Commuting To Bristol

[Wurzel Of Highbridge]

Hi guys,

There is a chance that I will have to relocate to Bristol for work reasons, I am not keen on living in the city so plan to commute. Now I have heard that the the traffic can be a nightmare, but how bad is t really? Is anyone here commuting?

I commute on motorcycle, this usually saves me 20 mins even here in Galway.

I seem that you get a much better deal in Chepstow, and either pay £100pcm for the bridge or free on motorbike. Another consideration is Shepton or Wells as we have family in that area.

Budget could stretch to about £750pcm for a 3br semi with garden and off road parking - that is looking unlikely in Bristol. The requirements are really nonnegotiable. Unfortunately 750 will be the max since it's botu 40% of our take home pay, add in council tax water rates etc. and it's nearer 50%.

[bearwithasorehead]

Hi guys,

There is a chance that I will have to relocate to Bristol for work reasons, I am not keen on living in the city so plan to commute. Now I have heard that the the traffic can be a nightmare, but how bad is t really? Is anyone here commuting?

I commute on motorcycle, this usually saves me 20 mins even here in Galway.

I seem that you get a much better deal in Chepstow, and either pay £100pcm for the bridge or free on motorbike. Another consideration is Shepton or Wells as we have family in that area.

Budget could stretch to about £750pcm for a 3br semi with garden and off road parking - that is looking unlikely in Bristol. The requirements are really nonnegotiable. Unfortunately 750 will be the max since it's botu 40% of our take home pay, add in council tax water rates etc. and it's nearer 50%.

Bristol is awful for traffic - you should see if that programme about their elected Mayor is on ipplayer or sommat. Was v interesting.

Hmmm, on that income commuting by bike would still be expensive and what if circs change. I would try renting in city first - you might like it.

[BalancedBear]

Hi guys,

There is a chance that I will have to relocate to Bristol for work reasons, I am not keen on living in the city so plan to commute. Now I have heard that the the traffic can be a nightmare, but how bad is t really? Is anyone here commuting?

I commute on motorcycle, this usually saves me 20 mins even here in Galway.

I seem that you get a much better deal in Chepstow, and either pay £100pcm for the bridge or free on motorbike. Another consideration is Shepton or Wells as we have family in that area.

Budget could stretch to about £750pcm for a 3br semi with garden and off road parking - that is looking unlikely in Bristol. The requirements are really nonnegotiable. Unfortunately 750 will be the max since it's botu 40% of our take home pay, add in council tax water rates etc. and it's nearer 50%.

It may be easier to find another Job in Ireland?!

Bristol traffic really is a nightmare, and the new mayor is totally anti-car too. During the rush hours it is grid locked.

[macbeth79]

Happy to hear that you have found something, you just cant keep a good man down.

[Monkey]

I used to work in bristol 3 days a week, it wss quicker and easier to walk to and from thr train station than get a taxi (unless it wss raining) traffic was awful

[Wurzel Of Highbridge]

I have an interview next week, but I was told that anyone applying for the position would have to live in Bristol because of the traffic - Trouble is they really need to be paying about £40k+ for me to have a decent standard of living in Bristol.

Double the employer would subsidize the accommodation, after all it's their decision to be located in Clifton.

Guess I have a few options:

Motorbike

Train

Bus

Car

Living in Bristol really is not an option as I just cannot afford £1k per month rent - there is really no way around that.

Perhaps I am being unrealistic on the jobs I am looking at and should hold out for something with better pay. Saying that they are few and far between - could find myself unemployed for a long time if I don't watch out.

[moesasji]

Hi guys,

There is a chance that I will have to relocate to Bristol for work reasons, I am not keen on living in the city so plan to commute. Now I have heard that the the traffic can be a nightmare, but how bad is t really? Is anyone here commuting?

I commute on motorcycle, this usually saves me 20 mins even here in Galway.

I seem that you get a much better deal in Chepstow, and either pay £100pcm for the bridge or free on motorbike. Another consideration is Shepton or Wells as we have family in that area.

Budget could stretch to about £750pcm for a 3br semi with garden and off road parking - that is looking unlikely in Bristol. The requirements are really nonnegotiable. Unfortunately 750 will be the max since it's botu 40% of our take home pay, add in council tax water rates etc. and it's nearer 50%.

