Is 50 miles a long commute?

[LilacBearberry]

It's for university. If you're driving it - thanks :)

DD used to drive 45 miles to uni she never really found it too much of a hassle.

Yes.

Polluter.

Depends on the roads. Could take 2 hours if it's 30 mph and heavy traffic.

For university no
For work yes

It completely depends on the roads. A 50 mile commute could mean an hour travelling or 3 hours travelling.

I commuted that distance for many years and it is exhausting.

@greendale17 - what's the difference?

I have a 30 mile commute for work not only is it tiring but it's around 300 miles a week on the car just for work which is a lot of wear & tear. I'm around £50 a week for fuel again just for work so it's expensive - I'd be half the cost to get the bus but that's not reliable & adds extra time to my journey.

Depends. If you're sitting on the M4 trying to get into Bristol for a 9am lecture - yes. If you're only going in for contact time 2 days a week for the afternoons on 60mph roads then no.

I would say yes!

@LilacBearberry

Well, is it (for example) 50 miles of free flowing fast roads with multiple alternative routes available in case of accident? Or 50 miles of gridlocked single lane carriageway heading into a major city at peak time?

It's impossible to say yay or nay without knowing the journey type.

Would it be everyday all day?

If its a couple of times a week I would say 50 miles is okay but everyday would be a bit much.

Yes, it’s a long commute.

Yes. DH drives 40 miles to a university, but he works there so can do condensed days, which helps. He is knackered by the end of his last day each week though.

It hammers your car if you're doing it routinely so think what car you have and how it will cope with the drive / how much is on dual carriage ways v.s little country roads / how you'll get there if it snows and you can't easily drive recent bitter experience

It depends on how often, the time of day and how long for.

Also are we talking motorway, or driving through towns.

You’ll get people on here saying they or their DP did that regularly for 70 years and what’s the problem etc.

In RL it’s a bloody big commute. My old commute was nine miles which used to take me an hour in bad traffic.

It's all relative like pp's have said.

50 miles in one direction from my house gets me into the dales and wilderness in approx one hour.

6 miles in the other direction, into the city centre, can also take me an hour!

t might be realistic if it is motorways but even then it depends on the time of day (as this will affect traffic) and how often which you may not know about until it is too late. I would only consider this if you could potentially move closer to the university if it turns out that commuting is not viable.

Would it be at all realistic to get a train? Even if it takes longer and is more expensive it will be far less knackering.

Possible, i have a 56 mile commute to uni. Depending on traffic and timing it ranges from between one and three hours. I only have to do this once or twice a week, and if i have consecutive days i try and stay over. Plus its only short term, two years and its only 2 blocks of 13 weeks each year. Couldnt do it (or afford it) for a weekly 9-5 job though.

Yes.
My daily commute is 25 miles each way which is bearable but only because I know a way that means no significant traffic hold ups.
My boyfriend lives 50 miles away, it’s a pain in the arse. Only take one hour 15 mins in good traffic but it’s not pleasant driving that far and that’s with an over night stay to break it up.
I did once have a job that was probably similar, it really was spirit crushing having that commute- and the thought of having to study at the end of the day. I couldn’t do it.

In RL it’s a bloody big commute. My old commute was nine miles which used to take me an hour in bad traffic

Logic fail. 50 miles could also be an hours commute. Nine miles could take 15mins somewhere else. It's not the distance you need to assess its the time taken to do the distance.

I do 70 miles each way three times a week - it's motorways, although there's a slightly slower alternative for bad weather or crashes (which are common on that route), and I find it manageable, although I find I am exhausted come evening time on those days. I also worry about the statistical likelihood of being involved in an accident due to spending a comparatively long amount of time in a car, but I AM a worrier!

Yes. I have a 15 mile commute and it takes me 20 minutes in no traffic / 30+ at rush hour.

It's a lot of fuel to spend every day!

Sideways thanks for the “logic fail” I do understand that it depends on the route/traffic. I was merely trying to say that my poxy nine mile commute probably didn’t sound that bad at all in principle, but it could take a flipping long time in practice.

Wonder will OP come back to tell us more.