They basically said that NYC and SF "threw the curve," and should be excluded from the analysis. Probably, the same goes for Chicago and LA.
What I find amusing, is mean commute times. I know a number of folks that live in the Atlanta and Boston areas, and they would love a 30-minute commute. I think that NYC claims a 27-minute mean commute, but everyone that I know that commutes (and I know a lot of folks that commute; both by car, and by rail), take 90 minutes to two hours.
I think they must include [very expensive] suburbs right on the city limits, to get those means; when the affordable housing is out in the bedroom communities; usually 20-50 miles away.
Also, if the commute is supposed to end at the city limits, or some fixed point, downtown, it's leaving out a significant amount of time. It can take two hours to drive from the Queens/Nassau border, to the Hudson (on a bad day -usually, it's an hour). Subway rides take a certain time, too. These are affected by proximity to stations, and how many stops a train makes.
I don't think it's a useful comparison for any sub-60 minute commute when it's a passive mode of transportation vs active.
When I lived in Manhattan, I had a ~35 minute commute by subway. I read a book every week or two, and it was far more productive than anything that happens in a 20 minute drive by car. My commute now is roughly 20 minutes, driving... and it's very stressful.
Beyond 1 hour, the time lost has greater impact on your life (socializing, household chores, family time, etc). Even still, I'd rather 90 minutes in a train than 60 behind the wheel.
When I lived in Manhattan, I had a ~35 minute commute by subway. I read a book every week or two, and it was far more productive than anything that happens in a 20 minute drive by car. My commute now is roughly 20 minutes, driving... and it's very stressful
Really just shows how different people's experiences are based on location and density
When I was commuting downtown in Calgary, it was either paying for parking downtown and a 20-30 minute drive, or a 60-90 minute transit ride depending on which bus I caught
A 20-30 minute driving commute is basically the norm here. Unless you live quite outside the city.
Even still, I'd rather 90 minutes in a train than 60 behind the wheel
The tradeoff between transit and driving has never been within 30 minutes for anywhere I've lived, personally. It's always 40+ minutes difference, and that's assuming your bus even shows up on time
I get the feeling that the majority of folks, here, live in the city, nearby expensive suburbs, or work remote. Maybe they take the "Google buses," in the SV area.
Very few HN folks seem aware of what average mensch suburban commute times are like. I've been flat-out called a liar, when I mention what is common knowledge, all over Long Island, that commutes into the city truly suck. It's on the news. It's in the newspapers. It's a standard topic of discussion at social events. Everyone just knows it. I live in the Huntington area, which is around 40 miles from Manhattan. There's no way, even with a Lamborghini, that I'll make it to Manhattan from here, in less than 40 minutes. During COVID, that was briefly possible.
My daily commute, for over 20 years, was north-south (on Long Island), ten miles (16Km). It took exactly 30 minutes, each way.
But someone made a statistic (I suspect commissioned by folks trying to sell suburban real estate), that it takes 27 minutes to get to Manhattan, and I guess we're numbers people, so the number always wins.
I do a reverse commute from Queens to the Suffolk border. If I leave by 6:30 I can get to work in about 45 minutes From the Belt to the Southern State, about 26 miles total drive. Meanwhile, the opposite lane is a depressing sea of automobiles slowly pouring into the city. A friend of mine lives in Smithtown and it can take him up to 2 hours to drive into the city if he has to.
Comments
The cities: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Denver and Mihwaukee. But NYC and SanFran also mentioned in passing.
They basically said that NYC and SF "threw the curve," and should be excluded from the analysis. Probably, the same goes for Chicago and LA.
What I find amusing, is mean commute times. I know a number of folks that live in the Atlanta and Boston areas, and they would love a 30-minute commute. I think that NYC claims a 27-minute mean commute, but everyone that I know that commutes (and I know a lot of folks that commute; both by car, and by rail), take 90 minutes to two hours.
I think they must include [very expensive] suburbs right on the city limits, to get those means; when the affordable housing is out in the bedroom communities; usually 20-50 miles away.
Also, if the commute is supposed to end at the city limits, or some fixed point, downtown, it's leaving out a significant amount of time. It can take two hours to drive from the Queens/Nassau border, to the Hudson (on a bad day -usually, it's an hour). Subway rides take a certain time, too. These are affected by proximity to stations, and how many stops a train makes.
I don't think it's a useful comparison for any sub-60 minute commute when it's a passive mode of transportation vs active.
When I lived in Manhattan, I had a ~35 minute commute by subway. I read a book every week or two, and it was far more productive than anything that happens in a 20 minute drive by car. My commute now is roughly 20 minutes, driving... and it's very stressful.
Beyond 1 hour, the time lost has greater impact on your life (socializing, household chores, family time, etc). Even still, I'd rather 90 minutes in a train than 60 behind the wheel.
Really just shows how different people's experiences are based on location and density
When I was commuting downtown in Calgary, it was either paying for parking downtown and a 20-30 minute drive, or a 60-90 minute transit ride depending on which bus I caught
A 20-30 minute driving commute is basically the norm here. Unless you live quite outside the city.
The tradeoff between transit and driving has never been within 30 minutes for anywhere I've lived, personally. It's always 40+ minutes difference, and that's assuming your bus even shows up on time
I get the feeling that the majority of folks, here, live in the city, nearby expensive suburbs, or work remote. Maybe they take the "Google buses," in the SV area.
Very few HN folks seem aware of what average mensch suburban commute times are like. I've been flat-out called a liar, when I mention what is common knowledge, all over Long Island, that commutes into the city truly suck. It's on the news. It's in the newspapers. It's a standard topic of discussion at social events. Everyone just knows it. I live in the Huntington area, which is around 40 miles from Manhattan. There's no way, even with a Lamborghini, that I'll make it to Manhattan from here, in less than 40 minutes. During COVID, that was briefly possible.
My daily commute, for over 20 years, was north-south (on Long Island), ten miles (16Km). It took exactly 30 minutes, each way.
But someone made a statistic (I suspect commissioned by folks trying to sell suburban real estate), that it takes 27 minutes to get to Manhattan, and I guess we're numbers people, so the number always wins.
> "Lies, damn lies, and statistics"
-Mark Twain
I do a reverse commute from Queens to the Suffolk border. If I leave by 6:30 I can get to work in about 45 minutes From the Belt to the Southern State, about 26 miles total drive. Meanwhile, the opposite lane is a depressing sea of automobiles slowly pouring into the city. A friend of mine lives in Smithtown and it can take him up to 2 hours to drive into the city if he has to.
It seems you haven't discovered podcasts yet :)