$ gas prices = WOW!

[Crankin]

That sounds wonderful, Jolt. I have one option for bike commuting; the clinic by Emerson Hospital. I have a contact there, but we've been playing phone tag for weeks. I just need to find out the name of the hiring person; another reason I want to work there is that it's a fee for service job, can do flexible hours, which is important at this stage in my life. Most new grads can't do this (no benefits), but I prefer it. A lot of the things I see would require a 45 minute drive or an hour on public transportation and are 40 hours a week, which = no time for riding. Right now, my internship in Lowell is between 25 and 40 minutes, no real traffic. That's OK. That's about my limit.

[tulip]

I will have to fill up my car today, but it will be the first time this month so that's okay. It's a fairly efficient little car, which makes a huge difference. I also work from home, so I don't commute. I've re-started my efforts to do all trips under five miles by bicycle. Luckily, I live near everything I need, so that's easy.

I worked in the DC area for six years. Even though I lived 14 miles from my work, I was able to commute by bicycle three times a week year round. Most of the other days I took the Metro, but that took longer than the bike.

If I ever have to get a job that requires a commute again, you can be sure that it will be with an organization that is bicycle friendly and within a decent bicycle commuting route. Otherwise, I simply won't take the job. I've said "no thanks" to a job offer before because it was not bike-friendly. Not everyone is willing to make that choice, though.

Best of luck on figuring out how to make your commute better, Miranda. I've found that there usually are other routes that are more bike friendly, but it just might take some time to work them out. I hope you can do that where you live.

[jobob]

Sympathy from here. We're paying the British equivalent of over $10/gallon here - our gallons are slightly bigger than yours but you get the picture.

I really don't mind the gas prices, I know that a lot of people pay a lot more. We have just been spoiled in the US.

ITA, spokewench. I used to go to Denmark pretty regularly for work and I was astonished at what they paid. People, gas in the US is still extremely cheap compared to what people pay in Europe and probably the rest of the world. Of course, the cost of fuel in the US is very heavily subsidized. Our tax dollars at work.

(Not that I don't sympathize, it's still a big shock to the pocketbook, subsidized or not!)

So US folks, next time some lardazz yahoo in a 10mpg monster SUV rolls up next to you and starts screaming about getting off his road (as if, just because you happen to be on a bike you're not paying your "fair share" of taxes, wtf?), just remember your tax dollars are helping to foot the bill for that jerkoff's gasoline. Awesome, eh?

[Atlas]

We have a split reaction to the rising gas prices in our house. I have to commute 30 miles for one of my jobs (though only two days a week) so I feel the price, but on the other hand my partner works in a bike shop and when gas goes up, so does business (and overtime). So in the end we're ok with either.

[indysteel]

Ugh. I used to live in walking distance to my job. As I've indicated in other threads (so forgive me for repeating myself), I moved almost two years ago when I got married to a town that's about 25 miles away from my office. DH's job is about 25 miles away in the opposite direction, so we picked a theoretical middle ground. I hate the commute even when gas prices are low. There's no safe route to take by bike, although I just read an article in our local paper that one is in the works. So, too, is a plan for light rail service.

I'm not sure how excited I am about the possibility of commuting by bike. Fifty miles of bike commute each day is probably more than I can really handle on a regular basis. More importantly, I'm not impressed yet with the city's bike lanes. They plan to link my town to downtown along some extremely busy roads that I already travel by car with a fair amount of trepidation. I'm not sure I'd feel particularly safe on a bike, nor would it be a relaxing commute by country road. I am, however, a huge fan of the light rail option. I'd be all over that and would gladly pay more in taxes to help make it happen.

I am set up to work from home, but my boss has never really led me to believe that he's a fan of it. Other members of our staff work from home at least once a week, but I get the feeling that my boss wants me here most days. I understand that. If prices go much higher, though, I may pursue the idea of working from home very selectively here and there.

Neither one of us has a desire at the moment to change jobs, so that's relatively non-negotiable for the time being. He works for one of the largest engine manufacturers in the world, and he really loves what he does. I work for a federal court in a position that, not only do I really love, but is almost impossible to replicate in either the private sector or at a state/county level.

[surgtech1956]

I agree we've been spoiled compared to outside the US. I might try to commute by bike a day or two a week. I have about 19 miles from work, and I work 630a-5p(I work 4 - 10s). Otherwise, I don't drive alot, just to work, shopping is within a 5 mile radius.