Daily Commute Advice

duffalosoldier

Hi, just looking to get some general opinions before I make a life changing commitment.
My wife and I have been renting and working in Dublin City Centre for the past 10 years. All changed with the arrival of our first child last year. With Dublin house prices soaring I can see no value in buying even on city outskirts. Having considered our options we've made a big call to return to her homeland in Kells Co. Meath. It will mean having to take on a daily commute of between 2.5 -3 hours return for myself as my work is committed to Dublin. Plan would be to spend maybe 1 night a week in Dublin.

Really just looking to see if anybody else has had similar experiences or if people believe the idea is a bit much. I've commuted regularly in the past but this would be more frequent.Opinions welcome.....

markpb

We did exactly the opposite just before our first child was born, we moved closer to work and paid the premium and, for me, it was totally worth it. I leave work at 5:30, pick my daughter up at 5:45 and am home at 6. My wife has to take a short Luas trip to get home so she's home by 6:20 most days. Our daughter is 18 months old and fast asleep by 7:15 most nights. If you're commuting for over an hour, you'll rarely see her. If you're staying over in Dublin, you'll definitely never see her. If your commuting that long each day, it'll take it's toll so that any time you spend with her, you'll be (extra) tired.

Ultimately it's down to personal opinion but I'm guessing your child will value time with her parents over a garden and vegetable plot.

AlekSmart

duffalosoldier wrote: »

Hi, just looking to get some general opinions before I make a life changing commitment.
My wife and I have been renting and working in Dublin City Centre for the past 10 years. All changed with the arrival of our first child last year. With Dublin house prices soaring I can see no value in buying even on city outskirts. Having considered our options we've made a big call to return to her homeland in Kells Co. Meath. It will mean having to take on a daily commute of between 2.5 -3 hours return for myself as my work is committed to Dublin. Plan would be to spend maybe 1 night a week in Dublin.

Really just looking to see if anybody else has had similar experiences or if people believe the idea is a bit much. I've commuted regularly in the past but this would be more frequent.Opinions welcome.....

It's a highly personal decision sure enuf...however there are many Boards opinions,44 pages-658 posts and counting, available on the efficacy of Public Bus Services to your new home 20....

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056416364&page=1

Enjoy

Idbatterim

have you worked out what tolls, fuel, depreciation etc will cost? Seems fairly mental amount of time to waste every day IMO... Obviously this doesnt apply if taking public transport, but the amount of time wasted is a serious consideration IMO...

delly

Hi OP. I am a commuter between Dundrum and just outside Drogheda on a daily basis. From '07 and '10 it was a shorter journey to Ballymount, so I have lived in the dreaded 2 lane, toll barrier M50, so maybe my outlook and experience now is tainted in a more positive way because of the those bad old days.

Overall I find the commute very manageable. I drive a decent and comfortable car, so don't have to rely on public transport and at the same time am in control of when exactly I head out. Some days are better than others, but generally leave at 7:30 to be in for 9:00, then finish around 17:30 to be home for 18:40. This gives me enough time to have dinner when I get home, spend about an hour playing with my 6 year old, then do the bedtime routine etc.

Overall I would see the perception of a long commute to be that bit worse than the reality, but I accept that everyone one is different. Even living in Dublin, you are still going to have a commute time, so the difference will be roughly the time it takes to get down the N3 and a little bit into Dublin, so ballpark the trip is costing you an extra hour to and hour and a half per day. If you have the option to start work early, then then that might help to cancel the loss of time to your child.

Being a Dublin native and having first bought in Dublin, I can firmly say I could never go back. The quality of life where I am now is a mile ahead of living in the city. This isn't hyperbole to convince myself I am better off commuting, it is the genuine truth. Yes, you may miss out on some extra time at home, but if the home is going to be a better place with your extended family around you, you would have to give yourself credit for placing your family in such an environment.

I haven't taken into account the costs of commuting, but since you didn't raise it in the OP, I assume you have a firm idea on this anyway.

Emme

Commuting is expensive. You are constantly tired. You have very little time for family and friends. You could say to yourselves "we'll try this for a year and see how it goes" but once you leave Dublin it is very difficult to go back. I am speaking from personal experience and bitter regret.

