My car commute is 12-20 minutes, maybe going up to 30 if multiple stoplights are out (which happens a couple times a year).
I've considered biking, but I'm never going to. I see how people drive here, and I've seen too many coworkers get all gung-ho about biking for a few months, then drop it because of the safety issues. I can't help but see it as an unnecessary risk to my life.
If bike commuting is important to you, then look for a home (and/or job) in an area that's bike friendly. I didn't end up with a 10 minute bike commute by accident, though it did take some compromises. Instead of a 2000 sq ft 3 bedroom house in the next county, I ended up in a 1000 sq ft 2 bedroom condo close to work. The condo was a bit more expensive, but I'm saving more money overall by not paying for an expensive car (~$700/month average [1]).
It's within easy biking and/or walking distance of 2 train stations, as well as schools, restaurants, grocery store, etc. And due to the proximity of the train station, several transit oriented developments are being built nearby so the area is becoming even more walkable.
Bike infrastructure is woefully in adequate in this country, so the onus is on individuals to make it work, since housing in many areas is so bike-unfriendly that it may never be made bikeable.
[1] http://newsroom.aaa.com/2015/04/annual-cost-operate-vehicle-...
Car commuting isn't instantaneous. I have a short 10 minute bike commute today, which is faster than the car commute since I can take a shortcut through a train station, and I don't have to park in a lot 2 blocks away from the office.
When I had a longer 12 mile bike commute, it took me about 50 minutes by bike, vs 30 minutes by car in the morning, and 45 - 60 minutes by car in the evening due to traffic.
But since the bike route was mostly on dedicated bike trails without stops, my biking time was very consistent, within +/- 5 minutes. While an accident on the freeway could easily add 15 - 30 minutes to the bike commute. So getting to work in time for a 9am meeting meant I needed to leave an hour ahead of time.
So biking added around 20 minutes/day to my total commute time, but also saved me hours each week in the gym since I was getting in a 24 mile ride every day.
It takes some planning to have a bike-friendly commute, but it needn't be a huge waste of time... and my ride home is always my favorite time of day - biking is a great stress reliever, in summer when it stays light later, I'll often take the long route home. But you can't buy a house in a suburb 40 miles away from work and expect to bike to work (unless you're near bike-friendly transit, I did a 30 mile commute for a while where most of that distance was on a train)