As long as Americans treat our autos like one of the family, we have little hope to reduce congestion and lower our carbon footprint.
At age 16 or thereabouts, we adopt or marry autos that reflect our personality, income and education. We name them, care for them and sometimes spend more per hour on parking them than we do on day care for children or old people.
We clean them, feed them with gas and take them to the mechanic more often than some of us visit our physicians for check-ups. The special rooms cars occupy in our homes are usually bigger than our bedrooms and living rooms. If we park them on the street, we worry about their safety and long for a garage.
After housing, most of us spend more on transportation than we do on any other line item in our household budget. The only category that can exceed transportation could be daycare for young children.
We view cars as essential, and build our societies around them. In the same way car ownership blossomed in the 20th century, pollution from cars may cause the demise of our society in the 21st century.
Car ownership in China is now 6 cars per 100 people -- the same rate as in the USA in 1920. Today, American car ownership is 90 percent. China is 20 percent of the world's population. They emulate America.
You do the math, while we can still see through the smog and congestion.
We are doomed if the people of Chindia fall in love with autos the way we Americans have.
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Slugging -- when will everyone else be doing it?
Paul Minett is a tireless proponent of Casual Carpooling, also known as slug lines in San Francisco and Washington, DC. The idea is fueled by the notion traditional carpooling requires too much structure, commitment and planning. Yet, most of us own cars, which creates too much congestion.
For example, if the Chinese acquire autos at the same rate that Americans own autos, "climate change" will become "climate disaster." Right now, the Chinese own autos at the same rate of Americans in 1920 -- about 6 per 100 people, compared to Americans' 90 percent car ownership rate. Chinese make up 20 percent of the world's population and GM sees dollar signs in China. You do the math.
Casual carpooling is a way to use our cars more effectively and less often and while preserving convenience and the ability to go places public transit doesn't go.
This is how casual carpooling works in Oakland-San Francisco, near the Bay Bridge. Commuters park in Oakland and wait in a line to be transported over the Bay Bridge to downtown San Francisco. Riders get in the car, and most cars have an unspoken rule of silence. A car with three people is then entitled to ride in the CARPOOL ONLY lane, and gets downtown faster, paying a lesser or no (?) toll. At the end of the day, the same process is reversed, using a meeting place downtown.
The riders enter the driveres' cars as they arrive at the site, with no pre-arrangement required by drivers or riders. Ideally, there's a constant stream of drivers and riders during peak commuting hours. Some people prefer to always drive, and picking up riders means they save time, which for some, is in shorter supply than money.
Washington, DC also has several successful slug lanes, one of them at the Pentagon.
These two locations work because of the number of commuters going to the destinations and the benefit of using the HOV lanes. Time is more valuable than money for some people.
Paul addressed some of the questions about slugging, especially for women, who might feel more vulnerable getting into a stranger's car, on the Transp-TDM list serve [transportation-Transportation Demand Management].
"Last week I was in San Francisco and counted the people at the casual carpooling pick-up point at College and Claremont (Oakland). Some interesting facts: The line of people waiting for a ride grew to over 20 some of the time. The longest anyone waited for a ride was 11 minutes. Exactly 50% of the riders were female. Only after 8:30 am were there cars lined up. About a third of the cars took three passengers (rather than the "required" two for access to the HOV lane). In total there were 49 carpools formed during the 90 minutes that I was watching, and gave rides to 112 riders."
Paul's challenge is the same for most of us in the transportation demand management industry:
motivating people to leave their private personal polluting machines.
People leave their cars behind when
1. Everyone else is doing it.
2. Gas costs $4 or $5 a gallon -- and everyone else is paying $4.
3. Someone invites them to carpool and it's fun and social -- and everyone else is doing it.
4. They care about the environment [they are the exception -- unless everyone else is doing it.]
5. Public transit and/or bike commuting is convenient, safe, clean and dependable -- so everyone else is doing it.
The slug lanes work. How can we get everyone else doing it?
For a video explanation by Paul Minett on how Flexible or Casual Carpooling works, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn0T9kVd930. He works from down under in New Zealand.
For example, if the Chinese acquire autos at the same rate that Americans own autos, "climate change" will become "climate disaster." Right now, the Chinese own autos at the same rate of Americans in 1920 -- about 6 per 100 people, compared to Americans' 90 percent car ownership rate. Chinese make up 20 percent of the world's population and GM sees dollar signs in China. You do the math.
