Why "moving closer to you work" as a solution is ridiculous

[noahmijo]

In the sense that it's just that simple as least.

Every now and then someone throws up the usual "why don't you just move closer to your job to save on gas!"

Because it's not that easy that's why and it depends on where you live. What I don't understand simply is why it's hard to accept maybe a standard that allows you to live where you want but take all and every advantage of public transportation or other commodoties that you can.

I'll give you my example first off I own a vehicle that gets around 35mpg-I turned down an offer 3 years to buy an SUV at a steal (interestingly the seller knew gas prices were going to go through the roof in the coming years but so did I)

I live in a one bedroom apartment right now I'm 24 with my girl just started the career not buying a house anytime soon. Where I live is considered in the city area (I live in Tucson so 'in the city' means all the shopping that you require is either walking or short driving distance) My job is downtown about 15 miles away. But you see there's a bus station about 2 miles away, and no I am not getting up at 3:30 am to ride a bike there or to walk to it I drive so I can get up at 4am and still get to work on time.

So you see in essence I only drive about 4-6 miles per day. Now if I moved to a downtown apartment aside from high crime area I'd be forced to live in, the rent would be almost DOUBLE and the apartment wouldn't be half as nice as it is where I live now.

I would much rather pay a mortgage on a decent home and drive a few miles to the nearest bus stop, park and do the rest of the distance via bus.

No I don't have much of an argument with you severe anti-suburban people. I myself see the many cons of them especially out here (why did that mean rattlesnake eat my cat!) and I feel contempt towards alot of people who move into homes which reside in newly developed areas and they wonder why they have bobcats and snakes in their yards-well moron they've been here far longer than you and they're not going anywhere.

What I would prefer to see more of is the people who choose to own their own little private space on earth is to make something more out of it than I see around here; you know plant some trees, try to look after the animals that come to dwell in your yard, if you have kids and there are dangerous animals like snakes well sadly the only humane option in that case is to have some animal agency pluck it and move it off to an area that is protected (i.e. zoned for preservation)
It comes down to if you're not living on the land, then some corporation will buy its way on there and guess what? you think Average Joe and his family treat the place like shit? wait till you see what Anderson Chemicals will do to it. It is just not viable to think that every human can tolerate living a shoebox with a family of 4 or more. I think alot of people who are radically anti-suburban for the most part honestly I notice they don't tend to have children they tend to either be living with a partner or alone, and you know what? that's cool more power to ya okay? I will never fault someone who prefers to keep it simple and just live on the bare necessities that's commendable, but as long as its legal to go further than that no one will stop at the basic level-the most I would at least encourage like I said is that while living at a "luxury" level respect what you've got and try to manage your waste. I don't know about you but if the fatcats get to own their oversized mansions and castles I want to at least be able to have the right to own a little private space of my own.

Overall though someday I'm going to move to a home that will likely be far from where I work, and even here in Tucson, which is a complete JOKE when it comes to its mass transportation programs I will still find ways to utilize the bus (that's all we have here in a city of almost a million) so there's hardly an excuse for those of you who live in cities that actually show up in bold letters on a map.

A couple things we can do besides what I mentioned already.

1. Use your public transportation-hell for all you know maybe even your job subsidizes the cost check with your employer
2. Sell your truck or SUV. My car's a sedan I can easily fit 5 people in there and it gets GREAT mileage for what it is. There's no reason to own the family wagon anymore not unless you live in the mountains and there's year long snow.

[no_hypocrisy]

1. I live in the NYC metro area. The rents are more expensive as you

move closer to the City. It's a trade-off of who gets your dollars: Exxon or your landlord.

[noahmijo]

6. I spent my early childhood in New York City-I know just what ya mean

And that's my point, pick a $4000 a month shoebox where the plumbing sucks or a decent home across the tunnel in Jersey.....hmm tough one

[CottonBear]

2. I can't afford to live where I work. I work in a red place

and I live in a blue place.

Some land in the county where I work is selling for up to $38,00 an acre for undeveloped rural lots and many times more for ready to build McMansion lots.

[Taxloss]

3. Be glad you still have a choice.

Eventually, you won't have a choice, and it is better to get ready for the approaching world now, rather than be swamped by it later.

[oldtime dfl_er]

4. Not only that but

in this Bush era of uncertain employment, how can you possibly be sure where you'll be working in 6 months or a year?

http://www.cafepress.com/scarebaby/1386797

[RB TexLa]

5. Being self employed outside sales

I always laugh at these.