I commute to Bristol from the Wells area and work in the Clifton area. Certainly doable....and comes with a much better standard of living/schools....biggest problem for me is in fact parking in Bristol, which is likely only going to get worse seeing the policies from the Bristol Major who seems to be hell-bound on introducing residence parking everywhere. That you have a motorcycle is a big help there.

Entering from the south into Bristol is in fact not too bad as the biggest gridlock is at the north during rush-hour, ie the M32 motorway entering the city. I would think twice to commute from Chepstow as this involves the motorway...if you can't avoid rush-hour it is going to be very, very painful on a daily basis. Same applies if your route either crosses these roads and/or goes through the centre.

ps) 750pcm for a decent three bed will be a challenge...but is possible even inside Bristol (see point below).

ps2) Most of my colleagues walk into work....typically half an hour walking or so. Forget about First busses....expensive and unreliable.

[Wurzel Of Highbridge]

@moesasji - Thanks for the info. Wells would be an idealistic location for us as we have family and friends in Street and Shepton.

Roughly how long does it take from Frome to Clifton?

I have a friend who commutes from Street using the Bus, it takes an hour each way which he uses to get some work done on the laptop. Street / Glastonbury is a bit far for me.

I guess 1/2 hour on the bike would be optimal for me. Until recently I was riding 10 miles/ 20 mins each way every day - On the bike you never get stuck in the traffic so I guess 20 miles

Google maps is pulling:

• Frome 60 mins
  
• Radstock 44 mins
  
• Wells 47 mins
  
• Weston 28 mins ----> Weston is quite cheap, though a bit of a $hit hole in places.
  
• Bridgwater 44 mins
  
• Chepstow 30 mins.
  

Looks like Bridgwater could be an option of last resort.

Interestingly Google maps is pulling my current route up as 21 mins which is bang on with the bike, but in the car it was more like 30 to 40mins depending on School traffic. So I could extrapolate and say that the Google map results above will be about right on the bike.

[Butthead]

If I was commuting to Clifton on a bike I'd have a look at Portishead, Clevedon, maybe Worle/WSM too. A quick scoot up the A369 from J19 of the M5 and you'll be there, and you should find rentals around your price bracket in all three.

Much of Portishead has been built in the last few years, so properties are on the smallside but energy efficient and easy to live in temporarily. Some would say it's a bit soulless, but you could do much worse.

[Wurzel Of Highbridge]

@VOR, thanks for the tip - I have been looking on right move and a few properties have come up in those areas. I guess I will find out how bad the traffic is, but I'm not expecting to much delay by motorbike.

Not sure how long we will be renting for, but at lease once established we can move around quite easily. These days I am in the frame of mind bugger how much the rent is - we will just rent a nice house in a nice area then throw ourselves on the state in 30 years time when we retire and run out of cash.

[moesasji]

1) I live outside of Wells; but ~50minutes to Bristol on the A37 if there is no traffic is about right. Problem is that the A37 is a very busy. So you won't get anywhere near this during rush-hour with a car. Bike is probably better, but will likely be far from relaxed driving.

2) Frome - Bristol by car/bike seems unrealistic to me as if I look at the map as that either uses the A37 which is busy or relies on the Bath - Bristol connection that road is notorious for being pretty much start-stop traffic during rush-hour and you'll have to get through Bristol to get to Clifton making it a nasty commute. I would look at either to the South-west or west of Bristol if you work in Clifton.

ps) I would not ignore area around Blaise castle or something like Pill or Shirehampton. Something like this might be OK: http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-42169294.html

[Wurzel Of Highbridge]

Unfortunate I require a garden for my tortoise and will not do myself the injustice of not having a drive way again + I need somewhjere to store my motorbike - like down the side of the house.

Basically Victorian terraces are off the list, unless the government are paying the rent.

[Butthead]

It seems Nailsea might be worth a look too. There are a few rentals at the right sort of price.

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-42198325.html

That's not a bad commute on a bike I expect. A370 towards town, then up the Portway (under the bridge) and up Bridge Valley Rd straight into Clifton.

[Wurzel Of Highbridge]

"No Dss, No Smoking, No Pets" - [No Blacks, Jews, Gays or Irish etc.]

Looks perfect except the tortoise and cats would not be able to stay - therefore the wife would leave me

Hmm, looks like I am going to have to think harder about this -

Current rent id €700pcm - No council tax, water rates or any other house bills except electric and my salary was the same as is being offered in Bristol. Looks like it's going to leave me about £400pcm (inc water & council tax) worse off returning.

