Fuel Economy

[DevilGirl]

Originally Posted by bkrownd

Walk, bike and bus whenever possible.

Originally Posted by STC

YES! Would be nice if this was promoted and actively encouraged by American culture!

We lack the infrastructure in most cities/towns/counties to make this practical.

Case in point:

I live near Allentown, PA, but work in Philadelphia, PA. Philly does have Septa (public trans) which does extend up relatively close to where I live. But to catch one of their trains, I still have to drive an hour to the train station. Than sit on the train for 40-55 minutes (depending on express or local train, and if they're running on time). Then take the subway for 5 minutes to walk the 4 blocks to work. Total commute, approximately 2 hours 20 minutes (depending on traffic, Septa running on schedule, etc).

BUT, if I drove all the way to work, it'd only take approximately 1 hour 25 minutes (depending on traffic).

Yes, I know I'm the exception to the norm, given how far I live from work. However this is becoming even more popular. Where I live, we're close enough to NYC, Philly, Poconos that a lot of people live in our area but commute to work to those areas, particularly NYC.

Even if I worked locally (within the Lehigh Valley), our public trans is not up to par. It works great if you live within the larger city limits and only want to get around the city. But it does not exist in the outlying towns. So I'd still have to drive, to catch the bus, and probably wouldn't get close enough to work that I'd have to walk 10+ blocks. It's a lot easier to just drive where you need to go.

[bkrownd]

Originally Posted by DevilGirl

Even if I worked locally (within the Lehigh Valley), our public trans is not up to par. It works great if you live within the larger city limits and only want to get around the city. But it does not exist in the outlying towns. So I'd still have to drive, to catch the bus, and probably wouldn't get close enough to work that I'd have to walk 10+ blocks. It's a lot easier to just drive where you need to go.

Americans...always making excuses, always avoiding solutions. The root of your problem is not "transportation infrastructure" - it's that you simply chose to live much too far from work (or work much too far from home, take your pick), without consideration for efficient transportation. It's a serious cultural/societal disfunction here.

If you really worked "locally" you'd be able to walk or bike to work by definition. We are born with feet, but recently people seem to have a real mental block against using them for their intended purpose...transportation. I've always lived within an hour's walk to work....or 10-15 minutes by bike. Yeesh, "10+ blocks" is nothing! Love a good walk.

[DevilGirl]

Originally Posted by bkrownd

Americans...always making excuses, always avoiding solutions. The root of your problem is not "transportation infrastructure" - it's that you simply chose to live much too far from work (or work much too far from home, take your pick), without consideration for efficient transportation. It's a serious cultural/societal disfunction here.

If you really worked "locally" you'd be able to walk or bike to work by definition. We are born with feet, but recently people seem to have a real mental block against using them for their intended purpose...transportation. I've always lived within an hour's walk to work....or 10-15 minutes by bike. Yeesh, "10+ blocks" is nothing! Love a good walk.

I live in the country. There is NOTHING within walking distance. And I'm not making excusing, I am explaining the situation as it it. There are some very rural areas in this country. There are very few jobs in those rural areas. Come visit sometime. I'll show you.

[docB]

I have a neighbor that works .3 miles from where he lives. He starts up his mustang to drive back and forth. I wonder if he drives to a gym for a run on the tread mill? Americans are not always the brightest bulbs.
doc

[why?]

Originally Posted by bkrownd

Americans...always making excuses, always avoiding solutions. The root of your problem is not "transportation infrastructure" - it's that you simply chose to live much too far from work (or work much too far from home, take your pick), without consideration for efficient transportation. It's a serious cultural/societal disfunction here.

If you really worked "locally" you'd be able to walk or bike to work by definition. We are born with feet, but recently people seem to have a real mental block against using them for their intended purpose...transportation. I've always lived within an hour's walk to work....or 10-15 minutes by bike. Yeesh, "10+ blocks" is nothing! Love a good walk.

Originally Posted by docB

I have a neighbor that works .3 miles from where he lives. He starts up his mustang to drive back and forth. I wonder if he drives to a gym for a run on the tread mill? Americans are not always the brightest bulbs.
doc

wow, way to show your egalitarian stuck up cluelessness. Sorry but Americans don't want to live in a city, we really don't want to live in apartments that are 10 square feet at best. If you want that you are free to move to some european country.

I'll take the living in the middle of nowhere any day. No crime, very little noise, neighbors who i've never met, never will, but I know I can trust.

