The Canberra-Yass Valley Commute

As we all know, one of the very best things about living in the Yass Valley is that we are surrounded by beautiful countryside, and yet we’re within easy driving distance of our capital city, Canberra.

The housing boom in our region over the last 20 years or so is very largely due to people who work in Canberra, and yet want to live and contribute to the Yass Valley. While we might only be under an hour away from Canberra, a daily commute in the car can be costly in terms of wear and tear on your vehicle and driver fatigue. The following commute options are therefore well worth consideration:

Seek out others in your workplace, or nearby to your workplace, who live close to you. You can discover this information by word of mouth or else put out a call on Yass Valley social media. Set up a car pool and take it in turns to do the driving. This will not only save on petrol (aid the environment), car maintenance expenditure, and also on the dreaded cost of Canberra parking.

Your next option is to commute by bus. Check out the timetable information on Transborder Express: https://www.transborder.com.au/

Transport Canberra offers good advice about remaining COVID safe on public transport including: maintaining physical distance at bus stops, travelling at quieter times to avoid the peaks, leaving a seat between you and the next person when you can, and of course, staying at home if you are unwell.

Many workers have found that working from home has been beneficial during the COVID crisis. If your job allows working from home, talk to your manager about the possibility of working one or more days from home.

One last thing, never ever commute to or from Canberra by car if you have a tendency to microsleep. Symptoms of microsleeping include loss of attention, a feeling of unusual sleepiness, and reduced muscle tone. Excessive yawning, a blank stare and eye-rolling are other common indicators. A person who experiences the feeling of “jerking awake” without intending to fall asleep may have just slipped in and out of microsleep. A single microsleep can last anywhere from a single fraction of a second up to 10 full seconds. Microsleeping may occur while driving and increase the risk of a serious car accident.

• Topics:

• Living and Lifestyle