Might as well look for a job here paying €5000 per year less.

Edited December 26, 2013 by Gone to Ireland.

[Wurzel Of Highbridge]

That house listing for Nailsea is illegal.

Since October 2008, all properties put onto the market to-let require an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). The EPC must be produced before the property can be marketed and included on the letting particulars, to enable a prospective tenant to be able to estimate their annual energy spend.

[Wurzel Of Highbridge]

Found a range of fairly shitty houses from about £700 to £1000 - most have been on the market empty since October.

I have no idea on location.

Fairlyn Drive, Bristol BS15

Bishop Manor Road, Manor Farm, Bristol BS10 -> Looks v.god at £895

Nicholettes, Bristol BS30

Wootton Park, Knowle, Bristol BS14

Ringwood Crescent, Bristol BS10 About the cheapest at £650.

Best value I've seen, would take a look at £99,999 - http://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/29216714?search_identifier=bd9084131a777294f0ff9b66bfe378a9 Has driveway, garden, decent no. of rooms. You know 10 years ago I would have never considered an ex-council house, but that's the only option left these days!

[moesasji]

None of these locations would excite me. Typically I would look to the west of the M32 if I would need to get to Clifton and live inside Bristol.

Just to get you a better overview:

1) Part of the problem appears to be that Zoopla doesn't give you many hits.

2) If you are willing to commute you could center your search on one of the villages below Bristol effectively excluding the crap from Bristol itself. For example taking Backwell and then search in a 5 mile radius does that.

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/Backwell.html?maxPrice=900&minBedrooms=3&radius=5.0&index=20

Some interesting ones in that list that might give you the feeling that decent places can be found.

[Wurzel Of Highbridge]

I guess the problem is, nothing is going to compare to where I am currently renting:

=c19&s[a_id][]=2559&s[a_id][]=2555&s[a_id][]=2557&s[route_id]=&s[a_id_transport]=0&s[street_name]=&s[txt]=&s[mnp]=&s[mxp]=&s[mnb]=&s[mxb]=&s[mnbt]=&s[mxbt]=&s[pt_id]=&s[move_in_date]=0&s[min_lease]=&s[max_lease]=&s[furn]=0&s[npt_id]=&s[days_old]=&s[single_beds]=&s[double_beds]=&s[twin_beds]=&s[agreed]=&more=&tab=&search=1&s[search_type]=rental&s[transport]=&s[advanced]=&s[price_per_room]="]My link

Even renting in the UK looks like [is] a bubble. Shoddy old crubmly houses with no garden and parking going for the price I could rent a decent house here. :angry:

[moesasji]

I guess the problem is, nothing is going to compare to where I am currently renting:

=c19&s[a_id][]=2559&s[a_id][]=2555&s[a_id][]=2557&s[route_id]=&s[a_id_transport]=0&s[street_name]=&s[txt]=&s[mnp]=&s[mxp]=&s[mnb]=&s[mxb]=&s[mnbt]=&s[mxbt]=&s[pt_id]=&s[move_in_date]=0&s[min_lease]=&s[max_lease]=&s[furn]=0&s[npt_id]=&s[days_old]=&s[single_beds]=&s[double_beds]=&s[twin_beds]=&s[agreed]=&more=&tab=&search=1&s[search_type]=rental&s[transport]=&s[advanced]=&s[price_per_room]="]My link

Even renting in the UK looks like [is] a bubble. Shoddy old crubmly houses with no garden and parking going for the price I could rent a decent house here. :angry:

Fully agreed that even renting is a bubble....but your problem is that you are looking in a price-bracket for which the floor is set by housing benefit, ie inside Bristol housing benefit housing benefit pays ~£750 for a 3 bed. This combined with the fact that it is a city which has two big universities. So anything with decent number of beds....and your quickly competing with student rental in parts like Horfield, St Andrews, Clifton pushing up prices in the unaffordable range for the average family.

ps) The house I rent for <£1000 is in fact not dissimilar to your link http://www.daft.ie/searchrental.daft?id=1405050 (although not a new build and just two bathrooms). So there are good places available, but you need to have the luck that it is available at the right point in time.

[Wurzel Of Highbridge]

Thanks for the info.

