The Transportation Toolbox

I alluded to this post in my earlier Declaration of Independence- from the car, that is. I want to talk about the versatility of the automobile, and the choices people make about transportation often without thinking about them. I want to do this by looking at what a typical auto addict's transportation toolbox, and how it compares to a more balanced one. (Spoiler alert: I'm going to use mine for the "more balanced" column.)


Auto Addict's Transportation Toolbox:



Automobile. 
Used for: The vast majority of trips, from the corner store to the daily commute to the occasional cross-country road trip.



Aircraft. 
Used for: Moving people for most long-distance trips, generally around a thousand km and up.

Not a lot of diversity here. Now, granted, a lot of people will engage in a walk from time to time, and there are quite a few recreational hikers and cyclists out there... but, for pure transportation, this is roughly what many Americans' lives look like, especially in suburbia- and especially for what used to be called "the middle class."  The design of many tract developments especially almost necessitates a toolkit that looks like this, as it often walls people off from walking, cycling and taking transit. Furthermore, for long-distance transportation, many are entirely unaware of our national rail system and (despite encouraging changes in the northeast and in Chicagoland) disinclined to use long-distance bus service.

Let's now take a look at what my transportation toolkit looks like. Now, I'm not saying I'm perfect, but it should be clear that an awareness of one's transportation options allows a better matching between the job at hand and the tool used to do it.

Car-free Transportation Toolbox:



Walking.
Used for: A small number of very short trips, often with company. Honestly, I don't walk too much, but I do on occasion. As I've mentioned, we have a fairly nice shopping centre within five minutes' walk of our apartment, and so sometimes the wife and I will walk there for shopping or a nice dinner.


Bicycling.
Used for: Most trips within a 10 mile radius that I take alone, including moderate cargo hauling. My bike is my go-to transportation tool, and serves the majority of trips I take. You'd also be amazed at the amount of cargo I can haul on the back, with nothing more than panniers and a rear rack. (I'm drooling over the amazingly versatile Burley Travoy trailer, but haven't plunked down the money yet.) Sadly, my wife is difficult to coax on to the back of a bicycle, so it's rare that we pedal places together.


Local Bus.
Used for: A lot of around-town trips, especially during inclement weather, as well as some longer-distance trips that would be difficult to manage on a bicycle. I also used the RTA to haul food for 80 Occupiers downtown earlier, so it's occasionally useful for certain specialized types of cargo. I can also, occasionally, manage to get Dani on to a bus, so we've been known to go out together via transit.


Commuter Rail.
Used for: Pretty much every trip I make to LA or Orange County (though I sometimes use the bus to the OC). Also occasionally the first step in longer-distance rail trips, leaving from LA Union.

 
Scooter.
Used for: Most trips my wife makes, along with a lot of trips that the two of us makes. It will haul the both of us, and not a whole lot more, so it's not generally used for more than light shopping.


Zipcar.
Used for: Shopping trips, mostly. It's also a great backup when one of us has the scooter and the other one *has* to get somewhere quickly, or when we were dealing with car breakdowns.


Long-distance Rail.
Used for: Any long-distance trip that it makes sense for, including my 30-day 25-state 4-province Amtrak trip. Travel by train is my favourite way to travel- especially if I can afford sleeper.


Long-distance bus.
Used for: Trips where the train can't hack it. Sometimes, I use Greyhound as a supplement to Metrolink and other intra-regional services. Other times, it's used for long highway trips. One must be careful when trying to take the Hound to Vegas.




Aircraft.
Used for: Long-distance domestic trips where time is a factor, as well as international trips (which I haven't taken enough of...).

Once you get away from the car-centric paradigm of transportation, a whole range of transport options opens up to you- and it's important, for all of the reasons that readers of this blog already know, that we restore balance to our transportation system.

NOTE: The photos of the car, ZipCar, airplane, Greyhound bus, and hiking boots are not mine. They are used under Creative Commons licensing, and the photographers are credited in the alt text.

A Declaration of Independence!

As of a few minutes ago, I am car-free. Dani and I sold our aging Honda Civic to somebody who could better take care of her. We have no plans to buy another car. How were we able to accomplish this monumental feat in the middle of car-centric suburbia?

