For example, when I moved to Boston from Virginia I took advantage of the extensive public transit system for my commute to work. I would leave my house, walk to the end of the block and get on a commuter train which linked to the subway which I took to my job. This was easy, convenient, less of a headache than driving, took about the same amount of time for traveling, and cheaper than parking in a major city. The down side was when I went to start my car for the first time I needed it after commuting this way. The battery had died because of non use for about 3 weeks. I hadn’t even realized I was not using my car at all during the time because it was so easy to slip into this alternate way to get to work, grab groceries on the way home, and generally not needing to go long distances.

Home commuters have this same issue. Lack of car use means you sometimes need to remind yourself to drive the car a little bit just so can be driven. Also, if you are planning to drive to the office once a month or more, you need to be sure you car is set up for the much longer than normal commute it may need to take. Or try to find alternate means by which to get to the office which may save on car use all together.

Touching on that, I just want to remind people that there really is 3 ways to travel in the US. Auto, Plane, and Train. Auto and plane are by far the cheapest or fastest depending on where you are going or when you need to get there. Train tends to be more expensive but it has certain advantages for the telecommuter. Every seat on an Amtrak train has a 120V outlet and most trains are now offering WiFi service. So if the trip is 4 hours compared to a 2 hour car ride, you may find the 4 hour train ride more productive because you can work the whole time you are traveling.

In Burlington, we are blessed/cursed by an extensive bike path which links the northern and southern parts of the extended city with downtown. It get highly used in the Spring through Fall months. This provides another alternate means to commute which is more common outside of the United States. The curse comes when people don’t use it. Bike lanes are no substitute for private roads so it boggles my mind when I see someone who is clearly going to work on the road when they have a private road with less traffic.

The commute is changing in this country which is a welcomed event. What it changes into will hopefully reduce car use, greenhouse gasses, and provide a better world we can all share.