How much of a commute is too much

fordyjames

on 41k in Kilkenny or could get 55k+ in dublin

no thanks, dublin is an absoloute kip compared to Kilkenny

Think its the best place in ireland to live.

Coming from a Dub

mvl

fordyjames wrote: »

on 41k in Kilkenny or could get 55k+ in dublin

no thanks, dublin is an absoloute kip compared to Kilkenny

Think its the best place in ireland to live.

Coming from a Dub

Ppl can get good pay in the country side: either permanent or consultancy roles. - but issue is that Dublin still has the majority of jobs. so what do you do when one of the few employers in town lets ppl go, and you have comfortably reached your 50s.

Anyway, had a look at the thread, not too many ppl mention school drops as part of the daily commute.
I have my ~25 mins each way of home+school/after-school+work. The most stressful part of this drive is reaching the school in rush hour.

cournioni

Have done a 45 minute spin to and from work for the past 8 years by car. Haven’t had any issues as of yet, I just pop in for a coffee in the drive thru, sip away at it while listening to my favourite podcasts and take in the beautiful Irish countryside as I drive.

Could never do it in an overcrowded bus or train. If I was commuting I’d be making sure to take a coach, they only have seated capacity and they’re comfortable more often than not.

Missus has done Dundalk to Dublin IFSC/Grand Canal for the same length of time. Handy spin on the coach, short walk to the bus (5 mins), direct bus through port tunnel (50 mins - M1 traffic dependent), and then into work (10 minute walk).

s7ryf3925pivug

Some days I end up going at rush hour. Normally my commute is an enjoyable 20 min spin on quiet roads. However if I go during rush hour I can end up plodding along in traffic a lot of the way and take maybe 30 min. I find this frustrating so I suppose for me 30 min is too long

DEFTLEFTHAND

Let's say you were laid off as a lighthouse keeper on Malin Head, settled with a family in the area and had to take a new lighthousing position at Mizen Head.

600 mile round daily commute.

twowheelsonly

I'm in Cork and drive to work so on a good day it's 10 mins but on average about 15. The odd time it takes 20 mins I am that guy swearing at every ash hole on the road..

I worked in Dublin for a number of years and honestly don't know how anyone sticks it. The place is a joke. I can't for the life of me understand why more people don't use mopeds / small motorbikes - especially those who have the walk-bus-luas-bus type journeys. I used a motorbike the whole time I was working in Dublin travelling in from Ashbourne and used to pass the same people at the same times every day sitting alone staring out their windscreens as they inched their way towards work.

I've since passed up on promotion opportunities that could have taken me back to Dublin as there's no way in hell that I'm going back to that. As it is, my job is 12 hour shifts. Adding another 30/60/90 minutes each way to that is nuts, and there's fellas do that and longer. The trouble is, when you're in that bubble you actually think it's quite normal. It's not !!!

aido79

Last week I had to leave my house at 2am and drive 2 hours to an airport, get a flight for an hour and 45 minutes then get on a bus for a 3 hour drive...all for 2 days work.
That's too long of a commute!

Wanderer78

aido79 wrote:

Last week I had to leave my house at 2am and drive 2 hours to an airport, get a flight for an hour and 45 minutes then get on a bus for a 3 hour drive...all for 2 days work. That's too long of a commute!

Fcuk that!

Wanderer78

Mate commuted from the Australian outback to Ireland every couple of weeks for a while

facehugger99

People rarely undertake long commutes because they think it’s “normal”.

It’s more to do with having a family to support, mortgage to service and bills to pay combined with a lack of alternative employment opportunities that are closer.

AndrewJRenko

facehugger99 wrote: »

People rarely undertake long commutes because they think it’s “normal”.

It’s more to do with having a family to support, mortgage to service and bills to pay combined with a lack of alternative employment opportunities that are closer.

Some people trade off a long commute for the big house. I know a couple of people who've moved from an average house in the Dublin suburbs to a very big house in the country, with 90-120 minute commutes each way.


I'd prefer the average house.

facehugger99

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

Some people trade off a long commute for the big house. I know a couple of people who've moved from an average house in the Dublin suburbs to a very big house in the country, with 90-120 minute commutes each way.


I'd prefer the average house.

That's true and I was the opposite to an extent.

We had a 3-bed semi in Dublin in an ok area, but when you've a couple of kids, it can seem a bit tight for space, - garden was tiny too.

aido79

Wanderer78 wrote: »

Fcuk that!

Exactly...never again!

Wanderer78 wrote: »

Mate commuted from the Australian outback to Ireland every couple of weeks for a while

I imagine it was to Barrow Island(Gorgon) on a 26 days on 9 days off roster...not really Australian outback..but just as remote. I know a few guys who did it. I could never imagine doing it.

