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Author	Topic: 600,000 Americans have 'megacommutes' of over 90 minutes	Post a Reply Back to Topics

BurntOrange Champion Author Austin Posts:8,733 Points:1,583,990 Joined:Nov 2007	Message Posted: Mar 6, 2013 8:21:09 AM Ignore BurntOrange Report Abuse Think your commute is bad? Try being one of the 600,000 Americans who travel more than 90 minutes each way over a distance of at least 50 miles to get to work. Dubbed "megacommutes," these trips are concentrated mostly around large cities -- especially New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington D.C., and New Orleans -- according a new U.S. Census Bureau report. ust under 1% of full-time workers make that kind of trek. The average "megacommuter" is more likely to be male, older, married and higher-paid than the average worker. They're also more likely to leave for the office before 6 a.m. Just over 8% of full-time workers -- almost 11 million people -- had merely "long commutes" that took over an hour each way in 2011, according to the report. New York had the highest percentage ... Visit CNN Money for full article

BurntOrange

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Austin

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Message Posted: Mar 6, 2013 8:21:09 AM

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Think your commute is bad? Try being one of the 600,000 Americans who travel more than 90 minutes each way over a distance of at least 50 miles to get to work.
Dubbed "megacommutes," these trips are concentrated mostly around large cities -- especially New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington D.C., and New Orleans -- according a new U.S. Census Bureau report.

ust under 1% of full-time workers make that kind of trek. The average "megacommuter" is more likely to be male, older, married and higher-paid than the average worker. They're also more likely to leave for the office before 6 a.m.
Just over 8% of full-time workers -- almost 11 million people -- had merely "long commutes" that took over an hour each way in 2011, according to the report.
New York had the highest percentage ...
Visit CNN Money for full article

