Strains of commuter life highlighted by survey
The scourge of commuting to work, isolation from relations and difficulties finding school places are problems many young families face each day, a survey revealed today.
A new review has displayed the toll on many young families, now known as outer-ring commuters, who are forced to move out of Dublin due to the spiralling house prices.
The survey by information solutions company Experian details that many young married couples are facing long commutes, isolation from extended families and pressure to find places in school for their children.
Lorcan Lynch, a director with Experian, said: “Life in Ireland has changed significantly over the last 10 years with the emergence of several new social groups and trends.”
In drawing a profile of the outer-ring commuters the company examined the populations of Kildare, Louth and Meath.
Mr Lynch said: “Outer-ring commuters have found that the pay-off for living in a larger house is having less time to enjoy it as they spend long hours commuting to and from work. These people are extremely house proud and spend most of their disposable income on home improvements.
“In all counties, Outer-ring commuters are heavily dependent on private transport because public transport infrastructure has not kept pace with the major changes in our population over the last 10 to 15 years.
"The competition for school places in these burgeoning towns also highlights the need for investment in primary and secondary educational infrastructure.”
The survey found Kildare and Meath have a large number of outer-ring commuters, and Co Louth is beginning to experience the same due to improved transport infrastructure.
Experian found the influx of new residents has not always resulted in a corresponding boom for local businesses as many commuters prefer to shop at out-of-town retail parks.
Mr Lynch said a change in social habits was also noted with many commuters tending to consume alcohol at home with friends rather than visiting pubs or clubs.
“This trend tends to support recent figures, which show a reduction in the amount of alcohol consumed per capita in Ireland,” he said.
Experian said it drew up the profile through its consumer segmentation system, which uses sets of information to divide the country’s population into 11 distinct groups and 40 consumer types.
