Personal Transportation

The previous post - PHEVs - started out as a general post on personal transportation, but ended up being a diatribe on why I really want a PHEV, why I don't yet have one, and why it may be too expensive to get one, ever.

Personal transportation is actually a very complicated topic, so instead of giving you a lengthy post and a lot of hypothetical number-crunching, I instead give you a few points about my own situation:

• Currently I ride the bus during the week.
• I'm thinking of buying a little 49cc scooter, but the cost of the scooter itself will probably prevent me from doing so.
• Really I should ride a bicycle to work.

I actually could ride my bike to work. A lot of people can't. It's just not an option for them.

I totally can. So why don't I?

Well, until recently I've been purchasing a monthly bus pass. I pay a single cost per month and after that all my use of the bus system is prepaid. Unlimited miles, if you will.

And since it's already paid for, why not use it all the time? In fact, the more I use it the less expensive it is per use.

Well, in July I was out for a few days, so it was going to be used slightly less. Also, I've lately been offered, and have often accepted, rides home from a co-worker. I'm their way, so why not?

So for the month of July I did not buy the monthly pass. Instead I bought individual fare tickets. It's another situation in which I can prepay at a lower rate.

Well, by accepting rides and having a few days off, I spent about 20% less on work-transport last month.

So I'm doing the same thing for August. I'm buying the prepaid individual fare tickets this month.

And it occurs to me that I could ride my bike on days when it's not too hot or wet and save my tickets for later.

We'll see. I'm not sure that I'm mentally prepared to start riding my bike, but more and more I can't think of a good reason not to do it. And there's so many good reasons to ride a bike:

• It's good for my pocketbook.
• It's good for the environment.
• It's good for me (I could use the exercise).
• It's slightly more flexible, schedule-wise, than the bus.

On that last bullet-point: Currently if I'm running 2 minutes late in the morning and I miss my preferred bus then I have 20+ minutes to kill until the next one comes along. Similarly, if I miss my preferred bus in the evening then I have 20+ minutes to kill until the next one comes along. If I'm working especially late I might even have to wait an hour between buses.

Anyway, all of these points add up to one over-riding point:

• It's the right thing to do.

My original post, earlier today, was about Changing The World For The Better and how it's not really that hard. It's just a matter of (a) doing the right thing when you have the opportunity, and (b) not doing the wrong thing if at all possible, ever.

And the more I think about it, the more it's clear that riding my bike to work is the right thing to do.

So if I'm going to walk the walk (or in this case, pedal the bike) and not just talk the talk, then I better start moving my feet.