Survey: Are You An Extreme Commuter?

My commute is a walk to the bus stop. So my actual "driving time" is 0 minutes.

My commute is some 90 minutes by public transport. A bus, three trains and a tram. Most of the time is spent waiting. It's only 30 miles. I could do it by car in under half an hour. But I don't friggin' want to. 'nuff said.

I did the exact opposite. I used to drive 10km each way to work from the suburbs, but I gave up the brand new houses and parking lots of the suburbs to move into town. Now I'm 7 minutes of low-pace biking from work, have less free $$ but more free time. Since time is money, I actually think I came out ahead financially, and I'm certainly much happier and healthier now!

Crappy:
8 hours of work + 1 hour of lunch + 3 hours of commuting + 8 hours of sleep = 4 hours of free time??? Not including cooking supper, showering, etc.

Better:
8 hours of work + 8 hours of sleep + 15 minutes of commuting = almost 8 hours of free time and the ability to go HOME for lunch!

I don't understand the compulsion to buy the newest, fancy-est, house you can find even if it means that by the time you get home from work all you can do is watch TV for an hour and go to bed.

11 miles -
50 minutes = bike, 50 minutes= subway train, 50 minutes= car ... although you'd have to be nuts to drive into NYC daily for work.
vsk

:D
I voted under 30 minutes, but that isn't completely accurate - in the morning when traffic is light, it's 25 minutes, including a stop at 7-11; but, in the evening, it's about 45 minutes, not including the stop to pick up my daughter from her after school program.

My commute is 60-75 minutes each way, but it is all mass transit and walking. No driving whatsoever.

35 minute bike ride or a 35 minute train ride (if it's on time).

On the rare occasion I opt to take the train, I immediately regret that decision.

I live in Niceville, FL and commute to Lynnhaven, FL (outside of Panama City). From door to door, it is 65 miles.

In an effort to make the most of my commute:

- I've learned to use my cruise control for most of my trip (1.25 hours)
- keep air pressure in my tires constant
- use A/C on the ride home (it's pretty cool in the mornings)
- keep the windows up except maybe for a few minutes to take occasional pictures or enjoy the weather
- use an K&N air filter

So far the results have been a favorable 39mpg on an '02 Acura RSX-S with over 128k miles on the odometer.

I voted 30 - 60 minutes, but it's really 35 by bike or 45 by public transit. I haven't had to drive to work for the last 2 years.

Recently I started riding the bike part of the time so its either a 18 mile hour and 20 minute bike ride or a 15 mile 30 to 60 minute car ride... I like the bike so much more. I just need to toughen up and start riding in bad weather!

60-90 minutes, but it's all on foot/bus/train/subway

I voted 30-60 minutes, but its all either by bike or subway.

My commute is one of the biggest points of guilt for me in my life. I drive to work downtown from the suburbs. Yes, parking is expensive. Gas is expensive. Rush hour is frustrating. But it takes me (depending on traffic) 20-40 minutes to get to work when I drive, as opposed to (depending on crowds/weather/mechanical functionality) 1.5 - 3 hours by city transit. I feel horribly guilty when I drive, but I get so ANGRY when I take city transit. I didn't used to have the option of driving, and my commute was one of the biggest stressors in my life! So as guilty as I still feel driving to work, I am at least capable of getting to work on time, in a good mood. For what it's worth, I do carpool at least.

To PeterC: To live within walking distance (or biking distance) of work is one of my major dreams in life. However, I just can't afford to live anywhere near my office. I own a $300,000 two-story, 3-bedroom home in the suburbs, and have intentions of starting a family soon. If I were to move within walking distance of work, I'd be looking at a minimum of $500,000 for a TINY one-bedroom condo, in a neighborhood not suited for small children.

I realize that my city is about 20 years behind where it should be in terms of its transit system, and I have written letters and asked questions for years, and all I ever hear back is "sorry, we don't have enough money to fix it." My theory is all the decision makers get parking spots under their offices anyways, so they don't really realize how bad it is. But that's a rant for another time.

Time varies quite a bit. Crossing the train tracks, road construction, accidents, etc. I have a whopping 6 miles commute. They are supposed to move my work closer to my house some time in the distant future. We're expanding. I expect to be dissapointed.

I do not dare try to commute by bike or foot. I could walk or bike and I could mugged or run over too. A group of cyclists just got mowed down trying to go through the nearest intersection. I'll be interested to see if it makes the paper (online).

mine is about 40 min by car or 2hrs by bike/bus, the local transit isn't so great but i figure if more people start using it, like me, maybe it'll get better

I live in Victoria, Canada... and I walk 15 minutes to work. Some of my friends don't understand how it is I don't own a car, but when everything is within 20 minutes walk, why would i?

