Commute from Baraboo to Madison? (Cross Plains, Plain: home, school, to live in)

[Midwesterns45]

My friend finds that the job situation in Sauk county is grim for a young proffesional and has recently found a job in downtown Madison (right near State st)
I know the commute on highway 12 is about 40 to 50 minutes depending on traffic as well as weather.
Any thought on if this commute and driving is too much??

[Drover]

How attached is she to Baraboo? If I were her, I'd consider moving to Madison. It's obviously more expensive, but a lot of that cost can be offset by less money spent on gas and less time-value wasted sitting in a car driving back and forth.

Getting to the outskirts of Madison from Baraboo isn't particularly awful, but the final slog from the edges to downtown can be pretty tough during rush hour, as traffic gets awfully constricted through the isthmus during that time. Plus, unless her employer provides parking, she'll have to pay around $100/mo for parking.

[MidwesternBookWorm]

I'd agree with Drover.

I work with someone who lives in Baraboo (our office is on the southwest side of Madison) and she spends easily 2 hours a day commuting, more when the weather is bad. That's a lot of your life to give up to sitting in a car, particularly with gas prices back on the rise again. And downtown parking is indeed an expensive PITA for most.

Another factor that occurs to me is kids. You don't mention whether or not your friend has children, but if she does, it can be a real challenge working an hour away from where your kids go to school. All parents will occasionally get that "your son/daughter is running a fever, please come pick them up immediately" phone call, and it's a stressful thing when there's an hour's drive between you and your sick kid.

There are plenty of small and charming communities that are rural in feel but a whole lot closer to Madison than Baraboo. Unless your friend has urgent family connections that require her to live in or near Baraboo, I'd encourage her to look a little closer to Madison for a home if she's looking at working in the city.

[JoshB]

Cross Plains is a charming town. I'd check it out.

[Dairylander]

I don't know if they serve Baraboo, but there are ride-share vans that bring people from outlying towns into Madison.
The friend could read and relax. And it's green, too.
Anyone know who runs those?

[Megan1967]

I believe this is what you are talking about:

Division of Enterprise Operations: **Vanpool Rideshare Program

[Drover]

^^ Cool, looks like there's a couple of 'em serving Baraboo too.