I just started my ‘new’ commute yesterday after getting my girlfriend moved back up to New York this past week (I’ll be joining her in a month) and setting back up at my brother’s place. 56 miles one way… UGGH… with some of the worst traffic in the nation to boot (Atlanta). So how far do the rest of you drive each day for your projects/jobs?
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If you only have to do it for a month I'd say it would be easily bearable... One of my building sites in 45 miles away, and it is not so bad, however the traffic moves pretty good. Sometimes I have to go there 2x in 1 day. I hope to de done there (for a while) in about a week so light at then end of the tunnel always helps.
I've drove as far as 60 plus miles but that was a short job. As I get older I'm less inclined to consider anything over a 20 minute comute. Currently I have to travel 6 miles and some days that's to far.
Great thing here in Oklahoma a tough commute means a 30 minute drive actually takes 30 minutes whereas in my daughters neck of the woods,Victorville,Ca, a 30 minute drive takes up to 1 1/2 hours.
Ouch. Just keep everybody there, please.
I generally walk the 700' to my shop. These days, carrying a rifle in case the turkey flock shows up.
Built a house (3 miles from here) for a guy who commutes nearly 2 hrs each way. I can't imagine. He van pools and snoozes. Seems to me that life's too short for that.
PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
I've never measured my commute in terms of miles. I count minutes.
I think my preferred commute is now down to about 30 minutes. It used to be 45 when I was running a full time framing crew(s). I needed the 45 minutes to unwind and arrive at home with my family in a more "normal" mode.
I've always hated an hour commute but have done it for maybe 30% of my career. That's the price I had to pay to either live in the country, or work in higher paying areas.
Even an hour an five minutes would drive me nuts, while an hour was perfectly acceptable. Go figure.
Also at this stage of my career, I tend to look at the commute as part of the workday. I end up being on site less if the travel is more. Essentially, my workdays are the same length.
blue
I feel for you. I live 45 miles east of Atlanta, and what you're doing represents the absolute furthest I would even consider ... until I get hungrier. I have driven 75 miles one way for 10 weeks, but the project was worth it and there was nothing else going on.
I drive 12 miles on a good road with light traffic.
Sometimes it's nice being a redneck. (-:
We have been lucky, past 4 years its been 8 miles each way. Sometimes we go home for lunch.
It's all about minutes and hours here. My commutes can range from ten minutes to the shop to two hours each way, it all depends on how hungry I am and where the money is. My general commute is about fourty five minutes in heavy traffic on local streets in Chicago. I have finally gotten to the point where I don't want to do those long commutes any more. I had one job that took me three hours one way some nights because of traffic being so backed up. I finally had to stop and grab a tamale from a guy that was selling them right off the expressway exit because I was so hungry.
My commutes don't bother me as much as the parking once I get there. It really is nothing for me to get a ticket or two during the day depending on where I am working. We came out one day a few weeks ago to find the boot on my partners van, all those parking tickets while working caught up with him.
That sounds brutal Singlespeed.
Im curious, what speed are you anyways?
blue
It can be brutal, but I love working and living in the city so it really is a trade off. I love the atmosphere, the people and just the constant movement. You really can be totally alone in a crowd in the city. That reminds me, I just got on a payment plan with the city for a thousand dollars in parking tickets, whoops.
As for the name, it refers to my bicycles. Living in the city people tend to steal everything off of your bicycle, even if it is bolted on, so I got tired of it while being a bike messenger so I started riding a single speed track bike, no gears, no brakes and no coasting! It's great for living in the city. But I did laugh when I saw the question:o)
"I started riding a single speed track bike, no gears, no brakes and no coasting"
Had me a fixed sprocket 24 " w/ a motor cycle handle bar. Could wheelie 3-4 miles w/ that darn bike (way back when) and like you said...no brakes. I would just lean forward into the handlebar, and lock my legs. The bike would come to a great sliding stop.
I did it for weight, and theft reasons too.
12 miles on a good road with light traffic
Thats my normal going in commute too ( at 3 or 4 AM to get light traffic) - 15 minutes in, 35-45 min home at noon or 1 PM, OVER AN HOUR AT 5PM.
Some days 10 steps is too far.
Mostly 26 miles each way in central NJ traffic (read that as 30-50 mins). Have only been doing it for 21 years though, so it's not a pain yet. (If you believe that.....please re-read the first line.)
Where in central NJ are you?
I run from Woodbridge to Bedminster every day. It's 22 miles- about 25 minutes in the morning, 45-60 in the afternoon (2 hours on Fridays in the summer, over 3 hours if it snows during the day.....).
Went into NYC for a meeting today at World Financial Center. 21 miles, thru the Holland Tunnel, right across from Ground Zero. 25 minutes to get in at 6 am, 1:45 to get out at 4:30.
Gotta love the traffic around here.....
Bob
Hey Homie, glad to hear you're gettin' out of there alive. 10 miles is where I start grumbling...but at least I can get to any place in Orange county without hitting a stoplight...just gotta clean the dust off my windshield a little more often<G> "what's in a name?" d'oh!
my biggest problem is on the 12 miles to work. the first eight is asphalt cow trail so now where to pass, you get behind someone during thirty, you are stuck.The last four is untimed stop lights every 100 feet.on the way home, it take me 17 minute to get where I can not see the front door to the office.
Work near Princeton. 295 and rt 1 mostly.
Used to go to NYC for meetings once a month, always took the (NE corridor) train (58 mins) regardless of traffic.
Would not drive in to the city on a bet plus Parking is $$ too.
Time stamp on your post is 0508--that hurts just thinking about how early that is.
