HiFlite999

Dunno how true this is, but I do like living ~3 miles from my workplace. http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/...lth/55162620/1

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RIWWP

I'd believe it. The title is misleading though, since the article goes on to validly linking the long commute with the lack of time for anything else.

I can tell you though, this new job in Manhattan has me in a 1.5-2hr commute each way, but only 2-3 days each week. But those days that I do come in aren't exercise free. I do quite a bit of walking. It's been averaging a bit over an hour of walking each day. And it's not just meandering around. Anyone that has been to NYC, downtown Manhattan knows the truth when I say that the only people that walk slowly in NYC are tourists.

Relatively low percentage of overweight people on the sidewalks too. They exist, but largely not common.

SubliminalPollution

Interesting article, good find.

My Mon-Fri commute consists of 100 miles round trip if I drive and it does eat up a lot of my time about 2-2 1/2 hours daily depending on traffic. I'd come home cranky, tired, lazy and generally not okay. I've been riding the train/bike to work for the last month and I can say it does help with the frustration caused by commuting especially while driving.

Good thing I'm moving closer to work, 5 miles will be my round trip commute!

RIWWP

Interesting flip of mine.

If I drive to the PATH station, take that in, and then NYC subway to the stop next to my office, it's ~1.5hrs, I am usually in a much better mood and not drained.

If I take the commuter train, it's ~35 minute drive there, 10-20 minute wait (always have to give time to be on the safe side), then 1.5 to 2 hours from there to get to NY Penn Station to then walk over a few blocks to the subway line I need. I waste far more time, it's more expensive, I feel far more drained, and generally quite moody by the time I get to work, much less get back home. However, on really bad traffic days, this may be my only reasonable option to get into the office if needed.

If I was driving a commuter beater, then driving would probably be a complete PITA as well and I'd lose those positive results.

SayNoToPistons

Absolutely true. I cannot agree more.


Here's a little story as NYer. During my first two years of college, I attended our Manhattan campus. That required about 2.5-3 hrs of subway riding (most of which are standing). Some walking, especially for lunch.

Now for the last two years of college, I attend our Long Island campus. Requires about 3.5 hrs of driving and the most I walk is about 500-800ft a day to and from my car at the lot. Same with most of friends. I gained about 5-10 lbs in fat since last I attended Manhattan's campus.

I know there are many factors to this gain, but I know the commute and the lack of walking has MUCH to do with it. My gym routine (which has little to no cardio) hasn't changed either. I guess I'll make up for it when I really decide to . In all honesty, I much preferred my daily grind and commute to Manhattan via public transportation instead of driving. I can definitely tell a difference in my mood and energy level between the two different commutes. My friends and I have began "missing" Manhattan and walking.

SubliminalPollution

Yeah I can see having to set more time aside to make sure you catch public transportaion can eat even more time, expenses and add all the negatives.

This is where I see a flaw in the article. The location of ones home & work in conjunction to whether public transportaion vs. ones own trasportaion is more viable than the other is where I see problems occuring.

For instance...

I live near the beach and the train station is so close I can here it coming. Wait time is non-existent. Work is a 10 minute bike ride from the nearest train station.
Round trip ticket for me cost $7 dollars. Total travel time 55 minutes.

The freeway is 4 miles away. Early am traffic on/off average speed 50 MPH on a good day would take me a little over an hour to get to work. My daily driven accord drinks about 4 gallons of gas or roughly $16 dollars daily. Sometimes I could be stuck in traffic for an additional 30 minutes.

For me I find relaxation in riding the train/bike since I live and work so close to the stations.

In the end it just depends on every individual and what form of commuting is less of a hassel.

HiFlite999

I think the science of the article is restricted to their sample, automobile commuters, and their symptoms. The 'why' is left unanswered.

Agreed that living in an area like NYC may be better for you than being in "nature" 50 miles from your job. The observation that people in such cities seem to be in better shape could also be from a greater interest in one's appearance overall. (Not many fashionistas in Akron).

In any case, it's nice to have good transportation options. Living in Switzerland, the low-stress way to get to Zurich on Friday night was to hop the train and streetcars. But getting to a village in the Alps? Total pain by public transport and quite wonderful by car.

Here, I choose to live in a smaller house, and pay higher property taxes exactly so my daily commute is 10-20 minutes door-to-door by car, bus, or bicycle depending on how I want to do it that day. The stress I get at work is plenty, without adding a stressful commute to the mix. Gas mileage? With 160 commuting miles/month max, it hardly matters.

RIWWP

Entirely agree.

I chose to live that far out from the city, preferring to spend more in commuting time and commuting cost (and less in living costs) so I can avoid the stress of feeling city claustrophobic, unable to just get out and drive, no fresh air, etc...

fyrious<>

i'm one of the lucky ones, my drive is roughly 10mins. But i do agree, they have always said that driving increases blood pressure/stress, and if you have a long commute you are not going to have a lot of time for everything else.

I don't know about the U.S. but in Ontario, alot of the jobs are moving out west, alberta, etc. So people either have to get up and move or drive longer. For some reason, less people seem to be moving these days. IMO, if i had to drive longer then 45mins, i'd move.

HiFlite999

At least in the USA, many are people are stuck in houses they can't sell. Some of these and others have had to find work in distant locations, plus take a salary cut which means that even if they could sell, they could not qualify to buy another home. Still others have one spouse finding work 40 miles south, and another 50 miles north. I have sympathy for those in such situations.

I have less, if any, sympathy, for those who build McMansions out in the boonies where it's "cheap", then whine about their commutes and blame everyone but themselves for their high fuel costs.

YMMV

alnielsen

I've had short and long commutes. By car and by train. I presently have a drive similar to SubliminalPollution. I don't find it too bad. Traffic usually doesn't jam up. I think it's the frustration factor that gets to people. Sure I'd like to have a shorter drive and have more time, but I'm not moving for a job. Jobs don't last. You move to a place you want to live.

Razz1

I loved it when I worked 3 1/2 miles from home for years.

But the layoffs and companies moving it has nearly become a ghost town.

Now I have to drive 21 miles and I hate it.

12 1/2 miles is my max limit.

Unfortunately I agree with alnielsen, I love the beach area and will not move.

ShellDude

I drive 18 miles of hilly, ranch land, twisty back roads and 2 miles highway to work and then again home daily.

Takes between 30 and 40 minutes depending on how I drive.

Summed up, it's the most relaxing hour of my day.

xun4gvn4everx

Ya'll have it easy I use to drive 50 miles to work one way until I moved to my new apt 6 months ago. Now its only 25 miles. But sometimes I miss the long drive; cruising for an hour omw home re-leaved the stresses of the day...although it also re-leaved the money in my pocket

monchie

I live 2.8 miles from work. Never hardly driven the rx8 in long commutes. That's why the car's mileage is only 35k miles.

nycgps

what those people mean they have no time to execerise?

there is something call arrangements?

my job is to drive and its an almost 12 hr a day job, and to balance that, i do about 30 minutes of execerise almost every other day, i actually lost weight.