Casual carpooling is a way to use our cars more effectively and less often and while preserving convenience and the ability to go places public transit doesn't go.
This is how casual carpooling works in Oakland-San Francisco, near the Bay Bridge. Commuters park in Oakland and wait in a line to be transported over the Bay Bridge to downtown San Francisco. Riders get in the car, and most cars have an unspoken rule of silence. A car with three people is then entitled to ride in the CARPOOL ONLY lane, and gets downtown faster, paying a lesser or no (?) toll. At the end of the day, the same process is reversed, using a meeting place downtown.
The riders enter the driveres' cars as they arrive at the site, with no pre-arrangement required by drivers or riders. Ideally, there's a constant stream of drivers and riders during peak commuting hours. Some people prefer to always drive, and picking up riders means they save time, which for some, is in shorter supply than money.
Washington, DC also has several successful slug lanes, one of them at the Pentagon.
These two locations work because of the number of commuters going to the destinations and the benefit of using the HOV lanes. Time is more valuable than money for some people.
Paul addressed some of the questions about slugging, especially for women, who might feel more vulnerable getting into a stranger's car, on the Transp-TDM list serve [transportation-Transportation Demand Management].
"Last week I was in San Francisco and counted the people at the casual carpooling pick-up point at College and Claremont (Oakland). Some interesting facts: The line of people waiting for a ride grew to over 20 some of the time. The longest anyone waited for a ride was 11 minutes. Exactly 50% of the riders were female. Only after 8:30 am were there cars lined up. About a third of the cars took three passengers (rather than the "required" two for access to the HOV lane). In total there were 49 carpools formed during the 90 minutes that I was watching, and gave rides to 112 riders."
Paul's challenge is the same for most of us in the transportation demand management industry:
motivating people to leave their private personal polluting machines.
People leave their cars behind when
1. Everyone else is doing it.
2. Gas costs $4 or $5 a gallon -- and everyone else is paying $4.
3. Someone invites them to carpool and it's fun and social -- and everyone else is doing it.
4. They care about the environment [they are the exception -- unless everyone else is doing it.]
5. Public transit and/or bike commuting is convenient, safe, clean and dependable -- so everyone else is doing it.
The slug lanes work. How can we get everyone else doing it?
For a video explanation by Paul Minett on how Flexible or Casual Carpooling works, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn0T9kVd930. He works from down under in New Zealand.
Carpool matching sites
Casey asked for some carpool matching sites so people can connect with others who live and work near them.
At least two-thirds of all carpools to work are formed by people who already know each other.
This is ideal, because you know if you are suited for each other, and if you live and work near each other.
The only wild card is DO YOU WORK THE SAME HOURS? Either you compromise on this freedom or you look until you find someone who works the same hours.
Many companies offer flex-time, which makes carpooling more challenging, because employees savor the convenience and freedom of coming and going at their whim.
I suggest carpoolers start with baby steps -- and carpool on an agreed schedule one or two days a week.
If you don't know anyone with whom to carpool, find out if you company belongs to a Transportation Management Association -- TMA. Your Human Resources department, landlord, facilities manager or environmental engineers will know the answer. If so, they likely have the most effective conduit to find a carpool.
In Massachusetts, go to http://www.masscommute.com/ -- where the state's dozen or so TMAs are listed. All but one are in Eastern Massachusetts. The one lone wolf TMA is in Amherst, MA. The rest, like mine, the MetroWest/495 TMA, manage the commute in and around Boston. Most regions of the country that have congested corridors have TMAs, even my home state of Delaware. If Delaware can have a TMA, any state can.
To prove my point that TMAs provide the best system to find a carpool, I have found NINE carpool partners through my TMA and ZERO through at least three other carpool matching sites I'm listed on.
The three other carpool matching sites that have resulted in ZERO matches include the statewide ridematching site in Massachusetts, MassRides -- http://www.commute.com/, which I have been listed on for three years; Carpool World, Go Loco, and at least one other one that I forget, because I've found no matches at them. Every once in a while, they all send me notices saying they're still trying to match me up with someone.
The trouble with most of the carpool matching sites is that they're not focused enough. Their territory covers the entire US or other huge regions. Even the statewide ridematching database in Massachusetts, with only 6 million people, is not focused to be effective.
