While most of Squamish is still deep in slumber, they awaken early to begin their daily routines and start the trek to the big city. For people who commute to Vancouver, the drive seems to make sense. The city has a wider variety of jobs, including many that pay twice or even three times the salaries that are offered here in Squamish, often in larger companies with opportunities for career advancement.
And the 65-kilometre route, while mountainous, is one of the most spectacular drives in the world. Each direction, there are opportunities to pull over and breathe in the fresh air while viewing the light shining on Howe Sound and the Coast Mountains. Few people in the world have a commute so spectacular and awe-inspiring.
As Vancouver’s extreme housing prices surge even higher, Squamish’s real estate has become attractive to urban folk, who are moving here in droves. The town has also long been a magnet for Whistler commuters.
But, while an estimated 15 million Canadians drive to work each day, are the longer trips worthwhile? What are the real costs?
Some say they pay about $400 to $500 a month to commute, but that’s only part of the story. They’re adding up gasoline and parking fees. The real tally should account for higher insurance rates, regular maintenance including brake work and tire replacement, and financing and depreciation of the vehicle itself, which varies widely depending on the model. One government online commuting cost calculator estimates a 130-km return commute at $1,087 monthly ($13,000 a year) while another estimates the same commute at a minimum $1,420 per month ($17,000 per year). Those numbers do not factor in extras such as drive-through food and coffees or, of course, frustration from traffic congestion and the risk of a highway accident.
And for many, any calculation of the real costs also includes the time away from family. Many commuters are away from home for more than 12 hours a day, making it back just as their children are going to sleep.
There are also costs for society as a whole, including estimated annual greenhouse gas emissions of 6,500 kilograms for a 130-km commute, according to an Ottawa calculator.
A partial solution is to encourage ride-sharing and use of commuter buses, which charge about $100 a week, reduce total pollution and allow commuters to continue to work en route.
But there is an even better solution: to bring better paying jobs here to Squamish.
– Editor Christine Endicott
