Is a 20 minute walk from the metro train to your door “Long”

[Anonymous]

When I think of whether something is walkable, I don't think it needs to include every situation of getting to and from one's house. I think, if I want to walk to the metro, is it do-able? Of course if you are picking up kids, pregnant, on crutches, etc etc you will have a different standard, and even 5 minutes may be too much.

I would never drive or stand and wait for a bus for a 20 minutes walk, unless it was pouring rain or something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the metro station in question matters as well. Tacking a 20 minute walk onto a 30-40 minute ride to a suburban station is different than a 20 minute walk to/from a more centralized station.

That's true. I live a 15 min walk from the metro but then only 2 stops for work so I absolutely consider that a reasonable, walkable commute. I think my commute is awesome actually. A 5 min walk would be even better but the cost of my house would be 33% higher so, meh.

This is very true, it all adds up. 25-30 min total commute with a 20 minute walk is very different from 60-70 minutes because work is also a mile from metro.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When I think of whether something is walkable, I don't think it needs to include every situation of getting to and from one's house. I think, if I want to walk to the metro, is it do-able? Of course if you are picking up kids, pregnant, on crutches, etc etc you will have a different standard, and even 5 minutes may be too much.

I would never drive or stand and wait for a bus for a 20 minutes walk, unless it was pouring rain or something.

Eh, you might if the bus passed you on your walk every day...that was my experience.

[Anonymous]

It might feel that way in the dead of winter or summer, but no.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I think of whether something is walkable, I don't think it needs to include every situation of getting to and from one's house. I think, if I want to walk to the metro, is it do-able? Of course if you are picking up kids, pregnant, on crutches, etc etc you will have a different standard, and even 5 minutes may be too much.

I would never drive or stand and wait for a bus for a 20 minutes walk, unless it was pouring rain or something.

Eh, you might if the bus passed you on your walk every day...that was my experience.

It's my current situation too, and generally I don't get on the bus. And whether I'd occasionally hop on the bus certainly doesn't impact whether it is walkable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the metro station in question matters as well. Tacking a 20 minute walk onto a 30-40 minute ride to a suburban station is different than a 20 minute walk to/from a more centralized station.

Sure but the question is how far to metro. Not whether the overall commute is ok, only the house to metro part.

[Anonymous]

Fascinating discussion of this topic- specifically what the website calls “transit sheds” - scroll down for a map depicting what percentage of land at each metro station you can actually walk to within 1/2 mile.

https://planitmetro.com/2014/06/10/whats-a-walk-shed-to-transit/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the metro station in question matters as well. Tacking a 20 minute walk onto a 30-40 minute ride to a suburban station is different than a 20 minute walk to/from a more centralized station.

Sure but the question is how far to metro. Not whether the overall commute is ok, only the house to metro part.

But keeping in mind that for many people the 20 minute walk is not the whole commute, just one of at least three parts (walk to metro + ride/transfers + walk to work), the longer that walk is, the less desirable the house location. There will be people who will say "too far" and it's not because they are too out of shape to walk, it's because their commute is long enough already.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the metro station in question matters as well. Tacking a 20 minute walk onto a 30-40 minute ride to a suburban station is different than a 20 minute walk to/from a more centralized station.

Sure but the question is how far to metro. Not whether the overall commute is ok, only the house to metro part.

Different poster here, there’s clearly some reason that the realtors don’t think people will walk. It’s probabl either busy unpleasant streets or a long train ride from the end of the line where people use the ample commuter lots.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the metro station in question matters as well. Tacking a 20 minute walk onto a 30-40 minute ride to a suburban station is different than a 20 minute walk to/from a more centralized station.

Sure but the question is how far to metro. Not whether the overall commute is ok, only the house to metro part.

But keeping in mind that for many people the 20 minute walk is not the whole commute, just one of at least three parts (walk to metro + ride/transfers + walk to work), the longer that walk is, the less desirable the house location. There will be people who will say "too far" and it's not because they are too out of shape to walk, it's because their commute is long enough already.

And those people aren’t going to buy in op’s area or if they do they’ve already ruled out metro. Someone who intends to commute by metro builds that into their area search.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the metro station in question matters as well. Tacking a 20 minute walk onto a 30-40 minute ride to a suburban station is different than a 20 minute walk to/from a more centralized station.

Sure but the question is how far to metro. Not whether the overall commute is ok, only the house to metro part.

But keeping in mind that for many people the 20 minute walk is not the whole commute, just one of at least three parts (walk to metro + ride/transfers + walk to work), the longer that walk is, the less desirable the house location. There will be people who will say "too far" and it's not because they are too out of shape to walk, it's because their commute is long enough already.

And those people aren’t going to buy in op’s area or if they do they’ve already ruled out metro. Someone who intends to commute by metro builds that into their area search.

Maybe, but I'm a house hunting metro commuter and I calculate commutes house by house, it varies within a neighborhood and bus routes and bikeshares help too. So if Google maps gives a longer estimate because it doesn't list an available bike path, that should definitely go in the listing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fascinating discussion of this topic- specifically what the website calls “transit sheds” - scroll down for a map depicting what percentage of land at each metro station you can actually walk to within 1/2 mile.

https://planitmetro.com/2014/06/10/whats-a-walk-shed-to-transit/

That's very cool!

[Anonymous]

The hat and glove indicator is my favorite. I grew up 200 feet from entrance that is close enough no hat or gloves on coldest days

The further you get you start preparing like it an expedition to walk to train

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No it's not "walkable". You can walk it in a pinch but you aren't going to be walking it commonly enough to make it a part of your day without thinking.

Are you missing a limb or have other health issues? Or just fat and out of shape with no intentions of living a healthy life style?

No, I'm just someone who understands mass transit, having grown up in a major European city that moves on metro, not cars. This is how it works, dear, in the world where people use mass transit to commute, not as an exotic pastime that earns hipster cred: if you're a five-minute or less walk from metro, you're golden. If you're a ten-minute walk to metro, you're OK. If you're a fifteen-minute walk to metro, you're entering the land of "one bus stop to metro", because some people don't want to spend half an hour walking. Some do but some don't, so you're in a one-bus-stop-to-metro land. Twenty-minute walk to metro? Forget about it. You are not walking distance to metro, and no real estate ad for a flat located twenty minutes away from the nearest metro station would ever call it "walk to metro". Because it isn't. Twenty minutes is something can walk in a pinch, or if you're having a leisurely stroll, or if you're in the mood to walk, but a twenty-minute walk as a regular, non-thinking, routine part of your commute? Nah. You're taking a bus or driving all the way.

Both apartments I rented in that city were three minutes away from metro, just for that specific purpose - to be truly walkable to metro in a way that is a convenience, not an endurance contest.

[Anonymous]

20 minutes on foot is not "a short distance" to Metro. Just leave it out. People who care about Metro will figure out where the station is and map it out. We did this for every home we considered. Others won't care.