It's really all about having a choice, which many suburbanites and those who live beyond the burbs really don't have.... and more is the pity.

 

I live in the Clintonville neighborhood of Columbus (just north of the OSU campus area).  I'm off work today so  I had the choice of driving to the gym (I drive a fuel efficient '02 Honda Civic).... or ride my bike to the gym and get my aerobic exercise in on the trips out and back.  By the time I got to the gym, I was warmed up and ready to hit the free-weights and machines of various degrees of torture.  On the ride back, I worked in a stop for lunch and then dropped my bike off at a local bike shop to get some news tires.  I then walked four blocks uphill toward home.  How's that for multi-tasking?

 

The point is that no one is trying to force people out of their cars by encouraging the development of more bike and pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods.  And most car owners will not give up driving.  But what is important here that people have the option available to walk or drive.  I think that's even more evident and important in light of where fuel prices are going. It was nice for me today to not have to reach for the car keys and still get some things done.  Given that I traveled about ten miles total, I probably saved a buck in gas.... bonus!

 

 

Agreed.  Dense, pedestrian-friendly development is all about choice.  Not that driving is necessarily bad, just that requiring everyone to drive for every task doesn't make any sense.  Heck, I love the people who opt to sit in traffic in DC.  They keep the transit system from being completely overwhelmed.  In Ohio cities, for the most part, you don't get that choice. 

 

Choice is the key.  While I typically take the subway to work, I've also taken the bus, or I could ride my bike, or get a cab, or drive (if I still had a car).  In the burbs, you have two options:  drive, or don't go anywhere. 

i am dependent on the iron pony express. i work all around manhattan and the boroughs and mostly take the subway and sometimes an additional bus transfer. i can even walk to a couple places. the commute time is between 10min to an hour each way depending on where i go that day.

 

lots of walking, i prob walk an hour a day, much more on weekends. beside work stuff like groceries and dry cleaner and etc mean lots of trips.

 

sometimes that's all a pain, like today when it was pouring rain or when you have to carry too much dry cleaning, but mostly i like it.

 

Ditto for me. 

 

Whether im in Harlem or on Shaker Square walking is just the "norm" to me.  and the calves keep nice and tone!

I alternate between walking and busing my 3/4 mile commute, depending on the weather and how comfortable my shoes are.

I drive probably 15 miles, 20 minutes, against traffic...I definitely don't want to live in Blue Ash, and I'm not planning on changing jobs, so there's not much choice.  If you've got a job with dependable hours, some of the odd against-traffic commutes are workable - but I may find out at 4:30 that I need to work until some crazy hour of the night, and simply have to have the flexibility to work as late as I need to.  If they moved the office to downtown, I'd be in heaven - but it's just not an option.

 

The crazy thing is that my wife works in the same office, as does a good friend who lives a mile and a half away, and yet we all drive separately every day.  Again, it's because of the flexibility - I don't want to stick around until 7:30 if my wife has to finish a project, but I'm done at 5pm...and my friend often has plans right after work (including classes at Xavier)...it's a crazy waste, and we'll carpool sometimes (for instance, if we're leaving at the same time, and I know I don't have to come in early), but as a general practice, the three of us drive three cars every day...

I have too much sports equipment and too many art projects to transport to and from school to ride the bus... So, I drive myself to school everyday by myself because I live FAR outside my school district, so, carpooling would be pointless...

Baghdad, Iraq - During his bus ride to morning classes at Nahrain University recently, Ali Makki and his fellow passengers came upon the aftermath of a roadside bombing. The attack forced the bus to detour along the outskirts of the city, where it encountered a wandering gang of militants armed with AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades.

 

Talk about declaring war on mass transit.

ooh, I can change my answer. I ride the choo-choo to work.

^ I've so glad you've been given the choi-choi-choice.

My husband and I used to drive to work together.  It was about a 20 minute commute by car.  After we moved, we now walk.  It's about a 10-15 minute walk (6 blocks).  I love walking to work.  I don't have to worry about getting stuck in rush hour, and it wakes me up a little in the morning.

I walk when the weather is nice.  It's about a mile to work, but it goes fast with the iPod and it feels liberating.  It's also fun to walk by all of the angry looking commuters.

 

When the weather doesn't cooperate, I drive.  This spring we'll probably bite the bullet and become a single car family and I'll start taking the COTA when the weather is bad.  I live 1/2 block away from the nearest stop.

