Commuting times

Gillo

I'm curious about how much time people are spending travelling to and from work/college/school.

I spend 3 1/2 to 4 hours a day in total, and never really thought much of it since have been doing it for 8 years now, but I'm thinking of going to college in September (study by night after work), this means that I'd leave the house at 7:20am and get home around 12:30am (pretty cool getting home before you leave!!) 2 nights a week for 4 years. As a result I am thinking of getting a crappy bedsit in town (walking distance to college & work) and staying there a few nights a week.

Enough waffle, the thing I am curious to see if I am the exception or the norm with regard to travel.

How long do you spend commuting every day?
And what do you do to manage it (walkman, sleep, read)?

jesus_thats_gre

Its something I take into consideration.. I personally consider the commute to work as part of my working week, basically it is something I have to do in the same way as work...

I am originally from Dundalk which is a big enough town but is still small compared to Dundalk.. Living on the edge of town, it would take at most 15 minutes to drive into work in the town centre.. Same with college, was 10 mins down the road by car.. Was pretty much used to this for 15 years...

Moved to Dublin last summer to work and lived in the city centre and worked out in Leopardstown.. So the daily commute was an average of 40 mins each way.. Effectively 80 mins a day which i was not used too.. I recently moved out to Leopardstown and am within 15 minutes walk to work again..

It really makes such a difference.. I dont understand how people can spend so much of their time commuting. Its not worth it to be honest.. To answer your question, I used the radio on my mobile or a MP3 discman to keep me occupied.

40 hours a week in work plus 20 commuting is way too much on top of college.. I cant see how you couldnt justify 100 euro a week for 20 hours of your life back..

seamus

Lucan - Harcourt Street via N4, down the canal, onto leonard's corner and onto south circular.

25 minutes.

I love my bike

jesus_thats_gre

seamus wrote:

Lucan - Harcourt Street via N4, down the canal, onto leonard's corner and onto south circular.

25 minutes.

I love my bike

The perfect solution. Commute to work and fitness all rolled into one...

Stark

Takes me an hour to travel 4 miles to college every morning by bus. In the evening it can take 2 1/2 hours to get home as the bus drivers get lazy about showing up (I often just walk home, I'm tired and sweaty but at least I get home in 45 mins).

Cork City is too dangerous for cycling to college

jesus_thats_gre

Stark wrote:

Cork City is too dangerous for cycling to college

Sounds like a lovely place

Between 30 and 45 seconds depending on whether it is raining or not

seamus

jesus_thats_gre wrote:

The perfect solution. Commute to work and fitness all rolled into one...

Ha! Motorbike. Fitness gain == 0

I'd be doing well to make Lucan to Harcourt st in 25 mins on a pushbike. Although it would mean I could ignore the one-way system like all other cyclists do

dazberry

Inchicore - Town via Thomas St (51b/51c) - 20-35 minutes summer, 30-45m winter, 65m a couple of times with Luas works.

Inchicore - Town via North Quays (68/69) - 30m summer, 45+ winter.

Town - Inchicore via Thomas St (51b/51c) - 25-40m

Town - Inchicore via Cunningham Rd (68/69) - 20-25m all year round

Quickest ever Inchicore to Town - 15m
Quickest ever Town - Inchicore - 11m

D.

Victor

30+ minute walk or 10 minute bus + 5-10 minute walk if I'm lazy (i.e. most days)

Greenman

20 mins there and 25 mins home along a lovely canal then on to a converted railway line through a forest and I'm home after crossing one road in total.
I love living and cycling in the Flemish part of Belgium,No broken glass lots of cyclists and not a undesireable person to be seen.
PS I'm getting 66 E's a month TAX FREE from the government and my boss for cycling "GREAT"

thejollyrodger

15 min on my bike to the town

eth0_

I live in Drogheda and work in the IFSC. I get the train to work, it takes me 15 mins to walk to the station and the train takes an hour in the morning and 45 mins to get home.
I listen to my iPod on the train, i'm too tired to read in the mornings and never have a seat on the way home, so it's all I *can* do.

Tommy Vercetti

Between 1.5 and 2 hours, depending on the shift I'm on, or the days I'm working for a total 70 mile journey. Public transport is not an option, and I am no Lance Armstrong.

jesus_thats_gre

eth0_ wrote:

I live in Drogheda and work in the IFSC. I get the train to work, it takes me 15 mins to walk to the station and the train takes an hour in the morning and 45 mins to get home.
I listen to my iPod on the train, i'm too tired to read in the mornings and never have a seat on the way home, so it's all I *can* do.

