In my working life I never lived near enough my work to walk there, except once when I worked in London for eight months and the easiest and quickest way to get from the language centre in Neasden where I taught English, back to the bedsit I had in Wembley was to walk along the North Circular road; it was about three miles, but I got into the habbit of walking back and forth each day…. it must have been good for me!
When I worked at a school in south Manchester, I lived in south Manchester, but then I got a job in the town of Oldham, east of Manchester on the slopes of the Pennine Hills. Crossing Manchester first thing in the morning met meeting lots of traffic, so I used to get a bust at an impossibly early hour, change buses in the city centre and arrive at work and hour and a quarter earlier. I liked this, it meant I could have a coffee, prepare my clessroom for the days lessons, catch up on any un-finished work or marking, chat to colleagues and have a relaxed start to a busy day.
I moved to Oldham and got a car and used to drive the couple of miles to school. We moved to the south-west, and home was on the south side of Weston-super-Mare, work was at Weston College a couple of miles away. Walking, driving or cycling… but I still was in the habit af arriving early, coffee, chat and work!
When I think of people who have to commute tens or even hundreds of miles, crammed into buses or trains or coaches I can’t help but think I could never have done that… I would have to be nearer to work or find another way!… or find another job!
Lois Elsden 