[Revi]

I figured it out and at $3 a gallon people will be having to spend about $125 a week to get to a job an hour away in their SUV. That's $500 a month just to get to work and back. When will they get it?

[jdmartin]

Wow, I'm amazed this thread is going this long.

I agree with much of what's been said here (having said some of it myself ), but it is not so simple as picking up and moving to the city so that you're closer to your job. What happens if (when) your job outsources you and you have to find another job? Every time you have to move it can be really expensive, regardless of whether it's across town or across the country. If everyone was going to maintain a sense of mobility to the point that you could cheaply get up and move at any time, we'd be in the 2nd Great Depression already. Remember, moving at a whim was what you did then, because you followed the jobs. You certainly couldn't "settle down" if the company was only hiring for 2 weeks.

This is what many people are faced with today. Sure, some dopes think it's great to live in neverneverland and commute. Most people live, or lived, within reasonable distance from their job at some point. When they had to change jobs, the fact that everything is spread everywhere meant that their new job might be spread far away from their current residence.

I am a prime example. I have worked at jobs, in my life, with the following commutes:

50 feet (right next door)
.4 miles (10 minute walk)
<5 miles (10 minute drive)
<10 miles (15 minute drive)
24 miles (35 minute drive)
35 miles (over 1 hour, 2 in bad traffic)
50 miles (50 minute drive)

There have been others, but those are representative. Sometimes I have been fortunate enough to not need a car to get to work. More commonly, I've driven >10 miles because that's where the job is. Considering that I'm not far from paying off my mortgage, can I really afford to sell the house and move every time I switch jobs?

The fact that everything is spread out is also the reason that public transportation has not worked well in the US in the last 25 years. Without a central hub, doing anything but driving is generally impossible. People also shouldn't forget that suburbs are not the invention of the automobile. Suburbs in the US started gaining serious popularity in the mid 1800's, and were accessed by horse & buggy, trolley car and trams before the automobile took over.

[emersonbiggins]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('jdmartin', 'T')he fact that everything is spread out is also the reason that public transportation has not worked well in the US in the last 25 years. Without a central hub, doing anything but driving is generally impossible. People also shouldn't forget that suburbs are not the invention of the automobile. Suburbs in the US started gaining serious popularity in the mid 1800's, and were accessed by horse & buggy, trolley car and trams before the automobile took over.

[Monk]

good article on the effect of suburbia and commuting

http://articles.news.aol.com/news/artic ... 0000000001

[ReserveGrowthRulz]

This guy is my HERO. Anyone who isn't afraid of PO and puts his money where his mouth is, must be a brave man.

[frankthetank]

I'd like to see him do that on a bike. I think my 5 miles is bad!

[coyote]

Mariposa to San Jose? Unbelieveable...

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'D')ave Givens drives 370 miles to work and back every day and considers his seven-hour commute the best answer to balancing his work with his personal life.

[peaker_2005]

I suppose his commute doubles as 'self' time...

[oilluber]

what an idiot.

[cube]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', ' ')And I could live closer, but I wouldn't have the lifestyle that I desire.

[eric_b]

ludicrous

[jaws]

I hope he gets paid two jobs' worth.

[PolestaR]

Ah nothing made me laugh today like this story, thanks for the link, hilarious.

[pea-jay]

Gosh, if he is spending 185 a week and does not consider it a financial problem, at what level for him would it BECOME a problem. This is something quite concerning. There are too many households in the US that would barely flinch at $4-5 gasoline or higher. It makes me wonder if we will have to scoot past ten a gallon to get real results.

[EnergySpin]

Maybe we should inform Highway Patrol about Mr Givens because ...
370*2 = 740 miles
740 miles/7 hours = 105.7 mph

So he spends 7 hours commuting + 8 hrs working = 15 hrs. The day has 24 hours and I guess he sleeps for 7 hrs, which only lives him 2 hours of "life quality" to enjoy.

My favourite quote from the original link:
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Peak Oil Unaware', '
')While Givens spends much of his commute listening to the radio, especially traffic reports, Philips, 52, uses her five-hour commute in her own way -- she prays.

[pea-jay]

Actually, the man commutes 370 bothways, not one way

His average is 52mph. Definately not speeding. It's still nuts though.

Now my former babysitter's husband commuted from south of Fresno to downtown San Francisco, a distance of close to 300 miles, each way. But he made that trip, once a week: up on monday morning, back on friday night. During the work week he stayed in a cheapie apartment. Wonder when others might take to overnighting rather than driving.

[EnergySpin]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pea-jay', 'A')ctually, the man commutes 370 bothways, not one way

His average is 52mph. Definately not speeding.

[thor]

Sheer insanity.

[CrudeAwakening]

I think this guy must be trying to escape a shitty home life. Or else he is obsessively fascinated by those traffic reports. Bizarre.

[killJOY]

I hate driving. It's the most boring thing I have to do. That's why I'm thankful to have to go to campus only twice/week, 16-mile round trip.

I don't know how the guy can stand it.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'A')nd I could live closer, but I wouldn't have the lifestyle that I desire.