[noahmijo]

7. you always laugh at what?

[RB TexLa]

14. the "move closer to where you work" threads

[noahmijo]

20. Oh sorry it's my day off after working like a dog mind's not all there

:hi:

[kenny blankenship]

8. I agree. Moving closer to work cannot be a solution for more than a tiny %

of Americans (mostly the already privileged and those more able to sustain 5 dollar a gallon "Long War" gasoline.)
The building boom waves of the 20th century have doomed us to long commutes. Unless the workplace and your job is moved closer to where you live, you're going to keep driving a long way to work.
Basically it comes down to our national response in the 70s and 80s to the new reality of foreign oil dependence and the possibility of tightened supplies. We should have changed quite a lot about the way we were living--profligately developing real estate, fragmenting local gov't jurisdiction, expanding out from cities in an endless metastasis of cheap building and resource consumption. There were voices then warning about a cultural and economic reckoning waiting for us down the road. They said ZIG! We elected Reagan and zagged. Now we're fucked.

[AlCzervik]

9. My husbands job was moved 130 miles away, he lives there and rents a room

from a coworker, people ask all the time why we don't move to that area. We simply cannot afford it, the housing prices are off the charts and the property taxes are ridiculous, and the rents are super high.

[DBoon]

10. Tax question - parking vs. mass transit

Isn't it the case that employers can write off the costs of employee parking as a business expense, but if they provided subsidized public transit they couldn't?

I've heard a good argument that free parking conceals all kinds of bad public policies.

[RB TexLa]

19. Your employer can let you have parking/transit money

held out of your check on a pre-tax basis. It's the same as dependant care accounts. You cut your parking or transit costs by your marginal tax rate. You can only hold out a normal rate for parking to prevent you from renting a parking space from your friend for your whole paycheck and such.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

Everybody's got an excuse.

Some of them legitimate? Sure.

All of them? Ridiculous.

[WildEyedLiberal]

27. .

:eyes:

[Beelzebud]

11. I heard some dumb ass on MSNBC last night say that ppl should just

"stop using gas, buy a hybrid, or buy stock in the oil companies."

Do the rich folks that live in the cities think that is a viable option for the middle class, and the poor?

It really shows me that the middle class is being completely destroyed in this country.

[Xenotime]

22. I read a study stating Hybrids don't save anymore money.

[RB TexLa]

31. I bought oil company stocks in November of 2000

[alcibiades_mystery]

12. I'm not convinced

that people actually make that argument...;-)

[Brazenly Liberal]

13. HA! We tried that

Then the only two major employers in the county disappeared and took half the jobs in the county with them. Now it's a 125 mile commute each way.

Someone asked me recently why we don't just move back to the city. While I'm sure his intentions were good, it wasn't exactly a well thought out suggestion for the nation in general. Having tens of millions of people who currently live in economically depressed rural areas suddenly move to cities would cause unbelievable problems.

[CAcyclist]

15. Maybe you personally can't

but when I hired a new employee, one of the reasons I chose him over the other applicant is that he lived in the same town - about 5 minutes away - and the other person lived several towns away - about 20 minutes away. If more employers thought about travel times when hiring, more people would end up living closer to where they work. My employee benefits from saving gas, spending less time driving and I benefit because his friends have transferred to my clinic, I don't have to worry as much about traffic conditions making people late, my employee arrives at work more refreshed and relaxed, and his paycheck goes further .

If only 10 % more people carpooled, walked, biked or took public transportation or swapped a highway commute for an in-town one, there wouldn't be any traffic congestion and we'd be using so much less oil, the prices would start dropping. It doesn't take every single person making a dramatic change.

[RaleighNCDUer]

16. For those for whom it is possible, it makes sense.

But every person's situation is different.

I'm middle-aged and single and live a ten minute bike ride from work. I have lived as much as 25 minute bike ride from work. It's a low-rent place in a relatively high rent area, and the apartment is tiny -- I could have a much bigger place for the same money but it would put me too far from work to bike everyday.

That's the trade-off I accept. If I was married or living with someone, I couldn't afford any place that would be large enough that was so close. But I'm not looking, so that's not a factor.

So it works for me. I can see why it might not for others.

[SmokingJacket]

17. We did the reverse: got a house near where my husb. wanted to work...

We've been messing around with different jobs for EIGHT YEARS -- now finally my husband has his dream job within walking distance.

Obviously not a solution for everyone, but it has always been our goal NOT to commute.

[400Years]

18. alot of people are going to be looking for solutions and that is one

for some people it will work for others, such as yourself, it is not practical.

