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Old 08-05-2015, 05:33 PM
 
Location: Kapolei, Hawaii
25 posts, read 25,332 times
Reputation: 28

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Just a bunch of sour grapes on here I guess.

To be quite honest, none of you know my situation. I work for a company that gets projects to work on all over the state. I do consulting work. If the project is 5 mins from my house, great! If I have to go to Maui I go. If the project I am on right now is in Ala Moana, I drive. I go where ever my job takes me. It is what it is.
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Old 08-05-2015, 06:23 PM
 
14 posts, read 17,165 times
Reputation: 18
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kona Dave View Post
Sure, I'll be happy to. Normal commute time from my home to where I am working at Ala Moana is 35-40 minutes with no traffic. I arranged with my company to start work at 6:30am. So I leave the house at 5:30am and I average 45-50 minutes. Only 5-10 minutes longer for a normal commute. On the way home it is a little different. I take a different route home due to the terrible onramp designs in Honolulu going west bound. So my normal commute is 40-45 minutes going home with no traffic. I take 1/2 hour lunch so I leave work at 3:00pm. My commute time averages 50-60 minutes. Again only 5-15 minute longer commute. To me this is acceptable. If I had to leave 1/2 hour later to and from work it would add at least 30 minutes to my commute times each direction. Worst case would be 1.5 hours in the morning and 1.5-2 hours in the afternoon. This is assuming no major accidents. The earlier you leave the less chance of being in traffic behind an accident. Most employers these days understands and will usually work with you with your schedule due to traffic.

I love where I live because besides work, I don't have to drive around Honolulu/Waikiki. Though they are building housing here so fast I see traffic getting worse. But it is still nothing like driving through Waikiki.

I hope this helps.
Thanks for the insight. I can see your point of view for sure. Where I live, a 20-30 min commute is pretty short. The greater Boston area is a horrifying display of traffic engineering. My own commute now is 45-50, without traffic issues, but I've dealt with much worse during holidays and Friday afternoons. To cut that commute in half, my income stays the same, but housing goes up 100-150%. That and I have a great tele-work system that cuts my commute to once a week, three times max, about 6 times a year.

I always wondered why people on Oahu (on this board) were so worked up about a 40 minute commute. I guess it's just a different point of view but it's a sacrifice that we make to have a more reasonable home for the money. You pay for it either way it seems, either in unpaid time commuting or in the cost of housing. I'm like you, I would rather suck it up for 20-40 extra minutes a day to enjoy the non-working hours in a place I want to be. Heck, Saturday and Sunday make up for it alone.

When I lived 3.5 miles from my office, the commute averaged 20 minutes. There were days during the holidays that used to take 50 minutes. One road, no turns, three stoplights, 20-60 minutes. Could have walked it faster. In fact there was one guy that lived near me and used to walk to work at McDonalds which was right near the office. There were days he got to work before I did. So when I hear about the Oahu commutes, I remain skeptical as to the "atrocity." Like anything else, it's all relative.

How do you like living in that town specifically? While we wouldn't be looking to buy for several years, if at all, I am interested to hear what it is like living on that side of the island for someone doing it.
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Old 08-05-2015, 06:44 PM
 
Location: Kapolei, Hawaii
25 posts, read 25,332 times
Reputation: 28
Quote:
Originally Posted by FederalGuy View Post
Thanks for the insight. I can see your point of view for sure. Where I live, a 20-30 min commute is pretty short. The greater Boston area is a horrifying display of traffic engineering. My own commute now is 45-50, without traffic issues, but I've dealt with much worse during holidays and Friday afternoons. To cut that commute in half, my income stays the same, but housing goes up 100-150%. That and I have a great tele-work system that cuts my commute to once a week, three times max, about 6 times a year.

I always wondered why people on Oahu (on this board) were so worked up about a 40 minute commute. I guess it's just a different point of view but it's a sacrifice that we make to have a more reasonable home for the money. You pay for it either way it seems, either in unpaid time commuting or in the cost of housing. I'm like you, I would rather suck it up for 20-40 extra minutes a day to enjoy the non-working hours in a place I want to be. Heck, Saturday and Sunday make up for it alone.

