How far do you commute?

[Stroller133]

15 miles each way to office, first 8/9 miles are village/back roads and the last 5/6 dual carriageway. I queue for a few mins at roundabout for A46 on they way meaning journey in takes 25-30mins, home run 20-25. Not in office everyday, do anything from 300-1000 miles a month travelling around the midlands that on the whole I enjoy. Even sitting in traffic is bearable when you know it's a one-off journey.

 

Currently at a stage in life where long regular commutes don't appeal - I leave home about 07:30 and are nearly always back by 5pm. I would need a lot more money or to lose this current job (current redundancy risk!) to consider those longer commutes.

[catsinthewelder]

An average day will see me put about 6 miles onto the Cherry of mostly pottering round town between the kids school, van hire, builders merchants and customers houses. 

 

I drive a lot more miles than that though doing man+van work for the van hire,  it's mostly pretty enjoyable as I'm rarely in too much of a hurry and I get to drive a decent variety of vehicles along nice roads (and the A49).

 

I've lived around here for over 10 years now and still get a bit lost on a more than weekly basis.

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

My daily commute is 17.7 miles in my 1997 Metro diesel, average mpg 58.4. Previously a 4 mile commute returned 53.2 mpg. I did a weekend trip to Barmouth and back last July and returned an impressive 64.7 mpg.

[SambaS]

I used to work 300ft from home and yes some days I would drive to work.

[cort1977]

9 mile commute for me.   I try to cycle but usually find an excuse not to such as too hot, too cold, off site meeting that day, CBA.   Drive takes about 20-30 minutes depending on traffic.   Mostly on 10 lane freeways so it slows but hardly ever stops.

[doobietoo]

8 miles each way for me 4 days a week so 64 miles a week add to that about 30 to 40 a week here and there equals about 5,000 a year.... down here in Darzet there are no traffic jams so this mileage is done at normal road speeds and takes about 12 mins at a push and 17 taking it steady more than enough miles for a 98 renault me thinks......

[mercrocker]

4.5 miles each way....I should cycle it more than I do, really, but its a shitty ride involving a busy dock road.  Have used the Minor for the last 10 years but to be honest the dock roads have hammered the shit out of it.  I work odd hours so rarely sit in traffic - there used to be nothing on the road at 6am starts but now its as busy as it is at 8am.   Driving old chod is an excellent comfort from a shite day (every day) at work -  it gives me a chance for some gentle fettling and adjustments, too.   Commuting in the real world would send me over the edge....

[Leyland Lawrence]

Some of these commutes are awful. 6 miles into Bristol on a scooter nearly all on bus lanes. 20 minutes irrespective of traffic conditions.

[Richard]

Long commutes are getting more and more common, and not always for good money either.

[danthecapriman]

I commute between 30 and 150 miles but work provides a vehicle and diesel. I get to drive silly things like this Sprinter 4x4.

I work for them too!

I've got a standard high top Merc Sprinter 2 wheel drive. I work across the south coast area (former southern electric area) I do roughly 10k - 15k a year for work.

Having the work van means I don't have to pay for the van, fuel etc so it means I can have whatever car I want as a toy!

[spike60]

My daily commute is 17.7 miles in my 1997 Metro diesel, average mpg 58.4. Previously a 4 mile commute returned 53.2 mpg. I did a weekend trip to Barmouth and back last July and returned an impressive 64.7 mpg.

Never mind that, how many mpg from the Landy?

[Mr_Bo11ox]

65mpg is awesome, and your Metro looks well nice too. Great work!

[Cavcraft]

When I'm on earlies (7.00am start) I love it when it's really really cold as perversely I prefer cycling in then. I usually take a longer route (9.3 miles instead of 5.9) and go down the lanes. It actually spoils it for me if I see any other road users, because it's sort of like having all that lovely countryside to myself and the wild life.

[eddyramrod]

SSE?  That's my energy provider!  I'm paying for your Mercury, you jammy sod!