REPLIES (newest first)Ignore Short Messages

blupupher Champion Author Houston Posts:3,555 Points:749,020 Joined:Feb 2011	Message Posted: Mar 7, 2013 6:39:14 AM Ignore blupupher Report Abuse I used to (the 50 mile part, only took ~45 minutes though).
Bussman Champion Author Dallas Posts:5,523 Points:1,360,935 Joined:Nov 2008	Message Posted: Mar 7, 2013 4:02:00 AM Ignore Bussman Report Abuse Nightmare.
Trudat316 Veteran Author Missouri Posts:323 Points:54,290 Joined:Feb 2013	Message Posted: Mar 7, 2013 1:36:53 AM Ignore Trudat316 Report Abuse Think of the truck driver. Probably a 600 mile a day "commute", and away from the family for a week or two at a time.
wild3bill Champion Author New York Posts:2,546 Points:1,687,165 Joined:Nov 2005	Message Posted: Mar 7, 2013 12:29:36 AM Ignore wild3bill Report Abuse Been there don that when gas was under $one/gallon!Half way through my career I switched to a 9 Mile commute under 20 minutes!
mpg611 Champion Author Cleveland Posts:2,339 Points:570,820 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Mar 7, 2013 12:24:15 AM Ignore mpg611 Report Abuse People want to live in nice affordable neighborhoods, which are usually far away from their good paying jobs in the city. Cities are expensive to live in and may not be the best in terms of safety and other factors. Thats especially the case in Los Angeles and Chicago. You gotta do what you gotta do. Granted the drive may not always be pleasant but at least you have a job to go to.
NHLiveFree Champion Author New Hampshire Posts:11,095 Points:1,623,180 Joined:Jun 2008	Message Posted: Mar 6, 2013 10:38:22 PM Ignore NHLiveFree Report Abuse Quite a waste of both time and energy. Especially tragic is the loss of 'family' time. One of my former neighbors in York, ME commuted to a good job as a Director of Regulatory Affairs at a prominent Brit. medical manufacturer in Wilmington, MA, 60 mi and 1 hr 25 minutes each way! It was a drastic contrast to my short hop up I-95 to Saco, ME. It is all a matter of economics and trade offs.
ExplorerWA Champion Author Washington Posts:4,084 Points:798,145 Joined:Feb 2011	Message Posted: Mar 6, 2013 9:52:29 PM Ignore ExplorerWA Report Abuse No job is worth 3 hours of travel time.
BBopp Champion Author Dayton Posts:6,844 Points:1,939,430 Joined:Dec 2006	Message Posted: Mar 6, 2013 8:15:11 PM Ignore BBopp Report Abuse Those commutes make mine look miniscule.
nordlead Veteran Author Syracuse Posts:295 Points:118,865 Joined:Jun 2011	Message Posted: Mar 6, 2013 4:26:52 PM Ignore nordlead Report Abuse @SVmike Sure, most people commute within range of an EV, but you need more range than the daily commute to make it your primary car. EV activists love to forget that people do things beside commute and that not everyone can afford a second car (or rental) just for those occasions. I mean, I'd be hard pressed to go to work, go home, and then take my family to the state park to play disc golf (70 miles total and most pure EVs that I've seen only get 75 miles going 55mph. I wouldn't rent a car for $40 just to play disc golf in the evening and waiting for the car to recharge wouldn't always be practical.
07skydriver Champion Author Ohio Posts:3,266 Points:984,080 Joined:Feb 2009	Message Posted: Mar 6, 2013 2:35:51 PM Ignore 07skydriver Report Abuse Time is more important than money. Just stay home.
SVmike Champion Author California Posts:1,569 Points:319,195 Joined:Dec 2009	Message Posted: Mar 6, 2013 2:14:31 PM Ignore SVmike Report Abuse The real message here is that ONLY a few percent of commuters have to travel far enough that an EV built today cannot handle the distance. Yes, lots of people can't plug them in at their apartments, etc. But fixing this (incrementally for a few % each year) is cheaper than the billions we spend every day importing oil that just keeps getting more expensive. Buying an EV and charging it at night would work for a high percentage of commuters, especially as their second car. The "range anxiety" crowd is just amplifying a minor concern.
mitt4prez Champion Author Tacoma Posts:1,752 Points:1,247,175 Joined:Nov 2007	Message Posted: Mar 6, 2013 1:24:54 PM Ignore mitt4prez Report Abuse The jams are the worst part of long commutes.
335d1 Champion Author Virginia Posts:2,386 Points:760,020 Joined:Feb 2011	Message Posted: Mar 6, 2013 1:15:05 PM Ignore 335d1 Report Abuse Can't complain about mine.
MadFueler All-Star Author Winston-Salem Posts:928 Points:173,485 Joined:Sep 2012	Message Posted: Mar 6, 2013 1:11:02 PM Ignore MadFueler Report Abuse The bad part isn't necessarily the distance, but that in some areas it takes 90 minutes to go what would normally be 30 minutes' worth of distance.
qwerty17 Champion Author New Jersey Posts:3,655 Points:1,118,650 Joined:Oct 2009	Message Posted: Mar 6, 2013 12:52:48 PM Ignore qwerty17 Report Abuse ugh!
BobBG All-Star Author Albany Posts:822 Points:811,725 Joined:Nov 2005	Message Posted: Mar 6, 2013 12:36:31 PM Ignore BobBG Report Abuse I'm glad I only live 1.75 miles from work. I can walk it in about 1/2 hour.
schatzila Champion Author Los Angeles Posts:4,954 Points:1,017,595 Joined:Jun 2010	Message Posted: Mar 6, 2013 12:36:25 PM Ignore schatzila Report Abuse glad I'm not one of them.
mkohly Veteran Author Chicago Posts:266 Points:24,680 Joined:Sep 2009	Message Posted: Mar 6, 2013 12:00:24 PM Ignore mkohly Report Abuse All commuters are not drivers! Read the article and think before calling it a waste of fuel.
oilfreak All-Star Author Houston Posts:687 Points:36,885 Joined:Oct 2012	Message Posted: Mar 6, 2013 11:57:41 AM Ignore oilfreak Report Abuse Lots of people are gonna do stuff like that in much of their lifetime.
BigTruc All-Star Author Memphis Posts:962 Points:782,390 Joined:Jul 2004	Message Posted: Mar 6, 2013 11:32:47 AM Ignore BigTruc Report Abuse Good news has a job. Bad news, too much wasted time & fuel.
