How do you mentally deal with major traffic on a daily basis
- Thread starter robr
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Thanks guys, some great suggestions. A different car sort of resonates with me. I just had bluetooth installed in the m3 yesterday but having a gas peddle and engine that isn't constantly saying go go go would probably help. If you know that mashing the peddle down will result in very little, there isn't much incentive to want to mash it 
. My legs never get tired in traffic but there is probably something to be said for not having to continually push a clutch. I'll give in a month in the m3 before deciding if it's worth that investment. Want to see what my gas costs look like too. I get anywhere between 12 and 18mpg usually. That will add up quickly.
. My legs never get tired in traffic but there is probably something to be said for not having to continually push a clutch. I'll give in a month in the m3 before deciding if it's worth that investment. Want to see what my gas costs look like too. I get anywhere between 12 and 18mpg usually. That will add up quickly.
I still have my M3. I threw in the towel after 6 months of commuting in it ~2hrs/day. However, now that my S.O. has a longer commute than I do, i'm back in the M3 for the 20min drive to work. She gets the 500e (she's stoked). She never has to visit a gas station (which i've come to realize most girls really don't like going to) and has a All Access HOV sticker thanks to the tree huggers in California
Most companies like this will allow you to telecommute a day or two each week. Even 1 day per week is better than nothing!
Dave
I used to have a 30-40 minute commute each way. NPR and XM (comedy channels) made the drive not so bad.
I now have a six minute commute. I kind of miss listening to the radio, but not too much.
I now have a six minute commute. I kind of miss listening to the radio, but not too much.
I went through this same thing a few years ago. Then I totally changed my morning routine and now it's so much better. I actually look forward to driving now.
First, I got a new car. I went from a DelSol to a 4Runner. The truck is so much quieter and smoother and makes for a very comfortable drive.
Next, I started listening to funny podcasts with interesting topics.
Then I did what the unthinkable...I started waking up an hour earlier to casually read and cook a big breakfast. Nothing rushed, just an easy breezy morning every day. This was a major improvement.
Last, I'd leave the house a bit early and take my sweet ass time while people are freaking out and running like mad while I'm just cruising without a care in the world.
For someone that used to get furious at drives, now I just don't give a sh!t. It's great.
First, I got a new car. I went from a DelSol to a 4Runner. The truck is so much quieter and smoother and makes for a very comfortable drive.
Next, I started listening to funny podcasts with interesting topics.
Then I did what the unthinkable...I started waking up an hour earlier to casually read and cook a big breakfast. Nothing rushed, just an easy breezy morning every day. This was a major improvement.
Last, I'd leave the house a bit early and take my sweet ass time while people are freaking out and running like mad while I'm just cruising without a care in the world.
For someone that used to get furious at drives, now I just don't give a sh!t. It's great.
Time is the only thing in life that you can not duplicate.
With that said I say you could call and chat with me but you'd have to change your commute to around 11am cause anytime before that I'm still sleeping :biggrin: So maybe on the way home some evening a few times a month?
I have no clue how anyone deals with the traffic in a big city. I just couldn't do it. There's nothing in a big city that could possibly offset the aggravation and torture of dealing with such an asinine waste of precious un-renewable time.
Last time I was in LA a prime member drove me around in his NSX for the day. It was a blast and I have to say the NSX is a great commuter car. I was that day and still am amazed at just how well he drove fast as hell through traffic. I don't remember sitting still too many times but I do remember whizzing by many who were stationary with just inches to spare.
Like I said last time we talked, congratulations on the new job.
With that said I say you could call and chat with me but you'd have to change your commute to around 11am cause anytime before that I'm still sleeping :biggrin: So maybe on the way home some evening a few times a month?
I have no clue how anyone deals with the traffic in a big city. I just couldn't do it. There's nothing in a big city that could possibly offset the aggravation and torture of dealing with such an asinine waste of precious un-renewable time.
Last time I was in LA a prime member drove me around in his NSX for the day. It was a blast and I have to say the NSX is a great commuter car. I was that day and still am amazed at just how well he drove fast as hell through traffic. I don't remember sitting still too many times but I do remember whizzing by many who were stationary with just inches to spare.
Like I said last time we talked, congratulations on the new job.
Serious question. I don't have a lot of patience. Since I had kids I've gotten way way better at this, but not so much when driving. Slow people make me angry. Being stuck in traffic infuriates me. It's a big problem for me, one I don't know how to address, so I avoid traffic.
Well, after working from home for 3 years i'm starting a new job. I debated on accepting because it means 3-4 hours of commuting in traffic every day (it's 45 miles each way). But it's the right thing for my family. Much better $ and benefits.
I don't want to be arriving at work or home pissed off because of the commute. I should probably talk to a therapist but thought I'd see if anyone else has a similar problem and how they deal.
There is no public transportation option and my wife is not open to moving. Nor am I really.
Music doesn't help, so I'm going to try listening to netflix. I was in traffic the other week and putting some family Guy on Netflix really helped to distract me. Sad as it is, I'm more dangerous when I'm behind the wheel mad than when I'm distracted by a TV show.
