Your daily commute

"Chairman Kaga" (mike-mckinnon)
08/30/2016 at 09:31 • Filed to: None

Austin, Texas. Each morning I drive about 5 miles to drop off my youngest at daycare, spend 5-10 minutes getting her taken care of, then drive another ~10 miles to the office. The whole trip, including dropoff, takes about 1 hour. In the evening I have no pickup, the drive is 2 miles less, and I’m not fighting quite as much traffic, so I’m usually home in about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

And I’m not exactly moving rapidly. Speed when I took that photo was 0. There’s lots and lots of 0 MPH in my drive. And let’s not even discuss fuel economy...

So let’s compare and contrast. What your time in the seat like?

DISCUSSION (21)

Ash78, voting early and often > Chairman Kaga
08/30/2016 at 09:35

I now 6 months under my belt working from home. No commute, no dry cleaning....but there is the full expectation that my time saved in traffic shall be used for productive work. So I basically work 2 more hours a day than I used to. A fair trade, so far, but it’s a tougher world when you’re judged 90% purely on your objective work product (vs a normal office, where at least half of your job is judged on how you look, act, etc). Thankfully my work is getting better, but I'm more of a people person. From home, it's like "Good morning, oh you're having a baby? Sounds great. Now how are those reports coming along?"

Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras > Chairman Kaga
08/30/2016 at 09:38

New job is 20 minutes away, but parking is an utter bitch so I spend 5 minutes driving around like a moron looking for a spot close.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Chairman Kaga
08/30/2016 at 09:39

We’ve had obnoxious freeway shut downs around Detroit this summer which are coming to an end soon (or so I’m told) so I’ll give my normal commute without the closures.

1.2 miles to daycare drop off. About 2-3 minutes driving, 5-10 minute drop off.

16 miles to work about 25 minutes

Total trip around 35-40 minutes.

Trip home if I don’t have to do pickup can be cut all the way down to 20 minutes for 16 miles if traffic is being intelligent. (we all know that’s a big if) It normally takes about 30-35 minutes home direct route.

Funktheduck > Chairman Kaga
08/30/2016 at 09:40

My job requires lots of driving. i can't compare to people with normal. Jobs. I've had my car almost 2 years and I've put almost 90k miles on it.

Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras > Ash78, voting early and often
08/30/2016 at 09:41

I miss working from home..I was able to do it for about 5 months and it was fucking wonderful

OPPOsaurus WRX > Chairman Kaga
08/30/2016 at 09:41

my trip can take me anywhere from 20-50 minutes. its almost like rolling a dice, you never know what your going to get. I only go 15 miles. I get maybe 16 mpg when I should be getting like 20ish. and traffic is either moving at 80 mph or 8 mph. there is not a whole lot in between.

smobgirl > Chairman Kaga
08/30/2016 at 09:46

5 miles to work, 12 minutes by car, stay in the left lane to avoid bus stops. Top speed limit of 35 mph.

and 100 more > Chairman Kaga
08/30/2016 at 09:49

I recently moved from North Austin out to Bastrop. Still work in Dripping Springs, tho, so you can kinda picture my commute.

My commute time is about equal. But the time spent going north-south on Mopac/183 was mostly spent chugging along in 1st/2nd gear. Now, I cover about 15 more miles in the same amount of time, and if you’re not going at least 65, you’re in the way.

Food for thought.

Roundbadge > Chairman Kaga
08/30/2016 at 09:51

The seven miles through city streets or 14 miles on the highway both take about 20-25 minutes, so it really depends on what scenery I’d like to have on the trip. Time of day doesn’t seem to matter much, except for the traffic circle at the halfway point that people don’t seem to understand despite the fact that it’s been there since the mid-1800's.

marvthegrate > Chairman Kaga
08/30/2016 at 09:57

SL, UT commuter here. I live in the burbs and work in the burbs. One way, my trip is ~8 miles. I work slightly off hours. Morning I take the freeway and my trip is ~12 minutes. Afternoon I take surface streets to avoid the inevitable parking lot that is I-15 and my trip takes ~20 minutes. I know I am lucky.

f86sabre > Chairman Kaga
08/30/2016 at 09:58

35 minutes to work and 45-60 home. I listen to podcasts to keep sane.

Party-vi > Chairman Kaga
08/30/2016 at 10:00

3.7 miles into the city in 30mph traffic, then into my parking garage and up 3 floors to our office. My commute is way better than it used to be - driving almost 40 miles south to get on base and then back up to Baltimore.

CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) > Chairman Kaga
08/30/2016 at 10:02

My work commute is 15 miles to the shop and back. The way there usually takes 35 minutes and the drive home takes 45. Fun.

Scimitar7 > Chairman Kaga
08/30/2016 at 10:12

Newport News, VA; my commute is roughly 20 minutes via 2 routes, with one being Jefferson Ave with lots of stoplights, and the other is I-64 that’s twice the distance, but double the speed. I generally go with Jefferson if I can leave before the school buses start clogging the works.

Chairman Kaga > and 100 more
08/30/2016 at 10:16

Jebus. We were just visiting some friends in Dripping Springs this past weekend and it took a half hour from our house, with no traffic. He works downtown and said his morning drive is usually 90 minutes. Leaves at 5:30 to start at 7 so he can leave at 4 and get home in time for dinner and to put the kids to bed.

That’s insane.

Pyrochazm > Chairman Kaga
08/30/2016 at 10:28

I live in Tacoma, work in Kent. Leave my house around 3:55, get to work 4:25. Getting home is where the fun begins. If I clock out at 1 I’m home in a half hour. If I’m working late and clock out at 3 it takes over an hour to drive the 22 miles home. Lately I’ve been taking hwy 509 home, it doesn’t save any time but at least I’m moving the whole way. Also it’s a winding drive along the sound and through the woods. Fuel mileage is pretty consistent at about 30-32 mpg.

and 100 more > Chairman Kaga
08/30/2016 at 10:30

It’s weird, there are almost two rush-hours in the mornings, it seems. I left for work early the other day, expecting the road to be empty. Nope. PACKED. Packed and everyone moving about 75. That was about 6:30am.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Chairman Kaga
08/30/2016 at 11:08

I have 12 miles each way. First leave my apartment building and get onto a surface road, go a few miles, through a few stop lights. That part isn’t bad, the worst is the right turn onto the main from from my apt. Traffic is heavy but it moves pretty steady.

Next is the GW Parkway for about 8 miles. This is a crap shoot - if I hit the on-ramp by 7 AM I’m almost always golden and can cruise at 50+ all the way down to Reagan Airport. If not, or sometimes if there’s a bad early morning accident, this stretch can take an hour plus.

Last, I navigate around Reagan up to an access road that cuts back over the Parkway and into Crystal City and up a few blocks to my office. This is usually the worst part of the drive because people drive like idiots down the one way streets and pedestrians will step off without looking.

For the way home it’s largely the same, but in reverse. All said and done on a good day I spend under 50 minutes on the road. On a really bad day it can be well over 2 hours.

jvirgs drives a Subaru > Chairman Kaga
08/30/2016 at 11:36

~5 min. Its a mile door to door. It sometimes takes longer for me to get out of my apartment complex than it does to actually travel to work.

dashbobthebuilder > Chairman Kaga
08/30/2016 at 11:48

My drive is roughly 36 miles, and it takes me about 45 minutes actual get to work. Not too bad all things considered, but still hate having a commute at all!

CaptDale - is secretly British > Chairman Kaga
08/30/2016 at 17:17

I live 5 mins down the road from my work. Usually pretty nice drive. Not enough enough to get the car hot... I could walk, but why own a car then?