I work at an intersection with nearly 9,000 other people. Do you think that some of them live near me? YES! I found them because the major employers there with more than 1,000 employees -- belong to a TMA and they promote the ridematching database with their employees.
The hurdles to overcome are:
1. Getting people who have been raised in the second half of the 2oth century who are addicted to car ownership, to consider sharing rides regularly. $4/gallon gas is causing some motivation by pain in the wallet;
2. Getting those interested people to sign up for the carpool matching sites;
3. Getting those people to TRY ONE DAY of carpooling. If that doesn't work, to keep looking for the ideal carpool partner. It takes time, but once a match is made, it can be very enjoyable to carpool with others. "Enjoyable" might mean the opportunity to sleep while your carpool partner drives, or talk or read. Every carpool has a different definition of "enjoyable."
I have passed many enjoyable hours in a carpool, shared information and stories, and made friends I never would have otherwise. In addition, I've saved hundreds of dollars by driving alone less and our family has avoided owning an additional vehicle -- which amounts to thousands of dollars a year.
Carpooling takes time, effort and planning. If you start asking around, I bet you can find a carpool. That's the most effective way.
At least two-thirds of all carpools to work are formed by people who already know each other.
This is ideal, because you know if you are suited for each other, and if you live and work near each other.
The only wild card is DO YOU WORK THE SAME HOURS? Either you compromise on this freedom or you look until you find someone who works the same hours.
Many companies offer flex-time, which makes carpooling more challenging, because employees savor the convenience and freedom of coming and going at their whim.
I suggest carpoolers start with baby steps -- and carpool on an agreed schedule one or two days a week.
If you don't know anyone with whom to carpool, find out if you company belongs to a Transportation Management Association -- TMA. Your Human Resources department, landlord, facilities manager or environmental engineers will know the answer. If so, they likely have the most effective conduit to find a carpool.
In Massachusetts, go to http://www.masscommute.com/ -- where the state's dozen or so TMAs are listed. All but one are in Eastern Massachusetts. The one lone wolf TMA is in Amherst, MA. The rest, like mine, the MetroWest/495 TMA, manage the commute in and around Boston. Most regions of the country that have congested corridors have TMAs, even my home state of Delaware. If Delaware can have a TMA, any state can.
To prove my point that TMAs provide the best system to find a carpool, I have found NINE carpool partners through my TMA and ZERO through at least three other carpool matching sites I'm listed on.
The three other carpool matching sites that have resulted in ZERO matches include the statewide ridematching site in Massachusetts, MassRides -- http://www.commute.com/, which I have been listed on for three years; Carpool World, Go Loco, and at least one other one that I forget, because I've found no matches at them. Every once in a while, they all send me notices saying they're still trying to match me up with someone.
The trouble with most of the carpool matching sites is that they're not focused enough. Their territory covers the entire US or other huge regions. Even the statewide ridematching database in Massachusetts, with only 6 million people, is not focused to be effective.
I work at an intersection with nearly 9,000 other people. Do you think that some of them live near me? YES! I found them because the major employers there with more than 1,000 employees -- belong to a TMA and they promote the ridematching database with their employees.
The hurdles to overcome are:
1. Getting people who have been raised in the second half of the 2oth century who are addicted to car ownership, to consider sharing rides regularly. $4/gallon gas is causing some motivation by pain in the wallet;
2. Getting those interested people to sign up for the carpool matching sites;
3. Getting those people to TRY ONE DAY of carpooling. If that doesn't work, to keep looking for the ideal carpool partner. It takes time, but once a match is made, it can be very enjoyable to carpool with others. "Enjoyable" might mean the opportunity to sleep while your carpool partner drives, or talk or read. Every carpool has a different definition of "enjoyable."
I have passed many enjoyable hours in a carpool, shared information and stories, and made friends I never would have otherwise. In addition, I've saved hundreds of dollars by driving alone less and our family has avoided owning an additional vehicle -- which amounts to thousands of dollars a year.
Carpooling takes time, effort and planning. If you start asking around, I bet you can find a carpool. That's the most effective way.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Carpooling and Gen Y and Gen X
Carpooling requires planning ahead. Carpooling requires having a relationship with your carpool partners. When you have a relationship, good communication is essential. Thinking about the needs of others is also fundamental to a relationship, which doesn't come naturally to younger people, namely Gen X and Gen Y. They have been raised with entitlement.
