Distance commuting to work
Turbo Mini Forums

Good Morning all, question for those who commute to work....how far is too far for you to commute to your regular place of work? What is the maximum time you would consider?

I'm trying to decide if a 40mile each way commute (about 50 min according to google maps) is too far to drive to work. It is single carraigeway across country for 90% of the journey. I'm going to do the drive this weekend to get a better idea about the route. I used to have a 40minute commute via the M40 to work before moving house last year which I didn't mind, but that is "easier driving" on the motorway. At the moment it is 3miles which I generally cycle or take the car when the weather is poor (fair weather cyclist ).

On one hand I think stop pondering too much and just do it, as this might be near the 'average commute' for people anyway?? but on the other hand I am concerned that being out of the house for around 2 hours more each day, and getting tired of driving the same route. It is also substantially more miles each year than currently. The job is better all round than currently (career opportunities, salary etc).

I assume it all comes down to your own preference... who has a commute like this or further? Does it bother you? I currently don't have any children, but realistically these will only be 2 years down the line.

Your thoughts/comments?

Thanks, James

I've been doing a 75 mile round trip for nearly 7 years now and I'm getting pretty sick of it . It's not the distance as such, more the other idiots on the road. I got used to being on the road at 6.45 every day quite quickly, but it is becoming harder and harder to maintain. This is one of the reasons I'm currently looking for a new job.

If you are going to do a trial run, I would do it at the same as you would be doing it if you took the job. The traffic volumes will be different at the weekends.

I'd say time is the factor over distance. I used to spend nearly an hour some mornings traveling 10 miles or so when colleagues would go 3 times the distance heading from another direction in the same time

I used to commut 650m to work which I could live with, now a days I have a 9.2 mile drive and that could take me 60mins which gets on my tits.

Edited by madmk1 on 13th Sep, 2013.

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Nothing is impossible it just costs more and takes longer.

I currently do a 75 mile round trip as well, which takes about 45 minutes in the morning, and usually 1 hour 10 minutes on the way back. Luckily there are two routes I can take, one which is mainly motorway and the other mainly single carriage A roads.

However, it does get a bit tiresome doing the long journeys all week, and you lose a massive chunk of time you could be spending at home. Just bare in mind if you prefer doing stuff on weekday evenings rather than weekends, you'll need to work out just how much free time you will actually get.

my new role in my current role i'll be doing a 102 mile round trip. i have pretty flexible hours so i get in work for 730-8 and leave at 4 missing all traffic; or most of it. takes about 50mins

i've not done it much at the moment mostly 3 days a week for the time being but i can really only see it getting on my nerves if traffic start getting shit.

however most of the time i just poodle and try not to let idiots get to me.

I'll be getting a bike soon so that will help spice things up for sunny days :)

Edited by t@z on 13th Sep, 2013.

The fact that you're questioning it says it all.

I do 13miles (one way) and the journy is over befor it's started. I would be uncomfotable doing more than 20 miles (one way).

apart from anything, the cost is massive.

nearly 20,000 miles a year JUST commuting. Thats nearly 3k in fuel, plus a set of tyres, plus a couple of services, plus you'll loose value on your car which for a £10k car could be £4k.

And if you really want to add it; 2 hours a day at £20 an hour (if you're cheap) is nearly £10k.

It would have to be a significant pay rise or oportunity for me to give up a 3 mile cycle for an hour commute.

Depending on what you do, is it possibe to wank (I mean work) at home a couple of days a week?

Edited by wil_h on 13th Sep, 2013.

Fastest 998 mini in the world? 13.05 1/4 mile 106mph

I reckon I have spent 1 years wages on buying and running a car for work in the time I have been here.

This time of year isn't too bad for commuting. It's the winter when the real idiots come out. I've had people deliberately drive at me, pushing me onto the hard shoulder, because there isn't room for them to squeeze in when they have tried to skip the queues.

if it helps i was also asking myself the same question when my job moved and a lot of the people i spoke to advised that they do similar commutes.

So i think those that work close to home its a nice perk but in this day and age people are being stretched and long commutes are becoming the norm sadly.

I think I work about 1.5miles away so it takes under 10mins to get there in my works van (free fuel!). But my partner in crime lives 15-20miles away, goes past work another 10miles, drops his wife off then comes back into work in his own car. We finish work at 4:30 and I think he gets home at around 6.
I'm not sure I would want to spend more than an hour and a half travelling each day, esp in the winter!

