How do Ecomodders' commute distances compare to everyone else?

[JRMichler]

My current commute is only 3 miles. I was 43 years old before I started to regularly drive to work. Before that, my longest commute was 6 miles plus 13 miles each way to the airport for flying lessons.

[jlk16188]

i commute 53 miles one way to the office with a short sub 5 mile run at lunch then 53 miles back home 5 days per week.

Averaging high 40's MPGs in my 92 civic vx.

[accord_minded]

Thanks to all who have taken the commuting distance poll and for comments/experiences. Polls sometimes do a poor job capturing nuances of real world experiences, so it's nice to hear about 'reality' for you all.

We have almost 40 responses to the poll. If you haven't taken it yet, please consider doing so. More responses means a better estimate of ecomodder commuting.

Cheers,
Accord_minded

[vrmouseyd15b]

54 miles each way to work and back, mostly highway. still trying to break 50 mpg's

[digital rules]

25 miles each way.

To work: Leave super early to avoid AM traffic & average high 40's. (53.4 all time high) Last 5 miles is mostly downhill as DC sits only a few feet above sea level.

From work: Congestion getting out of downtown DC & the up hill climb are a killer at first. Usually recover to 40 to low 40's with favorable stop & crawl traffic conditions later on.

[arcosine]

I bicycle 6 a minimum of 12 miles a day.

[Daox]

I really don't know how you guys who have long commutes do it. I used to have a 35 mile one way commute. I hated it. I felt like so much of my life was being wasted just sitting in a car. I have one more hour a day to myself now that I only have a 7 mile one way commute. I took a pay cut to get it, and I'm much happier now.

[darcane]

Originally Posted by Daox

I really don't know how you guys who have long commutes do it. I used to have a 35 mile one way commute. I hated it. I felt like so much of my life was being wasted just sitting in a car. I have one more hour a day to myself now that I only have a 7 mile one way commute. I took a pay cut to get it, and I'm much happier now.

A couple things:
1) it's not distance so much as time. My current 24 mile commute typically takes me longer than my 45 mile commute did when I was younger. Dense city traffic vs. open, rural highways.

2) My job is about 30 miles away from my wife's job. I have a longer commute so she can have a shorter one. Working closer to home would be nice, but it's not in the cards right now.

[jamesqf]

You need another entry in the poll, for < 1 mile. Mine is maybe 20-40 feet, depending on whether you measure distance to the office from the bedroom or kitchen :-)

[accord_minded]

Originally Posted by darcane

A couple things:
1) it's not distance so much as time. My current 24 mile commute typically takes me longer than my 45 mile commute did when I was younger. Dense city traffic vs. open, rural highways.

2) My job is about 30 miles away from my wife's job. I have a longer commute so she can have a shorter one. Working closer to home would be nice, but it's not in the cards right now.

I agree with Darcane, and stress that it's about the character of the commute. I could not stomach a 10-mile commute that took 45 minutes to cover. Yet I can do a 70 mile commute because I never have any traffic, few lights and it is mostly through open farm country. Then again, I don't yet have to do it every day (yet), so maybe I'm kidding myself a little bit. Yes, it's a couple of hours or more a day, but there's always working from home here and there; books on tape; podcasts, etc. Plus in my case, I'm of the age where I know it won't be forever and I will have the option to stop doing it in the not too distant future.

But again, the key is to not have stop-and-go traffic. I believe that my long, traffic free commute is easier (for me) than the shorter stop-and-go commutes I see people doing who live closer.