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Long Commutes?? (Cage)

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owl10
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PostPosted: 22:37 - 09 Jan 2018    Post subject: Long Commutes?? (Cage) Reply with quote

Once again consulting the Oracle that is BCF....

Tl dr: would you consider / do you do / have you done a commute that is 1hour, 15 mins each way (55 miles each way)?

Evening!

Just after the benefit of the collective BCF wisdom regarding commuting in the car.

About 18 months ago i moved companies, for a relatively decent increase. Current commute is about 30 - 40 mins. (11 miles, from countryside into north Bristol).

Current company has had some challenges and is making attempts at restructuring. Some redundancies etc.etc.

We've several locally based competitors, and to cut a long story short im potentially looking at an opportunity to move for another relatively decent raise, but potentially needing to travel (frequently - 5 days a week to start, down to 3 days a week after a while) to a further site: 55 miles / 1 hour 15 mins away.

Travel costs would be paid.

So anyone do this kind of commute? How do you find it?

Cheers!
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Rogerborg
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PostPosted: 22:51 - 09 Jan 2018    Post subject: Re: Long Commutes?? (Cage) Reply with quote

owl10 wrote:
5 days a week to start, down to 3 days a week after a while

I'd treat that with considerable scepticism.

And no, I wouldn't do that commute, unless you've got a firm plan to reduce it sharpish.
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owl10
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PostPosted: 22:57 - 09 Jan 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yea, im aware 5 days a week may well become...uh 5 days a week!
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Hawkeye1250FA
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PostPosted: 23:04 - 09 Jan 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Definitely.

I'd do the commute regardless - work is work. - that's number one.

Number two is the line you wrote "travel costs would be paid". That's a no brainer surely if the only thing you are losing is time??

Also. Why not bike? 55miles on bike is 1hr 15mins day in day out regardless of traffic accidents. In a car that's 1hr 15mins at best! With the potential to be 2/3 hours if you hit bad traffic.

I loved my 56 mile commute for the 2 years I did it. It's amazing filtering home while the cars were at standstill - very liberating.
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Itchy
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PostPosted: 23:12 - 09 Jan 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've done it multiple times.

Falmouth to Plymouth (bike)

Plymouth to Exeter (bike)

Leigh to Huddersfield (car)

You'll do it once or twice and think hmm this isn't as bad as I thought. It will then grate on you and suck the life out of you. When driving and listening to a particular radio station you'll hear the half hour news rotate around every now and again...

Eventually you'll think where has all the time gone and realise it's running out your clock (your limited life). That's if it goes smoothly. Then the route is closed for some reason and your 75 minutes turns to 4 hours.... heh it once took me 5 hours to get from Leeds to Bolton once as they closed the motorway completely and there was no way off.
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RhynoCZ
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PostPosted: 23:13 - 09 Jan 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

What about train? Although I must say, I'd probably use a car, for the convenience of it. Thumbs Up

I used to do 2 to 3 hours (crossing a mountain range, fog/ice/snow/traffic; summer was 2 hours nearly every time) commute 3 times a week. I had a 1.9TDi car to do all that and it came slightely cheaper for me to drive, than going by train. Plus, it's very convenient to use a car. You go when you want to/need to and being in a car, you may bring spare clothes and all sorts of necessities and you don't have to really care for the weather.

The downside, driving is tiring.

Would I ever do the same commute on a motorcycle? Feck no! But, that's mostly based on the mountain range on my route.
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Itchy
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PostPosted: 23:17 - 09 Jan 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

RhynoCZ wrote:
What about train? Although I must say, I'd probably use a car, for the convenience of it. Thumbs Up



You don't realise how awful trains are in the UK Very Happy
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bamt
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PostPosted: 23:18 - 09 Jan 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Depends upon the job. I spent five years doing a similar commute in a car, I'm now best part of five years into a job doing 90 or 175 mile round trips depending upon which office I'm in. Both jobs have good salaries and are in work areas that wasn't available locally.