Edited by Shauna on 13th Sep, 2013.

They don't die, they just get faster!

This may be true, but what a waste of resourses and time.

I used to commute from Macclesfield to Crewe every day. At around 1/2 distance I passes a red Subaru. I knew the guy, he lived in Crewe and commuted to Macclesfield every day. We did similar jobs.

The reality is that commuting less makes more sense if money is tight. I don't know how this can be achieved. Even with my sums above, large commutes are still affordable, but not for ever. Hense my suggestion of home working.

Fastest 998 mini in the world? 13.05 1/4 mile 106mph

Thank you all, some very good points raised. The cost for commuting is significate (accounting fuel, maintance, depreciation etc) once removed from your take home pay. Especially as I don't really have any of these costly in such magnitude currently. I hadn't thought about the 'cost of time commuting' as Wil mentioned, food for thought. Also as winter draws closer, I remember not enjoying the driving to and from work in the dark, you hardly see the day.

The reason to prompt my move is there is no room for progression in my current position as the company is a small family owned business (circa 50 emplpyees), moving would give more scope for further progression. Just don't want to get stuck in a rut.

I'm 'only' 24, maybe take the risk sooner rather than later?


edit: working from home would not be possible.

Edited by james962 on 13th Sep, 2013.

I wank work from home fairly regularly, but not as often as I used to due to less trusting management. Saves me a few quid in fuel, but usually results in me getting up at the usual time with the baby so that the wife gets a lay in...

Living under 2 miles away and working 8-4:30 I don't even see sunshine outside of work during the week in the winter :(. My fuel is free atm but in a few months we will be charged something like 45p a mile to take our vans home. I'm not sure if this works out cheaper but I'd rather pay the 90p each way than clock up the miles on the mini. I wouldn't really want to work somewhere that was costing me £100+ a month in fuel to get there (unless the salary covered it plus a bit!)

Aw, Andy you sweetheart! I'm sure more women want husbands that let them have lay ins .

They don't die, they just get faster!

I guess it all depends. i do 4 days office 1 day from home and my hours are pretty flexible to miss traffic. So from my works point of view they are not getting bad deal. Also i got a nice salary increase to cover the cost and then some (promotion) so its not really a loss on my side either.

plus they retain my knowledge and skill which for them is a big loss

if they weren't flexible then tbh i would have left as if they expect me to travel 51 miles to work its give and take.

so really is company dependent and make sure your happy with what has been agreed.

Edited by t@z on 13th Sep, 2013.

1 mile each way for me.. easy =)

I'm just in the door from my 90 mile round trip, set out at 4am this morning and only in just now! Hour and a half it took this evening.. Been doing it a while now and had enough.

On the plus side I brought a house recently so I'll be only 5 mins from work. It can't come soon enough!!

Wahhhh that's so far! Dread to think the time some of you lose through travelling so far :(

They don't die, they just get faster!

110 miles a day for 13 years

I run a supercharger and I don't care the TB is on the wrong side.
VEMS + 12 PSI + Liquid Intercooler = Small Bore FUN!

150 rt when I go.

If something is worth doing, it's worth doing half of.

A lot of my lads commute a serious round trip up to 6 days a week. (90 miles each way)

I think they're mental

I had a 25 mile trip to and from work, and ended up moving house within 3 years!

Wasn't so much the 50 miles round trip, more the shift/traffic combo.

On a Saturday am it was a easy. On a wet Wednesday in the winter it could take an hour. In the snow it once took 4 and a half hours.

It's not distance, it's what time you're on the road that matters.

This is FORD country, on a quiet day you can hear Vauxhalls rusting.

I don't have a regular place of work, but i can and do commute anywhere up to 350 miles or 7 hours round trip in any one day. Most days though its easily a 60mile round trip and 2 to 1/2 hours.

The trick is to switch off from all the dickehads on the roads and just get on with it. I suppose though saying that the biggest difference is I'm getting paid to drive to work, and sit in traffic. Having a company car and fuel card helps. That is probibly the biggest thing that makes the difference between getting stressed with all the driving and not.

Edited by Sprocket on 13th Sep, 2013.

M62....

but then the office has just moved to Manchester City... and I had my forst crash in 20 years,,.. some dope drove into the back of me..

I run a supercharger and I don't care the TB is on the wrong side.
VEMS + 12 PSI + Liquid Intercooler = Small Bore FUN!