[alpha1]

Inspired by the thread:
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/stree...ml#post5822640 (Rants on Bangalore's traffic situation) and @ninjatalli's posts prodding for a poll, I decide to research a bit more about a topic quite frankly is not a very enjoyable activity personally (office commute). Hopefully with this forum's participation, we will gain more information and insight.

With employers like Elon Musk, coming down heavily on employees doing remote work (or "work from home") (https://www.reuters.com/technology/m...day%20night.); and closer to home chronicled the shift from office to home to back to office on our very own TBHP thread: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shift...ture-many.html (Work From Home (WFH): Is this the future for many?), the near future remains confidently and firmly "work at office".

Additionally, we need to understand that:

• certain activities absolutely require worker to reach a place of work because the work cannot be taken elsewhere (e.g. manufacturing, warehousing) or
• the work requires multiple interactions with multiple people which our technology hasn't efficiently solved yet (MS Teams or zoom is utterly poor substitute of people sitting across the table in the same meeting room, or for that matter nothing can beat the corridor talk for getting work done by others) or
• requires critical interactions that lend huge competitive advantage to physical presence (sales).
• and then there is a behavioral (subheading disciplinary) aspect that we tend to perform the best when we know others are observing and judging us.

OK enough of rationalizing and sermonizing, I am not a promoter/owner of any firm employing other for cumulative productive use of their time, so let me get back into the whining mode.

As a willing participant of modern-day serfdom, I understand that I have to work at office, but my main issue with return to office is the life-sucking commute. Fortuitously, I started my career in a non-metro, and managed to stay under covers (non-metros) for long. 30 minutes tops, one way duration; and the longest I was in Pune where the home-office duration was 15 minutes. Of course, my work profile led me to travel almost every week to most major and intermediate cities in India, as well as far flung industrial areas; where I happened to experience and "enjoy" each place's commute - cementing my resolve never to get caught in the trap of congested metros.

I miss those days, especially after getting lured into the trap ... and moving to Mumbai. Mumbai, the land of opportunities, but with no winters and the place of perpetual traffic jams, where everyone is in a hurry, but no one is reaching anywhere. Moving from any place to another place is minimum 1 hour (especially because of digging and construction work everywhere). During office rush hours easily 1.5 to 2.5 hours.

Marchetti's constant (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marchetti%27s_constant) claims that people gradually adjust their lives to their conditions (including location of their homes relative to their workplace) such that the average travel time stays approximately constant. I don't believe this to be true for modern urban Indian context, since the average traffic speed hasn't improved at all in the past few decades. Average commute times are only increasing every year, and people are only getting more comfortable with such demands.

What is your daily commute time = duration of travel from home to office and office to home. Or home to client (if that's where you spend most of your time) and back?

In any case, what we miss out on during the commute is not just the hours of our precious lives, spent on stagnant slow-moving road but also increase our contribution to pollution, increase immediate exposure to vehicular exhaust pollutants, exposure to extreme noise, exposure to stress (especially if one drives), exhaustion, disdain for driving, and so many more.

However, this lengthy commute also provides us with an opportunity to carry out activities that we perhaps are not able to indulge in, could be multiple factors like social obligations at home (one does only what is enjoyable to most people), no time left because of other previously planned activities, ...

So how do you like to spent this commute time? What do you do to make these drudgerous daily outings more tolerable, perhaps enjoyable, or god-forbid "LinkedIn-worthy" productive?

***

Some Indian commute related statistics from:
https://moveinsync.com/wp-content/up...ime-Report.pdf

• Indians spend 7% of their day in office commute
• Average distance between residence and office is 15-20 km
• Typical worst times for commute: 9 am and 6 pm

[doomketu]

I am one of the few lucky ones who has a signal free corridor from basement to basement. The one way trip is 18 km and takes me about 35 mins of continuous riding to cover. Return journey is usually a bit faster at times but I average out 35-40 mins each way.

Considering this is Northern bangalore and eastern bangalore corridor, I am amazed I manage to get away with such a small commute time for such a distance. 7 years ago it used to take me 1 hours just one way in some corridors .

[Buzzard_storme]

I commute b/w BTM to Bellandur and it's a sprint at times (30-40 mts) and a marathon at times (1-2 hrs). Since Covid, it has reasonably eased but now the metro work and the unscientific flyovers is and will add to the chaos. But, yeah the silkboard mess is kind of gone (at least one way) for some cheer and has shifted to Agara Jn (well, sarcastically who cares!)...

[It's Magic]

I guess I am still one of the lucky few who doesn't have to travel to the office every day. However, travelling to the office feels more exhausting after spending substantial time working from home. Additionally, it feels like traffic has become messier in the last couple of years. With the recent rains, roads conditions have deteriorated, adding to the overall travel time.

To answer your question, it takes more than an hour to travel around 17-18 kms from home to the office. However, on the way back, it takes 15-20 minutes less as I generally travel back at night due to my office timings.

[dailydriver]

Faced with this question a day earlier, my answer would have been 'six minutes'. A week later I would probably be answering 'seventy five minutes'.

The first case represents my current commute from home to office in Chikkamagaluru - a distance of barely three kilometres. The second will be my forthcoming long term daily travel from a major city in Karnataka to a neighborhood taluk place located fifty kilometres away.

Both are for work and by car.

Given the experiences of fellow members living in the metros and other major urban centres, must say I am not too worried!

[Rajeevraj]

• To Office: 4.5km
  • By Bike: On an average 20 min(most of the time). Best case is 13min, worst case 45 min
  • By Car: Best Case: 15 min, Average: 30 min, Worst 1 hour(very rare)
• Return from Office: 6km
  • Both by bike and car- Average of 30 min

.