The ould tin cans are quite uncomfortable at peak period alright..

cyclopath2001

30 minutes each way door to door by bicycle unless I'm forced to 'decentralise', then it'll be 2 hours each way by car.

Sarsfield

30 minutes on the bus followed by a 20 minute walk on the way in.

Going home, 20 minute walk and 15 minutes on the bus if I manage to catch the 78.

I love the walking bit - a nice wake-up on the way in and a wind-down on the way home.

trap4

20 seconds, from breakfast table to bedroom office

Used to be 45 minute walk each way on job numer 1 nine years ago. Then 30 minute drive each way on job number 2 seven years ago. Then 15 minute drive each way on job number 3 six years ago. Then 5 minute walk each way on final 'job' four years ago. Anyone spotted a trend yet?

Obviously commuting-time / quality-of-life has been a major influence throughout my 'career' thus far. Thus the ultimate decision to work for myself.

~~~~~~~~~~~
-Jim.
http://eirepreneur.blogs.com

Furp

Navan to Dublin and back each day, roughly between 40mins to 1 hr and twenty each way, so thats a total of 2 hours each day or more.

There have been exceptions like at the moment everyone seems to be on holidays so its only taking me 40 minutes to get to work, leaving at 6.30am, and the longest was one day earlier on this year when it took me 2.5 hours to get into work.

I am looking for a job closer to home as my son is only 10 months old and have antother one on the way, so i ahte all this travelling, since i moved out of dublin last year due to not being able to afford a 3-Bed house here.

I used to only ever be 20 mins away from work, which i miss now.

As for what i do while travelling usually just listen to the radio.

fletch

I spend 3 and a half hours travellin 2 work on a good day...that has stretched 2 5hrs dependin on traffic, making dart-train connections etc.... I have 2 get a train into town....then a dart out of town and then a bus to work...and then the same home again!! Once I settle down with my MP3 player or read a magazine, I dont even notice the time go by.

nagero

10 min cycle home -> station
1h train carlow -> heuston
2min walk to work.

same in the evening.

nagero

seamus

fletch wrote:

I spend 3 and a half hours travellin 2 work on a good day...that has stretched 2 5hrs dependin on traffic, making dart-train connections etc.... I have 2 get a train into town....then a dart out of town and then a bus to work...and then the same home again!! Once I settle down with my MP3 player or read a magazine, I dont even notice the time go by.

This is the kind of thing that confuses me. Have you thought about moving? Or getting a different form of transport? Or a different job?

Personally, I wouldn't think any job is worth 3.5 hours of my day travelling.

sliabh

5 minutes walk to Luas station (Milltown), 0-10 minutes wait for a Luas :-) then 10 minutes to Sandyford and 3 minutes walk to office. It used to be 25-30 minutes drive with more in the evenings on the way home.

Even if the Luas was slightly slower I would still take it. I prefer someone else to do my driving so I can read and listen to music.

Up until recently I used to live in Ranelagh and walk to the IFSC. That was 35 minutes. Doing it I learned that the weather in Ireland is not as bad as people make out. You would only use an umbrella 2-3 days a month even in winter.

At the moment I am in Germany 3 days a week. Does my 40 minutes to airport, 1.5 hours waiting for plane, 2.5 hours flight and 30 minutes to hotel (>5hrs) count as a commute?

:-)

Sleipnir

sliabh wrote:

Doing it I learned that the weather in Ireland is not as bad as people make out. You would only use an umbrella 2-3 days a month even in winter. :-)

That is very true.
I drive for about 45 mins and then walk from Rathmines to Leeson St which takes about 25 minutes.
Been doing that for about two years and have only been drenched once.

Gillo

seamus wrote:

This is the kind of thing that confuses me. Have you thought about moving? Or getting a different form of transport? Or a different job?

Personally, I wouldn't think any job is worth 3.5 hours of my day travelling.

Thing is I live in Skerries and love the place, thats why I live there. could get a job in the town but would have to take a drop of around €4000 which as you can imagine don't want to do. But if you work out the maths;
€1000 a year on transport
€3500 - €4000 a yeah on food (If I worked in Skerries I could go home and have proper food for lunch)
I could actually save money by taking a drop and working locally, and that not even considering that I would work opposite HMV. (don't you just love impulse buiying on our lunch!!!)