I'll take that any day over being crammed into a sardine can because it makes someone who is so messed up they want to run everyone else's life while they destroy their own.

btw, I like mass transit. It is great in certain places. Washington DC's metro is phenomenal. The NY subway system might be infamous, but it rocks. I have to throw in Boston's T, which is pretty darn good too. However, unless you want to give every penny you earn to the federal government we cannot have mass transit for everyone.

I wish they would throw Amtrak overboard, it is a disgusting waste of money and they run it as terribly as they possibly can.

I do wish we had some of those awesome high speed trains. 250 mph + would make boston to ny a breeze.

[bkrownd]

Originally Posted by DevilGirl

I live in the country. There is NOTHING within walking distance. And I'm not making excusing, I am explaining the situation as it it. There are some very rural areas in this country. There are very few jobs in those rural areas. Come visit sometime. I'll show you.

Good grief, of course you're making excuses. You CHOSE to "live in the country" where you can't possibly hope to find efficient transportation options, but then you make excuses that instead "lack of infrastructure" makes anything but driving an automobile impractical. Incorrect. The actual problem is that you simply limited your own transportation options by making a poor choice of where to live.

[SimTronik]

Does inflate your tires with azote is really better and worth it ?

[TLyttle]

bkrownd has it right. I moved here to retire, less than a mile from "town". When I lived in the Big City, I made sure that I was within biking distance of my job, and only drove my vehicle if I needed it to transport goods. Now, my vehicle stays home unless the weather is simply too stupid, or if I must travel to the Big City (some things cannot be managed locally). For a short time, I was an hour's commute from home, so I spent all my off-hours looking for a job close by. Not many people see this approach as "possible": nothing could be further from the truth.

In fact, none of this is new. 100+ years ago, one worked on the property, or rented a minimal apartment near their jobsite where the wage-earner stayed all week, commuting (by train, usually) home for the weekend. No, no, now we have the automobile so that we can spend 2, 3, 4, hours A DAY in that tin box, commuting. What an outrageous waste of one's life!!!

[nmgolfer]

Originally Posted by bkrownd

Good grief, of course you're making excuses. You CHOSE to "live in the country" where you can't possibly hope to find efficient transportation options, but then you make excuses that instead "lack of infrastructure" makes anything but driving an automobile impractical. Incorrect. The actual problem is that you simply limited your own transportation options by making a poor choice of where to live.

Please... Off your high horse. Some cannot afford to live in the city. Some want their children to be able to leave the house without having to worry about gangs and gunfire. Their only (real) option is a long commute to where the work is. Now consider that you CHOOSE to live on an island in the middle of the Pacific. How wasteful! Think of all of the energy used to deliver the goods you need to live the life you do... I wonder how much we mainlanders are subsidising your poor choice of where you live.

[nmgolfer]

Originally Posted by TLyttle

bkrownd has it right. I moved here to retire, less than a mile from "town". When I lived in the Big City, I made sure that I was within biking distance of my job, and only drove my vehicle if I needed it to transport goods. Now, my vehicle stays home unless the weather is simply too stupid, or if I must travel to the Big City (some things cannot be managed locally). For a short time, I was an hour's commute from home, so I spent all my off-hours looking for a job close by. Not many people see this approach as "possible": nothing could be further from the truth.

In fact, none of this is new. 100+ years ago, one worked on the property, or rented a minimal apartment near their jobsite where the wage-earner stayed all week, commuting (by train, usually) home for the weekend. No, no, now we have the automobile so that we can spend 2, 3, 4, hours A DAY in that tin box, commuting. What an outrageous waste of one's life!!!

BC, not even Vancouver, has nothing like the war zones (i.e. affordable housing districts) which define America's major (and even not so major) inner cities. Its easy for a Cannuk to tell someone else where they should live (as long as it NIMBY).

If America were serious about ending dependence on foriegn oil (its not) ... If America were serious about ending long commutes which epitomize the American way of life (especially the western states), then America would solve the problems in the inner cities. Our dysfunctional government lacks commitment to tackling ANY of these supposed concerns. (Because they are somebody else's problems)

[DevilGirl]

Originally Posted by bkrownd

Good grief, of course you're making excuses. You CHOSE to "live in the country" where you can't possibly hope to find efficient transportation options, but then you make excuses that instead "lack of infrastructure" makes anything but driving an automobile impractical. Incorrect. The actual problem is that you simply limited your own transportation options by making a poor choice of where to live.

Really? You are correct. I do chose to live in the country. For the simple fact that I like to be able to breathe. I work in Philly. I've seen the city life. And it SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

City living is not for everyone. And that is not an excuse.