Try and find an alternative. I would prefer living in a small space and having time for family and friends to living in a bigger space and never seeing it. It's like this, what's the point of spending 12-15 hours a week commuting to and from a bigger place you only spend time in to sleep? It's dark when I leave and when I get in for 8 months a year. Getting up when it's dark is a real drag.

There are threads on this forum which describe the nightmare of getting to and from work on public transport. You will leave for work full of trepidation, arrive in work tired from the commute and arrive home exhausted and cranky. The cumulative tiredness suffered by commuters cannot be described - you have to experience it to know what it is like. You will be a half-person, a shadow, a zombie. Do you want your child to see you like this?

I leave the house at 7am to get to work and come home no earlier than 7pm. I go to bed at 10pm to get up at 6am That's a total of 20 hours spent awake in my house during the week, most of which are spent preparing for work. Weekends are spent frantically catching up on housework and I still travel to Dublin to see friends as I haven't been able to make any friends locally. The locals aren't friendly anyway even though I grew up in the area. As for hobbies - forget it unless housework counts as a hobby. I have a garden but it's growing wild - I don't have time to work on it. I literally don't see it from one end of the working week to another for several months a year.

Try to find a place nearer work - it might be a little cramped but at least you will get some quality time with your wife and your child. Depending on where you live in the city, you can get out for walks with your wife and child - you can't do that in some commuter areas. When you commute you have to drive everywhere and that adds up. There are surprisingly few amenities in some commuter towns. Living in the city centre isn't that much more expensive in the long run. Any money you save living outside the city will be eaten up in fuel costs, the toll on your health and the drop in your quality of life.

Losty Dublin

A friend of mine was commuting from Kells to Dublin via bus for about 2 years pre M3 days. It was a case of readying herself for a 7:45 bus to make it in for 9:30 with a slightly shorter commute home; it was getting in well after 7PM 5 nights a week. She eventually jacked it in and took on a job closer to home.

A girl in the office here does Navan and her commute isn't as bad (About 1 hour 15 minutes) but in her case Navan has a superior bus service to Kells, the M3 has taken a lot of strain off traffic the trip and her trip is almost door to door.

One option you should look at is to drive to M3 Parkway railway station; once here you are linked up to the suburban rail network.

_Kaiser_

Idbatterim wrote: »

have you worked out what tolls, fuel, depreciation etc will cost? Seems fairly mental amount of time to waste every day IMO... Obviously this doesnt apply if taking public transport, but the amount of time wasted is a serious consideration IMO...

This is a common misconception...

I lived in Virginia (about 20 mins further out from Kells) for several years and did a commute for 1 of those to Fairview.

While the cost was considerable (about €100 a week in diesel plus the tolls), the actual time involved wasn't the issue. I could do it door-to-door in about 80 mins - but I just left a little earlier in the morning and later in the evening. Once you get out onto the M3 past Dunboyne it becomes practically deserted in comparison to say the M1/M50/M7, and even more so after Navan.

You could waste 2/3 times as long getting out of town to the suburbs on a bus.

If you can afford the running costs OP, driving is by far the best way to do this trip.

Macy0161

There's a lot of variables really. Depends on where in the city you work, what the alternative suburb option is to live (what's the actual extra commute), houses that you're looking at (or is it building) etc

I've an hour plus commute (I have some flexibility on start and finish times - so an hour getting in for 8, it'd be longer if I left later though), albeit not as far as you're proposing.

We're beside my wifes family where she grew up, so the added support network (and ability to support other family members) is worth it for me. There's obviously cons/ challenges about trying to fit into a rural community too, but the commute doesn't effect our or our childrens ability to take part in activities really. Sometimes takes a bit of organising, but is doable. And it does get easier as they get older, and are staying up a bit later.

Basically, there's no right or wrong answer. Everyone is different as this thread shows already - some people are happy with it, others aren't. I went through a spell at looking for something more local, but to be honest, there's pluses to being in a bigger city organisation, with access to the city facilities/ infrastructure etc.

btw a colleague uses the parkway if Spencer Dock/ Connolly is the right part of the city it could be a good option, especially if you can avail of taxsaver ticket.