I was thinking of getting a very small bedsit in town, and sleeping there a few nights a week, I sure alot of people actually do this or am I just thinking too big?

fletch

seamus wrote:

This is the kind of thing that confuses me. Have you thought about moving? Or getting a different form of transport? Or a different job?

Personally, I wouldn't think any job is worth 3.5 hours of my day travelling.

I live at home with my parents (saves me alot of money) and am on a one years work placement so I can't exactly just move job.
I am saving for a car at the moment but that takes time and my insurance will cost €3200 min, plus 1hr on the M50 every morning, not the most relaxing of places to be, rather sit on a train & let the train driver do the worryin

topgold

I live in Kilkenny and commute 38 miles to Clonmel four days a week. I have to go to Dublin every Friday (80 miles). But my dogs like Kilkenny better than any other bog where I've camped in Ireland since 1994 so since they like hanging around in a big garden, they rule. Besides, Kilkenny has better pints than Dublin or Clonmel and that alone would force my place of residence.

Tuars

I've never had to commute more than 15 minutes each way but then I've been fortunate enough to find some decent IT jobs somewhere other than Dublin, Cork, Limerick, or Galway. They're rare enough these days though.

Slightly related post on kottke.org today:
How not to buy happiness

nlgbbbblth

gillo wrote:

How long do you spend commuting every day?
And what do you do to manage it (walkman, sleep, read)?

assuming no delays

6:20am - get up
7:05am - leave house. My wife drives me to Newbridge train station
7:10am - get train to Heuston
7:50am - arrive in Heuston. Get Dublin Bus to city centre
8:15am - get off at Eden Quay. Walk to Tara St DART station and get DART
8:35am - arrive in Blackrock
8:40am - arrive in work. have breakfast.

same again in the evenings. leave work at 5pm - usually arrive back in Newbridge at 6:30pm assuming no delays.

if I leave work at 5:05pm I am greeted with an 18 minute gap at the DART station [yes 18 mins at peak times] and thereby miss my train at Heuston and don't get into Newbridge til almost 7:30pm. One hour later - all for the sake of 5 mins and a poxy DART timetable

I read and listen to the discman.
Beats driving any day.

vector

Stark wrote:

Takes me an hour to travel 4 miles to college every morning by bus. In the evening it can take 2 1/2 hours to get home as the bus drivers get lazy about showing up (I often just walk home, I'm tired and sweaty but at least I get home in 45 mins).

Cork City is too dangerous for cycling to college

Wear a reflective belt, and cycle in the centre of the road in slow moving traffic, once its moving above 15mph move to the left though.

BTW communiting time data was collected in the last census (2002) a question asking each candidate how long his daily commute took, and on what mode of transport.

Lafortezza

75 mins from my door (Deansgrange) to Dublin Airport.
The same going home.

god bless the 746

Zaph0d

I have zero commute time as I now work from home. I always found the commute the hardest part of any job. In the morning was the bleary bit, spent in an hour-long panic about whether I would be late - I always was. After work I would sit on a gridlocked bus in the pre-QBC era and wipe a patch in the condensation covered window. I'd look down miserably at the single occupancy cars filling the road. You have to wonder at the brute stupidity of granting public servants free parking so they can jam the city with cars travelling at 7 miles per hour.

Glad that's over!

cyclopath2001

>>You have to wonder at the brute stupidity of granting public servants free parking so they can jam the city with cars travelling at 7 miles per hour.<<

It's unfair to pick on the PS, they're not the only ones with free parking. Anyway, many do cycle or use public transport.

There is nothing more absurd to see acres of roadspace wasted on single-occupant cars.

The government's decentralisation scheme intends to move thousands of PS to offices outside of the city & out of reach of cycling or direct public transport, so expect to see many more PS in cars struggling to drive across the city to get to work.

Forcing more people to drive cars (and pay lots more tax) is just one way the government intends to finance the huge costs of the scheme.

Genghis

My commute is:

8 minute drive to train station
60 minute train journet to Heuston
25 minute cycle to work.

