Having a "long commute" isn't a good enugh reason

Harry Hill

owning a car!

So often we hear people argue that "they work 70 miles from where they live, therefore they MUST have a car"

WRONG.

What you MUST do, is get a job closer to home, or a home closer to work.

Think about it.

Why would you not get a job "350 miles" from home? Because the commute, by car, would be unreasonable. Obviously. A plane or helicopter would work, but they are not an option, therefore you don't take a job, no matter how attractive the position or salary, if its that far away.

Now imagine that cars are added to the "planes and helicopters" list of vehicals that are not an option. You have to move down to a bicycle or public transport for your commute and your world, in effect, shrinks by say 4x. It's the same for everyone, you get a job closer to home, as do we all, and the world is a better place.

:-)

I thank you.

Ratkilla

Great idea. Because it's that easy to get a really good job anywhere that you choose.

While we're at it I think I'll get a job round the corner. One with a Beckham like wage and a clause in my contract that says that I don't even have to bother to turn up.

Bloody hell!

Big Red S

Harry Hill wrote:

Now imagine that cars are added to the "planes and helicopters" list of vehicals that are not an option.

Why would they be? They are an entirely valid option.

Cunobelin

For one person perhaps this may be true, but it is not an option for us.


Personally I commute between 10 and 26 miles per day by bike (Cosham or Milton in Portsmouth) and , and my wife commutes 45 miles per day by car (Southampton University).

She cannot use public transport as it takes 21/2 hours, she cannot cycle and train because of restrictions on cycles and even with a Brompton she has been refused access when the train is packed. As her patients rely on her clinics being on time, this uncertainty is unfair to them.

There is no viable alternative, as she is in a job she enjoys and in a position where there are no similar jobs within a 200 mile radius advertised in the last year.

I am the same There are 22 posts for my speciality in this area and the chances of one o fthe 8 full time posts in Southampton (1 At my grade) is nil unless I take out a contract on my opposite number!

The practicality is that we have chosen to live at a compromise position where one of us can cycle.

This is the more sensible option for us than dropping our wages or giving up a job we enjoy.

The point is to minimise the use rather than exclude totally.

Harry Hill

Great idea. Because it's that easy to get a really good job anywhere that you choose

Exactly! Get a job wherever you like, then move there. And if you can't move there for some reason, then its not the right job for you.

its not rocket science . . . . . how come so many people struggle with the concept?

Crapaud

Harry Hill wrote:

owning a car!

So often we hear people argue that "they work 70 miles from where they live, therefore they MUST have a car"

WRONG.

What you MUST do, is get a job closer to home, or a home closer to work.

Think about it.

Why would you not get a job "350 miles" from home? Because the commute, by car, would be unreasonable. Obviously. A plane or helicopter would work, but they are not an option, therefore you don't take a job, no matter how attractive the position or salary, if its that far away.

Now imagine that cars are added to the "planes and helicopters" list of vehicals that are not an option. You have to move down to a bicycle or public transport for your commute and your world, in effect, shrinks by say 4x. It's the same for everyone, you get a job closer to home, as do we all, and the world is a better place.

:-)

I thank you.

I did that! My work's about 10 feet from my front door, fully fuelled and ready to go.

As an arguement, that's a complete waste of chops (pork and lamb)!

top_bhoy

Harry Hill wrote:

Great idea. Because it's that easy to get a really good job anywhere that you choose

Exactly! Get a job wherever you like, then move there. And if you can't move there for some reason, then its not the right job for you.

its not rocket science . . . . . how come so many people struggle with the concept?

What a very simplistic world you live in. Great idea but seriously flawed. To avoid commuting by car all you need to do is uproot the family and kids several times during the course of their schooling lives and/or be able to afford a decent house in the area where you are able to get work!!!

Do you have any other pearls of wisdom or idealogical dogma you'd like to share with the rest of us?

Lif30057840

r u REALLY Harry Hill?
" Get a job wherever you like, then move there. And if you can't move there for some reason, then its not the right job for you. "
"What are the chances of that happening?" *plays canned laughter

Hotblack Desiato

Harry Hill wrote:

owning a car!