You get used to the commute, but it is hard on vehicles so expect to spend quite a bit of time or money maintaining them, covering depreciation, and having your vehicle choice determined by your commuting needs.

If the job is special enough, and pays well, then it's ok.
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The Shaggy D.A.
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PostPosted: 23:23 - 09 Jan 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

I used to commute Northampton to Dunstable daily; when I started the job in '89 it was a 45 minute drive, when I left in 2004 it was an hour and a quarter. That, however, was the head office - my customers were based all over the UK, so would regularly be driving into London, Andover, Ipswich, Leeds for 6-18 month periods.

Driving is my "me time" - stick the choonz on, and sing at the top of my lungs.
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RhynoCZ
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PostPosted: 23:33 - 09 Jan 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Shaggy D.A. wrote:
Driving is my "me time" - stick the choonz on, and sing at the top of my lungs.


https://i.imgur.com/dlnMoGr.gif
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stephen_o
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PostPosted: 23:35 - 09 Jan 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have done it for several firms and longer distances on self employed call out work. Downsides have already been mentioned by others - from my side make sure the incentive to pay mileage is guaranteed and permanant - one of mine was withdrawn 3 months into the job forcing me to relocate. Also make sure it is a company you enjoy wanting to work for, another of my long commutes was a job I hated from the 1st day to the last - I did relocate for a few months because the cost of travel was so high but spent every spare moment trying to get out.

I have never done it on bike, It will eat your car alive - your maintenance costs will soar, check your mileage restrictions on car or bike insurance and hp/pcp agreements as excess can invalidate insurance or bring a sting in the tail of "excess charges".
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owl10
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PostPosted: 23:37 - 09 Jan 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Train is 2 hours each way Sad

Its about 40 miles motorway and 15 miles a / b road. Passat tdi will be more comfy than bike i reckon! Though considering additional wear and tear is a good shout.... Im guessing expenses will be benefit in kind and taxed too......

Pay is good, realtively (though appreciate thats different for each person)

Base salary up about 30%

.....

Theres another company near where where im based thats also hiring... Probably less of a rise but more bikeable...
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Lord Percy
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PostPosted: 23:37 - 09 Jan 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

I once heard that one useful metric for life quality is how close you live to your place of work.

I then ended up in a situation where I lived 2 minutes' moped ride from work. It really did make life a good amount better.

I now live 12 minutes' cycle ride from my current job and things are equally peachy.

Commute time will always be a factor for me. I don't think I would want a job where I have to resign 2+ hours of my life away every day for getting to and from work, unpaid.
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The Shaggy D.A.
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PostPosted: 23:38 - 09 Jan 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

RhynoCZ wrote:
The Shaggy D.A. wrote:
Driving is my "me time" - stick the choonz on, and sing at the top of my lungs.


https://i.imgur.com/dlnMoGr.gif


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thyJOnasHVE Smile
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Shaft
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PostPosted: 00:21 - 10 Jan 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

There's a lot of opportunity for things to go wrong, in 55 miles - sudden roadworks, accident, pissing rain and sheer weight on the motorway.

A set of badly timed temp lights that weren't there in the morning, turned my 25 mile/1 hour drive home, into a 2 hour torment.

Most of the time it will probably be OK, quite a lot of the time it won't, 18 months in and you will be counting the days to the school holidays and the days when the weather is likely to be decent.

I'm not saying don't do it, just don't do it thinking it's going to be 75 minutes every day, because it won't be.

I'm with Percy on this one, the shorter the commute, the better the life - I'd find a job closer to home, even if you don't get such a good pay rise.
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Wonko The Sane
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PostPosted: 00:21 - 10 Jan 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

good grief, and I thought my commute was mind-numbing.

When I first started here it used to take me about 20 mins / half hour to get to work, about 10 mins extra home, gradually that's got up to about an hour each way on average just due to a bit of traffic increase and a shit load of roadworks on the M60
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Polarbear
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PostPosted: 00:33 - 10 Jan 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

OK it was train but my commute and job meant I left home at 5:30 in the morning and arrived back home 19:00 at night (could even be later depending on numerous things.).

