Just got a job need help on commute?

[azn_dan]

Hey guys i just landed a job in scarborough(sheppard and mccowan to be exact) and was hoping if there are any other commuters here willing to give some words of wisdom:

So i have the choice of 7-3 or 9-5, I was wondering how long should i leave before work starts to make it there on time, driving the QEW and stuff?

What do you think is a better choice, commute with GO/TTC or just drive myself. I priced it out and it costs about $390/month with GO/TTC and i dont know about driving myself yet...

I know some ppl will say get a place in scarborough or what not, but i just can't yet.

Thanks for any help.

[teufel-man]

Hamilton to Scarborough and back every day..... thats gonna be rough!

[UrbanPoet]

take the 7-3.
if you take the 9-5.. Wow your gonna get pwned.

[crow]

Hamilton to Scarborough is going to very tough each day. I would choose the early shift to avoid rush hours as much as possible.

Given the price of the gas, you should calculate that in the budget.

[faken]

...I hope you have some good music to listen to on that LOOOONG commute of yours.

[BornRuff]

I know this isn't a huge help, but are you really sure you want to spend all that money and time commuting to this job? What is it about this job that makes is worth the commute?

Public transit is going to cost you almost 5 grand a year, and add hours to your workday. If you can't move, why not find a place closer to your home?

As far as the better way to make this commute, both ways have their drawbacks. Driving in traffic can be really stressfull, but so can dealing with public transit. I don't know exactly how go works, but if you have to go to union and then go the rest of the way on TTC, it will definatly be faster to drive, buying a good car could cost more though.

[Bulwark]

I also work in Scarborough (Warden and Eglington). I live in Sauga, but a co-worker of mine lives in Hamilton and has been making the commute for about 3 years now. I believe he takesthe GO train from hamilton to Union and then subway to warden station and then a bus to work. takes about 2 hours one way. The 407 is probably a faster option, but public transportation gives you the opportunity to catch up on sleep.

[killoverme]

I know this isn't a huge help, but are you really sure you want to spend all that money and time commuting to this job? What is it about this job that makes is worth the commute?

Public transit is going to cost you almost 5 grand a year, and add hours to your workday. If you can't move, why not find a place closer to your home?


Its not that easy to find a job close to home, I don't know his circumstances/job field but pretty sure he thought of that.


Not sure about the commute but the 7-3 is the best choice

What I would do is for the first week or so drive there and see how much gas it takes average and calculate the cost. If its a lot more hten commute then try the commute and if your uncomfortable with that just spend the extra money on gas for convience.

Hope the job does pay well though and travel isn't taking 5% or more of your salary.

[Nettles]

LOL. I live in Mississauga and the transit buses are crowded even in the morning. I'd take transit if I could BECAUSE gas prices are goin up obviously. And they'll make sure that gas does go above $200/barrel. Killing off the middle class.

I got bored of listennig to teh music on my bus rides...now I listen to a conspiracy sort of radioshow...more entertaining :cheesygri

[BornRuff]

Its not that easy to find a job close to home, I don't know his circumstances/job field but pretty sure he thought of that.


I was more curious than anything else, as to what kind of job would compell someone to commute that far, but you would be surprised by the things people don't think of. Some peope jump at a job opportunity that might not be the best when they maybe should be a little more patient to find a job that makes more sense.

He also just might not have thought about how a 2 hour commute turns his 8 hour workday into a 12 hour work day or considered that even if a job pays less, if it could still make more finaincial sense if it costs less to get there or be worth it just because it makes your quality of life so much better.

If you think about it, you pass Burlington, Oakville, Missisauga, Etobicoke, and even Toronto to get to this job. If not in any of the other towns You would think you could at least find something in Toronto. Finding something in downtown Toronto could cut almost an hour off his commute if he takes the GO train.

[ricoboxing]

i live n the shwa and work in toronto (400/finch)

i work 7-3pm, so i leave home by 6am and usually home by 4pm. why don't i work in durham, cause i like where i work, and the jobs in durham suck ass.

why don't i live closer to work, cause i hate the area i work and i hate toronto. the price of gas sucks, but i drive a tercel so its still worth it for me.

