Commuting

In the second post in this series on suburbia and peak oil, I’ll consider one of the threats that peak oil poses to suburbia: the increasing cost of commuting to and from work for suburban residents. My conclusions may surprise readers: suburbanites aren't particularly vulnerable to the rising cost of gasoline. Instead, like all of us, they are vulnerable to general economic shocks that may be c

The Utah Transit Authority just completed a commuter line called the FrontRunner. The FrontRunner goes from its most northern point in Pleasant View, south to Salt Lake City. Along this route there are various cities that have hubs where the train stops to pick people up. Roy is one of those cities that have a train stop, which makes it a very desirable place to live. Roy is close to Ogden, and is

This morning on my way to work I pedaled my 1000th mile bike commuting.  According to my official numbers (which are probably a few miles below actual) I have ridden 1005.2 miles since I started my journey toward extreme fuel efficiency.  Not all those miles have been easy for me, and riding these miles has [...]

As of writing this post, I have been bike commuting exclusively now since the beginning of September.  I have not been able to ride every day during that time frame because I was sick for about a week in early October (and my wife made me drive) and we house sat for friends who live [...]

Microsoft gets it.  The Seattle Times gets it.  The Eastside Transportation Association gets it. Ron Sims gets it.  Each one of these organizations/people are doing something about better transportation and/or voicing their opinion about transportation systems that will work in King County and on the Eastside. Microsoft is already doing it.  It has a world class shuttle/bus/car system to [.

Are you relocating to Northern Virginia? Are you worried about finding the right home in a neighborhood close to work or within a reasonable commuting time to your new job? A standard question for anyone new to Northern Virginia to ask is “how long will it take me to get from here to there?” Fortunately it

Commuting from Crofton, Maryland, to Washington, D.C. or Baltimore is not limited to driving your car or taking METRO.  In fact, MARC Rail is the commuting method of choice for many Anne Arundel County residents who live in Crofton, Gambrills, and other communities near the Odenton MARC Rail Station. The history of Odenton as a railroad town dates back to [...]

There many people across the world who take the local train or the metro to commute to work and then jump in a cab or some other public transportation from there on to reach office and home. Sometimes if you miss the link for no fault of yours you will be stuck in a horrible situation with few options. Many urban commuters who use more than one mode of public transport to commute on a daily

Cycling in Phoenix.The Wall Street Journal just had a story about the popularity of homes near bicycle routes (The Wall Street Journal, Nancy Keates (08/22/2008)"Thanks in part to high gas prices, buyers are keenly interested in homes that are in close proximity to bike trails, according to reports from real estate practitioners in bicycle-friendly areas."While I don't think there is any

As adults, we need to take the time to remember to have fun sometimes. It’s not all working and going to and from work, you know! And fun doesn’t necessarily involve drinking out at a bar somewhere, at least not all the time. What happened to childhood’s playtime? Have we forgotten what made that so [...]

I am currently in my third week of bike commuting and, sore tush aside, I am pretty happy with this experiment in frugality. I can make the 12 mile commute home in just about 45 minutes, which gets me home faster than riding the bus. In fact, I like to think of myself as [...]

It is a blunder that I overlooked my schedule for my modules before bidding for them. So I ended up with a 8am lesson at NUS. It has been so long since I have to climb out of bed at 5am.Despite the lack of sleep, I still manage to stay energetic on the way to school. But the people around me seemed to be very exhausted.Comfy Position on the BusA pillar as a Bolster? Anyone?

Last week I inaugurated a season of bike commuting and in the subtitle of my Bike Commuting Begins post I jokingly proclaimed it the “dawn of the sore bottom.” I was expecting a little soreness, maybe a little tenderness to the touch - but nothing like what I am experiencing. My quest for [...]

Today I began the bike commuting era, and it has been a long time coming. I have been thinking about it for months now - 5 months ago today, to be exact (Bike Commuting: Is it for me?) - and today I have finally taken the first pedals on my journey to cycling ~24 [...]

Commuting in a car like a Ford Focus can be comfortable and easy, but it can also create a good bit of wear and tear on your car. Here are some things you can do in order to keep your Ford Focus or other commuting car in tip-top shape: •    Keep on schedule. It’s easy, especially [...]

The cost of gas has everyone’s attention today. For those thinking about moving to West Chester, Fairfield or Liberty Township and working in Cincinnati (or commuting the other way) weighing the benefits of commuting against mortgage payments can be a real eye opener. Try looking at homes closer to work or public [...]