Bike commuting or taking public transit don't require relationships, planning ahead or sharing our personal space in your car. Bike commuting and public transit allow flexibility of work hours -- you can set your own schedule, a luxury most Americans live by, cherished by Gen Xers and Gen Yers. They've never known a workplace without flexible work hours.
In suburban settings -- the modern industrial park designed for the autombile era -- carpooling is typically the most viable alternative to reduce the number of cars on a road during rush hour and to improve air quality.
Yet, carpooling is the hardest "sell" to commuters over bike commuting or taking public transit.
Only about 25 percent of a typical car's mileage is for commuting. However, commuting is a regular event, so it's easier to predict and plan for. A generation ago, everyone worked the same schedules, and fewer people owned cars, so carpooling was endemic.
Today, companies often offer time, which makes carpooling much more difficult. Not only do carpoolers have to live and work near each other, they must also be on the same bio-rhythm.
And many people are not flexible about this bio-rhythm. They want to work when they want to work. They want to play when they want to play. Carpooling must fit into their schedule, even with $4/gallon gasoline.
Especially attuned to their personal needs is Generation Y, which has just entered the workforce, on the coattails of Generation X. Gen Xers and Yers have often grown up being chauffeured everywhere, so it's abhorent to even think of not having a personal vehicle at their disposal. To them, carpooling is particularly distasteful.
At least they have the technology to facilitate carpooling. E-mail and cell phones make carpooling so much easier when you're waiting for someone to show up at a meeting place, or plans change. We know Gen X and Gen Y is wired up!
To their credit, Gen Xers and Yers yearn for the city. They love the bustle, the bars, even the buses, because it means they don't have to own a car. City living is meant for pedestrians, people on the go, who like to go out. Center cities were built without cars in mind. Even outlying neighborhoods were laid out along now-defunct streetcars lines.
Cities have public transit, which Gen Xers and Yers take advantage of. When Gens Y & X have children, and buy a house, they have some hard choices that might lead them to the suburbs where the housing is bigger and schools "better."
Which might also lead them to carpooling to work, eventually.
Maybe by the time they buy houses and have children, Gen Xers and Yers will have re-aligned their priorities and be able to think about someone else; be flexible enough to adjust their schedule and share their cars. Maybe by then, our cars will be powered by greener energy. We're counting on their techno-skills to engineer solutions to the green crisis.
Bike commuting or taking public transit don't require relationships, planning ahead or sharing our personal space in your car. Bike commuting and public transit allow flexibility of work hours -- you can set your own schedule, a luxury most Americans live by, cherished by Gen Xers and Gen Yers. They've never known a workplace without flexible work hours.
In suburban settings -- the modern industrial park designed for the autombile era -- carpooling is typically the most viable alternative to reduce the number of cars on a road during rush hour and to improve air quality.
Yet, carpooling is the hardest "sell" to commuters over bike commuting or taking public transit.
Only about 25 percent of a typical car's mileage is for commuting. However, commuting is a regular event, so it's easier to predict and plan for. A generation ago, everyone worked the same schedules, and fewer people owned cars, so carpooling was endemic.
Today, companies often offer time, which makes carpooling much more difficult. Not only do carpoolers have to live and work near each other, they must also be on the same bio-rhythm.
And many people are not flexible about this bio-rhythm. They want to work when they want to work. They want to play when they want to play. Carpooling must fit into their schedule, even with $4/gallon gasoline.
Especially attuned to their personal needs is Generation Y, which has just entered the workforce, on the coattails of Generation X. Gen Xers and Yers have often grown up being chauffeured everywhere, so it's abhorent to even think of not having a personal vehicle at their disposal. To them, carpooling is particularly distasteful.
At least they have the technology to facilitate carpooling. E-mail and cell phones make carpooling so much easier when you're waiting for someone to show up at a meeting place, or plans change. We know Gen X and Gen Y is wired up!
To their credit, Gen Xers and Yers yearn for the city. They love the bustle, the bars, even the buses, because it means they don't have to own a car. City living is meant for pedestrians, people on the go, who like to go out. Center cities were built without cars in mind. Even outlying neighborhoods were laid out along now-defunct streetcars lines.
Cities have public transit, which Gen Xers and Yers take advantage of. When Gens Y & X have children, and buy a house, they have some hard choices that might lead them to the suburbs where the housing is bigger and schools "better."
