LexRides

[politicalhero]

According to Mr. Brad Flowers and our good friend Sam Dick, they are!

http://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/18893119.html

[jdbaum3]

congrats to brad on his recent acquisition of the shop.

[elzie5000]

Omg, gas is expensive? And there are things that aren't cars? I'm so glad local tv news is there to keep me informed!


I know four people from that story, but not the girl riding the basket bike who was 94% leg. Dammit.

[jkizzle]

haha bikes will speed as fast as 30 mph.

its going to take a lot more than that to win the cat 123's

[seicer]

iReporters change lifestyles to dodge hefty gas bills
By Kate Taylor, CNN

(CNN) -- As rising gas prices leave drivers with ever-heftier tabs at the pump, Americans have started looking for ways to reduce the drain on their budget. For some, transitioning away from a one person, one car lifestyle has proved rewarding.

Janaki Purushe, a 22-year-old genetic researcher living in Rockville, Maryland, bikes just about everywhere she goes. "When I had the opportunity to finally plan my own life after I graduated college," Purushe explains, "I took into consideration where I was going to shop, where my friends live, where my boyfriend lives, and I definitely tried to plan the location of my home around where I was going."

Now, although she still has a car, Purushe bikes to work every day. It's a ten-mile round-trip commute, and she carries a change of clothes for when she gets to the office. She says she loves it. "When I'm riding my bike, I really pay attention to what's around me, and the weather's been great. I feel like I'm getting more out of my days."

Purushe also enjoys biking to the grocery store, and the bank. She admits that such convenience came at the price of living in a costlier part of town, but maintains that by not driving, she's made up for the extra expense.

"I know I'm lucky to be able to bike everywhere," she says.

The Department of Transportation said Monday it had seen the sharpest monthly drop in driving since it began keeping records. In March, Americans drove 11 billion fewer miles than in March of 2007.

When rising gas prices coincided with a baby on the way for Lucas and Naomi Smith, they knew they had to make some quick changes help keep life affordable. The first move the Smiths made was to sell one of their cars. Between insurance, gas and the depreciation of the car's value, Lucas Smith says the couple saves about $350 a month. iReport.com: Are gas prices changing your life?

Another benefit of sharing the car is that the Smiths, Herndon, Virginia, residents, now spend more time together, in the car and at home.

"We have to plan out our weeks," Smith explains, "When are you going to pick me up? What days am I going to work later? It actually facilitates conversation."

In making room in the budget for the baby, the Smiths each also gave up their cell phones and cable TV. Smith thinks the change has been nice.

"We've found that there's just such an emphasis on having things, that you don't realize there's a stress cost, the cost of maintaining those things. Although it seems like you have less convenience," he explains, "you also have less stress."

Besides a drop in stress, the money the couple has saved will allow Naomi Smith to stay home with their new baby.

If he had all the money in world Smith says the one thing he might do differently is buy a fun car. "There's something different about having a fun car than having an efficient car," he muses.

Bethany Dietz of Baltimore, Maryland, is the stay-at-home Mom of two daughters, ages 1 and 3. Dietz says her husband works 20 miles from home, so his gas tank gets first priority. "If I stay home all week with the kids," Dietz says, "so be it -- it saves us on gas."

Dietz waits until Friday, when her 3-year-old goes to school, to run all of her errands. The rest of the week, she and her daughters don't really go out.

Although she doesn't mind not driving, Dietz says, "It can get kind of hairy sometimes because my daughter's 3 years old and she likes to go out and do things. She gets a little stir crazy."

Dietz says the family's gas bill is encroaching onto the food budget. "You just have to make the choice," Dietz explains, to conserve money on gas in order to afford food.

With respect to the gas prices that show no sign of leveling, Dietz says, "I see a lot more complications in the future."
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Sherman Cahal | Cincy Rides

[seicer]

Well, this reply from Jack May at a (highway) transportation forum is depressing:


Mass transit is the most inefficient form of transportation and the most environmentally hostile transportation as well.

The reason transit is so horrible is that it takes a lot more tax money per passenger than cars. In the SF Bay area, transit takes 64% of the transportation dollars for a small fraction of the commuters. Roads take 24% of the transportation funds to carry the vast majority of commuters.

The results are that the roads are falling apart and congested because of a lack of sufficient funds. The congestion caused by excessive spending on transit results in higher totally system gas consumption than could ever be countered by transit even if the transit was run by impossible zero fuel perpetual motion machines.

The total system pollution and CO2 increases are way beyond anything little used transit can ever counteract. So you are supporting an approach that can only be scorned by those that understand the total system, not just favored components.

Your praise seems to be only for technology from the 1800's which you seem to think is where the peak of technology developed. Again an attitude that can only be scorned.
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Sherman Cahal | Cincy Rides