[blindLaw] Commuting from Outside the City

Angie Matney angie.matney at gmail.com
Sun Feb 9 23:17:46 UTC 2020 

Unfortunately, there are no easy answers. As a single mom working at a bigggish) firm, I can attest to this. If you have a somewhat predictable schedule, maybe you can hire a driver. I don't have this kind of schedule myself, but it might be a little cheaper than taxis / rideshares, if you can "work it out. Good luck. 

Sent from my iPhone

> On Feb 9, 2020, at 1:30 PM, Kelby Carlson via BlindLaw <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Apologies if I sounded a bit harsh. Of course, there are benefits to using services like Uber, but overall it is more expensive to use it over buses/cars on a daily basis. It all does depend on where you are and what circumstances you are in.
> 
> My spouse did drive me to and from the metro on her way to work when we lived in D.C., but unfortunately that becomes much more difficult when the drive is farther and there are kids.
> 
>> On Feb 9, 2020, at 12:53 PM, Maura Kutnyak via BlindLaw <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> 
>> Echoing Sy’s Point, I think unfamiliarity is often conflated with threat. And while as a prosecutor you may feel that there is a target on your back, The odds of you being a target of inner city violence are likely relatively low. 
>> 
>> I will add that this type of cost benefit analysis is definitely not exclusive to blind folks. Owning and maintaining a car can easily cost hundreds of dollars a month. Particularly when people have large loans. When I feel guilty or concerned about my use of ridesharing, I E taking a Lyft to take my children to the doctors office, I consider how much cheaper it is then having a second car.
>> 
>> Sincerely,
>> 
>> Maura Kutnyak  MPA.
>> 716-563-9882
>> 
>>>> On Feb 9, 2020, at 12:35 PM, Sybren Hoekstra via BlindLaw <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>> 
>>> FW I W, I live in New York City, and take the subway in pretty much any neighborhood at all hours. I think in general the dangers of high crime areas Are highly exaggerated. But I understand that they feel very believable if you have not spent a lot of time in the city before, And having children only increases that sense.
>>> 
>>> Have you asked your job if they offer any kind of commuter benefits? The ridesharing could be significantly cheaper if, for instants, you could get a card that allows you to pay for commuter expenses tax free, which I have.
>>> 
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
>>>>> On Feb 9, 2020, at 12:11, Kelby Carlson via BlindLaw <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> I am a prosecutor, so I'd rather live away from high-crime areas of the county if at all possible. With a five-figure salary and a family, ride-sharing is simply not a viable option monetarily; we did some investigation and rides into and out of the city could cost up to $20 each way. That is several hundred dollars on transportation every month. i'm not sure how you all allocate your funds, but this is totally unworkable given our other expenses. And given that we have children, my wife can't just drive me to and from work. So it seems like a long commute is the only viable option.
>>>> 
>>>>>> On Feb 9, 2020, at 11:20 AM, Rahul Bajaj via BlindLaw <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>> I prefer taking cabs to the extent I can. In India, I had access to my
>>>>> own car and driver, but in the West, that costs a bomb, so services
>>>>> like Uber are the next best option.
>>>>> 
>>>>> I sometimes feel guilty about not braving the public transport system
>>>>> or going to some places by foot. But, as Laura says, I see that as the
>>>>> price to be paid to ensure that I am able to get where I need to go
>>>>> faster and can spend the time so saved more productively, rather than
>>>>> just doing what the ideal blind person is supposed to do.
>>>>> 
>>>>> Best,
>>>>> Rahul
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>>>> On 09/02/2020, James Fetter via BlindLaw <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>>>> What Laura said. I frequently feel unsafe or at least uncomfortable
>>>>>> during my commute, which is on the Baltimore subway system (really just
>>>>>> one line). But it gets me practically to my building, and my wife is
>>>>>> able to drop me off at the station, just a two-minute drive or 15-minute
>>>>>> walk from my place, in the morning. I'm very hesitant to recommend
>>>>>> relying on paratransit given its notorious unreliability. Alternatively,
>>>>>> you may have to tolerate a certain, hopefully not too high, level of
>>>>>> danger. Given where I work, I can't get too worried, unless people start
>>>>>> being victimized in broad daylight. In other words, if you can live
>>>>>> somewhere near a bus line where you wouldn't dare go out by yourself
>>>>>> after dark but you're fine during normal business hours, that might be a
>>>>>> trade-off worth considering. It is very unfortunate that we have to make