Which might also lead them to carpooling to work, eventually.
Maybe by the time they buy houses and have children, Gen Xers and Yers will have re-aligned their priorities and be able to think about someone else; be flexible enough to adjust their schedule and share their cars. Maybe by then, our cars will be powered by greener energy. We're counting on their techno-skills to engineer solutions to the green crisis.
Friday, June 20, 2008
$4/gallon gas stings
With gas at $4 a gallon, reporters are calling me to get another angle for their stories on the cost of gas.
They all want to know, "Has $4/gallon gas made more people carpool?"
The answer is YES, especially people who have "super commutes" -- live more than 30 miles from work -- and drive an 8-cylinder gas-hog. They are feeling the pain the sharpest. Most people who don't live so close to the edge of their budgets, are driving blithely along -- and paying the price.
People are loathe to give up the supreme convenience of driving alone -- until the dent in their wallet forces them to make tradeoffs in their lifestyle.
Carpooling requires effort -- to find someone who you like to share the personal space of your car, to find someone who works your schedule and works near you. They don't have to live near you, just work near you. You can easily drive to a meeting place that's on the way to work. When you get to work, you don't want to have to make a loop dropping off people.
For example, my best carpool partner ever, Pam, drives 15 minutes to meet me at a traffic rotary. We don't live that close to each other, but I'm not out of her way. She has many other great characteristics.
1. We work the same hours. Exactly. This is probably the most important thing.
If you hate your carpool partner's personality, the carpool will FAIL! No amount of money saved is worth suffering with a harsh carpooler. NONE! And I'm pretty frugal.
2. Pam is a good listener and has a good sense of humor.
3. Pam is on time. This is critical. It is annoying to wait for people.
4. I live on her way to work, so we don't go out of our way.
5. We work in buildings one-quarter-mile away from each other. That makes it simple.
6. Pam communicates, in advance, whether or not she can carpool on a given day.
Sadly, Pam telecommutes most of the time, so we only drive together a few days a month. She hopes to telecommute 100% of the time. This is the transient nature of carpooling. You get something good, and it doesn't last -- for many reasons.
My office is at an intersection where more than 9,000 people work. You'd think I could find some other ideal carpool partners. There are tools available - a free, secure online database to find carpool partners that the 9,000 people could use, but we have been conditioned by society and the automakers to believe we have the right to pollute the earth. So I have some other carpool partners who are pretty good.
Elaine drives a Prius, but she just got promoted to manager and likes to work later than I do. That's a problem. I've had a number of early starts in June to coordinate bike-to-work events, as well as after-work events, so those put a pothole in carpooling plans this month.
It's best to have multiple good carpool partners, but it takes effort. I think I'll go browse my free carpool matching service right now to see if I can find someone else. There has been an upswing in the number of people signing up.
They all want to know, "Has $4/gallon gas made more people carpool?"
The answer is YES, especially people who have "super commutes" -- live more than 30 miles from work -- and drive an 8-cylinder gas-hog. They are feeling the pain the sharpest. Most people who don't live so close to the edge of their budgets, are driving blithely along -- and paying the price.
People are loathe to give up the supreme convenience of driving alone -- until the dent in their wallet forces them to make tradeoffs in their lifestyle.
Carpooling requires effort -- to find someone who you like to share the personal space of your car, to find someone who works your schedule and works near you. They don't have to live near you, just work near you. You can easily drive to a meeting place that's on the way to work. When you get to work, you don't want to have to make a loop dropping off people.
For example, my best carpool partner ever, Pam, drives 15 minutes to meet me at a traffic rotary. We don't live that close to each other, but I'm not out of her way. She has many other great characteristics.
1. We work the same hours. Exactly. This is probably the most important thing.
If you hate your carpool partner's personality, the carpool will FAIL! No amount of money saved is worth suffering with a harsh carpooler. NONE! And I'm pretty frugal.
2. Pam is a good listener and has a good sense of humor.
3. Pam is on time. This is critical. It is annoying to wait for people.
4. I live on her way to work, so we don't go out of our way.
5. We work in buildings one-quarter-mile away from each other. That makes it simple.
6. Pam communicates, in advance, whether or not she can carpool on a given day.
Sadly, Pam telecommutes most of the time, so we only drive together a few days a month. She hopes to telecommute 100% of the time. This is the transient nature of carpooling. You get something good, and it doesn't last -- for many reasons.