So often we hear people argue that "they work 70 miles from where they live, therefore they MUST have a car"

WRONG.

What you MUST do, is get a job closer to home, or a home closer to work.
.

Thanks for the advice. I'll do that first thing Monday morning

God I hate all these self righteous tossers who have recently jumped on the eco-mentalist bandwagon, think that the planet is dying and that they're going to save it by having a pop at evil car owners.

From now on, every time I read crap like this, I shall go outside, start up my car and motorcycle and let them run unnecessarily for 15 mins.


.

redddraggon

The problem is not necessarily that there's too cars on the road, I think the problem is that there's too many tossers in cars on the road.

If all the drivers were more considerate the roads would be a much better place.

Cunobelin

In many ways the car journeys of commuters are a lesser evil.

The main problem is the unnecessary short ones.

Every year we see stats like "half of all car journeys are less than 5 miles" or "25% of car journeys are less tan 1.5 miles"

These are the journeys that could easily be done by bike and if the figures are right from door to door cycling is as quick below 7 miles as a car if not quicker in some environments.

Of course the other point is that "fuel efficient engines" and catalytic converters" are not in these short journeys. It takes the average catalytic converter about the 1.5 miles to start working.

It is these journeys that we should be tackling.

fossyant

Whoah.... bit much that... Mr OP.. but sometimes possible..

I did that...... commuted to two jobs that were 25 miles away by car for 8 years.... got fed up and finally decided that a job within 10 miles and 'bikeable' in all weathers was what I wanted.....

Got a contract job that was 10 miles from home - commuted every day for two months and now I move to a perm. role 7 miles from home (I'll cycle the 10 mile way) at a University (I am an accountant) that has a new green travel policy....so cycle friendly....

Also lost 10kg's of weight in that time and now down to my ideal weight.... great !

Panter

Cunobelin wrote:

In many ways the car journeys of commuters are a lesser evil.

The main problem is the unnecessary short ones.

Every year we see stats like "half of all car journeys are less than 5 miles" or "25% of car journeys are less tan 1.5 miles"

These are the journeys that could easily be done by bike and if the figures are right from door to door cycling is as quick below 7 miles as a car if not quicker in some environments.

Of course the other point is that "fuel efficient engines" and catalytic converters" are not in these short journeys. It takes the average catalytic converter about the 1.5 miles to start working.

It is these journeys that we should be tackling.

couldn't agree more.



cheers

Chris

Ratkilla

Harry Hill wrote:

Great idea. Because it's that easy to get a really good job anywhere that you choose

Exactly! Get a job wherever you like, then move there. And if you can't move there for some reason, then its not the right job for you.

its not rocket science . . . . . how come so many people struggle with the concept?

Erm I did say really good job. It's not rocket science to be able to read.

Mithras

I think HH is entirely correct. I should leave my current constabulary, and join my local one. Great, I would then be policing in my local nieghbourhood, having my wife and children spat at, sworn at, threatened, my property damaged and have to stand in the line at school with the person, or spouse of, or children of, that I had to use physical force on to arrest the night before.
On top of that I would be bored out of my tiny little swede working in a rural force instead of a busy one where crime could be tackled robustly because you know that back up is two minutes away rather than 45 minutes away.
Working closer to home does not give me the opportunity to shut down, would impact my home life (as it did before I moved away) and probably end up in divorce.
Harry Grow up and stop making such ridiculous statements.
PS I'm buying a 4x4 just toP**s you off (although I will almost definately run it on Bio Diesel to appease everyone else and help save the planet).
Steve the Viking
http://www.vikingsonline.org.uk

Hotblack Desiato

Harry, what do you do for a living?

.

top_bhoy

Hotblack Desiato wrote:

Harry, what do you do for a living?

.

Telling bad jokes by the looks of things

Harry Hill

God wanted Jesus to be born in Australia, but he couldn't find three wise men and a virgin . . . .

:-)

Cunobelin

Now where would he find an Ass?

