Starting a new job in the new year that is based in Thong Lor area, only I'm really keen not to live in Bangkok. Looking at the map the logical thing would be somewhere down the Ekkamai/Chon Buri motorway near or past the airport. I know the Ekkamai end of this gets quite clogged at rush hour, but I don't really mind that too much so long as I don't spend all Saturday and Sunday stuck in a traffic jam if I want to drive to the end of my Soi.

Anyone commute down this road? How far? How bad is it? How far out can you live to keep your commute to around an hour.

I have heard that people commute from Chon Buri or even Bang Saen, but understand this would be more like 2 hours each way and that's just too much.

Any other suggestions for places that are quiet, less trafficky than Bangkok and within reasonable commuting distance? Or am I doomed to spend my time in Bangkok trapped in traffic jams?

Driving's not the only way to commute to Bangkok ...

Vans from Meuang Suphanburi take office workers into Bangkok every day. I am sure there are some come even further. Not my idea of what I want to do with my life but different strokes.

Driving's not the only way to commute to Bangkok ...

Yeah I know but the BTS is almost as bad, and anywhere you live along that you're still going to be stuck in a traffic jam when you want to go anywhere at the weekend, or anywhere that isn't on the BTS. I also quite regularly need to take stuff to and from work and use the car during the day, so I need to be able to drive in in a reasonable time.

Suphan Buri is definitely too far, and being crammed into a van with 50 other people and a lunatic driving certainly does not work for me!

Any trip beyond BTS with Mini Vans is dangerous and inconvenient, if you come to town from Suphan Buri or Ban Chang, I would seriously NOT consider long distances to go to work unless you drive yourself, are an early bird and can afford tollway fees and gas...