Wanderer78

aido79 wrote: »

I imagine it was to Barrow Island(Gorgon) on a 26 days on 9 days off roster...not really Australian outback..but just as remote. I know a few guys who did it. I could never imagine doing it.

no, the outback as far as im aware, the mines, horrendous journey to do, he was in a constant state of jet leg. must find out his shift pattern, probably something like as you said

namloc1980

Lady I work with commutes 1hr20mins each way every day. She has a big house in the country and says she prefers to drive long commute to have the house. Over a year it works out at over 600 hours sitting in a car commuting. That's 26 days of driving 24 hours a day or 51 days driving 12 hours a day. Fcuk that - nearly 2 months of your life every year sitting in a car to go to/from work!

facehugger99

namloc1980 wrote: »

Lady I work with commutes 1hr20mins each way every day. She has a big house in the country and says she prefers to drive long commute to have the house. Over a year it works out at over 600 hours sitting in a car commuting. That's 26 days of driving 24 hours a day or 51 days driving 12 hours a day. Fcuk that - nearly 2 months of your life every year sitting in a car to go to/from work!

I know plenty of lads that live and work in Dublin and it takes them over an hour each way to get to/from work.

Speedsie

I've a 20 minute walk to work, which is great.

But, I work work someone who lives in Lurgan, and drives 4 days a week to the offices in south Dublin city. And works from home the 5th day. Has been doing this for nearly 20 years. Pure nuts.

NewbridgeIR

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

Some people trade off a long commute for the big house. I know a couple of people who've moved from an average house in the Dublin suburbs to a very big house in the country, with 90-120 minute commutes each way.

I'd prefer the average house.

And there are others who couldn't afford anything in Dublin so settled for an average house in the country and commute to the city.

I drive to the train station (5-7 mins) and have two choices:
55 mins train to Tara St + 5 mins walk
or
25/30 mins train to Heuston + 15 mins Luas / Dublin Bus + 10 mins walk

Work at home one day a week, can do another day if I want.
It's tiring but tolerable as I use train time for reading / listening to music so a nice way to unwind.

griffin100

fordyjames wrote: »

on 41k in Kilkenny or could get 55k+ in dublin

no thanks, dublin is an absoloute kip compared to Kilkenny

Think its the best place in ireland to live.

Coming from a Dub

The issue is the lack of high paid jobs outside Dublin. Not many €100k jobs outside Dublin.

road_high

griffin100 wrote: »

The issue is the lack of high paid jobs outside Dublin. Not many €100k jobs outside Dublin.

This is it. All the best paying jobs and opportunities are in Dublin. It’s where all the major companies like google etc are based.

AndrewJRenko

road_high wrote: »

This is it. All the best paying jobs and opportunities are in Dublin. It’s where all the major companies like google etc are based.

It depends what industry you're in. If you're in pharma or medical devices, Dublin is not the place to be.

namloc1980

road_high wrote: »

This is it. All the best paying jobs and opportunities are in Dublin. It’s where all the major companies like google etc are based.

Apple are in Cork. Biggest company in the world.

GaGa21

facehugger99 wrote:

I know plenty of lads that live and work in Dublin and it takes them over an hour each way to get to/from work.

I used to live in Drumcondra and work off South Circular road. Journey was a bus into town and another bus rest of way. At best it took an hour and at worst nearly 2. The timetable was a joke and the traffic was worse.
And you see people stuck in traffic up to an hour getting from one side of the city to the other. So a commute from the country is not as bad as it may seem!

Inspector Coptoor

I can drive into work in 15 mins (Dublin City Centre) if I leave before 06:45.

It’s 12km from home to work.
It’s a 15 min drive, 25 mins on way home depending on time I leave, can be an hour if leave between 5-7.

30min cycle in and out which I did for last 5 years.

Now I tend to drive 2 days, cycle 2 days and get the bus on a Friday.

Necro

Depressing, but drive from Sligo to Castlebar for work. Takes anywhere from 50 mins up to 1hr 15 depending on traffic. Not fun facing into or after a 10hr shift. Hopefully won't be forever that's the only thing. Up the chain and back to Sligo is the plan.

incentsitive

GaGa21 wrote: »

facehugger99 wrote:

I know plenty of lads that live and work in Dublin and it takes them over an hour each way to get to/from work.

I used to live in Drumcondra and work off South Circular road. Journey was a bus into town and another bus rest of way. At best it took an hour and at worst nearly 2. The timetable was a joke and the traffic was worse.
And you see people stuck in traffic up to an hour getting from one side of the city to the other. So a commute from the country is not as bad as it may seem!