Well, to be honest, dear reader, we cheated. My wife works as a substitute teacher, and it is impossible to reach around half of her school sites on time by transit- and she won't be bicycling to Redlands any time soon. (I'm working on it!) Therefore:



We're now the owners of a 2009 Aprilia Sportcity 250 scooter. Before you laugh, it gets 3.6l/100km (65 MPG) and will haul both of us at freeway speeds. So are we motor vehicle free? Not yet at least. But I have to think that going from 816kg (1800lbs) of vehicle to 158kg (350lb), and from ~9l/100km (25MPG) to 3.6l/100km (65MPG), is a significant improvement.

Without a car, our transportation toolkit has changed quite a bit- a subject which I'd like to cover in a later post. Just now, it's a time for celebration.

Riverside: Worth Saving: Part 1 (Canyon Crest)

Last year, I was inspired by the 2010 LA StreetSummit to try and show my fellow southern Californians that Riverside is not an endless wasteland of suburban sprawl- that, while we certainly have our challenges (see every other post on this blog), not every bit of the suburbs needs to be bulldozed or transformed into farmland. We're going to start with my neighbourhood, Canyon Crest- specifically the portion of the neighbourhood that is mid-rise apartments clustered around the Canyon Crest Towne Centre.

Introduction:

View Riverside: Worth Saving in a larger map

The blue shape on the map above is roughly what I'm thinking about when I talk about my neighbourhood. Locals will notice that this differs quite a bit from the official City of Riverside boundaries of the Canyon Crest neighbourhood. That's because, outside of this walkable bit, much of Canyon Crest is unrepentant suburban cul-de-sac hell. Even many single-family homes near the shopping centre have streets laid out in such a way as to make walking from them to the shopping centre difficult, as you can see on the map. Also, what may be unclear on the map but is abundantly clear to anyone on foot is that this area is in Riverside's foothills. While the apartments are generally relatively close in elevation to the shopping centre, most of the single-family housing is built up or down any of a number of hills, somewhat discouraging leisurely strolls.

What's Right:


The centre of this neighbourhood is the Canyon Crest Towne Centre, a pleasant upscale shopping centre within walking distance of anywhere in that blue region above. This complex is more useful to daily urban life than most upscale suburban shopping centres- aside from the usual expensive restaurants and shops, there is a Ralph's grocery store and a 24-hour Rite Aid. There are also quite a few inexpensive dining options, both local shops and franchises. There is also a "contract postal unit"- a counter at the back of a Hallmark store that offers US Postal services- as well as a barber shop, a donut shop, a dry cleaning concern, an ice cream and drinking water store and a UPS store. Oh, and did I mention the local bike shop? Many of the restaurants are also quite tasty- our personal favourites include Romano's (not to be confused with the franchise Macaroni Grill), Smokey Canyon BBQ and the Tortilla Grille.



As you can tell from the photos, this is no ordinary suburban strip mall. Fountains, benches and attractive landscaping create a pleasant environment for walking and shopping. Piped-in music always annoys me, but apparently no walkable place in the suburbs can be without it. Having this shopping centre within walking distance has made my life immeasurably simpler, as almost anything one needs in daily life is on offer here- and often on offer 20 or 24 hours daily.



Beyond local shopping, the neighbourhood has a lot more to offer urbanist activists. Both major arterials through the area have bike lanes, and every street I've yet seen has well-maintained sidewalks on both sides.



Bike lanes, specifically, are not in the door zone (as parking is prohibited on arterial roads), and many stoplights in the area have these convenient bicycle buttons on them. Off the arterials, neighbourhood roads are small and twisty, limiting speeds and making for pleasant cycling and walking. Crosswalks are well-striped and generally respected.

There are two parks in the area, the Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Park and Andulka Park. The former is a large expanse of land left to run wild, criss-crossed with trails that, I'm told, make for "world-class" mountain biking. The latter is a more traditional city park, with gazebos, picnic facilities, two children's playground, several ball fields, volleyball courts, a professional-grade tennis centre and even a small water play area for the kids in the summer. Sycamore Canyon is within easy walking distance of the Towne Centre, while Andulka is about a mile down an unpleasantly long hill.

Transit in the area is frequent and plentiful, at least by Riverside standards. Two routes serve the area during the day- routes 16 and 51. The 16 runs on a half-hourly schedule and provides a direct connection to the Moreno Valley Mall and associated shopping (along with transfers to Moreno Valley bus routes), UC Riverside, the downtown Metrolink station and downtown bus terminal (with transfers throughout the city). The 51 is a circulator shuttle that provides students access to the University and surrounding neighbourhood, though this includes many restaurants and the main post office. At night, the 51 is replaced by the 53, serving many of the same areas until half past midnight. My bus stop often sees 20 hours/day of transit service.