I have an odd commute. I live 4 blocks from work, but it takes me 30-40 minutes to bike to and from work every morning and night.

That's because daycare for my 17 month old son is about 3km down the hill from work. It takes me about 10 minutes to get there, then another 15 minutes to get back up the hill, plus another 5 or so minutes tooling around and getting the kid to sit still long enough to buckle him into the trailer.

We actually had another daycare lined up at first that's considerably closer (and not at the bottom of the hill), but life happened and that fell through.

20 mins on my bike. 8km. Its always faster than driving/bus and we have little traffic and excellent puplic transport here in Christchurch, New Zealand.

I wish my commute was faster. There are no jobs in my area, and no bus route to the big city. I have tried to carpool, but my schedule varies alot. Very depressing.....I love my place. Don't wish to move, might have to, layoffs are coming anyhow.

I ride my bike to work every day. It is maybe only a mile or 2, and I do pay more rent by living closer to work, but it's really worth it to me.Some days I think about walking, but it's just easier to ride the bike, and I can take my bike inside at work and hang it up in the back room. I used to ride a moped and I would have to chain it up outside, but once I got used to riding the bike, I love it! Cars are horribly frustrating, especially because I live in a college town with a bunch of out of state idiots who like to yell at me and run me off the road, but hey, it all builds character!

either 45 mins in the car

or 30 mins by car 1hr by bike....

or a couple of days by public transport...

tried car-share, but unworkable at mo (no-one in my area).

i guess i could move closer to work, but my family would kill me (rest of extended family live within 2 miles).

need to cover 25 miles, going over hills, so while the car is environmentally the worst, i'm hoping i'll get better at cycling and use car less (and cheaper!).

wish i could get rid of my car, but it's essential to get to work.

Our commute is one flight of stairs! We gave up Wash DC and the burbs almost 10 years ago for life in a small town in the Midwest. Restaurants, grocery, most other necessities are in about a 6 block area, so our cars are parked more than they are driven. Stress free living at it's best!

It's about the choices we make.
I'll be thirty eight this month & have never had a drivers license. We do own a car, my husband drives it when we need to visit relatives out of town or go grocery shopping. His commute to work is 10 minutes via bus. I have a 10 minute walk to work. We have designed our lives around our commitment to low environmental impact. Over the last nineteen years we have never lived more than 20 minutes away from our workplaces, childrens' schools, shopping areas, etc. It isn't always easy or convenient, but again, it's a choice - and it can be done. As a result I feel we spend less, waste less, stress less, and weigh less than a lot of people we know. We are healthier, more present in our activities, and have great relationships with our children because we spend more commute time together.

After nearly a year of commuting a minimum of ten hours a week, my family is moving next month to within a 10 minute car trip to where I work. My commute prior to that was merely walking out my front door and to my office - taking nearly a full minute of walk time, so I know how nice it can be to be within proximity of work.

Once we're settled in, I plan to get a bike and ride it to work rather than driving.

One reason I love living in a city -- no car! My commute is under 30 minutes each way by bus, and I haven't had to drive to work in more than 8 years. Zipcar is great for small errands if I need it.

I chose the suburbs for the basic reason of housing prices. We needed a newer home (15 yrs old) with an in-law suite for my wife's ill parents. C'est la vie.
In the winter, I pay $150/month for a bus with limited hours. In the summer, I car pool to the edge of the city and bike 20km to and from work along fairly nice trails and parkways.
It's a good use of the time I guess.

Ottawa

3h a day total 5 days a week combined walking, bus, walking time. I count the walking as light excersie time and the bus as reading time. I share a bike with my roommate since we have different days off.

I can't understand people who waste money on a car payment, insurance, gas and gym memberships instead of walking, biking and bus. Every time the price of oil goes up, I smile and think about how well my investments are doing. The difference over just a year is substantial in terms of wealth and health.

approximately 3 miles one way. I would be more apt to ride a bike in nice weather or walk if I did not have to transport my child to preschool which is in the same building.

My commute varies daily.It can be as far as 100 miles.Or as little as 2 miles.My office is in my truck.Laptop,printer,sat phone,sat Internet and all.I cannot change this.But do run run my diesel on waste vegetable oil.Only on startup and shutdown it runs on diesel.The kit is from grease car.com.

My commute varies daily.It can be as far as 100 miles.Or as little as 2 miles.My office is in my truck.Laptop,printer,sat phone,sat Internet and all.I cannot change this.But do run run my diesel on waste vegetable oil.Only on startup and shutdown it runs on diesel.The kit is from grease car.com.