Commuting to work by car.

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Mon 20 Sep 2010 09:32
Commuting to work by car. - Dutchie

Hello,watching a television program this morning commuting by car to work is more stressfull than by bus.I dont' commute anymore by car to work but remembering often getting a late phonecall to sail a ship as a boatman was often stressfull.

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Mon 20 Sep 2010 09:51
Commuting to work by car. - Cliff Pope

Not in rural areas. I have an easy 1 hour journey on nearly empty A roads because I work 8-4.

To do the same journey by bus would need 2 changes plus a half-hour walk to start with. It would probably take about 2 hours in total.

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Mon 20 Sep 2010 10:49
Commuting to work by car. - Armstrong Sid

I do a journey of about 6-7 miles, taking around 10-12 minutes, which is completely unstressful, on a mixture of semi-rural semi-urban roads and going the opposite way to the rush-hour traffic.

A perfect demonstration of how public transport would be totally impossible. I would have to get two (or three) buses, depending on whether I would fancy a walk of a couple of miles as well; it would take at least 90 mins, and cost around £4-£5 per day.

The obvious solution is a bike, but that's another story

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Mon 20 Sep 2010 11:09
Commuting to work by car. - jc2

When I used a car to get to work,it was an easy 20 minute journey(17 miles across country-at right angles to the major traffic arteries));to go by bus would have taken at least two hours followed by a two mile walk and the same in the opposite direction-to go by train would have taken even longer-into Central London on one train-change termini and back out on another train-followed by two mile walk from station.(I suppose I could have taken a taxi!)

Edited by jc2 on 20/09/2010 at 11:11

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Mon 20 Sep 2010 12:02
Commuting to work by car. - turbo11

Living in a rural area, for the past 25 years has meant public transport is not an option to get to work. I used to have a daily commute of 144 miles,which involved ploughing up and down the M40 and M25 every day for many years. Now having changed jobs and moved location, I have a relaxing daily journey of 17 miles each way on quiet rural A roads. 25 to 30 minutes tops although the odd tractor or combine will add another 5 minutes. As I now only need to venture on to a motorway once a month now, it feels odd to travel on a motorway. I can't believe I did so for so many years.

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Mon 20 Sep 2010 17:13
Commuting to work by car. - Roly93

Not in rural areas. I have an easy 1 hour journey on nearly empty A roads because I work 8-4.

We should all know by now that only people who are interested in London and live in London make these programmes, so they are always one sided in this way.

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Mon 20 Sep 2010 21:08
Commuting to work by car. - Dutchie

The program was about stress levels the chap who did the test whent by bus and was tested and the same test by car.His stress level was lower travelling by bus.They where looking at the long term health considerations.I would't like to be without my car freedom etc.I like to see public transport be far more flexible maybe more smaller busses like taxis changing route off peak times and be more frequent in rural areas.I like the system they have in Rotterdam bus tram metro systems interlinked using one travel card.And the town is car friendly plenty of places to park and service roads next to main roads.

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Tue 21 Sep 2010 20:14
Commuting to work by car. - b308

To be fair to them, Roly, the example they showed on the TV was Brighton, and it showed that whilst stress levels were high at the outset using public transport (waiting to see if the bus turned up!) once on board levels went down, whilst on the same commute by car the opposite happenned... Logical if you think about it...

I have a 20 mile commute, when I can use the train I do, its far easier and less stressful than driving although it takes on average about 20 mins longer... except when its in the Rush Hour(s) when its quicker...

But as I'm one of those who helps provide the Public Transport I usually find that its not running for my early or late shifts and so use the car... but its quiet then so it doesn't matter!

How people can sit in rush hour traffic jams day after day is beyond me... horrible experience on the odd day I have an early shift and finish at the wrong time...

Edited by b308 on 21/09/2010 at 20:18

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Tue 21 Sep 2010 20:33
Commuting to work by car. - Armstrong Sid

How people can sit in rush hour traffic jams day after day is beyond me... horrible experience on the odd day I have an early shift and finish at the wrong time...

I can understand that one. I don't encounter that kind of thing now but I have done in the past.

If you hit the same holdup every day at the same time and the same place, you learn to expect it and accept it. In those conditions I was quite happy to sit and watch the other trafic and listen to the radio for however long it takes. You know it was coming and it doesn't surprise you. It's almost like a chance to relax for a while before you have to concentrate on driving again.

The annoying holdups are the unexpected ones where the road is normally clear. Then it becomes frustrating and annoying and you start getting impatient

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Tue 21 Sep 2010 19:44
Commuting to work by car. - ianhad2

Try doing a 70 mile round trip by public transport!