>>>>>> these kinds of trade-offs, while sighted professionals simply drive and
>>>>>> complain about traffic. But I don't see a way around it at this point.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> On 2/9/2020 7:55 AM, Laura Wolk via BlindLaw wrote:
>>>>>>> I also take ride shares every day. And I get a lot of grief for this
>>>>>>> sometimes from other blind people because I both live and work in DC. But
>>>>>>> the fact of the matter is that I can drive to work in eight minutes and
>>>>>>> the walk plus metro ride is somewhere closer to 25 to 30. And there’s a
>>>>>>> whole lot more that I’d like to do with those 40 minutes every day then be
>>>>>>> stuck in the metro and subject to the added stress of people grabbing and
>>>>>>> pulling and pushing me around. I don’t make a lot of money either, and I
>>>>>>> definitely hear you on the budgeting aspect. But it all depends on what is
>>>>>>> more important to you.
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> On Feb 9, 2020, at 7:12 AM, Kelby Carlson via BlindLaw
>>>>>>>> <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> Given the salary I'll be making and the expense of ridesharing (even at
>>>>>>>> short distances Uber can often cost $6-8) using a service like to get to
>>>>>>>> and from work isn't feasible at all. The place I'll be has paratransit
>>>>>>>> services, so I'll have to see if those are reliable enough to use
>>>>>>>> consistently or not.
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>> On Feb 8, 2020, at 11:35 PM, Deepa Goraya via BlindLaw
>>>>>>>>> <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>> I would recommend either using rideshare services like Uber and Lyft or
>>>>>>>>> hiring a driver. I hired a driver when I used to intern in downtown Los
>>>>>>>>> Angeles and had to commute by driving and  there were no rideshare
>>>>>>>>> services  back then.
>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>> Deepinder K. Goraya, ESQ.
>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>> Sent From My iPhone
>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>>> On Feb 8, 2020, at 10:14 PM, Angie Matney via BlindLaw
>>>>>>>>>>> <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>>>>>>>> I personally use rideshares every day. I live close to a metro
>>>>>>>>>> station, but for various reasons (including that I like to bill while I
>>>>>>>>>> am commuting) this works best for me.
>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>> In some areas there are driving services. You might check into the
>>>>>>>>>> feasibility of hiring a service like this for one or both directions of
>>>>>>>>>> your commute.
>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>> I used to live where I could walk to work, and I do miss that. Hoefully
>>>>>>>>>> you'll find a solution that works for you.
>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>>>> On Feb 8, 2020, at 10:16 AM, James Fetter via BlindLaw
>>>>>>>>>>>> <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>> Unfortunately, until automated cars are a reality and not perpetually
>>>>>>>>>>> "five years away," there are no alternatives aside, of course, from
>>>>>>>>>>> having a partner who drives. You may just have to tolerate a long
>>>>>>>>>>> commute or put your safety at risk. From my perspective, the former is
>>>>>>>>>>> much preferable to the latter. Depending on salary and whether the
>>>>>>>>>>> employer reimburses for transportation under any circumstances, taking
>>>>>>>>>>> an Uber either all the way in or at least to a bus stop is an option.
>>>>>>>>>>> What city are you moving to?
>>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>>>>> On 2/6/2020 8:53 PM, Kelby Carlson via BlindLaw wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>> All,
>>>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>>>> This is not a specifically law-related question, but a question about
>>>>>>>>>>>> commuting to a legal job. At the moment we are living in a small town
>>>>>>>>>>>> where I can walk to work, but soon I will be working in a larger
>>>>>>>>>>>> city. We were hoping to find housing in an area where I could either
>>>>>>>>>>>> walk or take a short bus ride, but the areas where that is possible
>>>>>>>>>>>> are not safe. Unfortunately farther out it is very difficult to find
>>>>>>>>>>>> anything that connects to a bus line and provides for a reasonable
>>>>>>>>>>>> commute time. Are there other alternatives people have found in
>>>>>>>>>>>> situations like these? Buses are by and large the only option—there
>>>>>>>>>>>> is paratransit, but its timing is likely not reliable enough that
>>>>>>>>>>>> commuting exclusively with it would work.
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>>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> -- 
>>>>> --
>>>>> Rahul Bajaj
>>>>> Candidate for the MPhil in Law
>>>>> Rhodes Scholar (India and Linacre 2018)
>>>>> University of Oxford
>>>>> 
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>>>> 
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