A few years ago I was commuting from Lafayette, LA to Baton Rouge, LA four days a week for work. (I had Fridays off) This was driving on I-10. I did this for about seven months and it was awful. Driving on the interstate was fine usually if there were no wrecks or bad weather. It’s when you exit I-10 and drive into Lafayette city traffic. That is a nightmare. It would take me about 20 or 30 minutes to get from the interstate to my apartment. In the mornings it would take me 10 minutes because I would leave my apartment so early.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2019, the average one-way commute in the United States was just over 27 minutes or 54 minutes a day roundtrip. That’s 4.5 hours a week sitting in your car. Think about all the other things you could be doing with your time. I wanted to see how much time/money I was spending on this commute. Below is a breakdown.
Time - I’d leave my apartment around 6:00 a.m. Leave work around 4 p.m.
1 hour each way
2 hours a day
8 hours a week
32 hours a month
7 months - 224 hours or 9.3 days
Cost - I would fill up my car once a week. I had a Prius so the cost was not too extreme.
$25 a week
$100 a month
7 months - $700
Miles - From my apartment to my work:
60 miles one way
120 miles a day
480 miles a week
1,920 miles a month
7 months - 13,440 miles
Stress - I believe I am a good driver. Most people think they are good drivers. But even though I feel comfortable behind the wheel it is still stressful. Some cars are traveling 20mph over the speed limit. 18 wheelers are passing each other. On my route, there are two bridges known for a variety of issues due to wrecks or bad weather.
I no longer commute. I moved to Baton Rouge. My commute now consists of me walking to work which is 12 minutes. (.5 mile) A month after moving, I sold my car to CarMax for $5K. It had just over 120,000 miles. I didn’t have any major issues with it. I simply didn’t need two vehicles. My wife also has a car and we use that one. I hardly use the vehicle. My work is down the street. My gym is closer than my work. The grocery is closer than my gym.
Now I save money on gas, maintenance, insurance, registration, I help out the environment, and I have a stress free commute. I understand most people can not or do not want to live near their work. I live in a city where it is possible for me. After walking to work for nearly two years, I hope I never have to commute to work in a car again.