I'm not commenting on the riding side of things from your point of view, just the life /work balance.

Mine was crap and I came to utterly hate it even though I had a very well paid job.
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Suntan Sid
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PostPosted: 00:54 - 10 Jan 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes, I did a 60 mile each way commute four 4 years.
Did it in a car, sometimes on a bike.
Admittedly it wasn't in the UK, so relatively little traffic and scorchio for most of the year.
The miles soon mount up, so, IMO, whatever vehicle you buy expect to get nothing back for it after 3 or 4 years!
I didn't do it regularly on the bike because after a few weeks all the fun just gets sucked out of it.
Jump in a car, load up your favourite choonz, talking books, etc. and zone out with all the other car driving zombies!
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linuxyeti
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PostPosted: 01:01 - 10 Jan 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes, it's pretty much the same as my commute, although, whereas I started at 5 days a week, i'm now down to once or twice every 2 weeks ..
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Shaft
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PostPosted: 01:24 - 10 Jan 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

The other thing I forgot to mention is, before you commit, make sure there are alternative routes - there's always the odd bottleneck, but it's farking soul destroying when you hear on the radio that your route is totally knackered and there's no way out!
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Rogerborg
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PostPosted: 08:42 - 10 Jan 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hawkeye1250FA wrote:
if the only thing you are losing is time??

In the end, the only thing that matters.
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andyscooter
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PostPosted: 09:20 - 10 Jan 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lord Percy wrote:
I once heard that one useful metric for life quality is how close you live to your place of work.

I then ended up in a situation where I lived 2 minutes' moped ride from work. It really did make life a good amount better.

I now live 12 minutes' cycle ride from my current job and things are equally peachy.

Commute time will always be a factor for me. I don't think I would want a job where I have to resign 2+ hours of my life away every day for getting to and from work, unpaid.


part of the reason I love my job

i can ride/drive in in less then 5 minutes
there is never any traffic (if there is there is two routes in both take less then 5 minutes)
i can walk in in 15 minutes
both routes walking pass a pub
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B5234FT
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PostPosted: 10:49 - 10 Jan 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

I do 36 miles each way, takes me around an hour on average. Generally light traffic barring a couple of junctions.

I dont mind the drive normally, but I do miss the two hours out of my day compared to when I used to be able to walk to work.

Since taking this on, I've been to a physio twice due to upper back and neck issues from driving and office work combined.

It's worth bearing in mind that I do 15k miles just commuting and youll be doing ~23, which means you get through tyres and services very quickly. If you're getting your costs paid then great, for me it means running older cars to avoid the depreciation (I total about 30k a year which makes leasing prohibitive).

Watch the HMRC rates for mileage which drop considerably after the first 10k, and arent applicable if you're 'commuting', you need to look into whether youll be taxed on the travel costs.

Other than that, it depends on your route and personal disposition, I dont mind mine, but I couldnt do 6 miles on the M25 without wanting to hurt people.
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colink98
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PostPosted: 11:09 - 10 Jan 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

90 mins +/- 10 mins.
Down the A2/M2 into West London.
rain wind or shine.

it can get a little boring.....

Oh should say on bike.
wouldn't even consider it in a car.
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defblade
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PostPosted: 11:18 - 10 Jan 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've got a general rule not to work more than an hour's commute from home, I guess I'd extend that if it was less than 5 or 6 days a week but it'd have to be a shed load of money.

As for bike/car - that's not going to be an interesting ride on the bike, but being on a bike does let you filter when the going gets bad...
When I was freelance, I rode everywhere for 10 months a year (and let's face it, you'll probably want a car as well as a bike anyway in icy/snowy times) and enjoyed riding past all the cagers crawling on the m-way. But then I was rarely in one place more than a week so it never got boring.

Last 2 jobs, both about the same time/distance (30 mins) - the last one was a fun B road commute and I did it on the bike 95% of the time; the current one is usually not too busy/slow Mway then some not busy 30mph, would be boring as hell on the bike and no advantage filtering anywhere, so I drive.
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