Rising Fuel Prices Impact On Local Communities (Pittsburgh, Franklin Park: how much, find a job)

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Katiana

I think women are more likely to work closer to home than men b/c we have more of the homemaking and child care responsibilities.

Indeed. According to the statistics I have seen, about 1 out of 200 commutes is 50 or more miles (each way), and only 16% of those are by women.

Generally, average commutes obviously vary a lot by place. For example, in a 2003 ranking of 68 cities, NYC had the longest average commute, at 38.3 minutes (again, this is each way). Denver clocked in at a relatively moderate 22.6 minutes, good for #34 on the list. Pittsburgh was 21.2, which put it at #45. Last on this list was Corpus Christi, at 16.1 minutes.

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Indeed. According to the statistics I have seen, about 1 out of 200 commutes is 50 or more miles (each way), and only 16% of those are by women.

Generally, average commutes obviously vary a lot by place. For example, in a 2003 ranking of 68 cities, NYC had the longest average commute, at 38.3 minutes (again, this is each way). Denver clocked in at a relatively moderate 22.6 minutes, good for #34 on the list. Pittsburgh was 21.2, which put it at #45. Last on this list was Corpus Christi, at 16.1 minutes.

Amazing how 1.4 min. can change your place on the list. I sometimes wait at a light that long if it's red instead of green when I get there!

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Katiana

Amazing how 1.4 min. can change your place on the list. I sometimes wait at a light that long if it's red instead of green when I get there!

To confirm your assessment, the relevant report also grouped cities by whether or not they considered the differences statistically significant (I guess taking into account not just the averages but also the full distribution). Denver and Pittsburgh were indeed not deemed different at a statistically significant level.

That said, this is 2003 data, and I would guess that given the Denver area has a pretty rapidly growing population in comparison to the Pittsburgh area, this could change, and may have changed already.

[Katiana]

I haven't seen a huge change in the last five years. Pittsburgh does have its growing areas, such as Cranberry/Southern Butler, which get added into the averages.

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by Katiana

A lot of the 'working outside the home homemakers' like my coworkers and I do this already. There is simply no time to run to the store for every little thing. I long ago developed the policy of changing my dinner plans if I didn't have some vital ingredient. I rarely make impulse trips to the grocery store. I like to get my detergents and cleaning stuff at Sam's Club. I keep it in my garage till I need it.

I agree there will be no big return to small town America. Though I loved shopping in downtown Beaver Falls as a little girl, I like the choices I have at the big malls. Want it in a different color? Try another store. Want a different brand? Ditto. We didn't have that back there, back then. The choices were usually "take it or don't get anything".

I think the number of people driving hours to jobs is a little overstated. (Well, maybe not in SoCal, but that's a different world, LOL.) I live in a suburb and work in the same burb, 4 1/2 miles away. I think women are more likely to work closer to home than men b/c we have more of the homemaking and child care responsibilities. My DH currently works about 6 miles from home, but has worked up to 30 mi, which was a one hour drive. Perhaps more mass transit will be built if demand goes up.

The Cranberry I grew up in had the opposite problem -- no stores. it may be very hard to believe, but 40 years ago, if you lived in Cranberry, you either went to North Hills, Zelienople or Baden for groceries. There was a small superette "Evans Superette" for a bread run if you had to. Almost everybody drove to Glen Eden dairy for milk, in half gallon glass bottles, and you bought your eggs from the egg lady.

I'm lucky that I work a mile and half away and can stop at the grocery on the way home.

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by Tallysmom

The Cranberry I grew up in had the opposite problem -- no stores. it may be very hard to believe, but 40 years ago, if you lived in Cranberry, you either went to North Hills, Zelienople or Baden for groceries. There was a small superette "Evans Superette" for a bread run if you had to. Almost everybody drove to Glen Eden dairy for milk, in half gallon glass bottles, and you bought your eggs from the egg lady.

I'm lucky that I work a mile and half away and can stop at the grocery on the way home.

I do remember the days when Cranberry was "the country". Beaver Falls even had a grocery store downtown on the main st (7th Ave.). It delivered. It is now closed. My niece was looking for a grocery store near Moon Twp that would deliver groceries to my brother (her father). She couldn't find any and neither could I.

[Kish]

A few fairly random thoughts:
1. The cost and difficulty of moving house leaves many people with long commutes because they change jobs.
2. Even at $3.50 a gallon, gas is still half the price it is in most of Europe. I haven't done the arithmetic, but the poorer gas mileage of US cars probably leaves us just ahead on cost per mile.
3. The big problem with long commutes is not so much the cost, nor even the environmental damage (it is Earth Day today) but the sheer waste of such a large part of your life. I nearly took a job last year which would have required 40 minutes' drive each way. Compared to my current 12 minutes, that's around an hour a day wasted. And that's on a good day without traffic jams.

[FilthySailor]

Gas prices are consuming my earnings, I haven't filled my tank in roughly a year. Hell, After I pump, I always move the pump cable around to get every drop I paid for.

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by Kish

A few fairly random thoughts:
1. The cost and difficulty of moving house leaves many people with long commutes because they change jobs.
2. Even at $3.50 a gallon, gas is still half the price it is in most of Europe. I haven't done the arithmetic, but the poorer gas mileage of US cars probably leaves us just ahead on cost per mile.
3. The big problem with long commutes is not so much the cost, nor even the environmental damage (it is Earth Day today) but the sheer waste of such a large part of your life. I nearly took a job last year which would have required 40 minutes' drive each way. Compared to my current 12 minutes, that's around an hour a day wasted. And that's on a good day without traffic jams.

#1. Agree completely. It gets even harder when you have kids in school.

#2. Agree somewhat. Not everyone here in the US drives a big gas guzzler. The average gas mileage would have to be 1/2 of that in Europe to come out even. I doubt that. However, not a major point.

#3. Agree completely. I also have a 12 min. commute. DH's is about 15 min, used to be, at his last job, 60 min. That was pretty much eat, work, sleep. I think he's glad he doesn't have to do that anymore.

[igo]

I moved from a 50min commute to a 15min commute. I felt like it was a excellent move. Not only do I save on gas, but I arrive at work with much less stress.

How did they figure the average Pittsburgh commute to be 21.2min I don't think you will be getting to far from downtown during rush hour in that amount of time.