Seventeen miles is not too far to commute. I agree that it really come down to a time issue. Typically Mine is 22.5 miles, about 17 on a path and the rest on city streets. Takes an hour and 15 minutes on the bike and 20 minutes to shower and change.

If I took public transit, that same trip would take 50 minutes. So basically my decision to cycle to and from work consumes about an hour and a half additional time in my day. What I've gotten in return for that time are improved fitness, weight loss, and better stress management.

Took me a few months to work myself up physically to five days commuting, but now that's the routine.