I used to have to take 2 buses in Dublin, and between slow moving buses and time waiting for the second bus, it would take 1 hr to reach work from Heuston. Additional benefits include the exercise, but more importantly - control - I know to the minute now how long it will take for me to get from Heuston to work and vice versa - relying on buses this was always variable. The result is I have never missed a train since I began cycling, with buses this was a weekly occurence.

When you think about it, 3 hours + per day does seem an awful lot. However, I think you have to be positive about it. I consider my commute "personal time" - it is 1hr extra sleep in the morning, an hours reading in the evening (which I wouldn't otherwise do), and 50 mins extra exercise per day. I also don't have to shower/shave at home, I can do all that at work and be fresher for the day (buses can have you sweaty and smelly before you get in to work).

Now if I did that commute by car, it would be probably close to 4 hours dead time, and 4 hours energy-draining driving a day. Now that would kill me.

sliabh

Genghis wrote:

Now if I did that commute by car, it would be probably close to 4 hours dead time, and 4 hours energy-draining driving a day. Now that would kill me.

Of all the commuting options car's have to be the worst for that reason. It's dead time. You can't read, there is no exercise benefit. The most you can do is listen to music. It really does take your time and give you nothing in return. Give me any other option over a car, even for a short journey time.

jlang

Genghis wrote:

My commute is:
8 minute drive to train station
60 minute train journet to Heuston
25 minute cycle to work.

What kind of cycle storage facilities are there in Heuston? I'm not sure I'd feel safe leaving a bike there over night/weekends.

Genghis

jlang wrote:

What kind of cycle storage facilities are there in Heuston? I'm not sure I'd feel safe leaving a bike there over night/weekends.

The facilities are excellent at Heuston. There is a large bike shed for maybe 300 bikes, along with further 'uncovered' parking for maybe another 200 bikes. I have never had any trouble getting a covered place, and I tend to get the last or second-last commuting train of the day.

With a good lock, there is no problem regarding theft. I did notice one time that my combo lock was set to 'all 7s' after a long weekend - that suggests to me that someone is trying all combo locks for all same number codes - there are probably enough people who use the same digit four times to make it worth someones while to try crack the codes.

The biggest problem, in fact, is abandoned bikes. Probably 1/3 of the space is taken up with bikes that look like they are there years.

laoisfan

Hi

I travel up/down from Laois everyday (from Borris-In-Ossory area) to Eastpoint Business Park. I sometimes drive but mostly bus (believe it or not the bus is quicker than getting a train from Portlaoise).

(morning).
I get up a 5:15am Mon - Friday.
Get the Bus from either Mountrath, sometimes Portlaoise. Mountrath, departs at 6:25am.
Lately, have been getting to Connolly station (go down by the IFSC and up the back of Connolly Station) about 8:15am.
I usually walk out to Eastpoint Business Park, normally at my desk by 8:50am.

(evening)
Well, have a choice of buses Cork (if I park in Portlaoise) or Limerick buses.
I usually get home by 8:30pm and that is with me leaving work around 5:30pm.

I know, people are rolling there eyes right now I bet

--laoisfan

luckat

Cycle from Kenilworth (the area around what was the Kenilworth/Classic cinema) to town - 10 minutes to the Green or 20 to O'Connell Street.

It's also currently a price hole for houses - houses here must be 30k cheaper than across the Harold's Cross Road in Rathgar. Big Thirties and Forties semis with comfortable gardens and solid walls and Art Deco fitup and garages.

Nice place: kids play on the roads in the back streets, on Sundays the air is filled with the rrr-rrr of *manual* lawnmowers, neighbours hold keys for each other, it's within a satchel's throw of a dozen excellent schools, and it's on a few bus routes: 83, 18 to Sandymount, 16A to airport, 19A, 54, 16, 49. Walk a few hundred yards each way and you can get the 123 (Drimnagh to Marino) or the 17 in Terenure to go out to Blackrock or to UCD.

Dub13

sliabh wrote:

Doing it I learned that the weather in Ireland is not as bad as people make out. You would only use an umbrella 2-3 days a month even in winter.:-)

Very true,I have been driving a bike to work for the last 3 years and I have only had to put my rain gear on maybe 15/20 times....so its not that bad out there folks.

Flukey

