Do people live further away than previously?

[geeks]

Lord Marylebone said:

I’m a consultant, so I just commute to wherever I’m working, or stay over night if it’s too far and I’m doing more than a day per week there.

I try to work from home as much as possible.

My and some colleagues actually had this discussion the other day about ‘how far is too far’ and decided it simply all depended on how much each job was paying.

^this!

[Baby Shark doo doo doo doo]

People don’t have much choice. Jobs aren’t secure as they used to be and it’s such an expense and hassle to keep moving for a job that might only last a couple of years. Much easier to have a home in a fixed location and accept the job will move.

I do know people who rent and move with the job, but their kids never make decent long term friendships and it’s a strain on the family.

[colm89]

I live in SE London and my office is in Nottingham, I make that 130 miles.

Thankfully I work from home!

[Kernowlokal]

I work about 10-15 minutes from home now, not too bad at all.

Other jobs have been badly affected by tourist traffic. In the winter it might be 15-20 minutes, in the summer it could be an hour and a quarter or more

[Shakermaker]

7 miles each way for me, which is just fine. It usually takes about 20 minutes but at the moment its "roadworks roulette" so can take over an hour.

I'd need a significant increase in salary to consider making the commute longer, at the moment, I value my time at home much more.

[toon10]

I used to work in a busy part of the North East and I lived about 25 minutes away from the office so not too bad. Trouble is with traffic, it could take anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and that feels like a lifetime when you are not moving. I don't think a longer drive is the end of the world but you have to be moving to not get stressed.

[DRFC1879]

Good point well made, toon.

When I'm traveling for meetings I don't mind a drive of several hours but an hour of stop-start is purgatory!

[Zippee]

Unfortunately working in London means my commute is around an hour and a half each way. However, I like where I live and couldn't stand to live in the city or suburbs.
Getting a job closer to home would also mean a pay cut if at least 50% as well

[deadtom]

I currently live about 15 - 20 minutes drive from work, but as soon as I am in a position to buy I intend to move a bit farther afield and anticipate a commute of an hour or so.

Not because the house prices are cheaper, quite the opposite in fact, but because I work in the pleasant but boring bit of flat ground between Leicester and Birmingham (MIRA, specifically) and would much rather live in the Derbyshire Dales because the countryside around there is quite lovely and worth a longer commute to get to each evening.

[Gary C]

Baby Shark doo doo doo doo said:

People don’t have much choice. Jobs aren’t secure as they used to be and it’s such an expense and hassle to keep moving for a job that might only last a couple of years. Much easier to have a home in a fixed location and accept the job will move.

I do know people who rent and move with the job, but their kids never make decent long term friendships and it’s a strain on the family.

I think this is significant

I started at 16 for the company I work for (and will retire from in 5 years) but is it lack of security or do more people expect to move on these days ?

[Nemophilist]

I love a mile away from work, as does 2 other colleagues

The others (there are around 30 of us) live between 1-2 hours journey away.

Some crossing 3 counties

[StevieBee]

I wonder if perceptions of distance change with age.

I used to commute from Brentwood to Godalming and thought nothing of it but wouldn't consider doing it now.

In 1970, my parents moved from Forest Gate to Upminster, a distance of what, 14 miles or so? As far as their parents were concerned, they may as well have been moving to different country. Yet my parents felt the same when we moved to a village south of Chelmsford, 20 miles from Upminster.

[North West Tom]

I wonder who has the slowest and fastest average speed? As the crow flies, home to work is 8.58 miles. It takes around 1 hour door to door (London).

[Alex_225]

I live in Surrey just inside the M25 and commute into the City each day, it's only about 18-20 miles but takes me about an hour.

I don't see that as a reasonable commute but I certainly wouldn't live any closer and if anything I'd prefer to live further afield.

The way a lot of companies seem to be going is that working remotely as far more feasible than ever. Where I work currently, they are looking at working from home regularly (I have been told once a week minimum). I'm aware for one member of staff planning to leave to go to live up north and they're considering keeping her but letting her work remotely full time. She'll be living 200 miles away from London!

