Commuting

[Cho Da]

Please comment on your backup plan. What if the bus drivers strike? what if Amtrak shuts down commuter rail? What if car is in the shop?

For those who use more than one mode, please select what you consider to be the predominate one. For example, I drive to the train station, but consider the train to by my main commute.

[Pi Man]

"i'm not speeding, i'm flying close to the ground" :D

if the car breaks down, i either use the other family car or rent one. barring that, i call in sick.

[urysohn]

I drive alone. When the car needs to go into the shop for planned maintenance, I either do it on the weekend or (more likely) drop it off at the shop in the morning. I use places in the town where I work, not live, so I arrange with a co-worker to pick me up at the shop and bring me to work and then drop me off later. Sometimes my wife will drive in behind me and bring me to work, so I only need to arrange for a 3-minute ride to the mechanic's after work.

Unplanned car problems -- hasn't happened yet. I would just take the other car and make arrangements from work to get my car fixed ASAP.

[Pseudolus]

I drive to the train station. When the car's busted, either the Missus drives me to the station or I take a bus to the other train station.

[whisper]

I usually take the "L" to work. Over the summer, I will bike in sometimes. I rarely drive. Alternatives are bus, car, or taxi.

[Cho Da]

By backup plan is to drive to a subway station. I've only done this once, though. I really miss riding the WSF to school/work but it sure was a mess when the ILBU went on an illegal strike...

[Grits N Gravy]

I'm also an "L" rider. Would probably take the bus if for some reason the "L" was blown up. If all of the CTA workers were to strike, that would kill the bus service too, I'd probably take the Metra (commuter rail). That would involve walking a mile to the station, cabbing it to the station, or having my wife drop me off.

[Quasi]

I work in the 'burbs so driving is pretty much my only option. At a former employer I used to train it....I miss my two naps a day :D

[Amateur Linguist]

I walk to the train station, take the train, and then switch to a ferry.

I don't have a backup plan.

For a few months on a previous job, I walked to work. Those were the days.

[Redhead]

All I can say is no wonder we have so much air pollution in this country. Y'all are driving by yourself every day! I could rant on but I won't...

[Anonymous]

Redhead, you offering to ride with me ? :wink:

[Kitten]

All I can say is no wonder we have so much air pollution in this country. Y'all are driving by yourself every day! I could rant on but I won't...
In my defense, it gets *really* cold here in the wintertime and too much exposure takes a toll on my skin... :(

[Maine-iac]

If the car breaks down, call AAA. If the car just needs servicing, husband takes it in on his day off, and I take his truck. (It is convenient to have someone in the family who is occassionally off during the business week.)

Public transportation? WHAT public transportation? And I don't feel like riding my bicycle 13 miles in the snow. :)

[openminded]

...

[GenkiGirl]

Yeah...only biker so far....would like to comment that my Board of Education is trying to tell me I am not "allowed" to drive to work....So in all weather I get to ride my bike :o But...when my bike breaks down..(today my break broke) I ride carefully to the bike store and wait until the man fixes it... but if everything went and I couldn't ride I would call my school and have them pick me up....

I want a car :) :)

[JO]

Every day I take the "T"..Every day I want to kill myself. The green line suuuuuuucks..Nice people in it though! :D

[Redhead]

SD - how could a girl turn down that offer, from the infamous SugarDaddy? Sounds intriguing...do I get to squeeze your cute cheeks?

[Franchise]

I bet he'd let you poke his belly too. :P

[Actuarybert]

I usually drive to work, but I sometimes ride my bike (about 6.5 miles) if the weather's nice. Going for a bike ride always seems to get the day off to a good start. :)

[1695814]

(It is convenient to have someone in the family who is occassionally off during the business week.)Indeed. Where do businesses get all of their business if they only hold business during business hours when everyone else is running their own business? Maybe it's none of my business, but I think it's a little strange.

[Pseudolus]

Indeed. Where do businesses get all of their business if they only hold business during business hours when everyone else is running their own business? Maybe it's none of my business, but I think it's a little strange.I was wondering that just yesterday.

[satogaeru]

We carpool. If the car's in the shop, we take the other car. If they were both in the shop we would take the train. I used to prefer taking the train, but now we have to reckon with with Baby Satogaeru and all her accoutrements. The car's a lot easier for that.

[2M]

Drive to work.

[2M]

The commute is too long to do anything else and no other feasible option is available

[Doctor]

I hope for all our sakes, gas goes to $5+/gallon and we all have to think about alternative transportation... >60% drive alone to work!! We should be ashamed.:shake2:

[2M]

In some cases it might be convenience, in some cases it might be individual circumstances

[persephone_ashes]

i drive alone to work. but my commute is so short that my 6-cyl accord only takes about 14 gallons of gas a month. so yea, unless i go to the airport (which is farther) a few times, i only get gas once a month.

my boyfriend commutes 150 miles a day. he's in computer consulting where they assign him to clients and he's assigned to the complete other side of town. i'm hoping his company come up with some sort of solution because he was spending 400 on gas a month now. we also haven't been able to find a gas station for him to fill up so he won't be going to work tues unless we find one or we siphon my tank...

[Salzmann]

I drive to work 4 days a week and work from home on Friday. Commute is under 10 miles one way and we have a boring sedan that gets good mileage.

When I lived in NJ I had a consulting client in lower Manhattan. The commute was a half-hour bike ride to the train station in the next town (no parking permits for out-of-towners), train to Hoboken, ferry to lower Manhattan, 10-minute walk to office. A little under 2 hours total. It was Nivember through January 2001/2002 and the only thing that got me out on the road at 6 AM was knowing that the Coffee Lady would be there at the train station to sell me a little sustenance.

[Wigmeister General]

My backup plan is to work from home.

[Bermuda Onion]

Vespa

[Actuary321]

Drive.
Wife Drives.
Bus.
Walk.

[ShakeNBakes]

my work and my apartment building are on the same block. So I walk the 100 feet from one door to the other. I don't really have a backup plan, because I'll only ever need one if both my legs are broken, at which point, I might take the day off

[Griffin 3]

What are you guys talking about? Isn't this thread about mathematical operations that yield the same result regardless of order?

[Redhead]

Does the train count as 'light' rail...?

[kazh]

park 'n' ride

[Maine-iac]

I hope for all our sakes, gas goes to $5+/gallon and we all have to think about alternative transportation... >60% drive alone to work!! We should be ashamed.:shake2:

You might get a more meaningful percentage if the question asked what option those with alternatives chose. I don't have a public transportation option. Walking/cycling are not reasonable due to the weather and terrain. I suppose I could snowmobile in the winter . . . .

The population density here is such that I don't expect anyone to invest in a public transport system anytime soon.