I have to admit that the best commute I ever had took 20 minutes by bicycle, mostly off road. Every morning I’d get to see wildlife, beautiful sunrises, fresh air, and all while I was getting fit. Wish I still had that :-/
I used to have to drive 40 miles/65km to work, one way. If there wasn’t any traffic it was a 45 minute trip, but there was always traffic on the way home and it would take an hour and a half. It was definitely depressing and a huge waste of time.
I have a much shorter commute now, “only” ten miles. I’d ride a bicycle but I would 100% be killed in the first few weeks.
I know it’s shocking, but not everybody online is American.
British my friend, home of the worst trains going. To be honest though the reason for the extra time is because it includes a 15 minute walk to the Metrolink (LRV) then 30 mins to the town centre. Then the train followed by another 15 minute walk to the office.
Anything beyond 30 one way is for sure too long to be viable long term, day to day. Much less is harder to pull off but anyone doing more than 1h one way, and by car no less, is mental. 1h one way is 10h of commuting per week, fuck that noise.
The only way i can see a longer commute being okay if it is less often. Like with 24h shifts or work from home, given that you will go only a few times a month, it is much more acceptable.
there are soo many ways that a long commute supports the economy. it could be selfish to not commute in a motor vehicle for less than an hour each way.
So if I’m understanding correctly, your position is that spending money on vehicle maintenance, fuel, healthcare (presumably for treating the depression?) from a long commute is going to improve the economy by an amount greater than how much the “depressive symptoms” impact the economy?
Or in other words, it’s fine that there are more cases of depression because it benefits the economy. It hinges on the assumption that someone with depression is “bad for the economy” and that the economy matters more than peoples’ suffering. This is an inherently ableist and morally bankrupt perspective, as is usually the case when distilling everything down to a utilitarian equation.
Those are no benefits but just examples for economically uneducated positions. Work is not an end in itself but just a tool. A broken window that is replaced by one miner, one glass producer and one craftsman has less value compared to an unbroken window and 3 persons with free time to create for example a new window.
Cars and car-centric lifestyles come with incredible economic cost.
Look man, I understand that hundreds of dead babies sounds like a tragic thing. But please, think about the jobs created for the people that dig their mass graves.
It’s also well documented by strongtowns how car infrastructure specifically devastates local communities and bankrupts cities due to how exorbitantly expensive it is. Long car commutes may increase the GDP of a country, but local areas suffer.
Depends on the type of travel, right? I have one direct train for 45 mins plus little bit of walking/biking. Love it, but I guess it’s easier with a flexible schedule to avoid rush hours and finish some work in the train. (And compared to living in the city I live in a family house near the woods for the same price as a studio apartment in the city).
The short time I had to teveel by car was really fucked up though, but the train is pretty comfy.
I’d assume driving would be the worst for mental health since you don’t get any exercise and can’t do anything else either. You can finish some work or read a book on the train, or get some exercise through walking or biking, but with cars none of these.
Add to it the environment of driving involves a varying degree of competitive, combative and frustrating events to get down the road. Ratcheting your psych up with no physical outlet.
Most of the time I try to be as Zen as possible, but even with mental fortitude it can be difficult to keep your cool when idiots are doing all sorts of shenanigans to get two car lengths ahead or won’t let you in or whatever.
I drove a diesel engine car for a while and felt everyone was so SLOW even on the fast lane, as if they’re sightseeing or something. Then I tried a gasoline car and I noticed that I have a better temper. Turns out the diesel engine vibration is more noticeable at low RPM and it’s getting to my nerves.
Yeah it depends on the circumstances and mode of transportation. Back in my home country, I used to drive 2 hours to travel 25 kilometers, and that’s one way through very heavy traffic. A train ride where you can sit (and even sleep) is definitely less stressful and tiring.
30min is considered short ? Damn, I have 15min to commute and when looking for a new place I did put a limit at 20min from my work place. Most of my colleagues have shorter commute time than me.
No suprise more than 2h wasted per day would make someone depressed.
My first job ever had a commute of 1.5 hours each way. I did it to get my foot in the door, but the commute was quite miserable. The only upside was I could sleep on the bus.
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