How long is your work commute?

Soldato
Joined
2 Apr 2006
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3,700
26 miles each way, most of which is M61 and M65 and around 30 minutes. Far easier than my previous job where it was a similar distance but I had to use the M60. :(
 
Associate
Joined
5 Mar 2019
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69
15 mins to the office (most of the week), by car.

Sites can be anything from 15 mins to 3 hours away (occasional visits).

Typical of construction really. Car allowance covers most things so it isnt that bad.
 
Soldato
Joined
26 Sep 2007
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4,137
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Newcastle
Just moved offices, so was previously 19 miles in free-ish flowing traffic taking between 35-50 minutes. Now it's 14 miles in medium traffic coming into work and heavy for the first half going home, so now it's 35 minutes in and 40 minutes home.
 
Associate
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23 Dec 2018
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1,102
Work from home, self employed, so 10-20 seconds or so. Usually spend an hour cycling in the park or by the river each day in lieu of a commute.

Every single aspect of my health and wellbeing is better for working from home except the social aspect, though in many places of work the social aspect can even become a negative with work place bullying, not getting on with bosses, etc.

Productivity is massively increased when not wasting hours a day needlessly commuting - to me 12 hours days working from home feel less stressful than 8 hours with a commute.

Used to have a 20 minute cycle but also had to work around 20% of the year suited up travelling all around London - there's barely a tube, train or bus route within the M25 that I haven't taken and almost all of it offers a very low quality of life in my opinion.

Some of the most miserable, grey and pallid workers I've ever seen are the big earners getting off at Canary Wharf on the Jubilee Line, rarely have I seen such unhappy and unhealthy looking people.

The idea that people leave their homes equipped with phone and broadband to endure expense, stress and overcrowding first thing in the morning and last thing at the end of the day to work in a office merely that provides the same is getting increasingly ridiculous.

London is horribly overcrowded as it is, letting people work from home is going to become an ecological necessity sooner or later. At the very least it will make life easier for those that actually have a 100% necessary physical reason to commute.

I see working from home and the introduction of universal income as two things that can do the most to improve quality of life for workers.
 
Permabanned
Joined
11 Feb 2011
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2,136
10 miles there. 30 to 50 minutes cycling.. Depends how tired I am and how WINDY it is. **** me I hate the wind.

That being said I often beat my work colleague home as he's usually still sat in a traffic jam when I pass through town :p

Funny though, people are in awe or gobsmacked at how far I cycle. When you've been doing it a year, its effortless and it honestly feels like I haven't done any exercise at the end of the day.
 
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Associate
Joined
18 Jul 2015
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439
Location
London
I use the London underground. It gets very busy. No chance of a seat, though if one becomes available I prefer to stand as I hate sitting when there is a woman or older man standing close by.
Anyway, my commute is 50 minutes each way.
I read a book using my kindle on the phone. It allows me to forget about the stress of commuting. In fact, going home I don't care if it takes longer.
Moral is, read a good book; stress reliving.
 
Caporegime
Joined
9 May 2004
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28,568
Location
Leafy outskirts of London
Me & you both, out of all the elements its the one that's I genuinely hate.

Wind (and I mean WIND, not a breeze) makes every other weather type worse.

Freezing cold with no wind, liveable, with wind? NOPE.
Rain falling perfectly vertically, annoying but umbrella works fine, with wind? HAHA NOPE!
Or how about I just launch all this snow up and under you umbrella sir? FFS.
Even a hot day at the beach is ruined by bloody wind, being caught in a mini-sandstorm is no joke.
 
Soldato
Joined
2 Aug 2016
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4,041
Location
Third Earth
You're making the right choice.

Thanks! I think so! I've worked in London (For the same firm) for almost 20 years. 10 years of that has been via commuter coach. The 2 hours each way (So 4 hours a day) is assuming all is well, that people can drive in a straight line on the A2, don't run out of fuel in the Blackwall tunnel and London isnt messed up, invariably I'm hit with one of the above, easily taking it to a 3 hour commute each way.

Sheer volume of traffic is so bad these days, to make sure I'm in the office at a decent time, I have to get the 05:47 coach from Kent, this gets me in the office for 8ish. If I dare to get a later coach, and it's not summer holidays, I'll be looking at getting in 09:30~10AM. The firm I work for have flexi hours, I have loads (260!) but I hate getting into work late. I like to get in, settle in with a cuppa and collect my thoughts so I really have no choice unless I somehow go to my local station, about 4 miles away and pay £5K+ for the train (Coach is £2.9K)

So we're moving. I'm debating on contracting (IT) but even if I get a job in Glasgow, it's only 53 mins away and I'd be doing it by car so should, hopefully be a much better experience.
 
Associate
Joined
15 Apr 2007
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1,333
Location
Staffs
Depends massively. If working from home, 30 seconds. If i'm in the office 18 miles away, it's 30-60 mins in the car (Can shave some off that time if i'm on the motorbike). 2+ hours if i'm in the London office near Heathrow.
 
Associate
Joined
6 Nov 2005
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2,417
Or how long would you be willing to commute to work?

Mine is currently about 10min but thinking about buying a place out in the country which would push it to around 50min.

Curious to hear from others and their thoughts on maximum miles/hours you're willing to do.

Year and a bit ago I did almost exactly this. There are some definite downsides. The main ones being waking up an hour earlier and getting home an hour later. Which isn't world ending, but it has a number of knock on effects. We're not even out of summer yet and already my alarm goes off before the sun comes up and by the time I get home the evening is starting. Ends up being almost half the year of leaving the house and arriving home in the dark :( Cooking is more difficult as by the time we get home we're tired and hungry so end up cooking stuff that's quicker and easier than we were before and more take aways when we just CBA to do anything :( And we have a bunch less time for TV/movies/videogames. We also don't go out during the week as much as we did before.

One thing we do have going for us is that my partner (wife in a few weeks, eep!) and I both work in the same area so we dive in together and so at least we're still spending that time together. I suspect it would be more difficult if it also meant a couple fewer hours a day that we actually got to spend time together. Also means the additional fuel cost is mitigated.

All of that being said we love our house and are both pretty happy to give up a couple hours of TV in exchange for it :)
 
Associate
Joined
10 Nov 2006
Posts
1,262
42 miles each way. Mostly A1
On a good day 50 mins.
On a bad day 1 hour +

Reading this thread has made me feel better. I have done it for 24 years, so not about to change.
Its a pain at times, others its a blessing.
 
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