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submitted 9 hours ago* (last edited 9 hours ago) by HaraldvonBlauzahn@feddit.org to c/europe@feddit.org

This map shows the average commuting time from home to work in Europe.

(Author: Maps.interlude, Link to image information and dfferent resolutions )

It might be surprising that, in spite of wildly different traffic systems and large differences in the use share of cars, these times are so similar.

An explanation is given in the wikipedia article on Marchetti's Constant. Basically, the time spent commuting is mostly an anthropological constant, and is largely independent of means of transport and culture.

In other words, if we use faster means of transport, we almost automatically commute larger distances - regardless whether this improves our quality of life or not.

This relationship should probably be central in modern traffic planning, but it is often not considered. (There is an interesting article in German by the traffic scientist Rudolf Pfleiderer, titled "Das Phänomen Verkehr", which describes in more detail the relationships between traffic, speed, and distance - perhaps somebody knows a good English article?)

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[-] LibertyLizard@slrpnk.net 2 points 1 hour ago

Interestingly if you compare this to US states the variance is much higher.

[-] artyom@piefed.social 7 points 3 hours ago

Median would be much more interesting

[-] HaraldvonBlauzahn@feddit.org 2 points 3 hours ago

The question is: From the majority of people with short commutes, who needs really a car for such low distances?

[-] morgunkorn@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 3 hours ago

well some people will be driving for 25 minutes, that's already quite the distance. and public transport isn't an option for everyone living in rural areas

[-] HaraldvonBlauzahn@feddit.org 2 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago)

well some people will be driving for 25 minutes, that’s already quite the distance.

Depends on the environment. In cities, the typical average speed of cars is around 35 km/h. So, you can travel a distance of about 15 kilometers in that time, which won't be much more than in a fast commuter train, or a subway. (In fact, I go about 14 kilometers by bike, and it's usually faster door-to-door than the commuter train).

[-] morgunkorn@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 19 minutes ago

i bike 20km every single day, i know it's doable :)

[-] Damage@feddit.it 1 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago)

I guess it depends on what you mean by "short". It takes me 40 minutes by car to get to work if there's traffic, 30 by motorbike or car with no traffic, 60 by bicycle and I'd need a shower when I arrive. Public transport would be over 60 minutes because of inconvenient line changes.

I used to cycle to work irregularly when I was nearer, but it wasn't great: my city used to be a bike-first city, but nowadays there's too many cars and the infrastructure hasn't kept up, bikes used to go on the road, and now it's not possible, bicycle lanes have been added but they've done a poor job, with frequent crossings and slow-downs.

[-] HaraldvonBlauzahn@feddit.org 1 points 2 hours ago

I guess it depends on what you mean by “short”.

With "short" I mean no longer than the averages shown in the map. With an average time <= 30 minutes and an average car speed of ~ 35 km/h in cities, this translates to about 18 kilometers of distance.

Of course, there are people which commute longer or farther. But as the map shows, they are the exception - not the norm.

[-] mech@feddit.org 18 points 6 hours ago

With 200 million workers in the EU, that's 200 million hours of unpaid, wasted time each work day.
Imagine how much shareholder value could be generated if we turned that into unpaid work time!

-Friedrich Merz

[-] plyth@feddit.org 2 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago)

It's one of Meta's main resources. Remove the commute time and engagement will drop.

[-] Skua@kbin.earth 4 points 5 hours ago

Anyone got any insight on what the hell Latvia is doing? Not only are they doing the worst, their two genrally-comparable neighbours are actually doing better than most

[-] jaxxed@lemmy.world 2 points 3 hours ago

Crap road planning and deterioratng public transit and bridges - also increased car ownership makng commutes worse.

[-] yakko@feddit.uk 8 points 6 hours ago

They've really got me pegged here in the UK, my commute is a two way fifteen minute walk to get to my desk at home.

[-] gwl 11 points 6 hours ago

How big is your house that it takes 7.5 mins to get to the desk?

[-] mech@feddit.org 10 points 6 hours ago

For me, it's a distance of 10m but my cats make sure it takes fifteen minutes.

[-] Kissaki@feddit.org 1 points 2 hours ago

I can picture someone standing in front of their chair, waiting for the cat to get up and leave.

[-] mech@feddit.org 1 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

Well, first of all the cat is purring on my lap during breakfast so I can't even get up from my chair.
Then when I start walking, she gets in front of me and blocks my path if I dare choose any direction that doesn't lead to the cupboard with her treats.
And then she yells at me to sit down in the armchair so she can have her after-treats nap on my lap while I scritch her behind the ears.

Sometimes I can't get to my work desk for hours.

[-] B0rax@feddit.org 1 points 4 hours ago

Depends on where you start… in bed?

