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For me, the answer was to relocate and move within cycling distance of my office. Compared to driving, cycling is incredibly life-giving. I get exercise, and c

For me, the answer was to relocate and move within cycling distance of my office. Compared to driving, cycling is incredibly life-giving. I get exercise, and can maneuver around downtown with ease (I never have to worry about a parking spot).

walshemj 14y ago
Doesn't work for major cities an example from the UK 2 bed flat in Bedford a 35/50 min commute is £115,000 red lion square near our office its £625,000.
- lazerwalker 14y ago
  There are lot more factors at play than simple cost of housing. Financially speaking, there's the cost of commuting to be factored in, which depending on whether you drive or use public transit might or might not be substantial. More significantly, there's comfort: would you rather live in the middle of the city, or the burbs? How much is it worth to you to be able to bike to work? I've made a point of living biking distance from every job I've had. It's definitely cost me much more in rent than it's saved me in automobile costs because of the astronomical price of living in an urban center (downtown San Francisco and Manhattan, in my case), but for me the financial aspect was dwarfed by quality-of-life preferences (and the good fortune to be in a situation where I could make such a trade-off).
  - cawhitworth 14y ago
    I made the same decision when we moved to Cambridge (UK). It's a really, really big cycling town and there's a noticable drop off in property prices once you go beyond about a half-hour cycle commute to the science/business park part of the city. The A14 (the main commuter road to that part of Cambridge) is basically a carpark during peak times, and I can cycle to work on (relatively) quiet cycle paths in less than half the time it would take me to drive.
- dasil003 14y ago
  35 minutes from Bedford to Holborn!? Do you sleep under the platform and have a private zipline from the station to your office?
  - walshemj 14y ago
    Oops I meant Bedford to st pancras the midland mainlines intercity 125 are 35 min station to station. First capital connect is a bit longer (50-55 min) I normally catch 7:30 and am in the office at 8:40.
- praptak 14y ago
  It boils down to what factors you chose to treat as fixed. To each his own (obviously) but I think that most people undervalue the long commute and (comparatively) overvalue the hassle of changing jobs or moving.
- petercooper 14y ago
  And even if it did work out somehow (take all the hours spent commuting, work out their value, etc.) the chance of an average person getting a deposit saved and a mortgage on the remainder on a £600k property is next to zero even if you were earning £100k, say.

walshemj 14y ago

Doesn't work for major cities an example from the UK 2 bed flat in Bedford a 35/50 min commute is £115,000 red lion square near our office its £625,000.

lazerwalker 14y ago
There are lot more factors at play than simple cost of housing. Financially speaking, there's the cost of commuting to be factored in, which depending on whether you drive or use public transit might or might not be substantial. More significantly, there's comfort: would you rather live in the middle of the city, or the burbs? How much is it worth to you to be able to bike to work? I've made a point of living biking distance from every job I've had. It's definitely cost me much more in rent than it's saved me in automobile costs because of the astronomical price of living in an urban center (downtown San Francisco and Manhattan, in my case), but for me the financial aspect was dwarfed by quality-of-life preferences (and the good fortune to be in a situation where I could make such a trade-off).
- cawhitworth 14y ago
  I made the same decision when we moved to Cambridge (UK). It's a really, really big cycling town and there's a noticable drop off in property prices once you go beyond about a half-hour cycle commute to the science/business park part of the city. The A14 (the main commuter road to that part of Cambridge) is basically a carpark during peak times, and I can cycle to work on (relatively) quiet cycle paths in less than half the time it would take me to drive.
dasil003 14y ago
35 minutes from Bedford to Holborn!? Do you sleep under the platform and have a private zipline from the station to your office?
- walshemj 14y ago
  Oops I meant Bedford to st pancras the midland mainlines intercity 125 are 35 min station to station. First capital connect is a bit longer (50-55 min) I normally catch 7:30 and am in the office at 8:40.
praptak 14y ago
It boils down to what factors you chose to treat as fixed. To each his own (obviously) but I think that most people undervalue the long commute and (comparatively) overvalue the hassle of changing jobs or moving.
petercooper 14y ago
And even if it did work out somehow (take all the hours spent commuting, work out their value, etc.) the chance of an average person getting a deposit saved and a mortgage on the remainder on a £600k property is next to zero even if you were earning £100k, say.