I have a 10-12 minute drive from home in southern South Euclid to Beachwood.  I have never been much of a public transit rider but am starting to consider using the Green Road Green Line station to head downtown for Cavs games rather than driving alone.

 

 

The Rapid's definitely the way to go to see the Cavs... it's especially a Godsend for this veteran of I-271/Rte 303 backups going/coming from the old Coliseum.   :wink:

"My ex boyfriend was an a**hole. He hit me all the time and I couldn't take the mental abuse... he had a really nice truck though".

 

I swear some woman said that to me the other day.

I walk when the weather is nice.  It's about a mile to work, but it goes fast with the iPod and it feels liberating.  It's also fun to walk by all of the angry looking commuters.

 

When the weather doesn't cooperate, I drive.  This spring we'll probably bite the bullet and become a single car family and I'll start taking the COTA when the weather is bad.  I live 1/2 block away from the nearest stop.

Mp3 players make such a big difference...one of the great things about cars is that you can be entertained by your stereo. iPods make walking less boring. For some reason I like walking through neighborhoods looking at the architecture while I'm listening to music. It also makes jogging and working out at the gym a lot easier.

"My ex boyfriend was an a**hole. He hit me all the time and I couldn't take the mental abuse... he had a really nice truck though".

 

I swear some woman said that to me the other day.

 

so you're telling me all i need is a really sweet truck?

I got an ipod shuffle off of ebay for 28 american dollars and it makes my mile long walk much better.

 

"My ex boyfriend was an a**hole. He hit me all the time and I couldn't take the mental abuse... he had a really nice truck though".

 

I swear some woman said that to me the other day.

 

so you're telling me all i need is a really sweet truck?

 

An Escalade sittin' on 22s and a strong pimp hand, that's all you need d:]

iPods make walking less boring. For some reason I like walking through neighborhoods looking at the architecture while I'm listening to music.

Absolutely.  I had a business trip to DC this past spring and had a few hours to kill one morning.  I had a great time just walking around the mall and listening to music.

I wish I could take transit or walk to work, but that option just isn't available and the only person I can carpool with doesn't want to carpool.  My wife and I did our best to locate in a walkable community.  We don't have to drive much for our day to day needs, but my job, which is simply too good to give up, is 28.5 miles away in an auto-centric, transit impossible exurb.  I hate my commute, but I'm stuck with it for the time being. 

 

My daily commute is really a snap.  I walk 5 blocks to the Metro ride 5 stations and walk another 5 blocks to work.  Must have something to do with 5.  Usually takes me about 20 minutes door to door, although if the underground is f#%ked up it can be up to an hour.  Also have the option of taking the streetcar down Market St.  SF does have advantages for public transportation, but the cost of living pretty much evens it out. When I lived in Columbus I drove everywhere, because I was outside of Cota's service area.  Plus, waiting for a bus in the winter is terrible.  The ease of travel has been compromised for the past six weeks by a broken foot and walking with cast and crutches.  These hills can be murder!

I wish I could take transit or walk to work, but that option just isn't available and the only person I can carpool with doesn't want to carpool.  My wife and I did our best to locate in a walkable community.  We don't have to drive much for our day to day needs, but my job, which is simply too good to give up, is 28.5 miles away in an auto-centric, transit impossible exurb.  I hate my commute, but I'm stuck with it for the time being.

 

I'm in nearly your exact situation (my commute to a transit-impossible exurb is 34 miles r/t; everything else is spot on).

 

I'd kill for a foot commute. Or take a 10K paycut. Either/or.

Some great commuting stories....

 

http://content.monster.com:80/articles/3492/18681/1/Home.aspx

 

Crazy Commute Stories

Monster Members Share Unusual Moments from the Daily Ride

by Christine F Della Monaca

Monster Staff Writer

 

The commute to work can be a lot of the same: Get from point A to point B, whether by car, public transit, or even bike or foot. Except sometimes, an odd event happens along the way that makes your ordinary ride extraordinary.

 

We asked Monster members about the oddest, most amazing, craziest things they’ve seen during their commutes. While not all the stories are for the faint of heart, they’re definitely entertaining.

 

Last summer, I was driving in slow-moving traffic on the Washington, DC, Capital Beltway when I noticed a small pickup truck behind me was weaving back and forth and having a hard time staying in its lane. As the truck got closer to me, I looked in my rearview mirror and discovered why the driver was having such a hard time keeping his vehicle on the road. He was playing the flute! To make matters worse, he was reading sheet music that was laid out on his dashboard.

