Traffic in Austin seems almost reasonable during Summer.
I live in Georgetown, Texas, and I work in The Domain, just off MoPac @ Burnett Rd. For the uninitiated, that means I have a commute of about 25 miles down one of the worst highways in America. It costs me about $2.50 in tolls to roundtrip to work, but often the toll section of MoPac is a parking lot between 8 and 10 am, and 5-7 pm. A full work-month means I’m putting about $70 depreciation, $100 in gas, and $50 in tolls out of my pocket. Call it $220 all-up.
During the summer, this looks like me leaving the house around 8 and getting to work around 8:45 to 9. Sixty minutes to go twenty-five miles.
Believe it or not, that’s a GOOD day. Once the school year starts, the hour can easily be 90 minutes, meaning I’m on the road for 3 hours every day.
What to do?
The most obvious thing is work-from-home regularly. Nothing about my job requires my physical presence on Alterra Parkway. That’s not my company’s culture, and studies have shown that facetime is still important. Still, I’m looking into it.
Going into the office off-peak probably makes the most sense. Most of my new team does this, electing to come to the office at 10am. Still yet, traffic is often awful, and remains so until almost 11.
Moving closer is not an option. I made the devil’s bargain to have a longer commute so my family could live Not in Austin®.
The responsible thing to do is use mass transit. I understand this, but I conclude it’s not much of a bargain. A month’s commuter pass right now will cost me $92. The closest rail station in Leander is 17.2 miles away, call it a half-hour drive. From there, I’d be looking at a half-hour trip to the Kramer station by the domain, then a mile walk to work.
The numbers sort of work out:
- Rail pass: $92
- Total time: 75 minutes
- Monthly car cost: $116 (notably, no tolls)
- Total cost: $208
On the surface, I’m coming out ahead by $12 bucks. I also get a built-in extra 2 miles of walking every day, and I avoid stop-and-go traffic which kills my anxiety (and my clutch leg).
But for that $12, my car isn’t with me at my office. If my wife calls and needs me to come home right away….best case it’ll take me 75 minutes to get there, when right now during the day (off peak) it’s about 35 minutes. Trains don’t always run on time, and sometimes they’re full. I might be standing that entire 30 minute trip because there are no seats.
Still, especially during the Back-to-School period, I’m giving this a strong look. Traffic in Austin is terrible, and worsening every day since everyone seems to be moving here.