View Full Version : Moved Closer to Work (what a difference!)
Cosmoline
08-15-07, 11:12 AM
I'm wrapping up my first car free move. Now instead of a commute that goes down and up a canyon every day and through snow drifts in the winter I have about a mile commute I can bike or walk with ease with no elevation change. It's not much of a workout, but it's making life a lot easier. Instead of being completely exhausted by the weekend I'll be ready for long rides either for fun or for grocery getting. It's something to consider.
Congatulations, sounds like that move will make everything easier. How far is your new place from a grocery store?
I'm wrapping up my first car free move. Now instead of a commute that goes down and up a canyon every day and through snow drifts in the winter I have about a mile commute I can bike or walk with ease with no elevation change. It's not much of a workout, but it's making life a lot easier. Instead of being completely exhausted by the weekend I'll be ready for long rides either for fun or for grocery getting. It's something to consider.
The office moved to an easier commute distance this year. Its too easy to bike to work, I'm thinking of walking it. Sometimes I take the long way home. This can be a problem with car free living - it can get too easy.
Cosmoline
08-15-07, 05:56 PM
There's so much more I've been wanting to do on my bike, but just haven't had the energy. Now I'll actually be able to do fun things on two wheels.
Newspaperguy
08-15-07, 06:21 PM
What you've described is part of the reason I love living in a small town. If I walk briskly, my commute is 12 minutes and by bike, it's a relaxed four or five minutes, if that. I feel sorry for the people in the greater Vancouver area who spend upwards of one hour each way commuting by car.
CagerTools
08-15-07, 06:49 PM
Commuting is a recipe for heart disease! Try putting that on a box of cereal and selling it.
BarracksSi
08-21-07, 08:33 AM
I can't say I'm living car-free, but...
I had to get lucky to find a place close enough to work that I could afford -- thank goodness I did. It's about 1.3 miles, 20 minutes by foot, and less than 10 by bike. Door-to-office, it's faster by bike than by car, at least unless I hit the right timing for the traffic lights.
I've never lived farther than a 15-minute commute from work (by car, that is). I can't imagine spending an hour in my car getting home like some of my coworkers do; I'd lose my mind.
Jerseysbest
08-21-07, 08:54 AM
I've never lived farther than a 15-minute commute from work (by car, that is). I can't imagine spending an hour in my car getting home like some of my coworkers do; I'd lose my mind.
I did it for a year; and I did lose my mind.
Cool deal Cosmoline - i made the decision a long time ago to never live more than a moderate bike distance away from work (or work a moderate bike distance away from home, however u look at it) and sure don't regret it.
I had a 15-minute car commute for 4-5 months as a college intern. Not much choice, as the way to work went over a 4-lane, 65mph bridge with zero shoulder. i could have lived closer to work for an extra $100/mo (and an uglier apt) but didn't realize at the time how much the drive would drain me... I hated it. mind-numbing-ingly boring. bleh.
Ride on. Cheers :)
scattered73
08-21-07, 09:59 AM
What you've described is part of the reason I love living in a small town. If I walk briskly, my commute is 12 minutes and by bike, it's a relaxed four or five minutes, if that. I feel sorry for the people in the greater Vancouver area who spend upwards of one hour each way commuting by car.
Few years back I was driving less than 10 miles and taking more than an hour each way to get to work and back during rush hour. Did it for two years then dumped car and got a different job for a 2nd shift. I don't even know what rush hour is anymore, haven't seen a line at the grocery store either.
I'm jealous. My commute is over an hour by bike and 30 mins by car. It really makes riding to work everyday feel like a sacrifice and I don't like that. I want to be happy about riding my bike, but some days I'm really not. When I started with this company it was an 40 minute ride or 20 min light rail trip. It was nice that I had a faster commute option available that didn't involve driving, and the ride was just right for a good workout. Then they moved us to cut costs. It sucks.
BarracksSi
08-21-07, 10:17 AM
I don't even know what rush hour is anymore, ...
I don't have to experience it either, but that's partly because 1) I'm already inside the beltway, and 2) we start around 6:30 AM and usually leave by 3:30 PM. :D
divergence
08-21-07, 11:54 AM
I did it for a year; and I did lose my mind.
I found a mind the other day; maybe it's yours. If you can identify it, I'll send it back to you.
Lots of people I know chose to live far from the city since they could buy more house for the money. I'd much rather have a smaller house that's closer to where I work. I commute by bicycle 15 miles round-trip and if I ever have to give it up I will surely miss it.
Was it the chester creek canyon you had to cross, before you moved? I can see how that would be a real pain on a snowy day.
Commuting is a recipe for heart disease!
Do you mean that it's a recipe for heart-disease prevention?
When I started with this company it was an 40 minute ride or 20 min light rail trip. It was nice that I had a faster commute option available that didn't involve driving, and the ride was just right for a good workout. Then they moved us to cut costs. It sucks.