Best case happens only if I leave by 7.30am. Average case is if I leave before 8.30am(which is most of the time)

[JayKis]

Parking to Parking (Home to Office & Vice Versa)

To Office: 5.5km (9 AM)

By Bike: On an average 17 min(most of the time). Best case is 12:55 min (I know - am a motogp fan ) , Worst case 35 min.

By Car: Best Case:30 min, Average: 1 hour 15 min, Worst 2 hour+.

Return from Office: 6km (Usually 3-3.30 PM, Sporadically 6PM)

By Bike: On an average 18 min(most of the time). Best case is 13:45 min, Worst 38 min.

By Car: Best Case:40 min, Average: 1 hour 15 min, Worst 2 hour+

[Anomandaris]

During my commute from home to office of just 5 kms, I have to cross two chaotic signals where traffic discipline goes for a toss. Sasane nagar to Magar patta in pune. I have shifted my office timings (flexible timing) just to avoid all frustration associated with driving. It's now 8.30 am to 4.30 pm followed by a couple of hours of calls late evening at home.

After revised timings, my commute timings in car are as
Home to office: 15 mins
Office to home: 25 mins

Before revised timings i.e. 9.30 am to 7.30 pm
Home to office : 30-40 mins
Office to home: 30-40 mins

I like to listen to melodious music during my commute to reduce my BP ��

[GTO]

My daily office commute is 30 seconds....about the time it takes to walk from my bedroom to the home office . Earlier, it was a 14-km drive to Churchgate. I would leave early in the morning to beat the traffic (20-25 minutes), but there was no escaping rush hour traffic in the evening (1-1.5 hours).

Being stuck in traffic is a colossal waste of time. Ever since I moved to work from home, I use that saved 1.5 hours to work out in the gym.

[Eddy]

1- Pre-Covid: 1.5 hours each way, daily = 15 hours in a working week. I used to car pool with my wife. She caught up on sleep, while I listened to any cricket related content or some old Hindi songs.

2- Post-Covid: 1 hour once a week = 2 hours in a week. Wife was totally WFH so it was only me.

3- In the last one month, since I have moved to Singapore = 25 mins in a bus, twice or thrice a week. Jeffrey Archer on a Kindle is now my companion.

Moving from 1 to 2 was a massive imporvement for me. 2 to 3 has been equally good, touchwood.

[Swapnil4585]

My office is about 4 km from home. It takes me about 25 minutes to reach to the office on a motorcycle like Suzuki Inazuma. The quality of roads and traffic makes the commute feel like I am living in some metro city.

[narayans80]

I commute anywhere between 75 to 83 km.

Morning commute is the most predictable. Takes anywhere between 1 to 1:20 hrs for 37 to 39 kms. Monday mornings are higher in general. Start times are typically 6:20 to 6:55 am and occasionally 7:20 to 7:40 am.

Edge cases: Early morning off season showers that continue into daybreak. Return day after long weekends affects in sections, that I take detours to avoid.

Return commutes take 1:10 to 1:30 hrs typically for 35-38 km. Start times are mostly between 3:00 and 4:00 pm, 4:30 to 5:00 pm in some rare cases.

Edge cases: Avoid on days with lot of work or long weekend eve days. On the rare case, I have to commute on long weekend eve, I start my return before 2:00 pm.

Best timings: 55 mins (morning), 65 min (afternoon)
Worst timings: 2:40 (morning, due to early morning shower), 2:52 (Diwali eve 2022. Took 73 km to reach home).

I enjoy my regular commute. Music plays and I listen passively. I tried podcasts around the time Ponniyin Selvan part 1 came out, but realized I don't pay attention most of the time.

Mine would be the weird entry to this thread, where bike commute takes more (1:20 hrs without breaks and 1:30 hrs with one break) than the car commute mentioned above. On a scooter it takes even more(1:40 hrs), tail bone pain is not exciting thing to live with so commuting by scooter even on rare cases is out of question.

[arindambasu13]

13-14 kms each way. Leave by 730 am to reach office and start work by 830. In the evening, it takes around an hour in traffic. I prefer the relatively more green and peaceful south Bangalore residential areas to the craziness of north and east Bangalore for living spaces (Bangaloreans will know what I am referring to) and thus have made the choice of a nicer living area than being closer to office. Happy with the choice and the tradeoffs involved.

[AJ56]

I travel about 13 kms to work, so a total of 26 kms/day, 6 days a week within Gurgaon. This used to take 25-30 mins earlier but now takes 40-45 mins one way except Sundays, on Sundays roads are near empty and it takes just 12-14 mins one way.

I have multiple drivers but somehow I still prefer to drive myself as I don’t like anyone piloting my car (my main car at least). With good music + a car with good insulation it’s not as bad as some people make it out to be. It is a massive waste of time as 1.5 hrs wasted everyday = 468 hrs every year or nearly 20 days lost every year to traffic.

Long term I hope to grow the business to the point that I’m no longer needed at any of my locations but that’s still quite a distant goal given the quality of labour. As the saying goes, ‘you aren’t stuck in traffic, you are the traffic.’

[glovins2004]

Ramamurthy Nagar to ECO Space on the ORR will easily take 1 hour 15 minutes during peak hours. Its an agony to drive through this stretch and it is inevitable. If you are lucky, you may reach home without a scratch on your car, consider it as a bonus. So, what I do, hop on to 500D or 500A, pay Rs 30 and have peace of mind. If you get a seat, complete all your email related work and enjoy the ORR, do keep an eye on your belongings though.