[noahmijo]

23. Well thing is I don't believe it not to be practical for people living in

established cities you know areas of at least 500k and up. As I said here in a city of nearly a million all we have is the bus. Just a stinkin bus system that is all. How people living in cities that have ferries, busses, monorails can't do exactly what I'm doing or better I don't see an excuse for them.

Now if we're talking rural areas well yea that's not practical but is it really necessary given that in rural areas typically everything is close to eachother. If that's not the case for you well then you're in "that type" of situation where you've got no choice but to endure the long commute. Even if you live in a rural area but you have to commute to a city for work, I garuntee someway there is a form of public transportation that will shave off your actual driving time by a healthy percentage.

[uppityperson]

21. live and work in rural area, work in central rural but no transit

if I were to work in the nearby town, the competition is too high, so I serve a rural area with no transit. Bah to no transit.

[noahmijo]

24. I just brought up your situation in my latest reply

Ultimately that's the only instance where I even said you're pretty much out of luck-my overall post was geard towards people who live and/or work in areas of 500k and up.

[Touchdown]

25. It is a sacrifice.

I had a condo in a Denver suburb. It was 15 miles and 1 hour from work with heavy traffic. I moved into the center of town, and yeah, I paid more for my new place. I also sacrificed a private laundry, a garage, an extra bedroom and about 300 sq ft. I also went from a once a week fill up to once a month.

There's crime everywhere, but in Denver, certain suburbs are more violent than Denver itself, including the one I moved from. Take away the prostitution and the running of red lights, it's safer where I live now. No gang bangers.

I made this decision for myself, and I couldn't condescend to others to do the same without knowing what their needs are. So, if your situation is good for you, then I would take these suggestions with a grain of salt. If you are bitching about the price of gas and refuse to listen to alternatives, then the problem is more with you and what your not willing to give up, then it is with others being superior on you. What you pay for gas is the price you pay for your lifestyle. Get over it.

[noahmijo]

26. Good Post. Wrong Target

I'm neither bitching about gas prices or a long commute. I even went out of my way to make a positive note for people like you who are willing to make the sacrifice to keep it as basic as possible.

And what do you do? respond by attempting to "call me out"

Well with friends like you.....

[Touchdown]

30. Oh' sorry.

I didn't know you were unimpeachable.:eyes:

You were the one who said what I did was "ridiculous", did you not? You were the one who went through the littany of all of us rich, single urbanites who sneer at all of you strip-mallers, were you not?

You need to re-read my post again. I said IF you were one of those who bitch about gas prices, etc. then you should get over it. If you are not, then disregard the message and continue in your little pity party.

[Bridget Burke]

28. It's not a "ridiculous" suggestion--just impractical for many people.

I could possibly move closer to my job, but I live one block away from a bus stop. Which takes me downtown where I catch light rail to my job.

[lukasahero]

29. We do exactly what you suggest

We own a house in the "suburbs" (It's not really a suburb but since just down the road from me there are neighborhoods of mcmansions, I'll go with it.)

Three weeks ago we were at a meeting with DEP and Conservation officials filing a complaint about our neighbor who keeps tampering illegally with the adjoining wetland. We know what the species are, both plant and animal, as well as the soil composition that deems it a wetland.

Our house was built in the early 60's. We have 1 1/3 acres, over 50% of which is wooded and we will not touch those trees. We have, in fact, been planting native woodland species back in the woods and wetland for the past 5 years - and it's not inexpensive.

We compost all our organic trash, recycle everything else. All of our appliances, recently updated, are energy efficient. We grow our own vegetables and shop at the local farms for veggies we don't grow. We support the New England Wildflower Society and the Natural Resources Defense Council. We are members of the Sierra Club. We use non-toxic means to deal with pests and bugs. We buy green products to clean our home, our clothes, ourselves.

We have provided food, shelter, water and nesting habitat for the critters that live in our yard. Yeah, they live there because they've been booted out of the neighborhoods down the road.

My dog and, previously, my cat stay on a leash (or under our control) so as not to disturb the wildlife.

When I work where public transportation is available, I use it. I am, however, a consultant who often finds myself in a new postion every three to six months. Of course, I could sell my home, with it's beautiful, natural habitat that someone would probably come in and rip up for their new swimming pool while paving over the wetland so I could live closer to where I work for three months. :eyes:

Is there anything else I can do to comply with how everybody else thinks I should live my life? Assumptions about how people live their lives, just because it's different than yours, is what I expect from Republicans.