There's a great thing called a bike or walking, both would be quicker!

timthumbni

The commute is one thing. The real question is how much work is too much? Working and travelling for 12 hours a day for example is pretty ****e imo especially when you need to take sleeping into consideration . How much time does that actually leave aside for actual life?

My commute is 12-15 minutes. It used to always be 30 until I moved apartment this year.

I reckon 30 is the most I can stomach. I used to do extra work in the evenings and it would add a lot of driving. It was the worst part of it, though the money was good.


Now, I work very little. Leave at 12 on Monday, 11.15 on Thursday, and 1.30 on Friday. I spend the rest of the time working on my own business from home.

Trigger Happy

One thing we can see from this thread is that there is clearly no one size fits all answer to the OP's question.
Some people have long commutes for a variety of reasons and various levels of toleration.

I got stuck in an hour long tailback a few weeks ago and was fit to kill by the time I got out of it. A long commute is not for me.

Ush1

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

It depends what industry you're in. If you're in pharma or medical devices, Dublin is not the place to be.

Plenty of pharma companies in Dublin.

pat k

My job now is @5 min drive away so I am lucky I don't have to spend longer in the car going/coming to/from work every day , tho it is the longest drive to work I have atm but once had a job that was next door to where I live so that was an agonising 30 second walk Lol .Thankfully I live in Kilkenny so most places of employment would be close enough tg

_Kaiser_

aido79 wrote: »

Last week I had to leave my house at 2am and drive 2 hours to an airport, get a flight for an hour and 45 minutes then get on a bus for a 3 hour drive...all for 2 days work.
That's too long of a commute!

Is that a regular thing though?

I occasionally have to go into Dublin City centre to our office there, or there'll be a few occasions coming up that I may have to fly to the UK - both of which are a fair bit of disruption to my normal hour-each-way commute on the motorway.

But it's rare enough that it's not a major hassle (comes with the job I'm in) and I can claim all the expenses so I can live with it for the benefit of the experience, job satisfaction and the extra money the role pays over my last one.

If you want the bigger wage packet and advancement, unfortunately it's part of the deal nowadays.

_Kaiser_

facehugger99 wrote: »

I know plenty of lads that live and work in Dublin and it takes them over an hour each way to get to/from work.

That's exactly it.

You see people talking about others driving an hour or so in/out of Dublin and how crazy it is... But it take more than that just to get out of the city centre to the M50 at rush hour!

I drive in from 2 counties away but its motorway pretty much all the way, I have flexible hours, and I can work from home at least one day a week - all without questioning, but I don't abuse it either.

I'd rather that than being 10 minutes from the office but then I have no real ties to Dublin anymore either.

blackbox

A lot depends on your attitude.

If you are stressed out in the car, always wondering if you would be better off in the other lane, the even 30 minutes could be too much.

However, if you treat the commute as relaxing leisure time, listening to your favourite music or to the radio and knowing you will get there in the end, an hour or more should be ok.

_Kaiser_

blackbox wrote: »

A lot depends on your attitude.

If you are stressed out in the car, always wondering if you would be better off in the other lane, the even 30 minutes could be too much.

However, if you treat the commute as relaxing leisure time, listening to your favourite music or to the radio and knowing you will get there in the end, an hour or more should be ok.

I find the most stressful part of the drive is the other drivers

Even if you are just moving along listening to the stereo, you have to contend with the tailgaters, the idiots lane hopping to get a car length ahead and trying to pull out in front of you, the dawdlers doing 80 or less for no reason and causing a rolling roadblock etc etc.

Slightly Off peak travel is definitely the way to go if you can manage it

GaGa21

And I had no interest in either, especially an hour walk when I was going to be on my feet for 10 hour shifts. Alright for those sitting at an office desk all day I suppose.

Wildly Boaring

In the office 2 or 3 days a week

Anywhere in the south of the country the rest.

Office is 35 min drive.
I actually enjoy it.

Leave house about 7.55 in for 8.30.
Get the news at 8. Then some music.

Enough time to wake up in the morning, enough time to ring a couple people on way home.

The other days can be a 5 min drive or 2.5 hour drive. Might need to be there for 8 or 9.30.
These have varying amounts of enjoyment. But basically I don't mind it.

AndrewJRenko

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

...............If you're in pharma or medical devices, Dublin is not the place to be.

No one wants to be in med devices
There's fook loads of bio-pharma in Dublin.
Two recent €500M projects and another one kicking off, in addition to what was here for years. Pfizer GC is the largest in the country still.

cherryghost

If I work normal work hours: Over 1hr in, 40mins back.
If I work late hours (2pm-1pm): 35min in, 30 mins back.