They moved and some of the costs were shifted to the workers.
wahoonc
08-21-07, 01:25 PM
Do you mean that it's a recipe for heart-disease prevention?
Not if it is in a car!
Aaron:)
Renters have more flexibility to move around than homeowners. Home owners usually want to stay in one place for a long time, but employers seem to implode or relocate every few years.
They moved and some of the costs were shifted to the workers.
It actually worked pretty well for all but a few of us. Moving from a downtown location to a less congested area makes for an easier car commute.
robsuniverse
08-23-07, 09:36 PM
My commute is only 2.6 miles one way. I feel lucky to live close to my income source. The grocery store is another 2.6 miles in the other direction. So some days can turn into a 10 mile ride. Take a look at some of my rides that I have in the amazing You Tube.
I feel if everybody would move closer to their work then less traffic would be on the road. Right?
Sometimes I feel like living closer to the grocery store would be better.
Check out my web site page where I talk about the problems of securing your bike as you shop.
Rob
urban rider
08-24-07, 01:13 PM
I will be starting a new job that is only four miles away from my home. i am excited because it willmean that I can ride all year, even inthis Michigan weather. I hope that my new employment will be in front of my homecomputer.
Gas, the price of a can of beans.
Glad to hear the good news, cosmoline. :)
My last couple moves were made with carfree in mind, and it does make all the difference in he world. Closeness to work was the first consideration, but I also thought about the closeness of my other destinations and recreational opportunities like MTB trails. And the bus stops right in front of my house, which helped when I was injured last winter.
I will be starting a new job that is only four miles away from my home. i am excited because it willmean that I can ride all year, even inthis Michigan weather. I hope that my new employment will be in front of my homecomputer.
Gas, the price of a can of beans.
I also do a four-mile Michigan commute. Trust me, it's a piece of cake!
(Cosmoline, the OP of this thread, lives in Alaska.)
Cosmoline
08-26-07, 03:41 PM
Yeah, summertime commutes aren't really the problem. In January it's like Scott of the Antarctic just trying to get from midtown to downtown across the creeks. There are days when going by two legs is a lot nicer than going by two wheels if you don't have far to go. I remember biking into a 40-60 mph north wind earlier this year when ambient temp was 15 f. It was like trying to pedal through ice cold water up to your neck. When I got to a gap between two buildings I remember having to dismount and just laughing at how absurd it was. The wind was so dense and powerful I literally could not pedal into it.
When I got to a gap between two buildings I remember having to dismount and just laughing at how absurd it was.
I think that laugh says a hell of a lot about you and the way you choose to live. I've laughed like that too, and those were the best moments of my life. "Beyond courage, even beyond faith, I laughed at the wind."
careya123
08-31-07, 05:25 AM
I hope that my new employment will be in front of my homecomputer.
I did that for a while. Thought it would be a dream but ended up hating it. My work didn't require any personal contact with anyone, except a weekly email or two from my employer. I've never considered myself a real people person so I was surprised how quickly I grew to miss the social atmosphere at a 'regular' job. Now I'm back in an office and actually loving it. Who knew?!
I took the opportunity of a new job in a new state to carefully look at where I bought a home. I'm about 3 1/4 miles from home 95% along a bike path. I should make a video. Along the way it's probably 75% riding through trees & there is a grocery store, so I stop and fill my backpack up most days on the way home. I could probably have saved $75k - $150k in home cost to live further away, but the winters here would mean I might have to give up biking in the winter if I did that. Here, they clear the path before the streets, so I plan on biking through the winter. I actually looked at a home only 1 mile away from work, but thought it wouldn't be enough of a ride to satisfy the urge (wasn't the right house anyway).
What a difference? You bet! Had I realized what a difference it would make in terms of life satisfaction, I might have decided to make the change a lot sooner. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes to ride.
adgrant
09-04-07, 08:19 PM
Renters have more flexibility to move around than homeowners. Home owners usually want to stay in one place for a long time, but employers seem to implode or relocate every few years.
Single people also have a lot more flexibility than married people. A married person has to consider their spouse's commute.
In two weeks I'll be moving alot closer to work, too!
My commute will be cut in half (from seven miles one way to three and a half). Spouses commute will be shorter, too (from nine and a half to six miles one way!) and even better yet she will no longer have to transfer buses downtown with all the crazies and degenerates. Just one bus and she's there!
Neighborhood is way better, too (University of Dayton area). Grocery store, two mini marts, exciting nightlife, bars and eateries all within walking distance (well, maybe kind of a long walk but a very short bike ride, within a mile!). Also very close to a tony upscale neighborhood (Oakwood) with unique shops and restaurants. Can't really ask for a better location for us!
vBulletin® v3.7.3, Copyright ©2000-2008, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.