Just 6 miles for me. Two school zones (1 20 mph, 1 35mph)--neither very well observed except by me.
Nice long stretch of 55mph to get to work--also not much observed by drivers (we went 49-50, two wide for the four miles & four stop lights last night).
It's a good and bad commute for my town.
The current project is 800 feet down the road. After that, we've got a remodel that will be a 2.5 mile one-way trip, with one stop sign to slow us down.
I commute from Northern New Jersey to New York City, often six days a week. 22 miles from my driveway to the toll booth at the Lincoln Tunnel (the major entry point to get to mid town). Average commute time, two hours plus. I did have to be at work once at 3:30 AM and I made it in in 45 minutes. Still traffic at that time.
I would kill myself Sbds!
Or, start at 4am every day!
blue
I drive 12 miles to office then hop in company truck and drive anywhere from New Orlean to Tallahasee to montgomery.
Zero, zilch, nada.
Pretty much dropped out of the rat race lately. Full time remodeling the house I'm living in.
I hear folks in my area (Boston) sometime take 2 hours to go 30 miles when they hit traffic.
Put down my nail bags and tools for computers and office equipment.
My comute is across my back porch to an attached home office, my super runs the field and I show up when necessary.
I am also beginning development of a 100 acres I own. The first home is under construction and 300' from my door.... more to come.
We are building other homes in other areas, I have a map on the wall and have drawn a 45 mile circle around our office / shop location. I ususally will not take on projects outside the circle.
I guess that gets you into Houston, eh TXlandlord?
blue
Yes blue, but I am very selective when it comes to taking a project in Houston.
For example, we took on 6 upscale townhomes for a developer in a small city surrounded by Houston (The City of West University) very upscale...paid well and good exposer for our company.
Also, did another custom home for a client in a gated lakeside community...again, good money and company exposure.....but I still prefer to take on projects outside of Houston in satillite cities and rural areas.
I am building a home now.....48 miles and a 40 minute comute...all 70 mph country roads
Houston traffic is a bummer.
outside of Houston in satillite cities and rural areas
Which can be a range, Alvin or Wharton not being like Long Point or China Grove. It's good work to get, though.Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
I prefer to work in my own neighborhood---------
so, roughly I would guess 75-80% of my work is within a 8-12 block radius----probably closer to 8 block radius.
Most of the rest of my work comes from referalls from within that 8 block radius--------
however---- I just finished a job that required me to drive about 20 minutes each way----glad THAT'S over.
I eat lunch at home more days than not----today it was leftover baked ziti.
Stephen
I gotta agree with you (where ya been BTW?). Although my neighborhood is mostly working class, I have done over 25 jobs within it. I'd rather work for slightly less money and drive two minutes than sit in traffic for an hour each way and have my crew wasting their (and my) time for said reason.
Not to mention referral business is great, normally with no bidding required.Jason Pharez Construction
Framing & Exterior Remodeling
Jason,
one great thing about focusing on the neighborhood is that your truck signs, yard signs etc. are ALWAYS in front of your customers. sponsor the little league teams---buy the girl scout cookies, buy raffle tickets---all in the company name---- It will ALL come back to you MANY times over---and in the process you are building a better community.
Best wishes, Stephen
If it takes me 3 minutes, my commute has been doubled by traffic at the 2 intersections.
I could walk if I was so inclined.....
Gerald
So how far do the rest of you drive each day for your projects/jobs?"
!0 miles for my part time day job. Takes me ~12 minutes. About 1000 miles to the East Coast several times a year, but the pay more than offsets the $100. air fare each way.....But that's why I'm training to be a pilot.
WSJ
On average 800-1000 miles a week. Pgh to VA. last week. Pgh to GA. this week. Close next week PGH. to Cleveland.
Shortest commute to a job site: 30 seconds (2 houses up the street from me), longest commute 1 hour, 45 minutes. Around here 2 hour commutes to the City of Boston (via train, as well as people West of here) are considered normal. Some real estate ads are saying "only 1.5 hours to Boston, only 2 hours to Boston".
JoeF
Renaissance Restorations llc
Victorian Home Restoration Services
http://www.renaissancerestorations.com
Usually 2 to 3 miles, with 3 streetlights max. Sometimes 25 to 50 minutes on a 2-lane hwy through the mountains. No traffic or toll booths. Hitting big game can get expensive though. :)
http://www.costofwar.com/
About 20'
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WWPD
My island is 4.5 sq. miles. so no more than 5 minutes. home for lunch everyday.
Where would that be? Always wanted to get away from it all . A small island sounds just like the ticket!
actually its a peninsula. Point Roberts Washington.
Sounds nice, post a picture if you can!
try pointroberts.com
Edited 11/12/2005 10:25 am ET by butcher
mileage varies ... but I seem to always work just about an hour away.
I live city center and always end up working in the far suburbs ...
north/south/east/west ... anywhere but close to home.
always say my reputation must have finally caught up to me ...
can't seem to ever find local work?
actually ... my neighbors ... and myself ... can't afford me!
to quote Mike Smith quoting Willy Sutton ... "cause that's where the money is" ...
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
I drive 25km each way 5 days a week. I leave the house at 5:30 and it takes me less than 25 minutes. In the afternoon I leave at 3pm and it takes me 45 minutes. When it rains it takes 15minutes longer in the afternoon. If there is a lot of snow (3 cm is a lot in Vancouver) it takes 30 minutes longer since people don't know how to drive!!!
I do this now for 7 years and learned about all the sideroads there are. I don't mind the 45minutes in the afternoon when traffic is moving, but stop and go is killer for me.