Comments on: Costs of Commuting, and Nine Ways To Reduce Them

By: marci

marci — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:47:59 +0000

@EmcySquare – It’s not an excuse for a lot of people but rather REALITY that a bike is NOT a feasible option…. How do you drop the kids off at the sitter’s, or have an emergency pickup of a sick child or grandchild at school, or transport kids to activities? How do you get the 4H animal to the fair? How do you take your survey equipment to the site? How do you arrive clean and dry (when it rains 300 days a year here) for work or an interview? How do you bring the hay bale or the chicken feed home from the feed store? How do you take a sick child to the doctor or emergency room in the rain or a windstorm?

And in my area, it is NOT faster to ride a bike – it’s much slower. There are no traffic jams – just a lot of miles to contend with. And no, public transportation is not an option in many rural areas either.

While I think it’s great that some folks have nothing but themselves to worry about on a bike, there are others who have to TOTE stuff or kids around, and when it blows 50 mph or rains so much, it’s just not a feasible alternative. That’s reality – not an excuse. A bike will not work for everyone.

By: littlepitcher

littlepitcher — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:02:56 +0000

See if you can find a park-and-ride location. If you can find a shopping center or other public lot which allows you to park your vehicle and take the bus from that location to work and back, it definitely will shave dollars and nerves off your commute.
Note: check first. WalMart was not friendly to commuters, despite their huge lot and bus stop at the front door. You do not want your ride towed.

By: EmcySquare

EmcySquare — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:20:53 +0000

BIKES !! BIKES !! BIKES !!
That’s the REAL way to go, all the rest are just compromises, not the real thing.
If you are fit, you ride your bike.
If you are not… you really should.
I do 13Km per day, anybody can. No excuses.

I Ride my bike to work 3/4 times a week. I get to work FASTER than with a car or the subway: no jams, no strikes. I spend far less money, I have fun, need to drink one coffe less, and when I get home all the stress of the day has gone away.

Cars and Oil are in the PAST. Think in the future.

By: lisa

lisa — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:33:17 +0000

If you live in San Diego, go to http://www.iCommuteSD.com and check out the tools…you can calculate the cost of your commute, track your trips, find a partner for carpooling, get a bike locker, and best of all, enroll in the Guaranteed Ride Home program…where if your carpool ride gets sick or it starts snowing and you ride your bike or you get stuck with overtime, you can get a ride home. And it’s all free.

By: Daddy Paul

Daddy Paul — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 03:06:21 +0000

One thing I did in the summer is to park in a free lot 3 miles away. I kept my bike in the back of my truck and rode my bike down a trail. This not only saved me 10 miles a day driving (it was closer down the bike path than city streets) it saved me parking fees.
I take the tail gate off the back of my truck in the winter which brings the MPG up from 26 to 27.

By: Bucksome

Bucksome — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 02:08:11 +0000

After over a decade of commuting 50 miles roundtrip, we moved 3 miles from the office.

Yes, I save on gas and car wear and tear. More importantly has been the improved quality of life.

I can run home and have lunch with my husband. I leave the office and am in the door in 8 minutes (10 if I hit red lights).

By: Shawanda

Shawanda — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:29:53 +0000

I live in the D.C. area as well.

Although I don’t live far enough to slug to work, I’ve heard of people doing it. Slugging (http://www.slug-lines.com/) allows you greater flexibility than car pooling. You pick someone up in a slug-line so that you can use the HOV lane during rush hour. And yes, the passengers are generally complete strangers. The process can save even more money in reverse where you’re the passenger and not the driver.

During the warmer months, I’ll take a 7 to 10 minute bus ride to work. It’s really convenient since the bus drops me off directly in front of my office building. I’ll also drive to work and park far enough from the office so that I can park on the street for free. The walk from my car to the office is only about 1/2 mile. During the time periods when I actually park in a garage, I have my employer take out the monthly parking fee pre-tax from my paycheck.

By: jason

jason — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 02:53:29 +0000

Have to agree with the folks above who suggested biking as an alternative (and cheaper) way to get around metro areas. We relocated to be closer to work and the urban area around Denver and shortly after started riding as one of our primary sources of transportation. We got rid of one car, cut down on our mileage reported to the insurance company which saved us and aren’t hamstrung by gas prices should they go up in the summer. It certainly doesn’t work for everyone, but biking probably could work as an option for more than who already take advantage of it.

By: Sceptor

Sceptor — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 23:58:57 +0000

I live outside Toronto and have to commute 1.5 hours each way daily. Unfortunately, the free highway 401 (busiest highway in North America) is not an option during rush hour. As a result, I must pay $20 each way to commute via 407ETR (a private highway) gas time.

Therefore, it’s a no brainer as to why I’m moving my family closer this summer.

By: family finance

family finance — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:33:45 +0000

I have to agree with DC Commuter. I work in the DC area and the buses are actually quite convenient. Most come every 10-15 minutes if you are on a busy route and every 30 minutes on less busy routes. I enjoy the ride, bring a good book and don’t worry about the traffic.

I also have pretty flexible hours so that’s why I take the scenic route but for those with tight schedules… like almost everyone I know in the service industries, driving is your best bet.