My commute to work is 15 minutes, including going out of my way to drop my daughter to school. Other than my two years in China, since my wife and I moved to the city we work in 21 years ago, I haven’t commuted to work for longer than 15 minutes. I know this isn’t the norm. Many people must commute much longer than that.
Two days ago my sister came to town and I had to head to the airport and back during rush hour. Yesterday and today I travelled 40+ minutes to UBC to watch my daughter perform at Nationals for synchronized swimming. These trips are giving me a small taste of what many people face on a daily basis, although traffic today was light.
I know some people will always have to commute. A store clerk, a hotel concierge, a teacher, a factory worker, or a hospital doctor or nurse, all need to get to the building they work in.
Does a lawyer need to be in the office every day? An accountant? An architect? The list can go on… How many people commute to a building, travelling for over an hour-and-a-half a day, over 45 minutes each way, to get to a physical location that they don’t need to be at in order to get their job done?
What will the future hold for commuting when this every-day forced travel isn’t deemed necessary? What will happen when work weeks (potentially) move to 4 days a week? Will this reduce travel time, or will continued urbanization and densification of populations make traffic just as bad, even with the reduced number of trips individuals will need to take?
One last question is how automation of travel will change too? Will cars be able to travel more efficiently when they all communicate with each other, and can avoid accidents created by human error?
My guess is that in the coming years commuting days for many will be reduced, but commuting times on average will remain the same or worsen. The global shift towards large urban centres will necessitate that many people will need to live in the more affordable suburbs, where commuting time will be necessary. So maybe we should explore what that time looks like, rather than just trying to shorten it.
I know that I’ve moved away from listening to the radio to listening to podcasts and audio books during commutes and longer drives, I wonder what people will use this time for in the future? Will work start when you enter your self-driving car rather than when you arrive at work? What will the commuting experience look like?
David, I too have taken to listening to podcasts and books during my commutes, however I am intrigued about what happens during long trips when you are not necessarily alone? Podcasts can be rather personal, do you drive with earbuds or share with everyone else on the trip?
My family have no interest in listening to the same podcasts or books as me. Most journeys we listen to music chosen by my daughters, which my wife and I enjoy. If the journey is really long, I’ll sometimes listen on headphones while everyone sleeps. But podcasts and books are predominantly listened to when I’m alone in the car, mid-week.
I would offer…I also used books on tape….back when I had two 45 min to hour drives to the east and west ends daily in Toronto (no 407 back then) and how bad we were not using hands free…great thoughts…I credit my passion for leadership to my in car listening during these long commutes…btw, at the risk of playing Toronto, Calgary against Vancouver commutes…all are challenging, but I found Vancouver was the most challenging out of all…
L.
The Way of the Peaceful Warrior was my first book on tape. I would travel 45 minutes home in transit from water polo practice downtown, and the chlorine would make my eyes too blurry to read a book.
Great book if you haven’t read it!