[funkyrobot]

I'm about two miles from work. Most people are similar, but there is one person about five miles and one fifteen.

I'm the only person that bikes to work for most of my shifts. Everyone else drives. And people wonder why we have traffic problems.

[toon10]

funkyrobot said:

I'm about two miles from work. Most people are similar, but there is one person about five miles and one fifteen.

I'm the only person that bikes to work for most of my shifts. Everyone else drives. And people wonder why we have traffic problems.

I'm at our head office in Germany tomorrow. I'm there every couple of months and I actually enjoy it because the hotel I use is about 30 to 40 minutes walk to the office. I actually feel great moving twice a day in my normally sedentary life. Whenever I'm there with anyone else, they refuse to walk and always get a taxi or a lift in then complain about the traffic.

Unfortunately at home, I have to drive to the office which takes about 10 minutes but that's because I have to pick my son up from childcare every night and I wouldn't have time to bike. There are so many people here who live in a new build estate 5 minutes away from the office and yet most drive still. With the traffic lights and a busy roundabout, it actually takes the same time if they walk or use the car, madness.

[TameRacingDriver]

Work in the city centre. Currently live about 1.75 miles away, so generally speaking either just walk to work or get the bus, and usually always walk home.

Sounds convenient, that's what we thought. However, walking around outside when its freezing cold, trying not to break your neck on the icy pavements, or walking around when its pitch dark, or walking around when its tipping down has got old really quickly and I don't get to work really much quicker than anyone who lives within 5-10 miles anyway.

Landlord decided to sell up so we're moving to a village about 8 miles outside of the city. Will have to drive again in heavy traffic. We're just gonna upgrade the stereo and enjoy the fact we're not exposed to the elements outside anymore!

[ukbabz]

I've got a fairly nice commute - 12.5miles and most of it dual carriageway so it takes ~15mins door to door. Although complete lack of joined up infrastructure means public transport isn't an option (2hrs+ each way as no buses seem to cross between the counties). In summer I try and take the bike, but there is only really 1 direct road over the ridgeway (and that's the a34) without crossing some fields or a detour doubling the distance

[ARHarh]

North West Tom said:

I wonder who has the slowest and fastest average speed? As the crow flies, home to work is 8.58 miles. It takes around 1 hour door to door (London).

Google average running speed and it says the average man jogs at 8.3 mph, You might need to rethink how you travel to work

Not sure how you manage to put up with that. When i last worked I did 21 miles through deserted country lanes and b roads, took about 32 mins most days. That was the longest commute I ever had, most of my work was less than 5 miles from home, 15 years were a mile cycle ride across a nature reserve, and on nice days I would go the long way round about 5 miles.

[funkyrobot]

toon10 said:

funkyrobot said:

I'm about two miles from work. Most people are similar, but there is one person about five miles and one fifteen.

I'm the only person that bikes to work for most of my shifts. Everyone else drives. And people wonder why we have traffic problems.

I'm at our head office in Germany tomorrow. I'm there every couple of months and I actually enjoy it because the hotel I use is about 30 to 40 minutes walk to the office. I actually feel great moving twice a day in my normally sedentary life. Whenever I'm there with anyone else, they refuse to walk and always get a taxi or a lift in then complain about the traffic.

Unfortunately at home, I have to drive to the office which takes about 10 minutes but that's because I have to pick my son up from childcare every night and I wouldn't have time to bike. There are so many people here who live in a new build estate 5 minutes away from the office and yet most drive still. With the traffic lights and a busy roundabout, it actually takes the same time if they walk or use the car, madness.

Pretty much every time I cycle into work I pass big queues of traffic. This is in a small Lincolnshire market town too. This is just one example:

https://youtu.be/5lM8jj_xkhQ

I used to know someone who worked a mile away from home. He used to drive every day. One day, there was a big crash and he was over an hour late for work.

I do drive sometimes. This is usually when I'm working hours that don't fall around the busy periods, or if I have to pick up my daughter from school after. I mostly bike though.

Makes me laugh now it's winter. People simply cannot understand how you can use a bicycle in the cold weather.