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Tue 21 Sep 2010 22:54
Commuting to work by car. - Vitesse6

It's horses for courses really, some journeys by public transport are unrealistic, whilst others make good sense.

I used to have a 15 mile commute by train, 1 mile walk to station, 20 minute train ride, another half mile walk at the other end. As I walked to the station a man who worked in the same building would generaly drive past me in his car. He would drive all the way in and park adjacent to the building. It used to wind him up that most days I was there before he was.

I know who had the least stressful journey!

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Tue 21 Sep 2010 23:26
Commuting to work by car. - Westpig

I've done some commuting at peak times, although thankfully not much. All you need is an automatic car with comfortable seats, quality stereo and climate control.. oh and a hand gun for the ****** who thinks it's acceptable to use a 'turn right only' lane to turn left at the end, blocking the junction and pushing in by 30 places....;-)

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Wed 22 Sep 2010 19:29
Commuting to work by car. - notathletic

I have a 12 mile commute on a rural route where there is a bus every 15 minutes; about 5 minute walk from house to bus stop and two minute walk at the other end. I do it by car. Why?? Because somebody has to get into town to drive the early bus out.

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Wed 22 Sep 2010 23:48
Commuting to work by car. - AF

Try doing a 70 mile round trip by public transport!

I do a 120 mile round trip every day, mostly by public transport. My journey each way is 3 miles by car, 55 by train, and the last 1.5 miles into central London by bike. It is an awful lot more relaxing than my previous 60 mile a day commute by car, even though that journey was mostly cross country, with just a couple of miles into a large town at the end.

Once on the train, I can settle back and relax, read, watch a video, or just watch the scenery go by. In the car, even if there are no traffic problems, you still have to concentrate the whole time.

However it does help that on the trains I use, there are no problems getting a seat, and the trains run to time.

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Tue 5 Oct 2010 23:42
Commuting to work by car. - Ethan Edwards

As ever it's 100% personal circumstances. I did 20 years commuting into London by Public transport and I hated it. Expensive crowded smelly and VERY stressful.

I changed jobs from London to Colchester. Now I drive 75 miles round trip a day. Takes me 45 minutes each way. Little Nissan Note- cruise control- great stereo, that Ipod links, air con and using LPG costs me in fuel a THIRD of what the daily train fare to London was. Comfortable and a nice place to be..unlike the Train. Far fewer smelly drunks!

In the AM I travel away from London on the A12 as everyone else is travelling TO London and in the evening the reverse. It's flippin great!. The cost compares nicely in a three year cycle. On one hand you have three used season tickets or on the other hand you have a three year old car with 50 thou or so on the clock. Easy to sell on or trade. I'm proof that the change CAN work.

A colleague has just done the same but he's left 30 years of London commuting and uses a big cc motorbike which works out even cheaper. May not be for everyone and I hope not cos the light traffic I see every day going my way may increase!

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Thu 7 Oct 2010 00:52
Commuting to work by car. - Dutchie

Hello Ethan,i know its of the subject first time i've heard a Nissan Note driving on lpg interesting.

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Sat 9 Oct 2010 00:56
Commuting to work by car. - Ethan Edwards

and it's possibly the only 2010 one in the country doing so (1.6 auto). Bought it new 26th March - I won the conversion on Ebay beginning of April. The auction started at £1 and I won at less than £800 all in.

Done 8,700 miles (as of today) so by 9000 the conversion will have paid for itself.

I used to run a Citroen Xsara Picasso 02 reg 1.8 on LPG and the note replaced it. I also run a Nissan Xtrail 2.5 auto on LPG. I'm not saying they use less fuel in fact marginally more but it burns much cleaner less HC emissions (virtually none) and at 64.9 a litre it compares very favourably with running a diesel. Peter at www.pjcarsautogas.co.uk did a superb job, very neat installation. I have used www.essexlpg.net and he was just as good.

I easily get the petrol equivalent of 60mpg meaning you have to get more than 60mpg to be running cheaper than me.

If your circumstances are right then LPG makes a great deal of sense but it's not for everyone.

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Sat 9 Oct 2010 10:10
Commuting to work by car. - Dutchie

We run a diesel at the moment but in the future if lpg is still avalable and the price is ok i might go back to lpg.£800 is cheap for the conversion.Its very clean the only downside i found the lpg tank takes room in the boot.The police cars here where i live drive on lpg Protons they never seem to have any problems engine wise like you say its not for everyone.

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Wed 6 Oct 2010 16:51
Commuting to work by car. - ianhad2

No way, not with the buses where I live.

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Wed 6 Oct 2010 18:15
Commuting to work by car. - SteveLee
When I lived a nice twisty country road away from work, the journey there and back was most relaxing, a built in daily therapy session whether on two for four wheels.
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