When I lived 3.5 miles from my office, the commute averaged 20 minutes. There were days during the holidays that used to take 50 minutes. One road, no turns, three stoplights, 20-60 minutes. Could have walked it faster. In fact there was one guy that lived near me and used to walk to work at McDonalds which was right near the office. There were days he got to work before I did. So when I hear about the Oahu commutes, I remain skeptical as to the "atrocity." Like anything else, it's all relative.

How do you like living in that town specifically? While we wouldn't be looking to buy for several years, if at all, I am interested to hear what it is like living on that side of the island for someone doing it.
Thanks for understanding where I was coming from. I'm like you, quality of life at a home where I have a little bit of a yard with a decent to nice house in a nice neighborhood is what I want. At a more affordable price. I agree it is a trade off. But it is one that I choose to make for not having to deal with living in Honolulu. I used to live in SoCal so my driving time here is at least half of what is was there.

Personally, I love Kapolei. I love living in Makakilo cuz I'm up about 900 feet and it is much cooler up there. But Kapolei is much like other poorly designed cities in Hawaii. Roads are not wide enough in some areas. Really wide roads are limited to 25mph so even though there is not much traffic it seems like it takes forever to get anywhere. The Kapolei shopping center parking lot is so poorly designed it can be a nightmare during certain hours. That is both the charm and the downfall. No place is perfect. I prefer the drier weather in Kapolei but if you want to get to a nice beach it is a longer drive. One that my wife and I enjoy, BTW. We pack picnic lunches and spend the day out and about.

The drive is what it is. If there is an accident things get worse. It is a pleasure when school is out. I don't mind it at all. I tune into a little reggae on the way home and I arrive feeling like work didn't exist. Even in bad traffic. Take it for what it is. When you drive here long enough you realize what lanes to be in on what stretches of road. It gets you home a little sooner and a little saner. Like I said in my post, it is what it is.

For me it is all about the people. And despite the insults and the put downs here on this board I find the people here on Oahu generally friendly and a pleasure to be around. I have many friends that are born and raised here. And they are truly my family. That is hard to find any where you live.
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Old 08-05-2015, 06:47 PM
 
Location: Kahala
12,120 posts, read 17,732,662 times
Reputation: 6175
Quote:
Originally Posted by FederalGuy View Post
I always wondered why people on Oahu (on this board) were so worked up about a 40 minute commute.

So when I hear about the Oahu commutes, I remain skeptical as to the "atrocity."
You have far to simplistic a view on Oahu commutes.

First, during normal commuting hours when UH is in session (late-Aug to mid-May), the Kapolei or Ewa Beach to downtown commute is more like 90 minutes each way - a whopping distance of about 20 miles. And your reward, you live in Kapolei - a dry and dusty area that has the look and feel of San Bernardino.

Check out this recent story -

Hawaii Local Breaking News and Headlines - Isle commuters sleep, eat in cars to deal with traffic - Hawaii News - Honolulu Star-Advertiser

I love this quote:

"Many who live on the island's West side leave their homes at 3 or 4 a.m. to beat traffic as they drive into town, and then sleep in their cars in mall parking lots or on residential streets before going to work. They eat their meals together as a family in the car, or their in-laws and neighbors pick their children up from school."

Or, this story -

Hawaii Local Breaking News and Headlines - Study: Honolulu traffic third-worst in U.S. - Hawaii News - Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Many people would love to have only a 40 minute commute you mentioned.

Or, when you have an accident in Boston - you have alternative ways to get home - you don't on an island.

Recently, problems with the machinery to make the carpool lane break down - it took commuters 8-12+ hours to get from downtown to Kapolei. Think about it, 12 hours to go 20 miles.
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Old 08-05-2015, 07:44 PM
 
1,580 posts, read 2,083,266 times
Reputation: 1875
They don't have a simplistic view. They moved from a place where they spent even more time wasting their lives away in traffic. So when they move here, a 60 minute commute is "heaven". They make the quality of life more miserable for the sane individuals that know spending 250 hours a year in traffic is akin to pouring salt into ones' eyes.

These people need to take a lesson in "sustainability 101".
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Old 08-05-2015, 07:53 PM
 
14 posts, read 17,165 times
Reputation: 18
Quote:
Originally Posted by whtviper1 View Post
You have far to simplistic a view on Oahu commutes.

