$4.49/gal for diesel ????

[DrEntropy]

Hey, look at some of our own members. They have several cars, some have 6,7,8 or more. Nothing wrong with this, but ask them to give them up for cheaper gas or lower "greenhouse gases" and most will tell you to take a flying leap.

They only get driven one-at-a-time and typically average over 24 MPG.

Take a flying leap.

 

[vagt6]

<span style="font-style: italic">On a related note, I heard yesterday that our Mayor is considering setting up "bike stations" where people who work in the main downtown area could pick up a bike and ride it for free and drop it off at any number of bike drop off points around the downtown area. Driving a car around downtown (which happily I don't have to do often) is a pain due to one-way traffic flows and limited parking. Thus, to me this idea makes a lot of sense as long as they have some mechanisms in place to preclude the bikes from being stolen. I've seen this used in Europe and it seemed to work well. I think it could work well in our downtown area as well - as a matter or practical convenience.

Basil [/quote]</span>

Basil, I hafta tell you a funny (or, not so funny!) story about the "drop off" bicycles! Here in Charlottesville ("America's #1 city by "Cities Ranked and Rated", 2007), our esteemed City Council funded a bike drop off project similar to the one you mention, above. The bikes were all painted a bright yellow color to ID them as the City bikes. Great idea on paper, but . . .

ALL the bikes were stolen within about two weeks!!!! :shocked:

Those ugly yellow bikes turned up all over town for the next few months, stripped, beaten, broken.

Here, we've put a lot of effort into making City streets safer for cyclists, but there's still a long way to go to get us up to European standards for this concept. European Cities do this efficiently. For example, I've seen a great system in most of the major cities over there. The bikes are placed in a locking device, then you have to rent the bike by credit card: if it's not returned, or it's in bad condition, it's charged to your card! EXCELLENT IDEA! Make the rider responsible!

Our council, against the good advice of others who knew better, wanted to provide them "free" of charge. BAD idea!

Again, our tax dollars at work!

 

[Basil]

Hey, look at some of our own members. They have several cars, some have 6,7,8 or more. Nothing wrong with this, but ask them to give them up for cheaper gas or lower "greenhouse gases" and most will tell you to take a flying leap.

They only get driven one-at-a-time and typically average over 24 MPG.

Take a flying leap.

Our Hyundai Santa Fe All Wheel Drive gets 23-24 MPH - not bad for a evil SUV. The car I commute in is NOT a tiny death-trap econo-box, yet it gets 32 MPG on the freeway despite pushing almost 400 HP to the wheels (its all about weight, aerodynamics and gearing).

Basil

 

[Basil]

How are you gonna enact a mechanism to ensure they're not stolen? We couldn't figure that out.

They've done it in Europe, so it can be done. You could require a deposit which would be refunded when you drop off the bike, require ID to access the bikes and record who takes which bike when, etc. Those are just a couple of thoughts. Bottom line, it has been done in Europe for a long time with great success so it IS possible.

 

[Mickey Richaud]

Yep, it is possible. Might have to take it on the chin at the beginning, but once the "novelty" wore off, and if it gets enough support, it could work.

The key, seems to me, is support, and we've a long way to go there...

 

[TR6oldtimer]

Here in Santa Cruz, we did the bike thing as well. It lasted about 10 days, no more bikes.

 

[Basil]

I think the key is in How it is implemented...

 

[TR6oldtimer]

I think the key is in How it is implemented...

Perhaps elsewhere, but it does not matter in Santa Cruz, no one here follows rules.

 

[DrEntropy]

I.D. chip in the frame someplace, a mag stripe card reader to 'borrow' one... all could be traceable. Bike goes missing, the last card owner gets dinged for it. SOME responsibility needs to be assumed. feh. fergiddaboudit. Too many mouth-breathers with a penchant to take anything not nailed down. It'll never work here.

 

[Basil]

If it's done right it CAN work;

https://members.aol.com/humorme81/helsinki.htm

 

[zblu]

My old 64 Land Rover SWB 2.5l gasoline used to get 23-25 mpg on the road at 55mph!, and over here diesel is about 1.59/l and its not the low sulphur, 1 AUD approz 0.93 USD atm, and in todays world if it aint nailed down or broke its gone!

 

[Steve]

I have been tempted with getting two wheels again for my commute to and from the office. Small, elderly UJM would suffice, 250 or 350cc. Six miles each way, but in a Bimmer it's still not as cheap as it might be.

 

[swift6]

If you live in "miles from here to there" country, at least get some car pooling going. Won't change the world, but you'll use less gas. If you fail, at least you tried.

Good in theory but in some areas out here you might have to drive thirty miles just to meet up with car pools. I see entrances to ranches with trucks parked next to the main gate. This is for the ranch kids to drive themselves to and from where the bus picks them up. The ranch house could still be four or more miles away from the main gate. They don't drive all the way to school because they are not licensed to drive on public roads. Ranch kids start driving young, I know, I am one.