I don't drive and my work can take me to different parts of the city and county of Dublin. Currently I am working in Mulhuddart for a couple of weeks. I live over on the southside of the city, so I have to get a bus in and another out of the city. I am getting up at 6:30 and leaving the house for a bus at 7:15 which takes me into town for another bus which leaves town about 7:55. I get to my destination between 8:45am and 9am. I leave there about 4:45pm and I am home between 6:15pm and 6:30pm. Luckily, it is only until the end of next week.

loyatemu

5 mins drive to station in Bray
50 minutes DART to Clontarf Rd.
10 minutes walk to Eastpoint (or sometimes get the shuttle bus)

the dart is fairly frustrating - it's only 14 miles or so from Bray to Clontarf by rail - 50 minutes is not great even allowing for all the stops.

It's also getting less and less reliable. Any time there is heavy rain the service just stops - you'd think they would have fixed the drainage problems during the recent upgrade works, but you'd be wrong.

positron

Genghis wrote:

The facilities are excellent at Heuston. There is a large bike shed for maybe 300 bikes, along with further 'uncovered' parking for maybe another 200 bikes. I have never had any trouble getting a covered place, and I tend to get the last or second-last commuting train of the day...

Sorry to resurrect this tread, but I... MUST... KNOW.....

Anyone know if there are any similar facilities in Connolly station? I commute from Drogheda, and I am considering enrolling for a two year long part-time program in DIT, which would mean, two late evenings a week. I am not sure if I would survive a long day + 3 hours of class and 2 + 2.5 kilometers (Work to DIT Kevin St & DIT to Connolly/Pearse) walk twice a week!

thanks!

Dub13

daymobrew

positron wrote:

Anyone know if there are any similar facilities in Connolly station? I commute from Drogheda, and I am considering enrolling for a two year long part-time program in DIT, which would mean, two late evenings a week. I am not sure if I would survive a long day + 3 hours of class and 2 + 2.5 kilometers (Work to DIT Kevin St & DIT to Connolly/Pearse) walk twice a week!

None that I know of (have you tried phoning the station?).
You could consider a folding bike that you could bring onto the train.

I used to see a guy get off a Heuston, take the folded bike out of a bag and head off. So you could even bring the bike indoors at work and DIT.

loyatemu

IE's website says there is bike parking at Connolly
http://www.iarnrodeireann.ie/your_journey/your_station.asp?letter=C&action=showdetail&station_id=45

I think its over beside platform 2, where the entrance to the carpark used to be (how do you get into the carpark now that the ramp is gone?)

positron

daymobrew, thanks for the info, I did look into the folding bikes option - but I already have a good bit of luggage to leg around (laptop etc) and also they seems to be a bit on the expensive side!! I will keep 'google'ing anyway! Thanks!!

loyatemu, I see there's a car park sign next to platform 2, I will check at the information counter this evening and see whats the story. However, I don't think they would tell me how many gets stolen or wrecked..! Thanks for the link!

Bluetonic

loyatemu wrote:

I think its over beside platform 2, where the entrance to the carpark used to be (how do you get into the carpark now that the ramp is gone?)

The car park entrance is on Sheriff Street Lower on it's meeting with Commons Street. It's been there years.

orbital83

Longford - Dublin
Assuming no delays (and in fairness there aren't many)

5.15am ... get up
6.05am ... leave house (walk to station)
6.20am ... depart Longford station
8.25am ... arrive at Tara St
8.30am ... arrive at work

4.50pm ... leave work
5.00pm ... depart Connolly
6.40pm ... arrive at Longford station
6.55pm ... arrive home

total time travelling 4 hours 30 per day

What do i do? sleep, read the paper, listen to mp3/radio, do sudoko, stare out the window with sheer boredom... or the odd time you might see someone u know to chat to!

Ah the joys of 2006 Ireland

positron

Checked at the information counter at Connolly - they do have a bike park - near second platform, but he wouldn't recommend it himself - unlike the facilities at Hueston station, this is not secure - so he wouldn't recommend leaving a bike there overnight.

There were atleast a dozen bikes there though.

craigybagel

20 min journey each way on the dreaded no. 8 in cork.The bus is fine its just its unreliability of it with buses regularly not showing up with no explanation.Im only a student so its not the end of the world if im late but id hate to be reliant on the cork bus service to get to real work!
Roll on september when i move to the city centre and say goodbye to my €40 a month bus pass...........