I've got about a 25-mile commute to work each day on northbound 101. If I left the house at about 5:30 am or earlier, I can drive to work in about 30 minutes--with fairly heavy, but swiftly moving traffic. However, this means that I would leave work at about 3 or 3:30 pm, and southbound 101 at that time is not good, as it would take at least an hour (probably 1 & 1/2). This is not good at all, since my sanity would be severely affected.

So, I take the train to and from work. I leave the house at about 5:45 am, and arrive at work at about 6:35. Then, I leave work in the afternoon at about 3:20, and get home at about 4:15. No, not much difference in time spent traveling, but my sanity is definitely still there, which really does make all the difference. Not to mention the savings on gas, the environment, and wear and tear on the vehicle.