_________________________________________________________________

 

The first commuting day from my home to UCLA, I was driving home and the traffic came to a complete stop! All the negative factors of being in traffic were in full force: hot weather, bumper to bumper and a 5:30 p.m. commute time with what seemed like half of the state of California. As we approached the fire engines and all the other emergency vehicles, I thought this must be a very big accident. It was on the opposite side of my commute home. So as I approach this big accident, I look where the vehicles are, and there is a plane that had landed. Though it didn't look like it hit anyone, there were many cars whose sudden stop caused them to take up many lanes to avoid hitting or getting hit by the plane. Two and a half hours later, I got home.

___________________________________________________________________

 

I was on the F train going from Brooklyn to Manhattan, about 10 a.m. The train was full, and a man got on at Delancey Street. He was about 60, wearing a worn but clean suit and tie, scuffed shoes and a trench coat, and he was carrying a shopping bag. As soon as the train pulled out of the station, he walked over to the doors and faced them like he was looking in a mirror. From the shopping bag, he removed a Chinese takeout soup container of water and began pouring it over his head.

 

From his pocket, he took out a small bar of soap and began washing his hair. He took out another soup container of water and rinsed out the soap. Then he washed his face and also took a few ice cubes from his pocket and kept rubbing them over his face for several minutes. At this point, we had just passed the Broadway-Lafayette station. He splashed the remaining water over his head and face. The floor was quite wet, and he took off his trench coat and shook off the water, placed it neatly over his arm, put the soup containers back in the shopping bag and got off at West Fourth Street. He dumped the shopping bag in the garbage can on the platform and proceeded on his way, looking refreshed and clean.

_______________________________________________________________

 

Driving to work one morning, I looked over at the car next to me, and the guy was brushing his teeth! Where was he going to spit?

___________________________________________________________________

 

While driving through a school zone in South Florida, I noticed the driver in front of me was driving rather erratically. She swerved from one side of the lane to the other and back. Fortunately the speed limit was only 15 mph, and she was only doing about 10. I passed her, and as I went by, I noticed she was smoking. In between puffs on her cigarette, she was using an asthma inhaler. She had the inhaler in one hand and the cigarette in the other and was alternating between the two while switching hands on the steering wheel -- thus the erratic movements of her car.

___________________________________________________________________

 

One morning as I and about 5 million other cars were stuck on 101 North in Phoenix, I happened to glance over at a blue Honda. There was a girl on the cell phone, which isn't unusual. What was unusual was that she was shaving her legs. That's right. She had one leg up on the dashboard and was using an electric shaver to free her gams from nasty little hairs. I looked away and looked back, thinking my Starbucks had been spiked, but, no, there she was, talking on the cell phone and shaving her legs. I've seen people read, eat a salad and even tie a tie, but I've never seen anyone performing acts of personal hygiene in their vehicle.

________________________________________________________________

 

I work in Center City Philadelphia and take the SEPTA R5 Regional Rail line in from the suburbs. On the ride in, we go past West Philly, which is a bit run-down. A few blocks on that stretch are particularly bad, complete with boarded-up buildings, burnt-out cars, etc. While taking the train this morning, I was looking out the window and saw a boat lying in the middle of the street. Yes, a boat. It was white, about 12 feet long, mostly intact. But that's not the strange part. The strange part is that someone sprayed graffiti on the side of the boat that read, "3 hour tour?"

___________________________________________________________________

 

I saw a person driving down a major highway with a speed limit of 70 mph holding a bowl and eating cereal with a spoon while driving with his knees. It was 7:30 in the morning, and traffic was trying to get around him as he tooled along at about 60 mph.

___________________________________________________________________

 

A homeless man on the subway line going to Oak Park suburb of Chicago proceeded to take all his clothes off until he was naked and then turned them inside out and put them all back on.

___________________________________________________________________

 

Last year's highway construction resulted in several standing detours, some of which went through some rather questionable neighborhoods. One morning as I was driving through one of these areas, a "lady of the evening" was standing along the shoulder of the road and raised her top -- flashing all of us commuters on our way to the office. Needless to say, it was a new morning eye-opener to go along with the morning cup of coffee.

 

The guy on the F train is also known as "Inspector Gadget" or "Columbo" because of the trench coat, he is a NYC urban legend.

 

When I lived in Brooklyn Hts., I would see him or the other guy he travels with/looks like. 