What's Wrong:

First off, the neighbourhood is somewhat lacking in true public space. The Towne Centre provides attractive plazas and seating, but it is a private shopping centre. I've never seen anyone kicked out for loitering, but the prominently-posted rule signs and overimportant security guards don't make for a welcoming atmosphere. The two public parks in the area are great, but one is truly wilderness and the other is in a very inconvenient location. Several locations would make for truly excellent pocket parks, but they have yet to be exploited.

Also, while the Towne Centre is definitely designed to provide a pleasant pedestrian experience, it (ironically, but in a tragically suburban fashion) only provides that experience for those who arrive by automobile. Take a look at this entrance:



You'll notice the provision of high-speed automobile entrance and egress, and nothing else. And no, this isn't unique- most of the other entrances to the shopping centre are about the same. There are a couple of staircases for pedestrians, but they simply dump you out in the parking lot with all the other patrons. Pedestrian experience is treated here as something of a tourist attraction, something you drive to and enjoy.

The transit options in the area are definitely better than most in the suburbs, but they also vary significantly based on the season. The 51 and 53 only run during UCR academic days, and the 53 doesn't run on Fridays either. So that 20 hours of transit service? Only on UCR academic days that aren't Fridays. Granted, that's probably more often than not, but on other days there's just the 16, which shuts down at 9 normally, 8 on Saturdays and a pathetic 7:15 on Sundays (since the most recent service cuts). Also, half-hourly service is good for RTA (only one route in the system is more frequent), but verging on unpleasant anywhere else.

Last, though, driving is just too easy here. This area has easy freeway access from either wide, high-speed arterial. Traffic is almost unheard of, and most apartments come with two parking spaces per unit (and get poor ratings on ApartmentRatings if they don't). While the arterials don't, by and large, have on-street parking, neighbourhood streets most certainly do- free and unrestricted by the City's resident permit system. The Towne Centre has a vast parking lot, free to all comers, but little bicycle parking (despite my protests). Both parks have ample free parking, but only Andulka has any bicycle facilities- despite the "world-class" mountain biking. I speculated last year that this was why few people walk and bicycle even in a place that is relatively pedestrian- and bike-friendly.

What needs to be done:

Well, we need to fix what's wrong, obviously. Traffic calming on the major thoroughfares could improve things a bit, as could a reduction in the City's parking requirements for the Towne Centre. (I'm sure the owners wouldn't mind putting in more retail space.) Unbundling parking from housing prices, as well as trying to get some properties in on a universal transit pass, would help raise transit ridership. Getting actually decent transit wouldn't hurt, either- and the 16 Rapid should help with that, if it ever starts running. Neighbourhood pocket parks along the median between Canyon Crest and its frontage road would provide much-needed public space, especially if the street were traffic-calmed. Also, stationing a car-share car or two at the Towne Centre might convince some cash-strapped grad students that they can get by without their own.

So there you have it- my neighbourhood, what I think is the best place in the IE to call home. Stay tuned for further installments demonstrating why Riverside is worth saving.

Memories

2010-12-23 12.23.35, originally uploaded by plattypus1.

While stopping by my parents' bank on the way to San Francisco, I noticed (and snapped a photo of) this little cutaway, VVTA #2007. This bus is serving a route that was very important in my life, the #21 Tri-Community. It's this bus that would call on my hometown, with 24-hour advance reservation, and allow my young self to get to places I otherwise couldn't- cross-country practice in 6th grade, an after-school job in sophomore year, hanging out with friends at the local pathetic-excuse-for-a-mall, even a date or two. Over the summer of 2004, this was the bus that brought my then-girlfriend (six years of marriage this month!) and I together. Growing up, I had no car in an area where one was a practical requirement. That said, I'm an impractical sort- so it was often that I turned to VVTA.

Thanks, public transit, for keeping me from going stir crazy so many times.

2010: The Year in Transit

You know I had to. Here's a look back on Riding in Riverside's second full year of raging against a very specific machine.

In January, I covered the slashing of IE-OC Line Metrolink service (and got in the LA Times for it), wrote about how green and automobile ought not be used in the same sentence, and found a still-elusive feature of LA's TAP card.

