Comments on: Opining on Shorter Commutes

By: thebaglady

thebaglady — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 08:36:23 +0000

When I was in school i used to take the bus all the time and I loved it. However now I have to drive to work. The drivers here in the Bay Area are horrible and would cut you off without signaling with their expensive cars. I have never worked in a place that’s more than ten miles away because how much I hate to drive.

By: mapgirl

mapgirl — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 05:27:55 +0000

Meadow- Thanks for the advice. I appreciate it. But I’ll have receipts to prove I’m taking the bus a lot. Luckily I can pull electronic records or else pay with cash and get dated receipts to show a trip was taken.

By: mapgirl

mapgirl — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 05:24:33 +0000

Jacob- No. I have season tickets to the Washington Capitals. I think I wrote about them in the Entertainment category.

By: dakboy

dakboy — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 01:53:15 +0000

I don’t think the length of the commute is the only factor. It’s also what happens on that commute.

At my previous job, I first lived 13 miles from work. The commute was OK - only one or 2 bad spots of traffic. Then I moved 5 miles closer, on another side of town, and found that the heavier traffic left me in an incredibly foul mood every night upon my arrival at home.

A couple years later, I moved over an hour away from work (I was looking to change jobs to a new city). I found that, despite the 75 mile drive, I was happier when I got home. The drive was very easy, almost entirely interstate with little traffic. I could get on the road, set the cruise control, and relax and unwind while listening to NPR.

I’ve since changed jobs, and moved again. Traffic does make me rather irritated, but the excitement on my little boy’s face when I walk in the door erases that instantly.

By: Meadow

Meadow — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 21:54:59 +0000

A friend, who underwent the same kind of commute change as you, told me he was keeping his car insured as usual. Why?

Because, although his “pleasure insurance” still permitted him to drive to work 4 days a month or something like that, if he were to get into an accident ON that rare driving to work day, it would be an outrageous ordeal to prove that he hadn’t been driving to work EVERY day on inadequate insurance. Outrageous ordeal meaning, his co-workers would be interviewed by his insurance company and they would have to attest to his almost-never driving and his regular public-transport-taking — and how many of our co-workers are in a position to be able to attest to that? Exactly.

So he kept his insurance, but realized significant savings from his greatly-reduced driving mostly through fewer fillups, but also through reduced mileage, wear and tear, parts and labour, parking costs, and oh yes, the ability to relax and read on the bus.

For your consideration!

Congratulations on your improved quality of life,
Meadow

By: Money Blue Book

Money Blue Book — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 21:09:09 +0000

I’ve pondered this issue myself. Would I prefer a nice big house in the suburbs like Germantown but commute 1.5 hours into work each day one way, (3 hours total), or spend 30 minutes one way on the metro but live in a much smaller house. I’d personally take the much smaller house. I can’t stand driving through traffic and long commutes! I’m sure many will disagree with me here
-Raymond

By: Jacob

Jacob — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 18:16:50 +0000

You play hockey?

By: Mrs. Micah

Mrs. Micah — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 17:37:22 +0000

“I have the worst road rage feelings in my car on my way in and out of work. It makes me feel ugly and I find it very hard to unwind.”

One of the biggest reasons I take public transit. I feel like I’m such a bad person when I drive because it brings out all these ugly feelings.

Speaking of Happy Hour, does that mean we’ll have one soon?