 

As indicated in the story, he looks normal, but acts straight up nuttzzz.  If I'm not mistaken he lives with his family in Brooklyn Hts and has Alzheimers or some form of dementia.  :-( :|

 

 

My, such long automobile commutes for the hardcore smart growth advocates.

I'm in a difficult position. I can easily take the bus to work, and I'd much prefer it, but sometimes I need to unpredictably take my car and go on an errand during the middle of the day. It's not often, but I'm afraid that if I'm strapped to public transit, I'm going to take a hit job-wise, i.e., "failing" when given car-dependent assignments.

one of the things i liked about my commute when i lived in columbus, before we moved to ny, was my commute. we lived near lane and high and i really liked the "reverse commute" up I71 and east across I270 to westerville. why? because i used to get a kick out of the tied up traffic heading south on I71 and west on I270. it was wide open going my way, the opposite way. prob isnt anymore tho. still, one consideration about where you live should be to try to sync up with the elusive "reverse commute."

 

My, such long automobile commutes for the hardcore smart growth advocates.

 

I'm pretty sure that's a big reason why we're smart growth advocates -- so we don't have to make such long commutes anymore, especially by car.

Sorry I just found it funny that so many people in this thread complain about sprawl yet their habits are not much different than anyone else in America. I understand a lot of people are forced to work in the suburbs or exurbs but I found this thread to be a little overwhelming. Just my opinion. If there's anyone thats going to drive changes in the way we plan cities, its people such as the ones on this forum and the way we're going to see those changes actualize is by people like us setting an example. As big and diversified as our cities are, I just find this thread shocking regarding this forums general beliefs and general habits. 

interesting...this thread is 50/50 car versus all other forms. if i could use public transit more i would though my job makes it impossible.

Sorry I just found it funny that so many people in this thread complain about sprawl yet their habits are not much different than anyone else in America. I understand a lot of people are forced to work in the suburbs or exurbs but I found this thread to be a little overwhelming. Just my opinion. If there's anyone thats going to drive changes in the way we plan cities, its people such as the ones on this forum and the way we're going to see those changes actualize is by people like us setting an example. As big and diversified as our cities are, I just find this thread shocking regarding this forums general beliefs and general habits. 

 

And all caterpillars would love to fly.

 

In time...in time...

I was a little surprised but not a lot. In NYC, for example, you can do all of your work in the city, probably in in the same 10 X 10 block area -- for example, the financial institutions are clumped way downtown, fashion midtown, etc. In Ohio, though, you can create an alignment in your personal life where you live within walking distance to everything you need.... However, you can't control what other people are doing.

 

For example, (sorry for the irony in this) I was looking for a local car dealer in which to take my car for inspection. In order to get to and from the dealer, I'd need to take public transportation. Because of where the dealers are located, I'd face between an hour and three hours commuting time via bus --- that is if the bus even went near the place. Now, this counts for other things. For example, my company works with a company in Avon and we have to go there semi-frequently (once a month at least). It's completely out of reach of public transit. So what are you supposed to do?

 

We're going against the stream in everything we do.

And, in some places, there isn't even a river.

Also remember some professions require workers to be in 10 different locations thorughout the region in one day. That would be hard to do with mass transit even if every city's transit options were as good as they are in New York City.

Also remember some professions require workers to be in 10 different locations thorughout the region in one day. That would be hard to do with mass transit even if every city's transit options were as good as they are in New York City.

 

thats what taxi and car services are for.  Being able to hail a cab on the street is a plus.

My new job requires me to take a bus for 90 minutes... Over an hour including waiting on the bus. Even though Hyde Park Square is only a little over 4 miles away if you take the freeway. It wouldn't be economical if my time was worth more money. The bus driver passed up my stop today even though I was right in front of the red poll and the bus I need only comes once every half hour. That's happend to me so many times, too. Buses simply aren't efficient on so many levels here and something needs to be done about it. If you have to work late at night, forget about it. I'm limited to about 9pm.

i work construction so as far as carrying my tool box, lunch pail, and other assorted power tools, aside from moving from different job sites sometimes throughout the day or week. theres no possible way public transit could meet my needs.

Also remember some professions require workers to be in 10 different locations thorughout the region in one day. That would be hard to do with mass transit even if every city's transit options were as good as they are in New York City.

 

 

thats what taxi and car services are for.  Being able to hail a cab on the street is a plus.