In February, I asked why, in my relatively walkable neighbourhood, people don't walk, celebrated the first Zipcars in the IE, and noted the differences between those who cycle for fun and those who cycle to get around.

In March, I noted the experience of fellow UCR students heading home from the March Forth Rally, approvingly noted the approval of both a new transit centre and mixed-use development, and I had a moment of bike-related frivolity.

In April, I took a personal tour of RTA's Third Street operations and learned a bit while I was at it, shared my perspectives on biking San Francisco, and proposed a liquor tax to fund late-night transit.

In May, I ranted about auto addiction, ranted about the state of American social services, and the persistent-but-irritating myth of empty buses.

In June, I reported on residential obstruction on the Perris Valley Line, tried to encourage others to give up their car, and contrasted the airport transit experiences of LA and New York.

In July, I mused on what a sustainable civilization would look like, suggested a few ways to make Riverside more bike-friendly, and pitched the Eco-Pass to city leaders.

In August, I tried to find balance in a bike-crazy blogosphere, pointed out why March Field is a lousy site for HSR (and got featured on the CA HSR blog), and told our city officials to take the cars off welfare, starting with their own.

In September, I wrote about Riverside's illegible network, celebrated San Bernardino County's Google Transit victory, and suggested local preference policies for Riverside.

In October, I ranted about skaters in the bike lane and cyclists on the sidewalk, reported on an eventful Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting, and an election of some kind garnered mention.

In November, I called for riders to stop calling themselves commuters, reported on some disappointing electoral results, and relayed the sad story of a parking lot owner whose subsidized parking was stolen from him.

In December, I was mostly quiet- thanks a lot, parents who refuse to drive on highways served by cell service. However, I did manage to review Metrolink's new fleet, defend the initial CA-HSR segment in the Central Valley, and tell you why you should care about the difference between the federal and California MUTCD's.

That's 2010, the year that was. May 2011 bring you less suckage and more transit!

Twits on a Bus

If you need a convenient way of finding out what's impacting your commute every morning, get on Twitter and follow my new list, @plattypus1/ie-transportation

You'll get updates from both major IE transit agencies and Metrolink, along with RCTC and IE511 updates, and tweets from yours truly and the Transit Coalition's IE campaign. If you like (and have unlimited text messages on your cell plan- and really, who doesn't these days?), you can have these messages delivered directly to your phone via SMS, and it goes without saying that smartphone users can fetch them on their device of choice.

You're also encouraged to subscribe to the Riding in Riverside Google Calendar, in order to keep up with transit happenings around the area.

The Riding in Riverside Manifesto

I realized today that, though I have mentioned before that I am an ideological creature, I have not posted on this blog about my ideology, about what drives my writing, my activism, my career and my life. (Yes, they're all related.) I thought it important to write this down, not only for my readership but for myself.

First, I am a humanist. I believe that this life is almost certainly all that we can expect from existence, and that it is the only thing that we can be certain of. I believe in the inherent worth of human life in particular, and in life in general, as we are all part of the same massive family. It is therefore our duty to all of our fellow living things to work together to improve our lot in life, as it is the only life we have.

Second, I am a progressive and a democratic socialist. I believe that government is simply a very formal way of people joining together to help each other. I believe that broad participation in decision-making is a noble ideal, both in civil society and in the workplace. I believe that, properly designed and with the right people, government can be a strong force for good in society. I believe that the poorly-restrained market capitalism of the last 30 years is a force for substantial evil, and that markets can be strongly regulated and still provide plentiful incentive for innovation. I believe that the wealthy owe their wealth largely to the society that nurtured their endeavours, and they have a moral duty to give back to that society through strongly progressive taxation. I believe that every human being, by virtue of their humanity, deserves decent housing, plentiful food and as much education as they have aptitude and desire for- oh, and communication and transportation, too.

Third, I am a social scientist. I believe that the scientific method provides the best, and most objective, method for finding truths about the world. I believe that the free and open sharing of information, especially research data, and the free exchange of ideas allows us to determine just exactly what is going on, not only in the natural world, but in society at large. I believe that, given time, science will continue revealing more and more about the universe and our place in it. I also believe that it will continue revealing more and more questions- and that the most exhilarating to happen to a scientist is the discovery, not of a new fact, but of a new question. I believe that universal education is paramount to allowing our society to reap the benefits of scientific inquiry, and that strong support for basic research in all fields ought to be a social priority. I also believe that there is no higher calling in life than to add to the sum of human knowledge, which leads me to my current career.