OffTheBackAdam

What a two-hatter!
OK smart-arse, my last job as a sales rep entailed covering the entire mainland UK.
Any advice for me where I should live?

MattBlackBigBoysBMX

OffTheBackAdam wrote:

What a two-hatter!
OK smart-ars*, my last job as a sales rep entailed covering the entire mainland UK.
Any advice for me where I should live?

The midlands? :?

Harry Hill

my last job as a sales rep entailed covering the entire mainland UK

You should never work for a company that's so poor they can only afford one sales rep to cover the entire mainland UK!!!!

I assume that's why its now your "last job" lol . . . .

Hotblack Desiato

Hotblack Desiato wrote:

Harry, what do you do for a living?

.

Well???

formerlyknownasbonj

HH, you're right technically - but far too idealistic - you'd do a lot better trying to get all the people that commute less than 5 miles by car onto bikes instead first.

top_bhoy

Harry Hill wrote:

God wanted Jesus to be born in Australia, but he couldn't find three wise men and a virgin . . . .

:-)

- A perfect example of what I had said re. the qualtiy (or lack of) joke material :shock:

NFMC

In an ideal world, he's correct. But we don't live in an ideal world.

Plus...people now cannot afford to live within perfect commuting areas of major cities so are forced by pure economics to work further and further out.

I'm about to be made redundant but I have to say that it would take a really good salary for me to give up cycling to work (about 6 miles into Manchester) and start driving again. The general quality of life of a thirty minute cycle commute versus a stressful hour in the car driving to Preston or somewhere just wouldn't be an option.

karate monkey

i'm with Harry Hill

spen666

Mithras wrote:

I think HH is entirely correct. I should leave my current constabulary, and join my local one. Great, I would then be policing in my local nieghbourhood, having my wife and children spat at, sworn at, threatened, my property damaged and have to stand in the line at school with the person, or spouse of, or children of, that I had to use physical force on to arrest the night before.
...
...http://www.vikingsonline.org.uk

A sad indictment from the horses mouth (so to speak) that policing is failing society when the police are fearful of crime and criminals

Harry Hill

I work in TV

Mithras

spen666 wrote:

Mithras wrote:

I think HH is entirely correct. I should leave my current constabulary, and join my local one. Great, I would then be policing in my local nieghbourhood, having my wife and children spat at, sworn at, threatened, my property damaged and have to stand in the line at school with the person, or spouse of, or children of, that I had to use physical force on to arrest the night before.
...
...http://www.vikingsonline.org.uk

A sad indictment from the horses mouth (so to speak) that policing is failing society when the police are fearful of crime and criminals

Sorry to say it Spen, but you are correct. Now if we were allowed to be a bit more "ROBUST" in our policing we would not have this problem.
You pick on a copper or his/her family and you get a visit from a PSU serial at 3 in the morning!
Job done, no problems.
Unfortunately there is little thing called the human rights act that says just because you don't believe in the HRA it doesn't mean that some idiots on this planet believe that you shouldn't be protected by it.

spen666

Mithras wrote:

spen666 wrote:

Mithras wrote:

I think HH is entirely correct. I should leave my current constabulary, and join my local one. Great, I would then be policing in my local nieghbourhood, having my wife and children spat at, sworn at, threatened, my property damaged and have to stand in the line at school with the person, or spouse of, or children of, that I had to use physical force on to arrest the night before.
...
...http://www.vikingsonline.org.uk

A sad indictment from the horses mouth (so to speak) that policing is failing society when the police are fearful of crime and criminals

Sorry to say it Spen, but you are correct. Now if we were allowed to be a bit more "ROBUST" in our policing we would not have this problem.
You pick on a copper or his/her family and you get a visit from a PSU serial at 3 in the morning!
Job done, no problems.
Unfortunately there is little thing called the human rights act that says just because you don't believe in the HRA it doesn't mean that some idiots on this planet believe that you shouldn't be protected by it.

All that will do is make the police even less popular


Pick on a Pc's family and get the PSU round- pick on old Mrs miggins and nothing happens

Whatever is done - needs to be consistent- and police brutality is not the answer