 

True, but those are more convienent if you were traveling say Downtown Cleveland-University Circle-Airport. For others still taxis wouldn't cut it. Take my mom she's a Political relations manager for First Energy. In one day she averages about 200 driving miles and has 130K miles on her '03 vehicle. I worked with a land surveyor for an internship and there were days we would travel from Mentor to Akron to Toledo or have to spend the night in Newark (near I-70) or once Stryker. and even Gavster's example on how working construction may take him to different sites weekly or daily is a good example.

 

4 miles -- David, why don't you just walk or ride a bike?  Maybe 20 minutes on a bike and no big hills.

4 miles -- David, why don't you just walk or ride a bike?   Maybe 20 minutes on a bike and no big hills.

 

Are you sure its only 20 minutes by bike?

drive, less than 3 miles. Sorry transit enthusiasts. Untill gas tops 5 bucks a gallon it still makes more sense economically to drive down the hill

you sound like a good candidate for a scooter!

If the pope can't get laid now with a car he's certainly not if hes zipping around on a scooter.

If the pope can't get laid now with a car he's certainly not if hes zipping around on a scooter.

I beg to differ. The ladies and the guys  for that matter  :wink:  love a guy on a scooter. Very hot.

CAR HERE, CLEVELAND (OLD BROOKLYN) TO SOLON 45MIN DURING RUSH HOUR ABOUT 12MILES ONE WAY. IT WOULD TAKE 3-4 HOURS BY BUS.

I WOULD HAVE TO TAKE 2BUSES AND THE A RAPID. 1 BUS (35) DOWNTOWN TO TC THEN GET ON THE RAPID TO SHAKER AND WAIT FOR BUS (#40C) WHICH RUNS EVERY HOUR I BELIEVE.

 

I WAS THINKING ABOUT IT WHEN GAS WAS $3. JUST TO MUCH TIME.

*checks Vespas on ebay*

4 miles -- David, why don't you just walk or ride a bike? Maybe 20 minutes on a bike and no big hills.

 

Are you sure its only 20 minutes by bike?

 

Easily. Check this out: http://bikerefugee.blogspot.com/2006/09/speed.html

>Are you sure its only 20 minutes by bike?

 

You live by UC, right?  Averaging 12mph on a bike is pretty easy, so do the math.  If you sprint 4 miles you're going to show up sweaty so take it easy. 

 

I'd say at pretty much every commute distance an in-shape biker on a cyclocross or road bike is competitive time-wise with a car (and always blows away buses), I think over the entire Tour de France they average something like 33mph which is close or even higher than the average speed of commuting cars.  The critical time-waster for bike commuting is having to at the very least change clothes if not take a shower, which is why many take the bus to work and ride back since so few employers have shower facilities.  Obviously for certain jobs you have to look decent but considering how shabby people look in a lot of offices today due to relaxed dress codes, for a lot of jobs it's not much of an issue other than people think you're weird for not driving.  Also people seem to be afraid of riding at night but once you do it it's actually kind of fun.  I have been ticketed for not having a light at night and for riding the wrong way on a one-way so that stuff does happen if you ride enough.   

 

 

Its 4 miles in a straight line but taking little streets its probably more like 5 and a half.

 

Maybe I could do Martin Luther King to Madison to Erie. Hmm.

Come on, when I lived by UC I biked as far north as Northgate Mall, as far south as the KY 536 bridge over the Licking River, as far west as Anderson Ferry, and as far east as Milford.  Riding out to the ferry and coming back on the Kentucky side is a lot of fun and following the Licking River south into the hills is a great ride too.  Guys on road bikes regularly ride down to Falmouth and back, which is something like 75 miles RT. 

If the pope can't get laid now with a car he's certainly not if hes zipping around on a scooter.

I beg to differ. The ladies and the guys  for that matter  :wink:  love a guy on a scooter. Very hot.

 

Well my pattern has changed and I'm a train rider now. Unfortunately, no more ladies have been itching to sit next to me. Maybe I do need a scooter......

Come on, when I lived by UC I biked as far north as Northgate Mall, as far south as the KY 536 bridge over the Licking River, as far west as Anderson Ferry, and as far east as Milford.  Riding out to the ferry and coming back on the Kentucky side is a lot of fun and following the Licking River south into the hills is a great ride too.  Guys on road bikes regularly ride down to Falmouth and back, which is something like 75 miles RT. 

 

So? I bet your destination on those long trips wasn't your job. I can't show up all sweaty to work but if I biked there at a relatively slow speed I'd probably be alright. P.S. I noticed you revoked our friendship on facebook you assclown  :|