Commuter profiles

Bob Beckman

•Age: 57

•Resides in: Seattle

•Job: Assessment project program manager, Division of Developmental Disabilities, state Department of Social and Health Services, Lacey

•Family: wife, two grown children

•Commute route: Vanpool from Seattle to Lacey, 21/2 hours per day

•Commuting cost: $39 a month

Bob Beckman was offered a promotion two years ago that would move him from his home in Seattle to Lacey.

The family had only one car, so he looked into the cost of buying a commuter car. “I did the math. It was going to be $600 to $700 a month. I thought, that’s nuts.”

So he joined a vanpool, a ride-share program operated by Intercity Transit Authority. “It’s a very mellow way to do it. We share the driving,” he said.

IT does not track the number of vanpool riders, but according to 2005 census data, about 12 percent of commuters carpool. Beckman’s employer pays a portion of the cost, and Beckman earns $2 every time he drives, so he pays only $39 a month — a “super bargain,” he boasts.

As “van nanny,” Beckman brings the 12-person van to the north end of Boeing Field in Seattle at 6:30 a.m. and leaves six minutes later. The morning commute is about 50 minutes, the afternoon a bit longer.

Though Beckman spends around 12 hours a week commuting, he said it’s worth it. “We really like Seattle — the cultural amenities, the restaurant scene. We’re foodies, we like to try different restaurants. We left Eastern Washington to get into a more urban, more sophisticated (city),” he said.

Paul Flinton

•Age: 38

•Resides in: Olympia

•Job: Software developer for Microsoft, Redmond

•Family: Wife, 5-year-old son

•Commute route: Seattle to Redmond during work week; spends weekends in Olympia

•Commuting cost: $1,000 a month in mortgage payments for a condo in Seattle, plus $125 on gas

A 75-mile commute didn’t stop Paul Flinton of Olympia from accepting a job with Microsoft in Redmond last year. The job’s benefits and pay were too good to pass up, and he was looking for a career change from being a contractor to working in an office environment.

The commute required him to leave home at 6 a.m., and he didn’t return until 9 or 10 p.m. That lasted about three weeks.

“I would be really stressed out and tired by the time the weekend happened,” he said.

So he rented a room in King County, where he stayed on weekdays. Last July, he and his wife, Jennifer, bought a 388-square-foot condo in Seattle.

For now, it works well. Jennifer Flinton can work part-time in Olympia, where she has built up a network of friends. Her in-laws help with their 5-year-old son, Jimmy, who has autism.

She doesn’t feel stressed wondering what time her husband is going to arrive and if she should make dinner. And she said they spend better quality time on weekends now than when he lived at home.

“We both are really independent people. We’re not the type who are constantly holding hands,” she said.

Paul Flinton said he sees his family just as often as when he was commuting, with far less stress. Now, if he needs to stay late at work, he doesn’t feel pressure to get home. He can spend evenings munching on a store-bought chicken or canned chili and watching movies rather than white-knuckled on the road.

“I go to bed, get up the next morning and do the same thing. It’s pretty quiet,” he said.

The trade-off, of course, is that Jimmy grows up a lot during the week. Their son has started a new treatment and is talking more. Paul Flinton also missed the excitement on his son’s face when he opened birthday presents in October.

The couple discussed moving to Seattle, but Jennifer Flinton is hesitant.

“My support system’s here — all the people I know, all my family. ... It took me many years to cultivate.”

She joked that she’s afraid to calculate if Paul’s annual salary increase from $88,000 to just more than $100,000 is eaten up by the cost of the condo. In fact, at $12,000 a year in mortgage payments, it’s about even.

But Jennifer Flinton points out the decision was not about money. “The mental health part of it — he’s happier, the family structure is happier — makes up somewhat for cost. That’s how I choose to look at it,” she said.

Samantha Barker

•Age: 32

•Resides in: Tacoma

•Job: Research and Special Projects for the Aging and Disability Services Administration, state Department of Social and Health Services, Lacey

•Family: Single

•Commute route: 54 miles round-trip to Lacey by car, 11/2 hours a day

•Commuting cost: $454 a month for gasoline and wear and tear on the car

Samantha Barker loves her job in Olympia, but she also loves her home in Tacoma.

“I like that I’m centrally located to where my housing is compared to the freeways. ... I love the resources and activities they have,” she said.

Even if she wanted to move closer, she couldn’t afford it. She purchased a condo in 2001 for $134,000; six years later, the median price for a new condo in Thurston County is $173,000.

While outbound commuters face the greatest congestion, the inbound commute is growing more challenging.

In 2005, about 18,000 people commuted into Thurston County, compared with about 10,000 in 1990 — an 80 percent increase. By 2030, almost 34,000 commuters will commute into Thurston County, the Thurston Regional Planning Council predicts.

Barker said her commute takes careful planning. In the morning, running 15 minutes late can add a half-hour to her drive. Her evening commute doubles if she leaves before 6:15 p.m., so she works four 10-hour days to avoid traffic. That allows her to run errands and to exercise Wednesdays.

Still, Barker knows the commute is taking its toll.

“My quality of life is significantly less sitting in traffic, breathing fumes of I-5. ... I would establish a regular workout schedule and a night out with my boyfriend, Joel, in exchange for the down time sitting in commuter traffic,” she wrote in an e-mail.

“I am at my wits end with traffic,” she wrote. “If I lose my 10-hour days, I would need to reconsider work location or move to Olympia.”

Profiles by Diane Huber/ The Olympian

Tales from the road Why they commute

Sharon Buechel, Shelton to Lakewood

Every day people ask me why I don’t move closer to my work to avoid the commute. I say, “Why would I?” ... Every day I wake up to the sound of birds chirping, versus the sound of a highway near my door. I get up a little earlier, and drive a little farther, but it’s not so bad. I’d take the traffic in Mason and Thurston counties certainly over the traffic in Seattle any day.

Paul Woolson, Olympia to Covington

We have lived in Olympia for 28 years. When the children were young we didn’t want to have to change their schools. ... The children are mostly grown and gone. The friends we have are very important to us. I also have my poker group with whom I have been playing for over 10 years. These are people who are far more important than using some gas.

Julia Bos, north Seattle to Lacey

Olympia’s a great city, but I don’t think it’s as vibrant for the single, urban professional.

Mike Unser, Shelton to Olympia

My partner wanted to get out of the city because the air quality is so bad for his asthma, and I wanted room to expand my garden, which had filled our small city lot in just a few years. While looking for land to buy we found the cost in Thurston County prohibitive so by necessity came to Mason County. ... I love Olympia and still consider it home, but it is wonderful to have fresh air and be able to hear the birds in my garden instead of traffic.