Commuters see some value in long-distance drive

The drive to and from work can often be a harrowing one – dodging accidents, maneuvering through traffic and dodging construction on Interstate Highway 235.

Still, the average one-way commute in Greater Des Moines is less than 20 minutes. That’s just the beginning, though, for some drivers, many of whom have become accustomed to spending an hour and a half or more in the car five days a week.

“Some people hate the drive, but I’ve got time in the morning to prepare myself mentally and think through issues and problems, and in the evening, it’s time to unwind,” said Alliance Technologies CEO Jim Brandl, who commutes to downtown Des Moines from his home in Pella. “If I hated it, then I’d think about driving, but I never got to that point.”

Brandl has lived in Pella for 35 years and, when he accepted a position at The Weitz Co. in Des Moines in 1981, he told his family he would give the job one year to make sure it was a good fit before considering a move to Greater Des Moines.

“It is longer, but it’s something I’ve been willing to do because we have pretty deep roots in Pella,” he said. “You get established, make friends, find a church and get involved in the community.”

Of course there are the rising gasoline prices, weather-related hazards and wear-and-tear on your car that comes from logging 100 miles per day on the road. Brandl said he has to change cars every two to two and a half years.

Scott Bakely was in the real estate business in Ames before joining FBL Financial Group Inc. two years ago as a mutual fund and investment specialist. He considered moving to save himself the 50-minute one-way commute, but didn’t want to give up his newly built house in Ames.

“I grew up on a farm and I’ve always been about 30 miles from everything, so it doesn’t bother me that much,” he said.

Dr. Charles Link, founder of New Link Genetics in Ames, became accustomed to long commutes during his time at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md. Comparatively, his 43-mile drive from Clive to Ames every day is a cakewalk.

“When I was in Washington, D.C., I lived 13 miles from work and it took me an hour and 15 minutes to get there in bumper-to-bumper traffic,” Link said. “Here, it takes me 45 minutes to go 43 miles.”

He makes good use of that time, using his cell phone to make business calls on his way to and from work.

John McCarroll, director of public relations for Iowa State University, doesn’t consider the 40-minute drive from Des Moines to Ames a long commute, and like Brandl avoids the cell phone and uses the morning commute as a time to listen to radio newscasts and prepare himself mentally for the day.

He plays it safe on the road and in seven years has never had an accident or experienced car trouble. However, on several occasions, when he’s been stuck at home because of weather-related road hazards.

“That’s always been something emphasized at Iowa State, that while the university is open we stress personal safety, and if you have any doubts about getting in, err on the side of personal safety,” McCarroll said.

After 16 years, Lisa Hinkel, a business analyst at FBL Financial Group, thinks nothing of her daily commute from Madrid to the company’s West Des Moines headquarters. But it hasn’t always been problem free. On one occasion, she was hit by a semitrailer truck during her morning drive, but suffered nothing more than whiplash.

Though she has seen the roadways improve between home and work over the years, the amount of traffic has increased significantly because of population growth in towns such as Grimes, Johnston and Urbandale.

McCarroll and Brandl have also seen an increase in traffic volume over the years along their respective routes to and from work, which they also attribute to population growth in outlying Central Iowa communities.

“I think there is value in employees living in different places, and I think you’re seeing more than that,” McCarroll said.