Commuting to work

Do any posters on here commute to work... if so how do you get on with it?

I am presently based at Grimsby but will be having to travel up to 75 mile each way when i get allocated another job through re-location  early 2016, It is looking likely i will be travelling around an 100 mile trip each day by car (shift worker too) anyone else do this?

Quoted from cmackenzie4

Do any posters on here commute to work... if so how do you get on with it?

I am presently based at Grimsby but will be having to travel up to 75 mile each way when i get allocated another job through re-allocation early 2016, It is looking likely i will be travelling around an 100 mile trip each day by car (shift worker too) anyone else do this?

I used to travel around 40 mile to get to work each day (80 ish mile round trip each day).  How long is your shift, at times I was doing 12 hour work with up to 2 hours a day driving, it's knackering. Do you now whereabouts you'll be working and any chance of car sharing with someone or are you on your own.


Make sure you have a diesel car, know alternate routes due to road closures and accidents.  Will you be getting travelling expenses?

Yes we will be looked after with travelling expenses Dave,  we will get 52p per mile tax free and also get paid for travelling eg - if it takes an hour to get there and hour to get home we get paid an extra 2 hours pay on top of our 8 hour shift so financially will be fine it's just that i have never had to travel further than 20 minutes to get to work before so a little apprehensive about the travelling.


It's looking likely i will be based around the Hull/beverley/Doncaster areas or Swinderby/Thorpe culvert/Wainfleet/Sleaford/Skegness/Boston areas so
a bit of travelling involved, I am hoping i can be based at Wainfleet which is very near where my mother lives.

I would have thought you would commute to work by train Chris.

Quoted from cmackenzie4

Yes we will be looked after with travelling expenses Dave,  we will get 52p per mile tax free and also get paid for travelling eg - if it takes an hour to get there and hour to get home we get paid an extra 2 hours pay on top of our 8 hour shift so financially will be fine it's just that i have never had to travel further than 20 minutes to get to work before so a little apprehensive about the travelling.


It's looking likely i will be based around the Hull/beverley/Doncaster areas or Swinderby/Thorpe culvert/Wainfleet/Sleaford/Skegness/Boston areas so
a bit of travelling involved, I am hoping i can be based at Wainfleet which is very near where my mother lives.

That's good on the costs side Chris.

I'm lucky in my work as I am based in GY but cover pretty much the whole of Lincs.  My transport and fuel are provided but the driving and long day can take it out of you.  Most of the roads around here are red routes and you have to drive quite defensively.  You also have to allow extra time for tractors/lorries/caravans and some people who drive 20-30 mph below the speed limit on 60mph roads.

You are looking at about 1 hours travel time to Skeg area but you could easily add 15 minutes to that due to the problems I mentioned above.  

Also in winter the roads are bad, and at the minute a lot of rural properties are having the power lines changed/re-routed and this can often mean that some roads are traffic light controlled or closed, any detoures can take you quite a way out before bringing you back in to get on course.

It won't take you long to get use to your route Chris, just allow a bit more time and take care.

Great advice Dave thanks mate your a good lad.

It'll be a killer at first but you get used to it and it just becomes normal and part of your day. 52p a mile and paid for travel time is definitely a sweetener as well!

Quoted from cmackenzie4

Great advice Dave thanks mate your a good lad.

No worries Chris, I hope you get the best site, let us know where you end up, I may get chance to pop in for a brew!

Quoted from Marinerz93

No worries Chris, I hope you get the best site, let us know where you end up, I may get chance to pop in for a brew!

Will do Dave.

Distance doesnt really matter IMO, its the intensity of the drive...i have covered most of GB while working and some 4hr  (200 mile)  drives are a piece of p1ss while a 35 mile drive taking 90 mins can be draining.
My worst drive was to Hull Prison, only about 35 miles, 45 mins driving but in reality never less than 1.5 hrs, stop start driving and frustrating as hell around the Myton Bridge when it swung open.
Heavy traffic impacts more than distance IMO.

Drove two hours daily to get to Bulford for pre deployment training for Herrick....it was a illegitimate so know exactly how you feel. Now drive 1 mile to camp each day. Laughing. Decent cost effective diesal motor, sat nav, an understanding boss, travel allowances / benefits, know your best services... Especially on way home on a Friday when KFC sounds better than the misses attempt at shepherds pie. Also... PREP YOUR excrement THE NIGHT BEFORE... Regardless of how tired you are after work...Have you clothes ironed and ready, lunch packed, wallet, phone, watch, keys, socks, boxers, razor.. Always in the same place.. You'll appreciate it in the morning when you've got up early but have 25 minutes to watch sky news nd read the fishy for bollox comments like this.

since 1998 worked in donny 108 mile round trip ....12 hour shifts so out house 14+ hours a day ......of course M180 /M18 is an easy/boring road to drive......no pay and no milage so feeling sad now !!!!