My office is at an intersection where more than 9,000 people work. You'd think I could find some other ideal carpool partners. There are tools available - a free, secure online database to find carpool partners that the 9,000 people could use, but we have been conditioned by society and the automakers to believe we have the right to pollute the earth. So I have some other carpool partners who are pretty good.
Elaine drives a Prius, but she just got promoted to manager and likes to work later than I do. That's a problem. I've had a number of early starts in June to coordinate bike-to-work events, as well as after-work events, so those put a pothole in carpooling plans this month.
It's best to have multiple good carpool partners, but it takes effort. I think I'll go browse my free carpool matching service right now to see if I can find someone else. There has been an upswing in the number of people signing up.
Friday, March 21, 2008
One year later and everything's different
"An Inconvenient Truth" finally pushed America to the tipping point -- four-fifths of us now believe that climate change is a reality. Now it's a race against the rising mercury as well as the rising seas. Why are we rebuilding in Biloxi, Mississippi in a flood plain?
In the year since my last post, the price of gas in Massachusetts has gone up 22 percent, from $2.60 to $3.20 a gallon. The escalating price of gas hasn't had much of an impact on demand or our driving behavior. It usually takes a few months for the inflated prices to add up and for people to realize, "Hey, I have less money leftover for frivolity at the end of the month. How can I squeeze more out of my paycheck?"
Although money is not the only motivator for people to carpool, it can be a fundamental reason to give up the convenience of driving alone. Driving less saves more. It's simple. Taken to the extreme, not owning a car can save thousands of dollars a year.
I was skeptical about the possibility of going car-free, especially in non-urban areas, until I read "How to Live Well Without Owning A Car" by Chris Balish. It’s easier to accomplish, especially for families with children, when you live near public transit.
I grew up in a medium-sized city, Wilmington, Del., population of about 100,000 in the 1960s and 1970s. I could catch a bus right outside of my house several times an hour. It doesn’t get much better than that. My parents, born in 1919 and 1921, came of age in the Great Depression, so it permanently impacted their financial choices, complicated by having nine children.
We were encouraged to be independent – which is the complete opposite of children today, whose parents hover over them. The last option was for mom [never dad!] to drive us somewhere. Our first options were walking, taking the bus, biking, getting a ride from someone – a stranger or an acquaintance would do, roller skating or skateboarding.
The only places my mother ever drove me were to the doctor, the orthodontist, and to school when my sister needed to get her ‘cello here. It was just too heavy to carry. She would also drive to the grocery store, but it was simple to walk or bike the eight blocks there if we had a yearning to cook something special.
Contrast that to my own four children, brought up in a commuter suburb of Boston, with no sidewalks, much less public transit. The only place I didn’t drive them was to the TV and computer in our house. Occasionally, they could walk the quarter mile to the soccer fields- when their age groups and divisions used that field. As teens, they biked 2 miles to work at the shopping plaza on back roads with no shoulder. It wasn’t the safest bike route, but they survived.
Chris Balish makes a really strong case for car-free living. Besides the TRUE cost of owning a new car – at least $44,177 over five years – there’s the time and attention cars require.
Life without a car is simpler is more social than driving alone because you invite friends to go places, like, “Let’s go to Costco today and I’ll buy lunch.” Cars can be rented or shared, like ZipCar. After reading his book, I concluded the most important thing about going car-free is attitude, followed by planning and making different decisions.
We have friends who live in the first ring of suburbs around Boston in Arlington, who have a teenage driver. Three drivers share one Toyota Sienna Minivan.
“Do you know how much you’re saving?” I asked my friend Janice.
“Yes, especially because the car is 10 years old,” Janice answered, and her husband is an accountant and knows exactly how much things cost.
When I carpool regularly, it’s easier for the three to four drivers in our household to have fewer cars. Carpooling extends the life of my 2001 Camry, and saves me money.
The greatest benefit to carpooling is making new friends, who I would have never met otherwise, or had the time to meet. I look forward to commuting with them – and we only share a ride one or two days a week. That is a silver lining to saving money and polluting the environment less.
In the year since my last post, the price of gas in Massachusetts has gone up 22 percent, from $2.60 to $3.20 a gallon. The escalating price of gas hasn't had much of an impact on demand or our driving behavior. It usually takes a few months for the inflated prices to add up and for people to realize, "Hey, I have less money leftover for frivolity at the end of the month. How can I squeeze more out of my paycheck?"