Fourth, I am an environmentalist. Since this is the only life we have, and since we are of necessity connected to the ecosystems around us, we must take what steps we can to preserve the planet that we live on, and ensure that said planet is conducive to human life. All of my research indicates that the post-war automobile-driven development of this country is among the greatest threats to the capacity of our world to support human civilization. Among said threats, it seems that it is the only one that the mainstream environmental community is largely ignoring- environmentally conscious individuals use re-usable shopping bags, buy organic foods, and conserve power at home, but think nothing of driving to the grocery store to put their organic veggies in their canvas shopping bags. I therefore consider it a moral obligation to fight sprawl and automobile use, before such things destroy the world as we know it.

Fifth, I am an urbanist. I believe that humanity is a social species, and that we function well in large communities. I believe that traits of city life, such as plentiful nightlife, abundant art and culture, walkability and density are pleasant and enjoyable, and I believe that a majority of my fellow humans feel this way. I believe that government and business policies over the last 50 years have artificially created the suburban lifestyle and culture, and that more people would live in dense, walkable neighbourhoods if there were enough supply of such neighbourhoods that they were affordable. The continued sky-high prices of urban housing lends support to this proposition, as does the fact that suburban residents will drive substantial distances to walkable town centres, or malls designed to look like them. Since suburban sprawl is so damaging, and urban life in such scarce supply, I believe that infill and dense development is crucial to the future of our society.

Sixth, I am a cyclist and a transit rider. Since cars are so damaging, and yet so plentiful, I feel hypocritical every time I get behind the wheel of one. I live my life without reliance on the private automobile, in an area where such a life is unimaginable to most of my neighbours. In doing so, I hope to set a positive example for my fellow Riversiders, and encourage them to join me. (I know of at least three people who have begun riding transit more often, thanks to my example and encouragement.)

Seventh and lastly, I am an activist. There are many things about our society that I believe need to be changed, and I consider it my moral duty to affect that change. While, as an urbanist, I would admittedly prefer to live elsewhere, Riverside is my home for the time being, and I therefore have a duty to improve it. Through this blog, and through my personal activities on a local level, I hope to help make at least a portion of Riverside into a place that people can live car-free and happily.

I hope that reading this document gives you a sense of who I am, why I do what I do, and what Riding in Riverside is all about.

2009: The Year in Transit

As we say good-bye to the noughties, I'd like to take a look back at Riding in Riverside's first full year in operation, 2009.

In January, La Sierra University joined U-Pass, Greyhound service was struggling to remain in the city, and RTA was trying to overcharge day pass riders.

In February, we got the first announcement of the 2009 service cuts, the stimulus bill pumped money into IE freeways, and Greyhound stranded me downtown.

In March, I got a statement from the Mayor on public transit, dug up evidence of RTA's RapidLink project, and discovered the wonders of grocery delivery.

In April, the first seeds of the multi-modal transit centre were planted, Councilwoman Hart said some stupid things about Greyhound, and I made my endorsements in the City Council elections.

In May, I tried to turn readers into riders, commented on the proposed Short-Range Transit Plan, and Omnitrans deprived people of barbecue.

In June, I laid out my proposal for a Riverside light rail, Google Transit for RTA went up for the first time, and our late-night service was cruelly taken away.

In July, LA Metro joined Google Transit, the City Council made a dumb decision about parking fines, and RTA's data fell out of Google Transit, because it was apparently requiring transfers somewhere north of Guam.

In August, I talked about my trip to NYC, the City Council approved what would become Riverside Go Transit, U-Pass, and took a clear step towards the multi-modal transit centre, I proposed my solution to Metrolink capacity issues, and I gave an interview with a local podcast.

In September, Omni saw a fare hike, the first RTA service ever to run past midnight began service, and OCTA disconnected the 794 from, well, everything else.

In October, I reminded folks about transfer policies, called out a Congressman for hypocrisy, and celebrated my 23rd birthday with official news of the new multi-modal transit centre.

In November, I reported on upcoming Dial-a-Ride policy changes, Riverside became a Bronze-level bicycle-friendly community, and the Corona Transit Center broke ground. Also, Los Angeles celebrated the opening of the Eastside Gold Line Extension.