Please get off your high horse.

[daf62757]

Originally Posted by DevilGirl

We lack the infrastructure in most cities/towns/counties to make this practical.

Case in point:

I live near Allentown, PA, but work in Philadelphia, PA. Philly does have Septa (public trans) which does extend up relatively close to where I live. But to catch one of their trains, I still have to drive an hour to the train station. Than sit on the train for 40-55 minutes (depending on express or local train, and if they're running on time). Then take the subway for 5 minutes to walk the 4 blocks to work. Total commute, approximately 2 hours 20 minutes (depending on traffic, Septa running on schedule, etc).

BUT, if I drove all the way to work, it'd only take approximately 1 hour 25 minutes (depending on traffic).

Yes, I know I'm the exception to the norm, given how far I live from work. However this is becoming even more popular. Where I live, we're close enough to NYC, Philly, Poconos that a lot of people live in our area but commute to work to those areas, particularly NYC.

Even if I worked locally (within the Lehigh Valley), our public trans is not up to par. It works great if you live within the larger city limits and only want to get around the city. But it does not exist in the outlying towns. So I'd still have to drive, to catch the bus, and probably wouldn't get close enough to work that I'd have to walk 10+ blocks. It's a lot easier to just drive where you need to go.

Public transportation is about convenience. If it is cheaper to use it, both in terms of time and cost, you probably would. When it costs more, you won't.

People need to use common sense about transit....and it sounds like you are using very good common sense!

[DebbyM46227]

Originally Posted by bkrownd

Good grief, of course you're making excuses. You CHOSE to "live in the country" where you can't possibly hope to find efficient transportation options, but then you make excuses that instead "lack of infrastructure" makes anything but driving an automobile impractical. Incorrect. The actual problem is that you simply limited your own transportation options by making a poor choice of where to live.

I choose to live in the suburbs where I can have a large condo with a large yard surrounding it, all mine, no loud city noises, no crime, etc. I drive 30 miles RT each day to work. Who cares? I certainly don't as my car gets good mileage. I'm not into being "green", I don't know anyone at all who rides the bus downtown. We don't have a subway in my city; we all drive, one to a car here. I don't believe in sharing a ride either, its too much trouble.

[KrazyDawg]

Originally Posted by why?

Washington DC's metro is phenomenal.

I lived in the DC area for a few years. The metro is good if you live nearby and you work in areas where it runs. I didn't get my driver's license until my mid 20s and I relied on public transit to get around everywhere. WMATA's buses aren't that great. The lines I took ran every 30 min to an hour and these were major bus lines. On the other hand, it did run every 15-20 min during commuting hours but if you wanted to get anywhere it took time. Nothing like NYC's subway.

[why?]

Originally Posted by KrazyDawg

I lived in the DC area for a few years. The metro is good if you live nearby and you work in areas where it runs. I didn't get my driver's license until my mid 20s and I relied on public transit to get around everywhere. WMATA's buses aren't that great. The lines I took ran every 30 min to an hour and these were major bus lines. On the other hand, it did run every 15-20 min during commuting hours but if you wanted to get anywhere it took time. Nothing like NYC's subway.

yea, but I don't think I would want to take one of those busses. To do busses right you'd need millions of people willing to use them. London's bus system is pretty sweet, but I'd hate to see the cost, and every bus I went on had at least a dozen people on them.

[North Star]

1st tank

560km - 40L

Mostly highway.

[TLyttle]

nmgolfer's idea that Canucks have a free ride as far as commuting is concerned isn't quite right. We DO have high-traffic areas, not as many as the US, but they are there, as are the commute time numbers. If I was forced to give away 3 hours of my life EVERY DAY to commuting, it simply would not happen. Going to where the "work" is becomes a lame excuse IMHO. I would rather "learn" to shovel manure on a local farm than give away such a large part of my day!

Everyone looks at their "investment" in education, and how it would be a waste if not used. Not true. The waste is in throwing away 3 eight-hour days per week to commuting. Why is it so hard for people to recognise why they are here? Is it to jeopardise one's life in the daily suicide race? Gee, I don't think so...

[KrazyDawg]

Originally Posted by TLyttle

Everyone looks at their "investment" in education, and how it would be a waste if not used. Not true. The waste is in throwing away 3 eight-hour days per week to commuting. Why is it so hard for people to recognise why they are here? Is it to jeopardise one's life in the daily suicide race? Gee, I don't think so...

That's what I'm doing right now. Commuting 135 miles a day which takes over 3 hours. I'm working full-time while attending school full-time and also supporting a family.