Although money is not the only motivator for people to carpool, it can be a fundamental reason to give up the convenience of driving alone. Driving less saves more. It's simple. Taken to the extreme, not owning a car can save thousands of dollars a year.
I was skeptical about the possibility of going car-free, especially in non-urban areas, until I read "How to Live Well Without Owning A Car" by Chris Balish. It’s easier to accomplish, especially for families with children, when you live near public transit.
I grew up in a medium-sized city, Wilmington, Del., population of about 100,000 in the 1960s and 1970s. I could catch a bus right outside of my house several times an hour. It doesn’t get much better than that. My parents, born in 1919 and 1921, came of age in the Great Depression, so it permanently impacted their financial choices, complicated by having nine children.
We were encouraged to be independent – which is the complete opposite of children today, whose parents hover over them. The last option was for mom [never dad!] to drive us somewhere. Our first options were walking, taking the bus, biking, getting a ride from someone – a stranger or an acquaintance would do, roller skating or skateboarding.
The only places my mother ever drove me were to the doctor, the orthodontist, and to school when my sister needed to get her ‘cello here. It was just too heavy to carry. She would also drive to the grocery store, but it was simple to walk or bike the eight blocks there if we had a yearning to cook something special.
Contrast that to my own four children, brought up in a commuter suburb of Boston, with no sidewalks, much less public transit. The only place I didn’t drive them was to the TV and computer in our house. Occasionally, they could walk the quarter mile to the soccer fields- when their age groups and divisions used that field. As teens, they biked 2 miles to work at the shopping plaza on back roads with no shoulder. It wasn’t the safest bike route, but they survived.
Chris Balish makes a really strong case for car-free living. Besides the TRUE cost of owning a new car – at least $44,177 over five years – there’s the time and attention cars require.
Life without a car is simpler is more social than driving alone because you invite friends to go places, like, “Let’s go to Costco today and I’ll buy lunch.” Cars can be rented or shared, like ZipCar. After reading his book, I concluded the most important thing about going car-free is attitude, followed by planning and making different decisions.
We have friends who live in the first ring of suburbs around Boston in Arlington, who have a teenage driver. Three drivers share one Toyota Sienna Minivan.
“Do you know how much you’re saving?” I asked my friend Janice.
“Yes, especially because the car is 10 years old,” Janice answered, and her husband is an accountant and knows exactly how much things cost.
When I carpool regularly, it’s easier for the three to four drivers in our household to have fewer cars. Carpooling extends the life of my 2001 Camry, and saves me money.
The greatest benefit to carpooling is making new friends, who I would have never met otherwise, or had the time to meet. I look forward to commuting with them – and we only share a ride one or two days a week. That is a silver lining to saving money and polluting the environment less.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
What do carpools talk about
One of the side effects of carpooling is getting to know each other. Me and my buddies are in the car for at least an hour-and-a-half a day together, with no other agenda except to get home.
Without really trying, gradually, we have come to know way too much about each other.
The silver lining to this is that we arrive at work with a smile on our faces, and the knowledge that our home relationships are as good as the next person's. Or, everyone's problems are the same, except in a different flavor or color.
When there are three of us carpooling, the discussions are particularly lively. When the 3 engineers go at it, I might sleep or read or steer the conversation back to a regular topic. To their credit, the engineers have a sense of humor. I think the thing I value most about my carpool is starting the day with a smile because Don or John or Rick made me laugh.
Today, Don brought along a card he received from an insurance salesman. I was impressed with how many of the suggestions for a long and happy life had to do with your physical body. Eat right and exercise. The card didn't offer Dear Abby's #1 suggestion: be careful who you pick as a mate. The only thing they recommended in that department was to get more sex. Easier said than done. And there were no other hints about the importance of a good relationship to your health. At least our carpool has a good relationship.
Here's Don's advice for the day, which got us off on an interesting discussion during our carpool journey to work, and made me laugh. Don was shocked that "Have more sex" was on the list. He told me to take that one off, but I refused.
10 Ways to live a
longer and healthier life My response
Be optimistic Why bother?
Eat a balanced diet Pass the chips and cookies
Eat and drink with moderation Gimme more!
Maintain a healthy weight HOW? I already failed 2 and 3
Exercise regularly I don't have time for the gym
Have more sex With who, and when do I have time?