When I lived in Peoria Illinois (worked in Morton) I illustrated the difference in population density to my co-workers this way. Within a 60 mile radius of Morton Illinois there are more people than in the entire state of Wyoming. And not by just a few thousand! That example was true 14 years ago and is still true today. That's just central Illinois! Population Density gets higher the further east you move.

Along the front range in Colorado there are attempts at some forms of mass transit. The bus system in Fort Collins is decent, they even have a link to Loveland whose bus system is also decent. The 'problem' with mass transit is that you have to adjust your life to its schedule. A couple of years ago I worked in Loveland for the summer. I live about a half mile from the transit station that links the two cities bus systems. I worked about half a mile from the transit center in Loveland. I decided to walk and bus for the summer to and from work. Doing so added an hour on each side of my 'commute' and saved me $50 dollars over the course of the summer vs what I would have used in gas. The extra two hours a day would have come in handy for other things. Adding errands to accomplish on the way home was out of the question etc...

There has been talk of a commuter train service from Fort Collins to downtown Denver. I would use that in a heartbeat if the train ticket, round trip were competitive with fuel and parking costs. Slogging down I-25 is not an enjoyable drive so I wouldn't miss that. However, I rarely go to Denver jut to go to the downtown area so I wouldn't always use it.

Is there an answer, yes. Its out there waiting to be discovered. It will also require some form of sacrifice on everyones part. Which will probably be harder to accomplish than figuring out how to pay for it.

 

[vagt6]

[quote=vagt6
European Cities do this efficiently. For example, I've seen a great system in most of the major cities over there. The bikes are placed in a locking device, then you have to rent the bike by credit card: if it's not returned, or it's in bad condition, it's charged to your card! EXCELLENT IDEA! Make the rider responsible!



The system, above, seems to work like a charm where I've seen it in action (Paris; Munich & Rome). It's hard to find a rental bike in most places I've been recently.

The locking devices are very simple, look relatively inexpensive. Swipe the credit card, device unlocks, take the bike!

Tell your local government! Get one!

 

[cluis001]

"Within the first week I had a 82% increase in MPG"

Well, the other day you signed up and just like you...

I was looking for a way to decrease my petrol expenses and I know it's no easy task. Let me briefly share my story where I started in this process.

About 2 years ago I was tired of spending a lot of money on petrol for the 4 wheel Jeep I was driving. So decided to buy a small{Deleted READ THE RULES}. Right away I almost doubled my MPG.

Finally, I was smiling while at the petrol station as I watched the digital cash cow roll up on the gas pump.

But, after time went by I realized how much I missed driving my Jeep, especially during the winter and became a little tired of driving a small car around.

Thought this car could also be used as our 2nd family car, not the case we quickly found out.

So, the question became how do I drive the vehicle I want, while meeting my families needs and still reduce petrol expenses?

Convert your car to a hybrid car

My wife called me crazy at first, and to be honest I was slightly skeptical about using water for gas or (hybrid car.)

I made the decision to personally put together the system and tried it out on my older car... Amazingly enough within the first week I had a 82% increase in MPG.

Instantly we became believers and was so excited about this discovery that I decided to find a way to help other people Save on petrol expenses too.

 

[tony barnhill]

I'm old, I'm retired, money isn't a big issue, I like the freedon a car provides me; so, no, I wouldn't use public transportation....I don't even like to use it on vacation because I can see more & do more by driving myself....thus, my carbon footprint will continue to be like it is....&, so far, I've not changed my habits & don't really look for cheap gas.

Maybe I'm unusual - but I bet I'm more the norm than most folks think!

 

[DrEntropy]

tick....

tick...

tick..

tick.

LOOK!!! It's Marsha Brady!!

:smirk:

 

[racingenglishcars]

The city bikes are only for tourists. They cost a lot in upkeep. The secret for keeping them from being stolen is that there isn't anything on them worth stealing. For example, the tires are solid rubber, and all the sizes are odd. Nothing fits other bikes. Even the axle nuts are strange sizes so they can't be used elsewhere.

I must admit that I own 6 cars and a motorcycle, but I ride the bike to work and back every day, 20 km round trip. I put maybe 200 km a year on the Land Rover

My old 64 Land Rover SWB 2.5l gasoline used to get 23-25 mpg on the road at 55mph!, and over here diesel is about 1.59/l and its not the low sulphur, 1 AUD approz 0.93 USD atm, and in todays world if it aint nailed down or broke its gone!

I really don't know how you do that. My 1963 88" 2.25 petrol never gets more than 15 mpg (US)

 

[mailbox]

I'm a big fan of results over good intentions.

THIS is the point I have been trying to make.

 

[Deleted member 3577]

In Pa. we have pink diesel....

Much less expensive