[rilhouse]

that commute is going to be killer, take the 7-3 for sure to avoid the worst of it.

[hoopsandyoyo]

i would take the 7-3 shift.....buy a Jetta TDI and drive in. The drive would be around 1 hour maybe another 15 mins. Which still isn't that bad. Normal rush hour commute from markham to sugga is about the same but your going to be moving which is alot better imo.

[azn_dan]

Well i had a orientation session at 8am this morning. So i decided to leave at around 5:30am to see how traffic was, to my surprise it took only 1 hr to get to Markham(where orientation was). Though my drive home at 4pm took about 2 hrs with some ridiculous traffic throughout sauga.

Some of you ask why i work so far away?

Well to answer that, i am just a fresh grad(Chem. Eng), have been looking for work for a bit now, and I finally landed a job with a pretty big company(sales of about $7 Billion). So far the company is a great place to work, and the only thing i need to do is find a place to live in scarborough/markham. Can't move yet as my better half is just about done school, 2 more courses in sept. and after the term is over we would move up to toronto. So i decided i might as well stick it out for a few months before i move up.

Thanks for your opinions. Now if only some ppl could share some routes they take for troublesome spots on the highway(i.e. where 427 merges with QEW, or where the Ford plant is) :D

[jayslay]

i think your best bet is to take the GO train. Driving will be so boring and frustrating with stop and go traffic especially the way back.

Then the best bet when you can get a new place is to move there. I use to live in St.Cath and got a job in mississauga. I figured everything out and it was about the same price commuting and renting, but the most important part is you save a lot of time

[Bleys007]

I used to go from Hamilton to Woodbridge every so often from my girlfriend's place for work at 7am, so I feel your pain.

Trouble spots...

Anywhere on the 403/QEW where there's an accident. Not much you can do about this. Leaving around 5:15 or so makes it safer, but no guarantees by and means. If you're up to leaving home at 5am, that's an even safer bet, but it means you might be waiting around before work starts.

403 by the Ford plant sucks on the way back, but I never noticed it on the way in to work. Generally, 403 on the way back to Hamilton sucks from 4:00 until 8:00.

If you take the 401 at all, it can slow down before it splits into express/collector. Some days good, some days bad. If you're going 403 to 401, you're missing the mississauga road-hurontario crap. If you ever do 401 E in the morning from mississauga, I suggest not getting on the 401 until hurontario. There's often a lot of congestion around winston churchill through to a bit past hurontario on the 401.

On the drive home, 401 West past Dixie can suck if you don't leave early enough. It gets worse as the day goes on. Some days it's fine, others not.

[samm]

I would choose to take the Go Bus. QEW express in the morning from the Go station downtown Hamilton to Union. Then transfer onto another bus from Union to Agincourt Station. Then you'll probably have to take the TTC unless you want to walk .

Hamilton Station --> Union Station --> Agincourt Station in Scarborough

[azn_dan]

I would choose to take the Go Bus. QEW express in the morning from the Go station downtown Hamilton to Union. Then transfer onto another bus from Union to Agincourt Station. Then you'll probably have to take the TTC unless you want to walk .

Hamilton Station --> Union Station --> Agincourt Station in Scarborough

yea i tried looking at this, correct me if i am wrong, but the train or bus from union towards uxbridge actually skips agrincourt? Atleast thats what it shows on the morning commute pamphlet(as in the arrow point down i think). If it would stop there i would probably take it instead of doing all this driving :S Its just that the bus doesn't stop there in the morning.

[AirBosh]

Is your job the Lab on McCowan rd and Commander Blvd?? Forgot the name but everytime i drive south on McCowan I see people in white medical coats

[azn_dan]

lol yea its on comandeer blvd :P

[AirBosh]

lol yea its on comandeer blvd :P

Nice congrads!! the lab always reminds me of the CSI lab hahah