In December, SANBAG started studying Victor Valley express bus options, Metrolink proposed draconian service cuts- and then did nothing about them, and the Riverside Go Transit program launched, offering cheap bus passes to all Riversiders.

Looking forward into the new year, service changes are coming on January 10th, and we can hope for progress on the Riverside transit centre and the Perris Valley Line, both of which cleared significant hurdles in 2009.

Also, readers should know: Greyhound has NOT left Riverside. The new signage on the Greyhound building downtown, marking it as a police station (which it is), does not mean that service to the station has ceased. The station is open 7am-3:30pm and 6pm-9pm daily.

I'd like to wish all my readers a happy and prosperous new year, and I hope for a better transit system in 2010.

Disclosure Statement

In accordance with new FTC regulations covering bloggers who make statements about products or services, I am hereby publishing a policy regarding advertisements and endorsements on this blog. This policy is effective immediately, 12-22-2009, and will remain effective until a new one is published.

This blog is a personal blog. Though I strive to be informative, I make no pretense of objectivity. In Air America host Thom Hartmann's exceptional phrasing, Riding in Riverside is "fair and slightly unbalanced." Independent of ideology, however, what I report here will be held to the highest standards of factual accuracy.

The opinions posted here are my own. All content on this blog belongs solely to me, and does not necessarily represent the opinion of my employer or any organization of which I am a member unless otherwise stated. All content on this blog is copyright Justin M. Nelson, licensed under the Creative Commons CC-NC-BY-SA v. 3.0 license. This means you are free to quote my work and even modify it, so long as you cite the source and extend these permissions to any work incorporating mine.

I run ads on this blog. They are automatically generated by Google AdSense, and I have no control over the content of these ads. I am paid (very little- to date I've made around $5) for these ads by Google, who is paid for these ads. I don't even see these ads on most occasions, because I am an AdBlock user, and these ads do not, in any way, affect my writing.

I occasionally mention products or services, usually ones that aid me in my travels. I have not received any compensation from the producers of these products or services to date. If I do receive any compensation, I will disclose it in the relevant post. Regardless of compensation received, readers should understand that my endorsement of a product is not for sale. My review of a product or service should be understood as my opinion of that product, free of the influence of the entity that provided it.

I am not an employee of RTA, Omnitrans, OCTA, Foothill Transit, Metro, SCRRA, Sunline or any other transportation provider, nor am I an employee of a subsidiary or a contractor that provides services to any transportation provider. I am an employee of the University of California at Riverside, which purchases transportation from RTA as part of the U-PASS program, supporting routes 51 and 53. This contract does not change my opinion of these services, and I would enjoy them regardless. I receive free transportation from RTA as a UCR student, through the U-PASS program. My readers know that this does not soften my criticisms of the Agency in any way. Prior to the implementation of this program, I held a monthly RTA pass, and if the program were discontinued I would expect to continue riding.

Sorry for the dense legalese. This post will be linked at the side of the blog, next to the license notice, for ease of reference. If a change in policy occurs, I will notify readers with another blog post.

New Look and Logo!

I've wanted to design an RTA-inspired logo for this blog since I started it, and I finally got around to it. Thanks to RTA's marketing folks for image permissions, and for putting up such a handy color guide on the web, complete with RGB hex codes. I tweaked the red a little, your hex for it came out very magenta in GIMP.

I'm famous!

New local podcasters Ralph Torres and Tim Brown, of I.E. with Ralph and Tim, sat down with me a couple of weeks ago to talk about the blog and transit around the IE. The show is out! Check out my interview over at their site.

Fair warning- I have a voice for blogging. I say "absolutely" a lot, too...

Oh, and did I mention you should probably go listen to I.E. with Ralph and Tim, local and independent podcasting in Riverside? Yeah, you should.

Hunting

Hunting, originally uploaded by plattypus1.

To lighten up your day... my kitten and her kills.

Found under our coffee table- 20 milk tabs, 6 pens, 5 chap-sticks and a drinking straw. All of these items have disappeared from my nightstand over the last month or so.