Mrs OBumble

Try renting there for a while before you buy - don't even consider buying 'til you know what it's like for you and your lifestyle.

_Kaiser_

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Try renting there for a while before you buy - don't even consider buying 'til you know what it's like for you and your lifestyle.

The OP's wife is from the area so presumably they're covered on that front.

Kells wouldn't be my first choice personally (I used to pass through it every day before the M3 opened and worked in it as well every so often), but it IS M3 adjacent and < 20 mins to Navan so it's not that far out.

Schools are good and there is a decent Supervalu in the town. Not much else though as I recall.

duffalosoldier

Thanks all for the comments. Advice to date has been from family and friends and they all have a vested interest so its good to get neutral opinion, which is varied and to be honest consistent!

The major driver is cost to be honest. Staying in Dublin means shelling out every penny of my savings on a deposit (plus a little more on top) for a house plus a 2k a month mortgage. Add in the 1k a month creche fees along with the cost of a refurb on the house plus car loan and bills and we're pretty much down to bear basics to live on month to month. Its basically a noose around my neck for the foreseeable future. This is not my idea of quality of life!

The ironic thing about moving to Kells area is that it halves the mortgage costs for a house in walk-in condition while paying less than half capital outlay on a deposit plus....no creche fees!!! Of coure the transport costs are clear but still much less overall net cost compared to living in Dublin.

My main concern as one poster points out is the toll it might take on my health over time - tiredness and stress of driving. It might be fine for a while but Im talking about the rest of my life. Im hoping that staying one night a week in Dublin might off-set this somewhat.

In any case, by getting up at 6.30 Id be at my desk at 8 and by leaving at 5 Id be home by 6.30 and as a local tradesman in Kells told me lst week..."thems the hours we work down here anyway"!!!

delly

The toll on your own health is something that is hard to predict, but you are probably the only one who can have a realistic outlook on it. Personally, I don't need an awful lot of sleep, anything above six hours is a classed as a lie in. I like to stay up late and manage fine the next morning, but that's just me.

Stheno

delly wrote: »

The toll on your own health is something that is hard to predict, but you are probably the only one who can have a realistic outlook on it. Personally, I don't need an awful lot of sleep, anything above six hours is a classed as a lie in. I like to stay up late and manage fine the next morning, but that's just me.

This would be it for me, I used commute from Portlaoise to Dublin via public transport, and now regularly commute from Dublin to Belfast via car.

It's exhausting

hfallada

Have you considered living in an apartment in dublin? Even until you save up enough for a house in Dublin. I don't know what Irish people's phobia of raising children in an apartment. Its done all over the work. And small apartment complexs in Dublin have nice secure gardens ideal for children. Although you will be limited to a 2 bed apartment (you never see any more than a 2 bed apartment for sale really).

Don't forgot your children if they go to college in Dublin. Will probably have to live in rented accommodation meaning living in kells might not be that cheap. Have you considered some of the new modern housing estates in north Dublin like those near Charlestown on the m50 or the new builds near malahide road

Macy0161

delly wrote: »

The toll on your own health is something that is hard to predict, but you are probably the only one who can have a realistic outlook on it.

And there could also be toll on duffalosoldier's health if the effect of staying in Dublin is financial worries/ stress too. Again, that'd effect some people more than others - personally money being extremely tight would be (and was when it was the case!) much more stressfull for me than the commutting has ever been!

Emme

duffalosoldier wrote: »

Thanks all for the comments. Advice to date has been from family and friends and they all have a vested interest so its good to get neutral opinion, which is varied and to be honest consistent!

The major driver is cost to be honest. Staying in Dublin means shelling out every penny of my savings on a deposit (plus a little more on top) for a house plus a 2k a month mortgage. Add in the 1k a month creche fees along with the cost of a refurb on the house plus car loan and bills and we're pretty much down to bear basics to live on month to month. Its basically a noose around my neck for the foreseeable future. This is not my idea of quality of life!

The ironic thing about moving to Kells area is that it halves the mortgage costs for a house in walk-in condition while paying less than half capital outlay on a deposit plus....no creche fees!!! Of coure the transport costs are clear but still much less overall net cost compared to living in Dublin.

