Anyone enjoy their daily commute?

Fo Real

Does anybody out there enjoy their daily commute? You can use the time to

• catch up with the news with the free Metro Herald paper
• get stuck into a good book
• listen to music/radio
• watch a DVD on your laptop
• browse the internet on your smartphone
• sleep!

Let's be less negative about things people! Obviously depending on your mode of transport, some of these activities aren't possible e.g. sleeping isn't recommended if you drive to work, and maybe it wouldn't be worthwhile to take out your laptop on a crowded Dublin bus. My commute consists of a 30min train journey and I see the time as a welcome chance to relax. Needless to say I enjoy the homeward journey more than the journey to work

amacachi

Don't mind the journey to Dublin, get to watch anime or the previous night's US TV shows or read a book or whatever. Don't like the journey home with the weather we've been having lately, an hour and a half on a packed bus with wet socks is no fun.

Cookie_Monster

Usually.

If nice (not raining) its a ten min cycle.
If its not, it 10 mins in the car listening to the radio.

either way its short and sweet

robd

Yep.

25 mins in car. Live in inner North Dublin suburb and work just off M1. Going against traffic with only a few pinch points and traffic lights. Nice bit of music or current affairs or news depending on humor. Fall out of bed around 8:20. At desk with coffee in hand for latest 9:05. Get a nice bit of a speed blast up M1 too.

Victor

amacachi wrote: »

with wet socks is no fun.

Bring change of socks! Not perfect, but it helps.

Be wary of changing socks in company.

amacachi

Victor wrote: »

Bring change of socks!

Not perfect, but it helps.

I'd need spare runners/shoes as well and I don't think my fellow 50 commuters would be too happy with me changing socks on the bus. :pac:

Blacey

I do. I commute to UCD from another part of Dublin - it takes me 2 buses and anything from 50 minutes if I catch an xpresso bus, or an hour and a half if it's raining. I take a travel mug of coffee in the morning, my ebook reader (so I'm never stuck for something to read), or maybe watch a TED video on my phone. Earphones in, hood up, coffee in hand. It's my only bit of 'me' time in the day. I used to cycle but between the rain and missing out on my reading time, I gave it up.

Propellerhead

Fo Real wrote: »

Does anybody out there enjoy their daily commute? You can use the time to

• catch up with the news with the free Metro Herald paper

Why do we have to have the creepy vendors thrusting the comic at us? At least in London you have a choice to pick it up from the bins, appropriately enough.

matrim

My current commute is a 10 minute walk which is nice but I do sometimes miss the slightly longer 25 minutes I used to have on the Luas as it was a good time to catch up on my reading.

trad

My commute is by Dart to Greystones. Has to be one of the most picturesque stretches of sceneary on a commute. Likewise if I'm collecting my daughter from school the coastal route along the Vico Road spectacular unless you commute along the Sky Road.

eigrod

trad wrote: »

My commute is by Dart to Greystones. Has to be one of the most picturesque stretches of sceneary on a commute. Likewise if I'm collecting my daughter from school the coastal route along the Vico Road spectacular unless you commute along the Sky Road.

I'm the same commute, and usually enjoy it. The last couple of weeks have been hard though cos the DARTS are all delayed due to 'leaves on the line and traction issues'. I've been travelling this route daily for 13+ years on the DART (well, from Bray before the Greystones line opened) and never remember an Autumn where it's been delayed by so much and so frequently.

Each of the last 10 evenings or so it's been 20-30 minutes late getting into Greystones.

From January to September it's nice though.

senordingdong

Two buses...Clare Hall to Adamstown.
It's rough even with an ipod/book, but he biggest problem is how long it takes.

diceyreilly

Wouldn't say i enjoy it, but i don't hate it..

45 mins Dublin bus ew..

Swords to Abbey St..

Polar101

30-60 minutes with Dublin Bus.. I quite like it, as I spend the time listening to audiobooks on my iPod.

xalot

Yeah, I have a 50 min very fast walk to work in the morning. I love it, really wakes me up. Feel really energised by the time I get to the office.

Fo Real

xalot wrote: »

Yeah, I have a 50 min very fast walk to work in the morning. I love it, really wakes me up. Feel really energised by the time I get to the office.

Whoa, 50 mins?! :eek: You should consider entering a marathon

yungwan

Yes - I have an approx 40 minute drive to work but I never meet traffic or endure any waits.

So I actually enjoy the peace I get on my way to work. The radio on to catch up on the news, and good music. And it also give me time to wake up and relax after the morning bedlam of getting son ready and fed etc.

I like it less on the way home for some reason. I guess in the morning i want to delay getting to work, whereas in the evening I want to get home asap and I hate dark driving.

KC61

I generally enjoy my commute too - 60 mins generally between 2 buses (or bus and train) and a brisk 15 minute walk. I listen to a lot of podcasts and read my Irish Times. I can and do vary the route between various corridors.

But jeepers do I notice the change in the traffic - miss my usual buses and the journey time can extend by 30 minutes!!!

littleredspot

Nice to see so much positivity for a change

I used to have a 25 minute cycle out from the city center along the canal. I swear it would change your outlook for the whole day. Never dreaded going into work. Always enjoyed my "me time", very relaxing with only swans and ducks for company most of the way. Kept me fit and full of energy into the bargain.

mikemac

20 minute cycle in, about 25 minutes home

Might sound strange but I often end up racing other cyclists

Someone overtakes me, I'll bust a gut to overtake them again. I've a racing bike but horrendously unfit but I do my best.

