns have their down sides, but this is certainly a positive aspect.

Bobby_M said:

Exactly two miles. I wouldn't drive two hours each way if they doubled my salary.

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I bet you would if you got 4 days off a week. Leaves a little time for brewing.



_

23.5 miles each way. Roughly 60 minutes (little less going to work, little longer going home), all suburban rush hour traffic.

Before they moved our office, my comute was the exact same distance, but just off a major highway. The old comute was about 40 minutes.

This time of the year, the worst thing that can happen is a gentle snow storm that brings light snow all day long - sort of like what they are predicting for Monday. My comute to work will not be that much different, but my drive home will be 1.5+ hours.

It takes me about 65-70 minutes on average. My commute is really the only thing I dislike about my job. My girlfriend is still in college at Michigan, so we have a house in Ann Arbor, but working in Downtown Detroit is a little bit of a haul. Once we have a better picture of her job senario we may make some changes. 10+ hours that are spent on work related activities that make no money is a little bit of a bummer.

9 hours each way. Although its only 10 mins from where I am sleeping to the jobsite.