[-] yakko@feddit.uk 3 points 6 hours ago

Walking my kid to school lmao

[-] gwl 2 points 2 hours ago

Ah makes sense haha

[-] HaraldvonBlauzahn@feddit.org 2 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago)

Wow, you nailed it! I'm happy that your kid gets extra dad or mom time!

[-] yakko@feddit.uk 2 points 3 hours ago

I could have probably gotten a bigger place if I was willing to get a car, but we have enough space and all of us can walk to work or the train pretty easily. Keeps us from getting too fat.

[-] inari@piefed.zip 3 points 6 hours ago

Maybe the previous poster is just really really slow

[-] mech@feddit.org 30 points 9 hours ago

I have a commute of 1 hour, and I love it.
It's a bicycle route on agricultural roads through fields and meadows, along a river.
And it keeps me fit even though I'm too lazy to exercise regularly.
But yeah, commuting by car is a no-go for me.
That's always been the number one priority when looking for jobs and apartments.

[-] truthfultemporarily@feddit.org 24 points 8 hours ago

Clearly you're not lazy because you are exercising regularly by using the bike.

[-] mech@feddit.org 19 points 8 hours ago

I deliberately put myself into a situation where I'm forced to.
I don't own a car, and with public transport I'd have to leave 10 minutes earlier.
So with my morning routine planned to the minute to maximize snoozing time, I only have the choice between taking the bicycle and being late for work.

[-] HaraldvonBlauzahn@feddit.org 7 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago)

I do similar - 14 kilometers by bike, a good part along a motorway, a park, and a river. What motivates me is that I count it as daily excercise which I just need to stay healthy. And if the weather is shit, crusty ice or thunderstorms predicted, I happen to use the commuter train (which is a tad slower for the door-to-door connection).

But my "ideal" commute time is around half an hour.

[-] Korhaka@sopuli.xyz 2 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago)

Yeah, 80km a week here isn't too bad and only takes me 20-25 mins each way. The last 200m is shared with cars though which sucks as they take up all the space and slow everything down. Sometimes wonder if it would be faster to get off and walk for that last bit.

[-] mrmisses@lemmy.world 1 points 4 hours ago

Living in the usa the shortest commute I've ever had was 30min. The longest, an hour. I can't wait for gas to keep going up, fuck this country and the losers who voted for trump

[-] Melchior@feddit.org 11 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 9 hours ago)
[-] SmoothOperator@lemmy.world 1 points 5 hours ago

Interesting with Iceland... Such a low density, low public transport country, but maybe they just really nailed driving.

[-] ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net 6 points 4 hours ago

80% of the population lives in the same city. And it's not a big city.

[-] atcorebcor@sh.itjust.works 3 points 4 hours ago

Low population means smaller city means shorter distance and less congestion

[-] plyth@feddit.org 8 points 9 hours ago

Does it affect Windows boot time for homeoffice?

[-] HaraldvonBlauzahn@feddit.org 4 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago)

Well, Windows 11 boot times certainly didn't get any shorter, and my work laptop's fan is making so much noise that i am thinking in sharing my asthma meds with the poor thing. Glad that my home Debian boots in five seconds or so! :-)

[-] Legwarmer1411@lemmy.zip 2 points 6 hours ago

This probably also tells if you live far from the workplace, you may just as well relocate either willingly by yourself or be made by your work to.

[-] nykula@piefed.social 1 points 22 minutes ago

If you live far from the workplace, you probably can't afford to relocate closer.

[-] Honytawk@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 6 hours ago

Who on Earth would allow their workplace to decide where they live? Let alone be forced to?

[-] Damage@feddit.it 1 points 3 minutes ago

Most people? Ever heard of migrants risking their lives crossing the sea on shitty boats to find better prospects?

[-] gwl 1 points 6 hours ago

Are the numbers the average?

[-] HaraldvonBlauzahn@feddit.org 1 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago)

Just guessing from the post title and the map caption, I'd think so ;->

(And for people who work home office some time, I'd guess its the weekly average.)

[-] gwl 1 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago)

Well the other possiblity was the median, and a lot of these graphics don't say whether they mean Average (Mean) or Average (Median)

[-] plyth@feddit.org 3 points 9 hours ago

What happened to Latvia?

[-] Zwuzelmaus@feddit.org 1 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 9 hours ago)

It shows either >MAX or unknown (plus very few others). Not quite useful this way.

[-] HaraldvonBlauzahn@feddit.org 3 points 8 hours ago

It shows either >MAX or unknown (plus very few others). Not quite useful this way.

Can you explain your context? Why are you thinking this?

this post was submitted on 03 Jun 2026
110 points (100.0% liked)

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