Home > Fit City > Archives > 2011 > February > 23 > Entry
Save gas money - ride a bike
I read today that gas has hit $3 a gallon here in Austin.
You know what? I don’t really care.
In fact, a part of me wishes it would go up to $4 or even $5 a gallon. Maybe that would encourage other people to do what I’ve done — switch to riding a bicycle to work.
I’ve pedaled to work once a week for years. Last May, inspired by Bicycle Sport Shop’s Commuter Challenge, I ramped it up. Since then, I’ve biked to work most days.
No, I did not ride during the arctic blast a few weeks ago. Yes, I do pedal even when it’s 105 degrees outside.
My round-trip commute is about 14 miles. On days I have swim practice, I add another 5 miles to the total. It’s fun, it makes me feel like a kid and I squeeze in some extra, incidental exercise.
I’m lucky. About half my ride is along the Shoal Creek hike-and-bike trail. We’ve got showers available here at the newspaper building so (hopefully) I don’t gross out my co-workers too much.
These days, it costs about $35 to fill up my Volkswagen Passat. I used to fill it up once a week, but I hated doing it. So I stopped.
Now I mainly use my car on weekends, to do grocery shopping and run errands. And I only have to gas up about once every two months.
It feels good.
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Comments
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By PJ
February 25, 2011 12:32 PM | Link to this
I love cycling and wish more people would use a bike to commute, but it’s just not realistic for many.
Many people live more than 10 miles from their workplace, and believe it or not, there are places in this city that are not as nice to ride as Shoal Creek Blvd. Some people work 2 or more jobs and just don’t have time to get from one place to another by bike.
So you would really wish higher gas prices on those who simply don’t have the choice to commute by bike? I mean, I appreciate the sentiment, but it’s a little naive.
By Pam LeBlanc
February 28, 2011 12:24 PM | Link to this
Hi PJ. That’s why I said “a part of me wishes it would go up” even more. I’m lucky. I live within bikeable distance of work. I have showers available. I am healthy enough that biking is a feasible option. I’m pretty sure more folks could make it work if they tried, but I certainly understand that not everybody can.