Same the other way, if I breeze past a cyclist they'll hammer after me, and usually overtake me.
It shortens the commute and it's a bit of fun

Ever find the people who live close to work are always late and the people with long commutes are always on time? I never did figure that one out

phasers

If I'm getting the bus I can't do any of that stuff bar listening to music because I get motion sickness

When I'm driving I love it, nothing like a bit of road rage to wake you up in the morning

angel01

I don't really enjoy it because it is long and tiring, what makes it better is that I go online on my phone and go on twitter and that way I don't notice the time going and that gets me through!

Goonerette

Oh yay, a positive thread on this subforum. Nope, commuting isn't all that bad. It's 60 minutes each way for me (DART + Luas). The iPhone makes all the difference. As others have said, I too enjoy the "me" time when I don't have to interact with anyone else, just do the things I like. I get to listen to my favourite music, read the newspaper, Twitter, listen to podcasts/watch videos, play games etc.

mrsdewinter

I've come to enjoy my commute as well. As long as I'm organised - iPod, good book - the 45-minute journey is pretty enjoyable. I don't start work till 10am, and I'm not rushing home to pick up kids from creche in the evening, so I'm pretty lucky.

Chris_5339762

30 minute walk or a 30 minute drive. Either is good, I dont have to wake up any earlier if its raining, the decision is made when I leave the house.

Benny_Cake

45 minute motorway drive for me,no traffic issues (Naas to Portlaoise). Pretty boring road,but I usually enjoy the drive in the morning with a coffee and listening to the radio. Have to say I miss my Dart commutes in Dublin sometimes though, I've really fallen behind on my reading!

Zebra3

15-25 mins cycle.

Showers are available in work otherwise I wouldn't do it.

Without doubt I'm the freshest person in work at the start of each day.

ongarboy

I have to say I don't mind my commute by train too as I get a later than peak train which always has seats and likewise in the evening. Really enjoying reading the Metro Herald as my 20 min train commute matches the time it takes me to read it in the morning and I use my evening commute to catch up on whatever paperback I'm reading - I never read at any other time! Used to hate commuting when I had to stand on the peak services but thankfully I no longer have to leave at those times.

I also enjoy the 15 minute walk at either side of my train journey (rainy nights like tonight excluded :mad:)

mullingar

3 minute drive.

Half of that is a dual carriageway. Only 2 roundabouts to stop me.

In a 3.0 Automatic GS300 (12 years old now)

Guaranteed parking space

Engine is never fully warmed by the time I turn off the ignition :D

L1011

Twenty second walk to my office. Unfortunately, it has wheels

rameire

55 to 60 min drive from athy to central park leopardstown.
i actually enjoy the drive, even through the rain.
most of it is on motorway or dual carriageway and only 10km is on single carriage way, which is brand new and a pleasure to drive.
i drive a motorbike so i get to look in on car drivers and see what they are reading, holding, drinking, eating, picking, and talking to.
the most enjoyable part though is getting home in 55-60 min when by car it could be up to 2 hours.

journeyman

I have a 25 - 35 minute (door-to-door) commute (depending on the traffic) mostly driving along the M50. It's great - free flow most of the way even though it's rush hour. I listen to podcasts during the commute ((international) current affairs, documentaries, TED lectures, etc.).
Having said that, 50 minutes door-to-door is about the max I'd want.

journeyman

Ben D Bus

Really enjoy my morning commute.

About 15 minutes on the 79A. I don't do anything, just stare out the window gathering my thoughts. Followed by a moderately paced 20 minute walk along Abbey St (largely noise & traffic free), picking up a large mocha along the way.

I feel fresh & awake by the time I get into the office.

Evenings not so good simply because I just want to get home asap (I usually go to the gym/pool after work so it's 8-ish before I'm homebound)

Mycroft H

about 1 hour and 40 minutes in the morning.

1hr 10 minutes on a BE bus and another 30 minutes on a DB bus.

Commute in the morning is okay. The traffic is usually light and the bus is empty. I usually sleep or listen to the news.

The commute back can often be over two hours. Combination of the heavy evening traffic in the city and the unreliability of dublin bus usually annoys me.

Ciaran_B

30 minute cycle - I love it and I feel wide awake when I get in. The same going home. It's an hour of good exercise every day.

Mec-a-nic

phasers wrote: »

If I'm getting the bus I can't do any of that stuff bar listening to music because I get motion sickness

Practice! I used to have terrible motion sickness, but after years of reading papers, books and now smartphones, I can have the head down for my full ~30min journey without feeling any queasiness.

'Enjoy' my commute, yes, it's either the quick bus journey above, dublin-citywest-dublin, against the flow so little traffic delays, or a ~45min cycle, mostly along the canal and Camac valley. (It's Morton's, not Dublin Bus which helps with the enjoyment)
I hire a car when I need to drive anywhere, works out a lot cheaper over the year.

Flukey

My commute isn't too bad, although it has been ruined by Network They Wrecked, so not as good as it used to be. Anyway, I normally listen to Morning Ireland on my reliable radio/cassette Walkman, and look at the world I am going by.

smk89

I love my half hour bus journey to college. Mostly because there are some weird dressers out there, fat pants and a t shirt on one today. Its November