Get a pet Gonzo sheds too much. Is she really good for my health?
Make money at the job you love Okay, 1 out of 10 ain't bad. This is really important
Have fun at work and at home At least in your carpool.
Talk to your mother once a week I totally agree -- as a mother and a daughter.
Comprehensive Life Insurance Servies, INC 800 235 7201
Without really trying, gradually, we have come to know way too much about each other.
The silver lining to this is that we arrive at work with a smile on our faces, and the knowledge that our home relationships are as good as the next person's. Or, everyone's problems are the same, except in a different flavor or color.
When there are three of us carpooling, the discussions are particularly lively. When the 3 engineers go at it, I might sleep or read or steer the conversation back to a regular topic. To their credit, the engineers have a sense of humor. I think the thing I value most about my carpool is starting the day with a smile because Don or John or Rick made me laugh.
Today, Don brought along a card he received from an insurance salesman. I was impressed with how many of the suggestions for a long and happy life had to do with your physical body. Eat right and exercise. The card didn't offer Dear Abby's #1 suggestion: be careful who you pick as a mate. The only thing they recommended in that department was to get more sex. Easier said than done. And there were no other hints about the importance of a good relationship to your health. At least our carpool has a good relationship.
Here's Don's advice for the day, which got us off on an interesting discussion during our carpool journey to work, and made me laugh. Don was shocked that "Have more sex" was on the list. He told me to take that one off, but I refused.
10 Ways to live a
longer and healthier life My response
Be optimistic Why bother?
Eat a balanced diet Pass the chips and cookies
Eat and drink with moderation Gimme more!
Maintain a healthy weight HOW? I already failed 2 and 3
Exercise regularly I don't have time for the gym
Have more sex With who, and when do I have time?
Get a pet Gonzo sheds too much. Is she really good for my health?
Make money at the job you love Okay, 1 out of 10 ain't bad. This is really important
Have fun at work and at home At least in your carpool.
Talk to your mother once a week I totally agree -- as a mother and a daughter.
Comprehensive Life Insurance Servies, INC 800 235 7201
Monday, January 16, 2006
What do other carpoolers have to say? We're a select group.
One of my carpool's passtimes is to keep a running list of "How I love carpooling, let me count the ways." I want to hear about the benefits of carpooling from other carpoolers. To get you going, here are some of our favorites.
"I love it when Susan picks me up at the door of the office. It feels like a chauffeur has arrived to take me home." --Don, one of three engineers in the carpool.
"I like Rick's heated seats, especially when he remembers to turn them on before he picks me up." --Susan, the only non-engineer in the carpool.
"When you carpool, you can rubberneck. A few months ago, I saw a drug bust by the side of the road. Because I wasn't driving, I could see the treat one of the cops was giving the dog as a reward for searching the car." --John, one three engineers.
"I like the company. I can network, too," --Rick, another engineer. [Not all carpools are so densely populated with engineers."
What makes you carpool? What makes you give up some convenience and "me time" to abide by a schedule?
"I love it when Susan picks me up at the door of the office. It feels like a chauffeur has arrived to take me home." --Don, one of three engineers in the carpool.
"I like Rick's heated seats, especially when he remembers to turn them on before he picks me up." --Susan, the only non-engineer in the carpool.
"When you carpool, you can rubberneck. A few months ago, I saw a drug bust by the side of the road. Because I wasn't driving, I could see the treat one of the cops was giving the dog as a reward for searching the car." --John, one three engineers.
"I like the company. I can network, too," --Rick, another engineer. [Not all carpools are so densely populated with engineers."
What makes you carpool? What makes you give up some convenience and "me time" to abide by a schedule?
Carpoolers out there -- you're not alone.
Welcome to a meeting place dedicated to the pluggers of the world who carpool. Only a certain type of person will carpool to work. She must be socially oriented, able to be with others during what would have been a solitary commute, and interested in reducing congestion and improving air quality. Unfortunately, carpooling is not the norm as it once was. Non-carpoolers are lured by the status of driving alone in flashy cars. You'll find true-blue, hard-core carpoolers drive utilitarian cars, often with high mileage. Their image isn't that important. Carpoolers care about having fun, arriving at work with a smile on our face because we've spent some time with our carpool buddies, saved a few bucks on gas/car maintenance and kept the Earth's air we all breathe a little cleaner.
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