That morning commute is such a pain. I wouldnt mind but I
a) Am not commuting cross city
b) Live just outside the M50 ring

IrishGrimReaper

East side of Galway City to Spiddal.

Approx 40 minutes in the morning and around 55 minutes home in the evening.

Used to take over an hour getting home around a year ago, mad considering it's 20km each way. I use a motorbike now and it's bang on 35 minutes each way now.

Lau2976

I work from home now so 0 but in college it was 2 hours each way driving at peak. Or 1.5 hours on the bus. It was horrible. I was working in a cinema at the time too so I was up at 6.30 every morning, home at 7-8 depending on when my classes finished and then in work for 10- 1 or 2 depending on last showing. It seriously nearly killed me. I had no quality of life.

I’d push to maybe an hour and a half If really necessary

CheerLouth

I commute twice a week - can take between 1.5hrs and 2 hrs to get there & up to 1.15hrs to get home. The other three days I WFH. Even though it's only twice a week, I dread those days. It's just the waste of time sitting stopped on the M50. But I'm very lucky to be able to work from home so much.

TooObvious

PlaneSpeeking wrote: »

I"m fairly sure you're aware not everybody is able bodied enough to do that ?

Plus I'm fairly sure the N7 is off limits to bikes so that's us culchies screwed.

In answer to your question, I wouldn't in a perfect world choose to have 22 hours a week in commuting but my dad is secure in the Midlands whilst I work and I have a decent house for a decent rent, not like colleagues who share a box for 1800 a month.

What commute is too much ? Cannot be answered, it's up to the individual's life and what's in it.

N7 from Naas is fine for bikes.

I drove to work this morning, leaving Kill at about 7.45, arrived in D2 by 9.15am - not bad going. I'm lucky to have a parking space and showers in work, so for the rest of the week i pretty much cycle in and out via the N7, I'm one of maybe 2 or 3 doing it year round - it increases in the Summer months mind.

It's not a bad cycle, traffic going in is slow moving so i generally keep up with it, quite often I will be faster to get to the red cow - thereafter bike wins all the way.

Generally it takes about an hour each way.

twowheelsonly

griffin100 wrote: »

The issue is the lack of high paid jobs outside Dublin. Not many €100k jobs outside Dublin.

Plenty of jobs in that category outside of Dublin. Having said that, I'd guesstimate that an €80k job outside the Pale would net you just the same as a €100k job within between cheaper housing and general living expenses as well as less time commuting/stuck in traffic.

BBFAN

twowheelsonly wrote: »

Plenty of jobs in that category outside of Dublin. Having said that, I'd guesstimate that an €80k job outside the Pale would net you just the same as a €100k job within between cheaper housing and general living expenses as well as less time commuting/stuck in traffic.

In my experience, about 20 jobs in the higher bracket within areas outside the pale as opposed to 300 jobs within the pale so a huge difference.

twowheelsonly

BBFAN wrote: »

In my experience, about 20 jobs in the higher bracket within areas outside the pale as opposed to 300 jobs within the pale so a huge difference.

I presume you're quoting that as an approximate ratio. In my experience that ratio would be far closer but would also be dependent on the industry in question. You also have to allow for a 'Dublin premium' rather than be fixated on the magic 100k. Plenty of people would get by just the same on the lower figure if they were prepared to give up Dublin but, again IMO, many seem to have some sort of irrational fear of missing out on something.

Cookie_Monster

Anything more than 30 mins is out for me, apart from cycling home on a nice day where it can be 2 hours+

aido79

_Kaiser_ wrote: »

Is that a regular thing though?

I occasionally have to go into Dublin City centre to our office there, or there'll be a few occasions coming up that I may have to fly to the UK - both of which are a fair bit of disruption to my normal hour-each-way commute on the motorway.

But it's rare enough that it's not a major hassle (comes with the job I'm in) and I can claim all the expenses so I can live with it for the benefit of the experience, job satisfaction and the extra money the role pays over my last one.

If you want the bigger wage packet and advancement, unfortunately it's part of the deal nowadays.

The drive to the airport and the flight used to be a regular thing(weekly) but not as much these days as I've changed jobs.
I used to work 7 days on 7 days off so the time off made it bearable. The pay packet was similar to what I would earn working closer to home though.

incentsitive

After the traffic in Dublin this morning - any commute is too much.

Graces7

in my first teaching job, i left home at 7.15, caught a local bus, then connected with the school bus for an hour's drive.

Reversed after school and home around 6 pm or.later. Both ways laden with exercise books etc.

Learned to drive and got a mini in sheer self defence.

Commuting is...