[meggersdog]

My commute is 8 miles each way which doesn't sound much but with both a primary school and a large secondary school term time can be hard work.Not only that but I also have to cross the eastcoast mainline and six other rail tracks.20-30 minutes sat at the rail crossing between 5pm and 5.30 is the norm.If I'm near the back of the queue then I've seen the barriers going up and down three times before I've got to the front.

Our village sits either side of the old A15 so when other routes are blocked for whatever reason that traffic also comes through the village.Two weeks ago a road in the next village was closed.A lot of commuters travelling from the Deepings to Peterborough use this road but those yellow signs warning that this road was to be closed (signs were up two weeks earlier) obviously didn't apply to them.Monday morning bumper to bumper from our village up to the village with the closed road.Had to do a ten mile detour for three days that week.

[willswitchengage]

9 mile commute for me.   I try to cycle but usually find an excuse not to such as too hot, too cold, off site meeting that day, CBA.   Drive takes about 20-30 minutes depending on traffic.   Mostly on 10 lane freeways so it slows but hardly ever stops.

 

I cycle on company business, not meant to but it's not much slower than driving

 

Mat, Cameron and Billy have the privilege of seeing my exceedingly boring 21 mile round trip bicycle commute on Strava every day 

[tooSavvy]

Epicish mileage on someone elses derv makes for a fairly stressless motoring.

 

I walk 30yds to the van.

 

 

TS

[Sigmund Fraud]

Crikey... I thought my 60 mile commute was long, but it's nothing compared to some of you chaps !

 

Commuting weapon* of choice is my diesel Megane, which averages 48mpg running on 10-20% veggie oil.

[danthecapriman]

SSE?  That's my energy provider!  I'm paying for your Mercury, you jammy sod!

Yes, thanks for that!! Most kind of you! It is payed for directly from sse aswell. We had a 'bonus' type scheme running and all the bonus money I earn the from it was put away specifically for buying something like my Mercury.

 

 

It's definitly a massive perk of the job, not having to pay even to commute to and from work. I've no idea how much it actually saves me a year but it must be a fair amount. We're not allowed to use the company vans for personal use though but it's not something I'm going to moan about.

The vans are also maintained, taxed and replaced every 5 yrs, all at no cost to the employee! I consider myself very lucky in this respect.

[mat_the_cat]

I cycle on company business, not meant to but it's not much slower than driving

 

What do you do about claiming for expenses? I've ridden for work trips a couple of times when I've been working from home, but never claimed for the mileage. It did cross my mind to claim for the ice cream I had once, as surely that counts as fuel?

[Lacquer Peel]

It's definitly a massive perk of the job, not having to pay even to commute to and from work. I've no idea how much it actually saves me a year but it must be a fair amount. We're not allowed to use the company vans for personal use though but it's not something I'm going to moan about.

The vans are also maintained, taxed and replaced every 5 yrs, all at no cost to the employee! I consider myself very lucky in this respect.

 

Having been self-employed for a long time, it is a massive perk and I look forward to buying cars I can have 'fun' with instead of for commuting. How do you find the 2wd Sprinter? The 4x4 is flawed, the 2.1 diesel struggles to haul it along, it tramlines, it's very harsh and noisy for a modern van and cumbersome off road.

[richardmorris]

What do you do about claiming for expenses? I've ridden for work trips a couple of times when I've been working from home, but never claimed for the mileage. It did cross my mind to claim for the ice cream I had once, as surely that counts as fuel?

 

I've just done a HMRC webinar on expenses. You're allowed up to 20p per mile for bike travel with no upper mileage limit unlike cars.  If your employer pays less you can claim the difference back from hmrc if you do a tax return, and if your employer pays more than the non-taxable 20p limit then it's taxable like income.

 

Chapeau if you cycle more than 10,000miles a year for work though!