DoctorV Champion Author Detroit Posts:1,062 Points:203,655 Joined:Aug 2008	Message Posted: Mar 6, 2013 10:46:58 AM Ignore DoctorV Report Abuse Anyone here driving over 15 miles to work shouldn't be whining about high gas prices.
DesertRat2011 Champion Author Riverside Posts:3,623 Points:486,780 Joined:Jun 2011	Message Posted: Mar 6, 2013 10:42:54 AM Ignore DesertRat2011 Report Abuse Sue glad mine is only 30 min & 25 miles each way.
JamesCalvin Champion Author Lancaster Posts:3,191 Points:520,530 Joined:Nov 2011	Message Posted: Mar 6, 2013 10:19:45 AM Ignore JamesCalvin Report Abuse In 1965 when the "bypass" went through our farm taking 25% of the 57 acres, neighboring farms went up into housing. A neighbor went to Philadelphia for work, traveling over 1 and a half hours.
BEGTWO Champion Author Maryland Posts:1,947 Points:725,115 Joined:Sep 2010	Message Posted: Mar 6, 2013 10:13:43 AM Ignore BEGTWO Report Abuse Thank God I don't!
MrDeath666 Champion Author Houston Posts:1,621 Points:245,165 Joined:Sep 2012	Message Posted: Mar 6, 2013 9:30:48 AM Ignore MrDeath666 Report Abuse Those people must be insane. Afraid to move closer to work or get a job closer to home.
EnviroChemist All-Star Author Oklahoma Posts:729 Points:210,085 Joined:Oct 2011	Message Posted: Mar 6, 2013 9:25:56 AM Ignore EnviroChemist Report Abuse Long commutes usually give you time to calm down and be in a better mood before getting home.
sciotosix Champion Author Dayton Posts:2,754 Points:667,100 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Mar 6, 2013 9:24:22 AM Ignore sciotosix Report Abuse Thankfully, I don't have to do the megacommute any longer.
JamesCalvin Champion Author Lancaster Posts:3,191 Points:520,530 Joined:Nov 2011	Message Posted: Mar 6, 2013 9:22:30 AM Ignore JamesCalvin Report Abuse I'll need to read the whole article before commenting substantively.
amoshins Champion Author Trenton Posts:2,200 Points:642,620 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Mar 6, 2013 9:21:16 AM Ignore amoshins Report Abuse Cheaper than moving unless gas goes up astronomically
bar1035 Champion Author Charlotte Posts:9,167 Points:1,299,195 Joined:Aug 2006	Message Posted: Mar 6, 2013 9:12:27 AM Ignore bar1035 Report Abuse Gotta do what you gotta do ... or what your wife tells you to.
USMCturtlehead Champion Author Lexington Posts:2,017 Points:104,675 Joined:Feb 2013	Message Posted: Mar 6, 2013 9:11:13 AM Ignore USMCturtlehead Report Abuse Price to pay to earn a living. Not easy on many and I sincerely fel for them.
bsnort Veteran Author Huntsville Posts:426 Points:235,645 Joined:Aug 2012	Message Posted: Mar 6, 2013 9:08:57 AM Ignore bsnort Report Abuse when i lived in southern california my 16 mile commute took 40-45 minutes (assuming there wasn't an accident or the police had someone pulled over). don't miss it at all.
TXRanger09 Champion Author Dallas Posts:2,511 Points:892,150 Joined:May 2009	Message Posted: Mar 6, 2013 8:58:54 AM Ignore TXRanger09 Report Abuse This is a question I wish GasBuddy would put to our members; How many miles do you drive to work a day?
MiataPrincess All-Star Author Des Moines Posts:619 Points:100,825 Joined:Feb 2013	Message Posted: Mar 6, 2013 8:58:43 AM Ignore MiataPrincess Report Abuse what a waste of gas, time, money & being away from family..I wonder how many do have a choice and could reduce their time or at least have more than 1 person in the car...just wondering
Sanpoil All-Star Author Spokane Posts:535 Points:128,195 Joined:Jun 2012	Message Posted: Mar 6, 2013 8:58:28 AM Ignore Sanpoil Report Abuse It comes down to choice and quality of living.
darshanzala Veteran Author Illinois Posts:316 Points:101,410 Joined:Jan 2013	Message Posted: Mar 6, 2013 8:54:09 AM Ignore darshanzala Report Abuse Looks exciting...
amerk73 Champion Author Dallas Posts:7,053 Points:1,622,015 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: Mar 6, 2013 8:50:58 AM Ignore amerk73 Report Abuse cool
NoSoup4U Champion Author Raleigh Posts:2,065 Points:954,805 Joined:Jul 2007	Message Posted: Mar 6, 2013 8:43:19 AM Ignore NoSoup4U Report Abuse That's part of the big problem: we have it ingrained to live really far away from work and drive a ton. Hence wasting tons of fuel. We need to be more efficient about where we live, how we commute, how much gas we use. Conserve, let's really put a dent in the gas demand, and see if we can have a real effect on prices.
REBELFAN39 Veteran Author Jackson Posts:354 Points:448,830 Joined:Nov 2011	Message Posted: Mar 6, 2013 8:40:54 AM Ignore REBELFAN39 Report Abuse 3 hours of each day wasted, I would hate to have that commute!
BurntOrange Champion Author Austin Posts:8,733 Points:1,583,990 Joined:Nov 2007	Message Posted: Mar 6, 2013 8:31:03 AM Ignore BurntOrange Report Abuse humblepie wrote: "in some places thats only 5-10 miles too" ------------------- You can walk 4 mph at a brisk pace.
merlinCO Champion Author Colorado Posts:1,645 Points:342,370 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: Mar 6, 2013 8:27:36 AM Ignore merlinCO Report Abuse Maybe they should move closer......
humblepie Champion Author Toledo Posts:34,270 Points:2,372,345 Joined:Mar 2006	Message Posted: Mar 6, 2013 8:23:54 AM Ignore humblepie Report Abuse in some places thats only 5-10 miles too
BurntOrange Champion Author Austin Posts:8,733 Points:1,583,990 Joined:Nov 2007	Message Posted: Mar 6, 2013 8:23:17 AM Ignore BurntOrange Report Abuse The time is bad, but if these megacommuters travel 80 miles each way and get 20 MPG, that's 8 gallons of gas per day. At $4/gallon, and 20 work days per month, that's $740/month.
lcleveland Champion Author San Antonio Posts:2,666 Points:652,025 Joined:May 2011	Message Posted: Mar 6, 2013 8:23:09 AM Ignore lcleveland Report Abuse I only travel 23 miles but it takes 45 mins.
AVKZ All-Star Author Kalamazoo Posts:851 Points:295,000 Joined:Apr 2012	Message Posted: Mar 6, 2013 8:22:05 AM Ignore AVKZ Report Abuse I would hate a long commute.