Quoted from Brazilnut

since 1998 worked in donny 108 mile round trip ....12 hour shifts so out house 14+ hours a day ......of course M180 /M18 is an easy/boring road to drive......no pay and no milage so feeling sad now !!!!

That's some doing Brazilnut!   it must be tiring mate, there is a chance I will have to travel to the Donny area, I suppose it's easier to get to than some rural locations but that M180 is a very boring stretch of road. Do you start early? I would be doing a 3 shift system 0600-1400,  1400-2200,  2200-0600 which includes Sunday's so I would need to be on the road at 0430ish early turns I reckon.  

0700 - 1900 or 1900 to 0700 usually leave about 0530 or 1730 from Empire pub area and get home 0800 /2000 but the difference is ....I have to run the railway  when i get here you just snooze in signalbox or gossip on the telephone line lol

Quoted from Brazilnut

0700 - 1900 or 1900 to 0700 usually leave about 0530 or 1730 from Empire pub area and get home 0800 /2000 but the difference is ....I have to run the railway  when i get here you just snooze in signalbox or gossip on the telephone line lol

Sounds like you know me well mate.  

Quoted from Brazilnut

0700 - 1900 or 1900 to 0700 usually leave about 0530 or 1730 from Empire pub area and get home 0800 /2000 but the difference is ....I have to run the railway  when i get here you just snooze in signalbox or gossip on the telephone line lol

Or go on the fishy  

Correct Pete! I would say most of my time of being on the fishy has been whilst at work, believe me though I can be very busy at work you know. . It's called multi tasking!

I drive 90 - 100 minutes each day to and from work, do 700-800 miles a week.

Been "commuting" to Hull (from Goole) for the past 10 years Chris

Driven here for the most part but past 6 months have been on Northern Rail into Paragon and then a bus ride out to the port area

People I work with who are local ask how I do it, but as someone above says you get used to it over time

How the shifts thing would sit with me I don't know (as I do just a Mon-Fri 9-6 thing) but when driving I would switch on the radio to make the journey go that bit easier and give me time to build up on the way in and unwind on the way home...traffic around Hull does my head in to be honest but I chose to leave later than I should so as to get a clear run home

Letting the train take the strain is something I've grown to quite like this year....just sitting there and watching the world go by appeals to me. The only problem with that is no flexibility and you have to be in a certain place and time for departures / connections etc and of course, points failures causing delays!

Are you still going to be involved with rail in any way or are you branching out in to something else? Good luck with it whatever  

Will be staying signalling Tim, was at Hull paragon signal box Wednesday funnily enough, was looking at the panel as the box is on our closed list for jobs, will either be north of the river Hull/Goole up as far as Beverley or west as far as Donny or south as far as Wainfleet. Will know my new job at the end of the month Tim when the allocations are made, the jobs are allocated under PTR& R arrangements.

Quoted from cmackenzie4

Will be staying signalling Tim, was at Hull paragon signal box Wednesday funnily enough, was looking at the panel as the box is on our closed list for jobs, will either be north of the river Hull/Goole up as far as Beverley or west as far as Donny or south as far as Wainfleet. Will know my new job at the end of the month Tim when the allocations are made, the jobs are allocated under PTR& R arrangements.

So Chris, when you're on the wrong side of the river and I get the regular " points issues at Gilberdyke" news, at least I'll know a man who can give me an instant update

I spent many months travelling to Bessacarr and the same travelling to the Boston area and i hated every single minute of it. Admittedly, travel was done in a van due to the nature of my work, which is less comfortable than car travel but all the same, i gave up the contract in the end because i hated the extra hours it put on the day. The road to Donny is boring and the road to Boston slow and dangerous, especially in a work van.

You're in the very lucky few nowadays if you live close to good quality employment.  The older you get the harder it gets.

Quoted from HighamMariner

You're in the very lucky few nowadays if you live close to good quality employment.  The older you get the harder it gets.

I'm self employed and my trade is in fairly high demand, so i suppose i am lucky.

That's good, I sit in the few (or perhaps many) that left GY in the 80's in search of work.  Unforunately and despite my quest to move closer to my home town, my earning power in Grimsby is half of what it is in the Midlands, yet housing aside, the cost of living is the same.

Based myself in mid Northants where I can commute easily into the Midlands and South but still long for the opportunity to move closer to the place that will always represent home.  Could sell up tomorrow and upgrade the house or bank a chunk if moving to simillar but taking a 25k dip in salary fooks the whole plan.