20 years ago I had to attend a court ordered driver safety course and a question they had on some form really stuck with me. 'do you feel like other drivers on the road are placed there intentionally to get in your way and slow you down'. As irrational as it is, I often do feel that way.
Any suggestions other than a therapist
I learned to drive in Los Angeles, and lived there till I was 26. The first several years of my driving, I knew no different. Rush hour was "just the way it is." I've since lived in three other states, whose traffic situation does not compare at all.
As for how I dealt with a two-hour commute (for a 20-mile trip)? I just kinda "accepted" it and used scenic routes almost every day. I'd literally drive "around" the traffic, taking canyon roads and the coastal highway as much as possible. It didn't add any time to the commute (or, if it did, it was negligible), and I got to enjoy some fun roads. Even ran into an NSX here and there.
Sometimes, I would stay at work for an extra half hour (when I was in WA) in order to avoid the traffic. The extra half hour of waiting equated to about a 10-minute later arrival time at home.
Failing any those options... maybe have a helipad installed in your drive way and fly to work...?
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Time is the only thing in life that you can not duplicate.
With that said I say you could call and chat with me but you'd have to change your commute to around 11am cause anytime before that I'm still sleeping :biggrin: So maybe on the way home some evening a few times a month?
I have no clue how anyone deals with the traffic in a big city. I just couldn't do it. There's nothing in a big city that could possibly offset the aggravation and torture of dealing with such an asinine waste of precious un-renewable time.
Last time I was in LA a prime member drove me around in his NSX for the day. It was a blast and I have to say the NSX is a great commuter car. I was that day and still am amazed at just how well he drove fast as hell through traffic. I don't remember sitting still too many times but I do remember whizzing by many who were stationary with just inches to spare.
Like I said last time we talked, congratulations on the new job.
The older I get, the truer this is.
I am normally a patient person, but I hate traffic and become impatient when stuck in it as well. I've been known to take out-of-the-way drives adding 2 hours to my time (when the GPS showed traffic adding about 30 minutes) to avoid major cities near rush hour when traveling long distances. However, traffic does seem to bother me less now than it used to. I'm not sure if I'm just getting older, or if it's because I've started thinking about it a little differently. Instead of trying to beat the traffic (which is pretty much impossible), try to improve the traffic. Read up on traffic theory a bit and why traffic jams happen. I found this site particularly interesting, though I don't quite go to the extremes he does, but I think just thinking of traffic in different terms helps: http://trafficwaves.org/
Also, learn to love the zipper merge, rather than getting upset about those people trying to get ahead, realize that they are improving overall traffic flow: http://arstechnica.com/cars/2014/07/the-beauty-of-zipper-merging-or-why-you-should-drive-ruder/
I will also echo what some other people have said. I have often had to travel for work, and that often results in renting cars in other cities which often have traffic. I find it easier to deal with when driving a car that is slow and boring, because then I am not having much fun driving or driving very fast even when there is no traffic. So the addition of traffic doesn't make things so much worse. An automatic transmission also helps, because most people drive autos and creep forward in a way that is annoying to deal with when you are driving a manual. One tip I have when stuck in traffic in a manual is to leave lots of space and roll forward slowly and try not to get upset about people cutting in front of you (because some will). Also, following a semi is a good lazy way to do this as they tend to do the same thing (and then you can't see the people cutting in front of them, if it really annoys you).
Also, is public transportation really nonexistant where you live? In the first post you say there is no public transportation, but in a later update you mention that everything is hub and spoke. If there is some, it's just not convenient to where you live, you might have to deal with less traffic if you drive to one of the spokes where you can then take a train to where you need to go. This may also necessitate some people's suggestion of buying a beater car that you don't mind leaving in a distant parking lot all day.
Edit: just wanted to add that moving downtown is one of the best things I have ever done for my commute. A 20-30 minute walk is much better than an hour drive or even a 40 minute train ride. Better for your health, too. http://qz.com/509604/driving-even-living-near-traffic-makes-us-dumb-sick-and-lonely/
Also, learn to love the zipper merge, rather than getting upset about those people trying to get ahead, realize that they are improving overall traffic flow: http://arstechnica.com/cars/2014/07/the-beauty-of-zipper-merging-or-why-you-should-drive-ruder/
I will also echo what some other people have said. I have often had to travel for work, and that often results in renting cars in other cities which often have traffic. I find it easier to deal with when driving a car that is slow and boring, because then I am not having much fun driving or driving very fast even when there is no traffic. So the addition of traffic doesn't make things so much worse. An automatic transmission also helps, because most people drive autos and creep forward in a way that is annoying to deal with when you are driving a manual. One tip I have when stuck in traffic in a manual is to leave lots of space and roll forward slowly and try not to get upset about people cutting in front of you (because some will). Also, following a semi is a good lazy way to do this as they tend to do the same thing (and then you can't see the people cutting in front of them, if it really annoys you).
Also, is public transportation really nonexistant where you live? In the first post you say there is no public transportation, but in a later update you mention that everything is hub and spoke. If there is some, it's just not convenient to where you live, you might have to deal with less traffic if you drive to one of the spokes where you can then take a train to where you need to go. This may also necessitate some people's suggestion of buying a beater car that you don't mind leaving in a distant parking lot all day.