I guess the real bubble is in the under supply of housing - almost zero public housing being built for 30 years.

[Lagarde's Drift]

My 2p worth to add in to this thread. I have lived in Bristol for nearly 15 years. Agree to all the above. Do NOT commute from across the Severn Bridge (unless for a short term contract) - it will ruin your quality of life. You will be commuting like crazy Londoners but without much of the benefits and all that time wasted. Don't use a car in Bristol during rush hour - Bristol traffic was why I took up motorcycling; it has only gotten worse in the last decade.

For Clifton work, I would recommend you look at the 3 bed semis in the areas west of the M32 and south of ring road. Try searching for 3 miles around Clifton. For circa £800pcm you will get 3 bed semis in the Southmead, Horfield, Lockleaze and Filton areas in varying states of decay. You could go to places like Downend, Fishponds or even Sadly Broke but that may stretch your cycling willpower. Ditto areas south of the city ; if you are lucky you could find a place in Bedminster, Totterdown or Knowle but would stretch your cycling legs. All are within easy motorcycle distance though, you'll be in work within 20 minutes. If you are definitely motorcycling then you could commute from anywhere within a 5 mile radius, but be careful of relying on the motorways. For example I used to commute from Horfield to Weston-Super-Mare, took me less than 30 minutes but it was pure queuing cars heading the other way.

Most schools in Bristol are ok, although some would say they are all equally bad!

As already been mentioned, to live within Bristol you will be competing with 2 x Universities, MOD Abbey Wood (currently expanding) and large employers like Airbus, Rolls Royce & large company regional HQs.

DOI: I live in Horfield in a good sized 3-bed semi with a large garden, garage and driveway and have paid £650 pcm for the past 5 years (no rent increases). It is admitedly in a state of semi-decay. Finding a decent house at your price is possible but probably difficult to do from Ireland.

Edit: p.s. Bristol is a good cycling city, motorists have good awareness during commuting hours. If you stay within city limits you will be quite safe but the danger increases if you commute from further out.

Edited December 28, 2013 by Lagarde's Drift

[BristolBuyer]

The area around the M32 corridor is often very congested - I would not like to have to commute through that area by car. Bristol is a popular cycling city, although I haven't tried it myself.

There's a fairly reliable and reasonably priced train service that shuttles back and forth between Taunton and Cardiff (I think), calling at several Bristol stations on the way. If you don't mind walking / cycling / taking a bus or additional train from Temple Meads station to Clifton, this would open up your options quite a bit. In my experience, commuting in the Bristol area by train is a good option.

Nailsea is quite pleasant, and that house is in one of the nicer areas. There are probably cheaper properties available elsewhere. There are a load of houses being built in north Bristol in the Filton airfield area, I don't know what that will do to supply and demand.

[Hollys master]

Best value I've seen, would take a look at £99,999 - http://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/29216714?search_identifier=bd9084131a777294f0ff9b66bfe378a9 Has driveway, garden, decent no. of rooms. You know 10 years ago I would have never considered an ex-council house, but that's the only option left these days!

This tickled me. Looks a bargain at 99 grand. Here is the same house where I live for 500 grand

http://www.zoopla.co.uk/property-history/47-elm-gardens/welwyn-garden-city/al8-6rx/16621196

[Millaise]

Best value I've seen, would take a look at £99,999 - http://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/29216714?search_identifier=bd9084131a777294f0ff9b66bfe378a9

Has driveway, garden, decent no. of rooms. You know 10 years ago I would have never considered an ex-council house, but that's the only option left these days!

There are many houses that look like that in Bristol. I think you might find it is built from concrete. If you look at the brickwork, it is new, and has fancy "quoining" on the corner, which makes me think it has just had a layer of facing bricks applied. The advert might be a bit naughty (or ignorant) because it really ought to say so, and banks might not lend against non-standard construction. In adverts for similar houses, it has been stated that the buyer would need cash. To prove my point, if you go round the corner on Google Streetview into Halswell Gardens, there are identical houses still showing the concrete sections from which they are constructed. Others seem to have rendered over them.

[F-sake]

Found a range of fairly shitty houses from about £700 to £1000 - most have been on the market empty since October.

I have no idea on location.

....

40 minute commute by train, cheapest rent £650, return fare £12.20:

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/Cam.html?sortType=1&minBedrooms=3&radius=1.0

And so on along the railway...