I have been relocated to Skegness signal box, do any fishy posters travel to Skegness on a regular basis and if so are the roads ok? I've not been to Skegness for 30+ years we use to go the old road which seemed to take forever if I remember correctly.

Overtook the Kidderminster Harriers team bus earlier this afternoon - just south of Preston - presumably preparing for work tomorrow afternoon at Barrow. Looks like they mean business, as I reckon that would only be a 4 hour journey.

Quoted from cmackenzie4

I have been relocated to Skegness signal box, do any fishy posters travel to Skegness on a regular basis and if so are the roads ok? I've not been to Skegness for 30+ years we use to go the old road which seemed to take forever if I remember correctly.

Rubbish road still Chris,

Best of luck while you are doing that,

Quoted from cmackenzie4

I have been relocated to Skegness signal box, do any fishy posters travel to Skegness on a regular basis and if so are the roads ok? I've not been to Skegness for 30+ years we use to go the old road which seemed to take forever if I remember correctly.

Even more of a nightmare to get there by train from Gy Chris, I reckon you could get to London as quick as it takes to get to Skeggy on the train.  

Quoted from cmackenzie4

I have been relocated to Skegness signal box, do any fishy posters travel to Skegness on a regular basis and if so are the roads ok? I've not been to Skegness for 30+ years we use to go the old road which seemed to take forever if I remember correctly.

Hi Chris, travel to Skeg is varied but using the A16 and A1028 gets you there for about 1Hr 15mins in my van.  A much better road than the A1031 and when you come off the roundabout at the A16 to A1028 keep in the right hand lane of the short dual carriage, the left takes you off to Mablethorpe / Chapel St Leonards.

A16 is a decent road most times of the year unless there is snow drifts but I think they now grit the roads more often than they did.

What's the address of the signal box and are you on permanent days?

A16 is very good 99% of the time but of course there are the exceptions in the depths of winter. I used to use it very regularly to go down to King's Lynn until someone pointed me down the Horncastle Rd and past Coningsby down to the A17. That is a great road to finish night shift on - zooooooom.

The A16 is the best way all year round to get down that way however.

Thanks for the advice, I will be starting at 0620hrs in the morning and finishing at 1315hrs on early turns and 1315hrs till 2120hrs on afternoons (no nights)  .

I will be parking my car at the bottom of Alexandra Road Dave so will be going through the industrial estate (not actually going into the centre of Skegness) so should miss the summer caravan traffic for the afternoon shift.

If I give myself an hour from Grimsby (in a car within speed limit) would you say this estimate is about right?

Quoted from cmackenzie4

Thanks for the advice, I will be starting at 0620hrs in the morning and finishing at 1315hrs on early turns and 1315hrs till 2120hrs on afternoons (no nights)  .

I will be parking my car at the bottom of Alexandra Road Dave so will be going through the industrial estate (not actually going into the centre of Skegness) so should miss the summer caravan traffic for the afternoon shift.

If I give myself an hour from Grimsby (in a car within speed limit) would you say this estimate is about right?

That time of the morning Chris you'll be ok, no tractors at this time of year but you may get a lorry or two. I would allow more time for when the roads get icy, black ice is prevalent, especially on some of the shaded bends and dips.

When in Skeg I use Tesco's for dinner stop which is close by to the train station.

Quickest route will be just under the hour Chris, see route below. To avoid the roundabout which can be busy, you'll see a sign as you just come into Skeg that says Recycling centre / household waste, you need to turn right there which is Lincoln Road at the traffic lights. Follow that until you come to (turning right) Grantham Drive and that will take you to Wainfleet road (turning left) and then your first right is Alexandra Road (chippy on the corner).

A16 - A1028
A1028 - A158
A158 - (turn right) Lincoln Road
Lincoln Road - (turn right) Grantham Drive
Grantham Drive - (turn left) A52 Wainfleet road
A52 Wainfleet Road - (first turn right) Alexandra Road

Were abouts is the signal box?

Thanks Dave, the box is at the bottom of Alexandra road I have to go through a set of gates to get to it, I've not been yet, planning on going on my next long weekend off, looking at YouTube though you can get to the box via the platforms.

Does anyone do a commute to Hull on here? Specifically more eastern Hull. Just wondering what that's like on a daily basis as I'm not getting any bites in Grimsby/Immingham on my job search so looking to widen the area a bit.

Quoted from LH

Does anyone do a commute to Hull on here? Specifically more eastern Hull. Just wondering what that's like on a daily basis as I'm not getting any bites in Grimsby/Immingham on my job search so looking to widen the area a bit.