[alf892]

For 9 years I did 230 miles a day..........4.30am start and home for 6. I used to drive 3 days then stay over one night and work from home on a Friday. I probably would still be doing it but the company went pop.

 

Now I do 30 miles a day and it seems like a drive in the country........nice quiet roads and no rush.

 

At the time I did it for the money but there is no way I would/could do it again.

 

I did fall asleep once and had a very nasty crash on the A1.....I was very very lucky

[danthecapriman]

Having been self-employed for a long time, it is a massive perk and I look forward to buying cars I can have 'fun' with instead of for commuting. How do you find the 2wd Sprinter? The 4x4 is flawed, the 2.1 diesel struggles to haul it along, it tramlines, it's very harsh and noisy for a modern van and cumbersome off road.

The 2wd isn't bad to drive, reasonably comfortable and the seats are ok (I had a 52 reg Transit before which had shit seats!) but your right, the engine is gutless, especially when towing. It feels very unstable to drive too. And let's just say it's a good job I'm not paying for the fuel because it's not exactly frugal! I've used mine sort of off road, mainly on grass, gravel and dirt tracks etc to get to/from some of the more remote substations and it really struggles where my previous Transit wouldn't.

Mines a 60 reg so it's getting on a bit now, and I've heard from our local garage that look after them for us that they are a bit of a twat to work on too, although that's not my problem.

They really should have air con aswell but they don't. It's boiling (black vinyl seats!) in summer and steams up like mad in winter. It takes ages to demist sometimes.

 

Still, can't complain for free transport though!

[mat_the_cat]

Mines a 60 reg so it's getting on a bit now

 

Are you sure you're on the right forum?

[Jikovron]

A mere 110miles a day for me which involves Rotherham to Chesterfield, then doubling back to Barnsley

 

the m1 seems reliable but has a consistently reliable bottleneck of traffic where the M18 joins south bound at Jct 32 and when heading sounth bound it generally backs up coming towards the tinsley viaduct , then at jct33 of which are so reliable in operation that i'll simply go from the 3rd lane to the nearside which allows you to trundle past literally 50 or 60 cars before a cheeky lane swap back over to the 3rd lane by which time your at the front of the traffic compression if it could be termed that

 

I have done that commute for 2 years solidly in the skoda Estelle (15.5mph per 1000 top aswell!) and a year in the proton which is proving equally reliable even despite the clutch taking the job of centering the mainshaft from a ball race which has disintegrated

 

as ive read through I  can concur that an hour in the car cruising before work gets me properly ready for the day ,,just after work I sometimes have to have an hour sleep at woodall services (which once got me a parking eye ticket!)

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

 

Never mind that, how many mpg from the Landy?

 

2286 diesel returns 28 local,35 on a run, although I don't use it for distance anymore. Cruises at 50/55 with an overdrive.

 

Its soon to have a date with Makita, however many of the parts will be used on a swb I'm rebuilding.

[spike60]

Many moons ago I had the use of a Forestry Commission 109 petrol and had to check the mpg, they expected 18.5. It did 10.3 over a month in depths of winter when it was driven on eggshells!

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

 

65mpg is awesome, and your Metro looks well nice too. Great work!

The Metro is quite tidy, its more than halved my fuel bill in the last four years. I bought it with 33000 miles, now at about 49000. No reliability problems and no welding needed to date.

 

I can recommend these to anyone who wants a cheap to buy and easy to maintain runabout, check carefully for tinworm, although most of the ones left I've seen are in decent condition.

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

 

Many moons ago I had the use of a Forestry Commission 109 petrol and had to check the mpg, they expected 18.5. It did 10.3 over a month in depths of winter when it was driven on eggshells!

 

Best I've ever got local was 20 in a direct from MVS ex'mod FFR 109 ragtop with a new carb.

And don't even consider a 6 pot or a 12 seat Safari, about 12 to 14 local in top mechanical condition and careful driving.