First, during normal commuting hours when UH is in session (late-Aug to mid-May), the Kapolei or Ewa Beach to downtown commute is more like 90 minutes each way - a whopping distance of about 20 miles. And your reward, you live in Kapolei - a dry and dusty area that has the look and feel of San Bernardino.

Check out this recent story -

Hawaii Local Breaking News and Headlines - Isle commuters sleep, eat in cars to deal with traffic - Hawaii News - Honolulu Star-Advertiser

I love this quote:

"Many who live on the island's West side leave their homes at 3 or 4 a.m. to beat traffic as they drive into town, and then sleep in their cars in mall parking lots or on residential streets before going to work. They eat their meals together as a family in the car, or their in-laws and neighbors pick their children up from school."

Or, this story -

Hawaii Local Breaking News and Headlines - Study: Honolulu traffic third-worst in U.S. - Hawaii News - Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Many people would love to have only a 40 minute commute you mentioned.

Or, when you have an accident in Boston - you have alternative ways to get home - you don't on an island.

Recently, problems with the machinery to make the carpool lane break down - it took commuters 8-12+ hours to get from downtown to Kapolei. Think about it, 12 hours to go 20 miles.

I have seen you post these before, and I read them and understand.

There is one highway in to Boston from where I live. So saying there is another way when it is blocked is like saying you can go up to the North Shore and around the east coast of Oahu to get from Waikiki to Kaneohe. Possible, but also not really possible. When I leave for the office here, I have to leave and be on the road by 6 to be blessed with a 40 minute commute. Any later than that, and it's at least an hour. Accident, rain, solar glare, or the fact that the road has extra butt-holey amounts of Mass drivers, and it's 90. In all honesty, I don't even get to Boston, my office is 10 miles short of the bridge to the city and it's still that bad. Let's not even talk about what a few inches of snow means. 30 accidents in 40 miles? Par for the course during a storm.

While I do appreciate and like seeing your view, I appreciate the others as well because it offers some different insight. I'm not saying the west coast area is where I would or even want to live, but I am curious. It's one thing to share stats and articles (which I almost always find to be dubious), but it's another to hear what someone that does it daily has to say. Thanks again and keep 'em coming.
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Old 08-05-2015, 10:19 PM
 
Location: Kapolei, Hawaii
25 posts, read 25,332 times
Reputation: 28
Hey FederalGuy,

I thought I would add a little more to what I told you earler regarding my commute everyday. This will probably make the trolls lose sleep.

My commute in the morning takes me between 5-7 minutes to get to the freeway. And another 8-10 minutes to get from the freeway to work. So you can take approximately 15 minutes off my commute times in the morning to see how much time I actually spend on the freeway. On the way home it takes me about 15 minutes to get to the H1 and again 5-7 minutes to get home from the freeway. So you could take off approximately 20 minutes off my commute going home to see how long I am on the freeway.
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Old 08-05-2015, 10:40 PM
 
Location: Kahala
12,120 posts, read 17,732,662 times
Reputation: 6175
Downtown to Kapolei -5:37pm on Aug 5 - 1 hour 7 minutes. And UH isn't even in school yet.

But, if you want to spend hours in your car - go for it.
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Old 08-05-2015, 10:56 PM
 
Location: Kapolei, Hawaii
25 posts, read 25,332 times
Reputation: 28
Quote:
Originally Posted by whtviper1 View Post
Downtown to Kapolei -5:37pm on Aug 5 - 1 hour 7 minutes. And UH isn't even in school yet.

But, if you want to spend hours in your car - go for it.
As I said in my earlier post 1.5 hours is not unusual at that time of day. Actually, 1 hour 7 minutes is not bad for that time of day. Thanks for helping me make my point!
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Old 08-06-2015, 06:26 AM
 
28 posts, read 33,227 times
Reputation: 36
Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

Just the thought of spending more than an hour to get to work in a car makes my skin crawl, it really does.

My husband doesn't mind it, but oftentimes his work involves driving around in a car anyway.

I work from home now and it's really hard to get me to drive anywhere that will take more than 10 minutes; friendships have suffered.

I appreciate the different viewpoints on this forum! Personally, I am still inclined to be swayed by whtviper1 and pj737 when it comes to commuting. But my husband would probably relate more to Kona Dave. I can't wait to see what we decide to do!
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