Edit: just wanted to add that moving downtown is one of the best things I have ever done for my commute. A 20-30 minute walk is much better than an hour drive or even a 40 minute train ride. Better for your health, too. http://qz.com/509604/driving-even-living-near-traffic-makes-us-dumb-sick-and-lonely/
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Podcasts? Preston & Steve morning show from Philly on 93.3 WMMR, there's this other one I forget the name of (about some trial and a payphone in Best Buy) I hear good things about...
Personally I don't mind sitting in traffic as it's a simpler route. My friend is like you and hates it and would rather drive back roads and take longer but enjoy and explore the local areas. Maybe you can take an alternate route that may take a similar amount of time as sitting in traffic but is more scenic and enjoyable. Maybe a windy road that'll be fun in the M3 or NSX.
Personally I don't mind sitting in traffic as it's a simpler route. My friend is like you and hates it and would rather drive back roads and take longer but enjoy and explore the local areas. Maybe you can take an alternate route that may take a similar amount of time as sitting in traffic but is more scenic and enjoyable. Maybe a windy road that'll be fun in the M3 or NSX.
Living in NOVA and taking the DC Metro has its + and -. My daughter showed me a nice road to get to the Vienna metro so I don't drive on 50 or 66. DC Metro is total crap, but I can watch a F1 or motoGP race on my iPad, or read. I once drove 40+ miles one way and I always hated it. However, I must say, I did enjoy driving in Maryland. They drive with a bit of a zip.
Today is day 4 of doing this. Going in has taken anywhere between 1:15 and 1:55. Coming home leaving at 6pm has taken exactly an hour. It sucks but it's not quite as bad as I was expecting. There are very few back roads but waze has been routing me down a few each morning. I've been doing netflix when sitting at a standstill on the highway. Family Guy overload . Tomorrow the secret service is closing down the highway and roads around my place of work so I set up a meeting that puts me at another facility. After working from home for so long, this is still pretty surreal.
. Tomorrow the secret service is closing down the highway and roads around my place of work so I set up a meeting that puts me at another facility. After working from home for so long, this is still pretty surreal.
Yeah, I guess I'm adjusting. It still sucks but I find if I stay on the highway it's better. I've noticed I get much more aggravated by slow people on back roads that have a choice of going faster vs the people in front of me on the highway that have no choice.
I live in California and the best way I deal with traffic everyday is a punching bag and a bottle of absolute vodka per day.
Not the healthiest way, but liberating non the less. Try driving 50 miles home in 3 hours time daily...
Not the healthiest way, but liberating non the less.
Try driving 50 miles home in 3 hours time daily...
My wife is a true master of dealing with traffic - she has commuted 100+ miles each way when doing her residency just to spend more time with our kids. She has gone from San Jose to Fresno Kaiser on numerous occasions and for those who do not know, that is not a short drive! I remember when she was working at the VA Hospital in SF and commuted down Ocean Beach daily - easily 1.45 to 2 hr drive each way.
But I'm more like you - hate driving long distance in traffic on a daily basis....my advice FIND ANOTHER JOB
There is no easy answers here but they could not pay me enough to drive in traffic each day, sorry that's not me.
But I'm more like you - hate driving long distance in traffic on a daily basis....my advice FIND ANOTHER JOB
There is no easy answers here but they could not pay me enough to drive in traffic each day, sorry that's not me.
I started out by thinking maybe I should get rid of the gas guzzling M3 and get a slower, automatic transmission car to make the drive a bit easier. I even scoped out the campus to see if they had EV charging stations (nope). Now I'm tire kicking 996TT cabs on the internet (they get better mileage than the M3!!). I'm a complete moron, but can't help myself when it comes to cars. I work from home 20% of the time, and we have another facility slightly closer to home that knocks 10 miles and 30-40 minutes off the commute each way and I've been spending 20-40% of my time there. I'm adapting. As much as it sucks, it was the right choice professionally and financially and I'm glad I made it.
I have another solution for you. Get an Acura RLX. Comfy, and it has ACC (adaptive cruise control with low-speed follow-through) and LKAS (lane keep assist). In short, the car damned near drives itself. I set the cruise at the beginning of my drive on the freeway, and the car keeps up with traffic, brakes, and even stops for me. I love, love, LOVE to drive and shift, but some days the traffic gets to even me. On those days, my RLX Sport Hybrid comes out. It is SO relaxing. You still have to keep your eyes on the road and you have to steer, but the system as implemented on the RLX is pretty damned good.
Just another suggestion.
Just another suggestion.
You know - this thread is a good indication that self driving cars will be implemented in the very near future.
I recently changed jobs due to traffic everyday during commutes. This thread seems fitting how they are reporting on the worst bottle necks in the country as I type this.
I used to spend half my day to and from work. Now I spend 1 hour max each way and at a much higher pay rate to boot.
Its an employee market right now.
I used to spend half my day to and from work. Now I spend 1 hour max each way and at a much higher pay rate to boot.
Its an employee market right now.
