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The Dispatch wrote
Long commutes get worse
Thursday, March 13, 2008
BY MARY BETH LANE AND RANDY LUDLOW
Commuters who roll up major mileage between home and work are burning an ever-larger portion of their paychecks in their gas tanks.
Record gasoline prices of about $3.45 a gallon are hitting home hardest among those who drive long distances to earn a buck.
Nearly 10 percent of Ohioans drive 45 minutes or more to work, according to 2006 U.S. Census figures. For others, driving is their job.
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This is what Vice-president Cheny calls our “non-negotiable” way of life.
Did I miss the link on the story page to enlarge the graphic? I’d actually be curious to see those numbers.
On the other hand, if these prices hold for a while, it will at least give substantial leverage to Strickland’s passenger rail proposals and Coleman’s streetcar proposal. One can also hope that it might help us land a bit of the alternate-fuels industry, but most of that seems to be settling in California for the moment. (Or Tokyo.)
I’d like to see a larger version of that Ohio graphic too….
Yeah, the Dispatch sucks at that. They rarely have a larger graphic to see online. Get with the times!
edit… or at least The Times.
(Click to enlarge)
That giant blue 1970′s car would certainly get terrible gas milage. But at least it looks like driving from Cincy to Cleveland will only take 4 seconds.
:lol: :lol:
Let’s guess how much gas it will take to go to Pittsburgh – and how much it will cost.
I drive a 1998 automatic honda civic dx in modest condition. I am getting an oil change before we go. Any one?
Let’s guess how much gas it will take to go to Pittsburgh – and how much it will cost.
I drive a 1998 automatic honda civic dx in modest condition. I am getting an oil change before we go. Any one?
I have the same-ish car. I get about 28 mpg. You’ll have some hills in PA. I guess you’ll spend $51 on gas for a round trip, if you do some driving within Pittsburgh, $46 if you bike it in the city.
About 320 miles…
at 25 miles to the gallon
average price about $3.40/gallon
=
about $45… Not sooo bad.
That’s only the gasoline cost…what about the other costs for operating a car? According to AAA (using gas costs of only $2.25), the cost of driving is 52.2 cents/mile. That puts the 40 mile roundtrip commute at $104 per 5 day week. You can add $10-20 on top of that for the higher gas prices we’re seeing.
Gas is still cheap. It’s only about 20 cents/cup. That’s cheaper than bottled water. And bottled water can’t move 3,000 lbs. for a mile! :shock:
Hell yea I picked up my motorcycle today.
The ten day forecast looks doable no problem.
i don’t get the graph from the dispatch… they’re just informing us how far things are away? i think they meant, or rather i wish, for that to show how much traveling those distances cost, but i guess they give me the proportion so i can figure it out for myself… it sure is a pretty chart, though…
Ehh – I tried. I wasn’t sure.
Either way, At least you know the rate from the figures on the top. I am sure you can handle the proportions on your own ;)
Apples and oranges, dude. Sorry to pick this apart, but the former is for long-distance travel, the latter is a downtown amenity. Neither would significantly offset the high volume of daily commutes within the metro area (the Dispatch’s 40-mile radius).
i guess i mostly needed an excuse to post the funny picture hehehe
Apples and oranges, dude. Sorry to pick this apart, but the former is for long-distance travel, the latter is a downtown amenity. Neither would significantly offset the high volume of daily commutes within the metro area (the Dispatch’s 40-mile radius).
You didn’t pick it apart dude, so nothing to be sorry about.
The article is about how expensive it’s gotten to drive. The Ohio Hub and Streetcar line will both provide options for people (commuters included) other than reaching for thier car keys and spending time and money in their cars. Add light rail into the mix and you’ve got a full fledged system that reaches a huge portion of the population with loads of options.
Oh, and marginalizing the streetcar as an amenity is assinine. Cars are amenities too. So are busses and bike racks.
I want to support alternatives to our crazy dependence on cars, but the real problem stems from the shift in time way back in the industrial revolution that allowed us to spread out what we do. I do hope to move more downtown since I work downtown, but I guess I’m getting off my point, here…
My point is that when it comes to gas prices, and light rail, I think we’re doing the right things, but if you listen to science (and I don’t think this is even an extreme view), the whole system of burning things and putting smoke into the air is just flawed, and the only way to really not have an impact is to BAN private combustion of any kind TODAY. … GLOBALLY.
So, with that view point, I feel a little guilt whenever these issues come up ’cause I fear it is much to do about nothing, although moving everybody to mass transit is the sure way to win at SimCity, but I think we just might be screwed on this one no matter what we do. So in that respect, I actually have a little less guilt in driving.
Every bit helps, and maybe that is an extreme science viewpoint, but I dunno… anyone else feel this way? I love trains, street cars, light rail, seriously, I’m all for it.
I like the fact that it’s a pretty nice way to find out where you can eat on the 100 Mile Diet.
;)
that’s a good point, if all ecosystems and business supply chains are also thinking about being green, then maybe we aren’t screwed…. anyway… the 100 mile diet looks really cool… i hope we don’t have a late frost this year like last year where we had a couple of weeks of creepy trees, and more importantly, hardly ANY apples…. om nom nom nom
Many people turn to COTA, ride sharing
Thursday, March 13, 2008
BY TIM DOULIN
With gas prices heading toward $4 a gallon, some commuters are looking at alternatives to their gas-powered cars and trucks, and more are turning toward public transportation.
COTA ridership is up 3 percent during the past 12 months. In January, the bus company provided 1.29 million rides, up 4.7 percent compared with January 2007.
“We are seeing increases, and I am confident we are going to continue to see increases as gas prices go up,” said William Lhota, president and chief executive officer of the Central Ohio Transit Authority.
COTA begins collection this year on a 0.25 percent tax levy approved by voters in 2006. The levy is paving the way in May for additional runs on express routes and on crowded local routes such as High Street, Cleveland Avenue, Main Street and Livingston Avenue.
Americans took 10.3 billion trips on public transportation in 2007, according to the American Public Transportation Association. That is the highest number in 50 years and a 2.1 percent increase over 2006.
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