Glasgow - Livingston Commute?

[SteellFJ]

ok, so situation is:

with any luck after a third and final meeting tomorrow with a companys CEO I will possibly be making the commute from East Kilbride to Livingston every day for the foreseeable.

questions:

who makes this commute everyday all ready? (either direction considered to cover the smart-arse comments! )
how is it to make everyday?
what times are best times to set off and leave to avoid worst of the "rush" hour traffic?
what sort of fuel does this cost a year in a 2L n/a petrol car? (civic EP3) this is key to my decision on the job should I be offered the role.

[anonymous-user]

I did Glasgow to Edinburgh for 2 years, traffic was usually flowing apart from the stretches between the A8 Newhouse & Glasgow, and Livingston & Edinburgh which got to start\stop from around 8am onwards from memory, but you shouldn't have too bad a run as you'll cut out the worst bits.

I had starts between 6am-10am, as you can guess, simply earlier is better!

Oh, and in winter take supplies in the car, Harthill has its own weather system and I've been stuck there a few time due to jacknifed lorries on the hill around the services there!

[cuprabob]

I commute from Ayrshire to Livingston almost every day. Before the new M74 extension opened I used to pass through EK and go onto the M8 at the Shawhead interchange. I would go through EK at around 7:15am and arrive at Livingston around 8am.

The M8 is an absolute nightmare both in the morning and coming back the other way especially around Eurocentral where iy just stops and is stop start for 3-4 miles. Even on a good day you're lucky to average 50mph and the inside lane is normally full of trucks all the way from Eurocentral to Harthill.

With regards to cost, I don't know as I now drive a diesel and don't think about it. I'm sure you can work it out. It's about 40 miles and if you average around 30mpg then it's probably around £10 per journey or £100 per week assuming a 5 day working week.

One thing you will learn though is patience

[SteellFJ]

Thanks Guys

I did imagine about £100 a week would cover and the time it takes would be no issue as I am quite a patient guy anyway so just need to leave house earlier and get home later if this is what it takes.

moving out there in the long run would really be no issue if the job is secure enough, which in sales is never a given.

Thanks Again

Fraser

[anonymous-user]

cuprabob said:

Even on a good day you're lucky to average 50mph

When I did this commute I used to just sit at 50mph in the inside lane rather than waste fuel and dice with the reps in the outside lane slowing down, speeding up, sitting 2ft from my bumper.

Its 25 miles from EK to Livi, at 50mph you'll do it in 30 mins, at 70mph you'll do it in what, 22 mins, hardly seems worth the extra fuel and arriving at work stressed from the drive to save a few mins - or that's the conclusion I came to!

[cuprabob]

Dodging the pot holes also keeps your interest and you're right it's not 40 miles, around 30 miles depending where in EK you start and where in Livi you finish.

[KB_S1]

Where in Livingston?

You can approach from several ways depending on where you are trying to get too.

[SteellFJ]

KB_S1 said:

Where in Livingston?

You can approach from several ways depending on where you are trying to get too.

west side, near Bannatynes Gym not far from where a71 comes in to Livingston.

[cuprabob]

SteellFJ said:

west side, near Bannatynes Gym not far from where a71 comes in to Livingston.

That's where I work and tend to come off M8 either J4 or 3A depending on my mood

You need to time is right when leaving in the evening as you can get caught up in all banking traffic between 5pm and 5:30pm

[KB_S1]

You could play around with different routes then and come off at Shotts, cutting over to the A71 or come off at J3A.
It is usually Deer Park area that is really busy during work spells.

My GF works in Livi and she finds if the weather is poor she can be quicker using the A71. That is coming from Shotts.

[SteellFJ]

cuprabob said:

That's where I work and tend to come off M8 either J4 or 3A depending on my mood

yeah I think I would be much the same, just need to see how all goes in actually getting the job.

cheers for everything guys, really helped clear a wee niggle in my head about all, if Ayrshire to west Lothian isn't an issue then I'm sure I'll manage!

[cuprabob]

SteellFJ said:

yeah I think I would be much the same, just need to see how all goes in actually getting the job.

cheers for everything guys, really helped clear a wee niggle in my head about all, if Ayrshire to west Lothian isn't an issue then I'm sure I'll manage!

You soon get used to it and find out all the alternatives. It is 3 hours of my day min. so can't say I enjoy it. I used to do it in a R32 which was more fun but it was bankrupting me :-)

Good luck with getting the job

[SteellFJ]

cheers man!

i'll try post result up here!

[BonzoG]

When you get on the M8, cruise along in the inside lane enjoying the radio, and make a mental note of any particular vehicle that sticks out in the outside lane for whatever reason.

When you get to Livingston and it all slows down due to the traffic joining, have a little chuckle to yourself when you realise that you can still see the car you made note of earlier, except they've probably been doing the whole accelerate-brake-accelerate-brake thing all the way from Newhouse, whilst you're completely stress free and barely 20 seconds behind them having not touched the brakes since the Bellshill bypass.

If you can manage that it's a doddle of a commute.

[IainW]

BonzoG said:

When you get on the M8, cruise along in the inside lane enjoying the radio, and make a mental note of any particular vehicle that sticks out in the outside lane for whatever reason.

When you get to Livingston and it all slows down due to the traffic joining, have a little chuckle to yourself when you realise that you can still see the car you made note of earlier, except they've probably been doing the whole accelerate-brake-accelerate-brake thing all the way from Newhouse, whilst you're completely stress free and barely 20 seconds behind them having not touched the brakes since the Bellshill bypass.

Done that myself over the past month. Been commuting from J4 to Edinburgh Royal for 6 weeks and travelling mainly between half 4 and 6 at night. Made much better progress sticking to the left hand lane than some of the muppets hogging the right. Same goes for the city bypass!

If you're working at that end, then I can suggest this route, as I used to work at the old NEC Computers factory in Kirkton Campus, as well as around the corner from there occasionally in my last job. Come off at J4, head for Blackburn, take the B792 towards West Calder, but cut off a few miles later at the lights and take the B7015 past the old Freeport and that'll take you right into Kirkton Campus next to the Alba Campus. Handy route if you're starting or finishing around the time the Sky and Intelligent Finance traffic is about.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=East+Kilbride&...

Edited by IainW on Wednesday 1st February 23:43