My main concern as one poster points out is the toll it might take on my health over time - tiredness and stress of driving. It might be fine for a while but Im talking about the rest of my life. Im hoping that staying one night a week in Dublin might off-set this somewhat.

In any case, by getting up at 6.30 Id be at my desk at 8 and by leaving at 5 Id be home by 6.30 and as a local tradesman in Kells told me lst week..."thems the hours we work down here anyway"!!!

Money worries can stress people out more than anything and if you aren't 100% responsible for housework etc. you might not be so tired. If your wife is happier and has someone to mind the baby that would be a plus as well. If she is well integrated into the local community you might make friends there. However, before I moved down I thought I knew people where I live now. It was a totally different ball game when I moved there full-time, people who would have been friendly previously stopped talking to me as much. A Dublin friend said this might be because I am a single woman and people outside Dublin view single women as being odd. I don't really agree but families tend to integrate into my area better than singles.

Being able to stay in Dublin one night a week will make a huge difference to you. It's not as if you're single and need to socialize outside the home very much so a commute might be manageable for you. I'd advise renting for the first year to see how you get on.

I need 8 hours sleep a night. 18 months of commuting has taken a huge toll on my health and if this continues I will be forced to make changes to my lifestyle. If I could afford to work shorter hours I would but that's not an option at the moment.

marie rosanna

hi, I have been commuting from dublin to the monaghan boarder most days there and back, it takes 1 hour and a half in the winter, do 3 hours return. I have good sounds on the car stereo and dont think about it being an issue, because if I do then it becomes a chore, and difficult. I count it as part of my day...

duffalosoldier

marie rosanna wrote: »

hi, I have been commuting from dublin to the monaghan boarder most days there and back, it takes 1 hour and a half in the winter, do 3 hours return. I have good sounds on the car stereo and dont think about it being an issue, because if I do then it becomes a chore, and difficult. I count it as part of my day...

Good advice. It is part of your day. But my thinking is that its 1.5 hours twice a day every day for the rest of my life!! Its not jyst for a few years. Theres vertually no end in sight! How long have you been doing it for?

delly

duffalosoldier wrote: »

Good advice. It is part of your day. But my thinking is that its 1.5 hours twice a day every day for the rest of my life!! Its not jyst for a few years. Theres vertually no end in sight! How long have you been doing it for?

You also have to ask yourself the same question in the context of living in Dublin, how many hours a day are you going to spend in a smaller house, in an area of the city that you may not be fond of, for that same rest of life feeling? The trade off versus travel time to me, does not seem bad what so ever, but I am in the situation now and have been for many years, so it is easy to do. Like marie rosanna, I make my journey as stress free and comfortable as possible. I do know however, that nothing could make me want to live in Dublin again. I say that without being disingenuous to the people who do, but I am crystal clear on the living standard that I enjoy where I am now.

monument

delly wrote: »

Being a Dublin native and having first bought in Dublin...

I know a few generations of Dublin natives who have a view of Dublin based on A) only one part or section of Dublin or a Dublin long gone or long changed or C) a bit of a and b.

Kaiser2000

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

I could do it door-to-door in about 80 mins - but I just left a little earlier in the morning and later in the evening. Once you get out onto the M3 past Dunboyne it becomes practically deserted in comparison to say the M1/M50/M7, and even more so after Navan.

You could waste 2/3 times as long getting out of town to the suburbs on a bus.

If you can afford the running costs OP, driving is by far the best way to do this trip.

Up to 4 hours to get to the Dublin suburbs by the bus? Don't think so now.


Personally I'm almost finished college and have already decided that I've spent enough mornings and evenings heading for the bus when it's dark.

Macy0161

duffalosoldier wrote: »

Good advice. It is part of your day. But my thinking is that its 1.5 hours twice a day every day for the rest of my life!! Its not jyst for a few years. Theres vertually no end in sight! How long have you been doing it for?

It probably wouldn't be as long during school/ college holidays, and summer is where a rural location comes into it's own. As Delly says, you have to weigh that up against the alternative, but also the advantages of living further out - bigger house, less financial commitments, support network for the missus, environment and schools for the children, weekends out of the city etc.