More on commuting. By the by this blog is turing into a commuting special of some sort, don’t you think? Yesterday I was deeply into Salman Rushdie’s “Enchantress of Florence” and lost all track of... This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more!

A surprisingly large number of accidents occur every day, and many of these occur when people are on their morning commute. The morning commute can be frustrating and dangerous for many drivers. Here are some things you can do to help make your commute as safe as possible: Avoid distractions. When we think about distracted driving, [...]

Last week a rather important event occurred. The Ford F-Series trucks were overthrown from their throne of number one best selling vehicle after decades of sales dominance. In another sign of the times the cars that replaced the empty chair are fuel efficient vehicles. This is rather important since it appears that [...]Related Posts:■The Cost of Mortgaged Suburbia: 3 Modern Housing Psycholog

This photo is from Sleddog Stacie’s blog yesterday. While this is a brown-phase black bear, there have also been grizzlies seen regularly the past 3 weeks in the Dry Creek area between Spirit Lake and Carcross. Sure beats bumper-to-bumper freeway traffic, eh?     

I wasn’t prepared for it. I was caught unawares. These things happen; well they do, only in morning rush hour in Bombay. I have travelled in public transport in Delhi, Bangalore, Bangkok, Kuala... This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more!

I read a story in the paper today (twice in fact as it was in both the morning and evening papers) which said that on average a worker spends FIVE YEARS commuting to and from work. Unless you live in London in which case the figure rises to EIGHTEEN YEARS. Now I know where all my time goes. Tonight's journey felt like five years all by itself. I'd make a resolution not to complain about the

I am currently in the serious consideration phase of becoming a bike commuter. The weather is starting to get really nice here in San Diego and I would love to spend a few hours each day enjoying the open skies and brown (but temporarily green) countryside. Here is a quick little list of some of the pros and cons of that I have thought of that are currently influencing my thought process.The ProsGood exercise - the extent of my current exercise regimen is 3 miles of walking per work day coupled with some light calisthenics thrown in to keep me alert as I sit at my desk. If I switched to biking my total mileage traveled under my own power would increase 633% per week and I would be spending 1400% more time exercising. That's a lot of nuts.Same approximate commute time - right now takin

I am currently in the serious consideration phase of becoming a bike commuter. The weather is starting to get really nice here in San Diego and I would love to spend a few hours each day enjoying the open skies and brown (but temporarily green) countryside. Here is a quick little list of some of the pros and cons of that I have thought of that are currently influencing my thought process.The ProsGood exercise - the extent of my current exercise regimen is 3 miles of walking per work day coupled with some light calisthenics thrown in to keep me alert as I sit at my desk. If I switched to biking my total mileage traveled under my own power would increase 633% per week and I would be spending 1400% more time exercising. That's a lot of nuts.Same approximate commute time - right now takin

Purchasing a car is a dream that everyone wants to realize. But not everyone can afford to buy a car at one go. Availing a loan is not a bad idea in such a situation. But what to do if a person is having a bad credit status? Bad creditors find it difficult to apply for any loan but due to the tight competition existing in the market, lenders are now ready to advance loan to such people. Car Loans for people with bad credit is also one such loan.InformationThese loans are meant for people suffering from arrears, defaults, CCJ’s, IVA, bankruptcy etc. It is available in both the formats that are secured and unsecured bad credit loans. To avail secured car loan bad credit you will have to place your car as security against the loan amount. Unsecured genres can be availed without placing any

The last few years has seen a definite change in the work scene. More and more people are opting to work from the comfort of their own homes. These people form a wide cross section of society. Earlier only people trained in the IT industry could opt for this facility, but now almost anyone with a basic knowledge of the computer can try their hand at this and could out successful. This move from the confined office spaces to the luxury of our own homes is a move that even companies are encouraging. This helps the companies to reduce their cost of infrastructure. With the sky-rocketing rents and other amenities required to maintain an office, many companies are working out a way to find work which can be done without being in office or with a skeleton staff in office.Earn Money Online! No Re

A person with a good credit history can apply for a car loan, but what about a person having bad credit history? The answer is bad credit car loans. With bad credit car loans, buying a car has never been easier for a bad credit holder. Now everyone can afford to own a car and drive through the commuting comforts.DETAILS OF BAD CREDIT CAR LOANSAs the name suggests, bad credit car loans are the loans offered to people having bad credit status. This can happen due to many reasons like, CCJ, bankruptcy, default, arrears, missed installments etc. Bad credit car loans are available in both the traditional forms secured and unsecured. For secured bad credit car loans one is required to pledge his/her car as collateral with the lender.This helps in getting the loan at lower interest rate as the lender is having security in the form of car; also the repayment duration is longer compared to unsecured loan. You can also avail unsecured bad credit car loan, but the interest rates will be higher co

Where can I get one?I can fall asleep virtually anywhere and I've lost count now of the amount of times I've fallen asleep on the Tube. However, it appears that some people need help falling asleep on public transport and Matthew Gale has designed a jacke..

