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AIBU?

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Original poster

To think a 40 minute commute isn't that long

186 replies

Thesunisonitsway · 14/02/2019 20:37

Dp has applied for a job which is perfect for him. He however is concerned that the 40 minute drive is a big downside. I don't feel that's that long dp thinks it could take longer than hour if these traffic in the mornings or evenings.

OP posts:
Justgivemesomepeace · 14/02/2019 20:39

I do that. Can be a pain but it's a good job and you can't have everything!

ApolloandDaphne · 14/02/2019 20:39

40 minutes is nothing. Many people do twice that for their commute.

user1486076969 · 14/02/2019 20:39

YANBU

LordEmsworth · 14/02/2019 20:40

Well if it takes over an hour, it's not a 40 minute commute, so your premise is flawed... I wouldn't go back to spending over 2 hours a day commuting every day, I'd need a couple of days working from home to offset it

Calloway · 14/02/2019 20:40

40 mins door to door is nothing really. People dream of that kind of commute.

Angrybird123 · 14/02/2019 20:40

Well when is it a 40 min drive and would he be going with or against the traffic? If its 40 mins in bad conditions then yes that's fine. 40.mins at 2pm on a Sunday could be double that at rush hour which would be an issue for more people (though not all). I used to like my 40 min drive, just me and the radio but it's not for everyone.

Original poster
Thesunisonitsway · 14/02/2019 20:42

Well it's forty minutes away on the aa route planner. Dp is just assuming it will be longer in rush hour conditions. He doesn't yet know this for a fact.

OP posts:
JasperKarat · 14/02/2019 20:43

My old commute was 40 minutes on a clear run, up to two hours some days in traffic, and then my employer moved to a building without parking and you had to add a park and ride to that journey. Glad I don't do it anymore! Can he do a trial run at rush hour?

Mabumssare · 14/02/2019 20:43

Is it 40 min at quiet times ? In which case yes it will be longer at rush hour. My DH does a long commute twice a week. He leaves early to beat rush hour. If he leaves 15/20mins later it can add another 40 mins to the commute.

Will it be 5 days a week ? A long commute can be really draining. Sitting in traffic and driving in bad weather especially.

lljkk · 14/02/2019 20:43

I'd hate it, too. I commute 65 minutes now but I rarely drive. Cycle + train is fine, but daily drive. Yuck.

greendale17 · 14/02/2019 20:43

Pretty much everyone I know how a commute of less than 20 minutes. So 40 minutes to some is long

adaline · 14/02/2019 20:44

Mine is 45 minutes and although I know people have it worse it is bloody tiring doing it five days a week no matter what!

Original poster
Thesunisonitsway · 14/02/2019 20:44

He would be working 40 hours over five days Monday to Friday.

OP posts:
PurplePotatoes · 14/02/2019 20:44

I work 9 miles away and it takes me 40 mins and loads at work do same sort of distance so I would day thats just normal really.

cadburyegg · 14/02/2019 20:44

I used to have a 40 minute commute which was fine until there was an accident on the main A road then it could take 2 hours!

Depends on specifics - the roads used, hours of work, if he needs to drop off/pick up children and factor that into timings etc.

mindutopia · 14/02/2019 20:44

Mine is 3 hours each way, so....

Nacreous · 14/02/2019 20:45

What about on google maps at 7:45 am or whatever? I would assume you'll probably add 15 mins for rush hour too, but you can just look when you'd normally set off. A hour would be quite long for me.

HoneyBee03 · 14/02/2019 20:45

I have an hour commute but I live rurally, so most people around here make a similar journey to and from work. I used to have a job I hated so the commute really bothered me, but now I'm in a job I love I don't mind at all and would even drive further if I had to.

If the job is perfect for him then a 40 minute commute shouldn't be a concern.

DonPablo · 14/02/2019 20:45

I have an 45 minute commute. On paper. Train or car it's a minimum of 1:30. Two hours on the worst days.

user1493413286 · 14/02/2019 20:45

As a rule of thumb I would say that a 40 minute trip will take 50-60 minutes at rush hour.
He could do a test run to check though. It really depends how much impact it’d have on his life. I don’t think that’s a massive commute but if he’s used to the extra time at home then I can see why he wouldn’t be keen

calpop · 14/02/2019 20:46

Thats nothing, anything under an hour is a great commute as far as I am concerned

Slat3 · 14/02/2019 20:46

30 minute commute is nothing to me 5 days a week, but I’m always heading the opposite way to the traffic (unless crash on motorway etc). I wouldn’t consider that long at all.

frecklemcspeckles · 14/02/2019 20:47

I think the answer to that probably largely depends on where you live.

If it's London then compared to many people you'll be told it's an "easy" or "very doable" commute.

If you're very rural and it's an urban type role it might be something that's totally worth doing for the pay and opportunity.

But if you're in a large town or city location where commutes are regularly 20-30mins max for most people I can see why he'd have an issue.

It also very much depends on the lifestyle this affords him.. If its perfect job and worth the sacrifice in being home later, or not being able to easy nip to the school play then it might be worth it. But if it doesn't have massive other advantages then it might not.

I'm not sure anyone can advise you without knowing some of the above. Good luck to him though!

PuppyMonkey · 14/02/2019 20:48

Depends what sort of commute. I used to have a “20 minute drive to work” which could take well over an hour in the rush hour as it was right into Nottingham city centre on some massively congested roads.

A straight run on a dual carriageway for 40 mins would be ok though imho.

slcol · 14/02/2019 20:48

Well, it's a personal thing isn't it, and it depends on the roads. Personally I wouldn't fancy 40 mins, I has a commute that far for a while and it was regularly in excess of an hour which did my head in. Such a waste of precious time. And money, if not cycling etc.

He needs to trial the route a few times. Also depends on type of job. Dh commutes over an hour each way a few days a week at the moment but is at a level where he doesn't have to clock watch per se, and unless he has a meeting it doesn't matter what time he arrives. So if the traffic is bad he's not sat there stressing out watching time tick away. And as he stays away those nights he isn't watching time with the kids disappe as he travels