You could quite easily be in the outer suburbs and face an hour plus commute by car/ bus/ rail, depending on where you are living, and where you going, access to direct public transport etc.

If it is 1.5 hours, which might be worth doing a couple of times midweek at times you'd be commuting to confirm, then for me it's not that unreasonable. But again, only you can decide how it suits you - if you do go for it though, you need to park it and just get on with it, as worrying or stressing about it will lead to you being run down, rather than the actual commute!

monument

OP -- it's worth thinking about the events, services, shops, places to visit and places to eat and drink you'll no longer have access or easy access to -- all depends on how much you like city life. Even if most of that's only secondry factors for you it's worth thinking about them.

duffalosoldier wrote: »

Good advice. It is part of your day. But my thinking is that its 1.5 hours twice a day every day for the rest of my life!! Its not jyst for a few years. Theres vertually no end in sight! How long have you been doing it for?

Remember it may not be just 1.5 hours twice a day every day for the rest of my life, a number of things may happen which may make the commute longer or indeed shorter, such as: more congestion, more restrictions or less space for cars in Dublin City Centre or anywhere inside the M50, or your place of employment may move.

And commuting costs may rise quickly -- be that cost of fuel, insurance, congestion charges, parking charges, government parking levy etc etc.

delly

monument wrote: »

I know a few generations of Dublin natives who have a view of Dublin based on A) only one part or section of Dublin or a Dublin long gone or long changed or C) a bit of a and b.

And that may be the case for a lot of people, but not me. I've lived in three different parts of Dublin, but also now spend my working day in the city since cutting my ties 10 years ago. I've come across defensive views (not saying yours is) when explaining my situation and how I am better off for it, to people I know who still live in Dublin. As said in my previous posts, my situation works not just adequately, but actually really well for my own personal situation, but that is just me.

marie rosanna

I am doing this commute nearly 9 months now, I moved up in July when I sold my house and have been renting all this time. The commute was only an issue for me initially as I dont like driving in the dark. But I got over that by getting used to it. what was extra ordinary became ordinary. My reasons also for wanting to live near monaghan border and in cavan is that my two children and 3 grandchildren ( all dubs) all live there now. I want to be near them.
My children will never move back to Dublin, They say, and I agree, its a better life for their children.
It takes a family member of mine 90mins to get from Ratoath to southside of Dublin each morning and 90 mins home.
So duffalosoldier, thinking that you HAVE to drive all that way for the rest of your life..... is a statement that tells me that you are not ready to leave Dublin.

duffalosoldier

marie rosanna wrote: »

I am doing this commute nearly 9 months now, I moved up in July when I sold my house and have been renting all this time. The commute was only an issue for me initially as I dont like driving in the dark. But I got over that by getting used to it. what was extra ordinary became ordinary. My reasons also for wanting to live near monaghan border and in cavan is that my two children and 3 grandchildren ( all dubs) all live there now. I want to be near them.
My children will never move back to Dublin, They say, and I agree, its a better life for their children.
It takes a family member of mine 90mins to get from Ratoath to southside of Dublin each morning and 90 mins home.
So duffalosoldier, thinking that you HAVE to drive all that way for the rest of your life..... is a statement that tells me that you are not ready to leave Dublin.

Its a fair point Marie - I have a great fondness for the City but ive been renting in the city centre for over 10 years. Buying in the suburbs, which is all I can afford is a different proposition altogether. I have commuted to Monaghan myself on an almost daily basis in the past and could tollerate it easily. My concern is not short term but medium-long term. If we buy in Dublin we could always move back but if we leave for the Country I dont think there is any way back! If after 2-3 years of driving I suddenly regret the decision and get tired of the commute I would be conscious of the effects emotionally and financially of moving the family back up to the City. After months of consideration Im still undecided....

marie rosanna

then what i would say to you is go with your first instinct. do what you think first and foremost you should do, for the best, right now and stick with the decision. I know your head is melted and I can understand the decision is a big one... go with your instinct.... and it will be the right decision at this time.... let me know how you get on.