To keep the forum non-politics fresh, here's a question for you all, what is the maximum time you would be prepared to commute to school/university/work before you decide it's not worth it and would have to move closer or let it go?
People's commutes - and their commute tolerability - vary widely. The Work Foundation in the UK has a category of "extreme commuters" which it describes at people whose total daily commute time amounts to three hours and over. At the moment, 11% of workers fit in this group, with London being the main destination of extreme commuting. Bristol, Coventry and Southampton are the main sources of extreme commuters to London, with each journey taking 102 minutes, 89 minutes and 80 minutes respectively. (to the train station alone) Similar extreme commuting exists in the US, where there is a known community of commuters who take the 85-minute Philly to NYC route. Of course some news article every year are dedicated to people who commute two, three or even four hours one-way just to work. Like Mrs. Marion who travels two and a half hours one-way to work.
The Work Foundation has noted that the average commute has risen considerably in the last 10 years, with the number of extreme commuters doubling as a proportion of workers. I personally know people who commute to London everyday using that last mentioned route, plus W&C line.
In my opinion, if someone is not caring for dependents and/or is single, long journeys are much more doable than their prejudiced opinion leads them to think. Sure, it's a gigantic waste of time as any other commute is, but it's fine and often financially worth it.
So what's the max commute you're prepared to make (by whatever transport necessary), or what wage rise would you need per extra 10 or so minutes to make the commute worthwhile?