Did you try Siemens? I know there is a lot of work for them (ongoing) on rail projects (North east Lincs re-signalling scheme) I believe their next project is the Brigg line 2016 and then Hull area 2017 onwards, there is a big demand for signal testers mate so it's worth a try, a very good job if you can get it and there's some good money to be earnt too,  hope you get something mate.

Quoted from LH

Does anyone do a commute to Hull on here? Specifically more eastern Hull. Just wondering what that's like on a daily basis as I'm not getting any bites in Grimsby/Immingham on my job search so looking to widen the area a bit.

I used to have to go across there occasionally for work and pick up stock for my van.  It was a nightmare getting across when they were doing the upgrades to the toll booths but after that it was usually quite quick.  You'll hit traffic more towards the traffic lights after you have come over the fly over on Clive Sullivan way, watch out for speed cameras, 40 mph.  Roundabouts tend to be busy and as you are heading east on Hedon Road towards Salt End / Hedon.

There are plenty of jobs in Suffolk.

Bloody horrible commute though and the house prices are a lot more than Grimsby.

That was no help was it ?

Sorry,

BUT

If anybody did fancy coming south it would be nice to have another mariner down here.

My old man does. Gets up at 6 and commutes to work in hull

Quoted from LH

Does anyone do a commute to Hull on here? Specifically more eastern Hull. Just wondering what that's like on a daily basis as I'm not getting any bites in Grimsby/Immingham on my job search so looking to widen the area a bit.

I do...not the most pleasant of trips going along the Clive Sullivan A63 every day  

Depends on what time of day you're travelling though... the morning school run / rush hour traffic from the Humber bridge into the centre can be a pain; stop start all the way to the Myton Bridge ( over the River Hull, near The Deep) then after that it's usually ok, so depends on what you mean by east Hull

Same again in the afternoon and evening; crawling traffic heading out as far as the bridge between say 4-00pm and 6-00 pm so I usually leave later from work rather than just sit in gridlock

Overall and particularly outside of the "rush" hour, it's not so bad I guess, although all it takes is one broken down vehicle or one RTA and the whole place comes to a standstill

I used to travel from Bampton (devon) to taunton (somerset) which is about 60 mile round trip. wasn't easy and costs a lot but needs must. I now live in Taunton but my lads mum is in Bampton still so I still do the 60 mile round trip 4 times to pick him up etc
you kind of get used to the travelling.  I travel 60 mile round trip to play football for my saturday league team! this Saturday we are away and it'll be a 100 Mile round trip for me!  -_-

Quoted from LH

Does anyone do a commute to Hull on here? Specifically more eastern Hull. Just wondering what that's like on a daily basis as I'm not getting any bites in Grimsby/Immingham on my job search so looking to widen the area a bit.

I do the other way every day... West Hull to Grimsby, actually used to take me longer to get to work from within the Grimsby area than it does now from Hull and its a much nicer place to live (even if the locals are wrong'uns).

I go from my bedroom to the kitchen,

Then I have to travel to the other rooms to clean ect,

Sometimes on a good day I venture as far as the garden.

Sounds hectic Pete.

I travelled daily from York to London, by train, for 6 months.  About 420 miles a day, used 6 trains/buses. Very long days. Many London commuters have longer journeys by time.  

It was much easier on a train as you can switch off.  You can sleep, read a paper, do work stuff or talk to a fellow passenger.  When I got home I felt less-tired than my wife did.

The same main points arise as long car commutes.  You get use to it and usually have no choice if you want to keep your job, or get more pay for commuting.  Any transport delays are very frustrating as they have a proportionally greater impact on your daily life.

Going to the doctors, dentists or bank etc are more difficult to arrange.  You cannot just take an hour off from work. Mon - Fri's offer virtually no time for social or football activities.

It is great when you stop commuting.  You feel a great weight has been removed.    

I have a pretty short commute into York from where I live (4miles from Boroughbridge in North Yorkshire). Its about 20 miles from my house to my workplace carpark. I drive around the York area quite a bit on a regualr basis, so am probably driving about 300 miles a week, for work purposes. I claim mileage at 45p p/m.  Unfortunately, some of the roads are plagued with tractors or slow drivers, and can be tricky in harsh winters, so a short commute can often take much longer than it should. My wife works in Leeds, and drives the greater distance, but can often get in to work more quickly than I can. Traffic in the York area can sometimes mean that a 20 mile drive can take more than an hour, especially if there's an accident/roadworks etc.

I think, on balance, that this is ok. Driving time is thinking/planning time and I can hardly claim that it's gruelling compared to what some people have to do.
I couldn't use public transport to do my job and get where I need to be, so driving is an absolutely necessity if I want to live where I do - rural village in North Yorkshire, giving easy access to work and beautifual countryside.