It feels like I’ve been commuting between Perpignan and Belfast over the last month or so with two trips already and a third looming.Since we have places to stay in both countries, it means that our timetable is quite flexible so I’ve spent a bit of time on SkyScanner checking out the cheapest prices and coming up with some slightly peculiar routes. Belfast isn’t really that easy to get to from here so I usually end up flying into Dublin which has considerably more choice in terms of discount flights and seems to have lower departure taxes as well which drops the prices a little bit more. The only problem is the bus up which isn’t nearly as reliable as it used to be and on Fridays it’s quite common to have to wait for as much as three hours just to get a bus with any free seats. Of course, for me, Friday is often the day with the cheapest flights as most people are leaving Ireland for France/Spain on a long weekend therefore the flights from France/Spain t

Commuting costs continue to multiply - from the Chicago Tribune.  Interesting article on small concept cars like the Chevrolet “Trax” pictured below.  If people are going to insist on driving in highly congested urban centers I’d much rather see these cute little cars surrying around instead of behemoth SUVS.  The site www.vote4chevrolet.com will be up April 4 with more small car pictures. Nice design, but my bike gets me around just fine, and costs me nothing but my own energy. Chicago Tribune Article:  Photo from Car Magazine Don’t need a few cups of caffeine this morning. Simply consider the message delivered by the AAA to open the eyes wide. If you commute by car, the AAA says, you spend about $62 for every 100 miles you travel.  Just one sobering thought in the AAA’s just-released “Your Driving Costs” study, which calculates the annual cost to own and operate a car based on its size. The 2007 results reveal that you have to dip into

I have to commute to work, I'm sure I've mentioned this before a few times. I have to take the train, and I pay about £1800, about $3500. For that sort of money I should be getting free meals and a bed on my train. However most of the time I manage to get a seat, and that's good enough for me, as I either read, sleep or play on my DS.Most of the people I travel with are nice enough, they are courteous and polite, we apologise to one another if we get in each others way, or say thank you if they let us pass. But there's always a few oxygen thieves around who make commuting even more tiresome. Here are the top 5 things that make you an asshole commuter:1. Standing on the left of the escalator.2. Stopping suddenly in the middle of the flow of commuters.3. Not moving into the train so more people can get on.4. Complaining loudly about nothing.5. Standing in front of the train doors.On the way to work these things are barely noticed through my blurry and semi-comatose morning haze. I s

For most folks, commuting mileage is a non-deductible expense -- unless you know the little tax trick I'm about to reveal. The non-deductibility of commuter miles is painfully true for the employee who fights rush hour traffic every day, twice a day, for 5 to 10 hours a week. All that hassle, and what does he have to show for it? Just gas money down the drain, not to mention the wear and tear

Thought for Today:"He that respects himself is safe from others. He wears a coat of mail that none can pierce." — Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882).Sudiegirl's response: Why do I keep posting these things? I'm just going to be disappointed. Why hasn't someone famous said something like, "Would you just shut up and be a sheep like the rest of us? Quit whining!" Either that or "It's just another day closer to death...grit your teeth."Well...the mystique of the urban commute is eluding me, folks. Let me break it down for ya.On Friday, I took the Metro to work. I encountered my first scary weirdo guy. Apparently I have a sign that's readable only by scary weirdo guys that says:Like I said...I can't see it, but they can. Astounding. So I'm filling up my SmartTrip card, and some guy starts talking to me about the weather conditions and how it's all Bush's fault. It's a little early for this crap, first of all. We're talking it's 6 AM or something and I am finally

Doing a handstand to catch a PUV's attention. Attempting to skip your fares by dancing naked instead. Drinking freshly-made coffee while boardin a PUV. Trying to seduce the driver for free fares while he's driving. ...especially if you're a guy and the driver is, too. Proving to your little brother that you can make monorails ...