Thoughts on car-freedom

Regular users know that I don't claim to be entirely car-free. I'm car-very-very-light. Well, back on Mother's Day, I was driving home from visiting my mother and in-laws, and my hood latch gave way, smashing my windshield and bending the hood in ways it was not meant to be bent. Nobody was injured, and we made it home safely, but our vehicle has been out of commission since then. That was, as I said, on Mother's Day, May the 10th. Because I'm an impoverished college student, and even worse one who is currently not attending courses (and hence not receiving financial aid), we haven't been able to fix the car, and it's not safe to drive. I've therefore been entirely car-free for the past month and a half.

All in all? Things have been pretty good. We eat out less than we used to, which is an improvement in our finances as well. I've built the CrateBike, and made very effective use of it. We also have been using grocery delivery, which rocks. What strikes me the most is that, besides my wife complaining a bit more whenever she wants to go somewhere, and carpooling with friends for social events more often, our lives haven't really changed all that much. Of course, I'm an outlier. I was already pretty auto-independent when this event happened. (The only reason we were driving that night was because our family's in the high desert. No transit options.) Most people I know would have their entire lives thrown into chaos were they to find themselves suddenly without access to a car. They're very used to a day strung together by driving. Many don't live in a neighbourhood where car-free life be very practical. Many tract developments are miles away from the nearest grocery store, for example. I'm fortunate enough to have the Canyon Crest Towne Centre and a frequent transit line within walking distance.

So, does this mean I'm finally read to cut the car cord? Not quite. Well, I'm ready to entirely, but the wife is probably attending Cal State San Bernardino in the winter, and, beyond a very long bike ride, there simply aren't any commute alternatives for the night classes she'll have to take. Add to that student teaching, and we'll probably have to wait until after her credential is earned to go car-free. And even that depends on where she can find a job. But this summer is a good demonstration of what is possible, even here in the IE.

Gone Graduatin'

Today is my graduation from UC Riverside, and the associated revelry. I'll be back Monday.

CrateBike

Abandoned bike, surplus from UCR- $10
Repairs and parts- $75
Office Depot file crate- $7

Moving yourself and a week's worth of groceries without a drop of fossil fuel? Priceless.

I'm feeling lucky

RiR is now #1 on google for "riding in riverside", beating out the Riverside Riding Stables for the first time that I've noticed.

We're 3rd down the list for "riverside transit blog", behind two pages of RTA's site. I think I need to say the word "blog" on here more often.

blog blog blog blog blog.

:D

I am not ashamed.

I've avoided saying it on this blog for a while now, just because it's still kind of an ugly word in America, but it's important to the story I want to tell below. I am an atheist. I've always been one, and I can see no reason, barring the Second Coming, that I will believe anytime soon. I'm not ashamed about that either, but that's actually not what this post is about.

It's important because I'm a very active member of the Inland Empire Atheists, a great group of people who share our godless ways, intellectual and philosophical gifts, and all-around fun-loving spirits. Think of us as like a church social group, just without the church. Accordingly, I'm out and about throughout the IE on a very regular basis, often with the same general group of people, most of whom I'm great friends with, and all of whom know that I am a dedicated alternative transport advocate and cyclist. It never fails, when I use alternative transport to get to an IEA event, that somebody will inevitably offer to give me a ride back home.

If any IEA folks are reading this, I really, really appreciate your concern, and I want you to know that I'm not trying to be mean or offensive in any way... but please stop. If I truly need help, I will ask. (And I have. Late-night events in Redlands don't work out well without some way to get home.)

It is this cultural bias in favour of the private automobile that is destroying our society. Well-meaning, well-informed and concerned people, the types of folks who recycle their bottles and cans and make sure to turn out the lights when they leave a room, see a bike or a bus (or the combination thereof) as a punishment. They see my trips on transit as suffering that they'd like to alleviate. While my wife might feel this way, I don't. I truly enjoy my time on transit- it's time for me to listen to music, read a book, people-watch or just stare out the window. I enjoy my bicycle rides- it's time I'm spending getting in shape and thinking, something easily accomplished on a bike. (Try it.)

While riding with somebody is not as hellish as driving (time that I really HATE...), it's still time that my movement is slowly poisoning our planet, and it's time that I am tacitly endorsing the status quo. I have a moral problem with cars. I really, truly do. I think they're evil. I think that much of what is wrong in our society is the direct result of years of automobiles in our streets. I feel guilty every time I'm riding in one. The car is my transport of last resort, and I like it that way. (Not to mention, by the way, that most folks I know drive a vehicle with substantially lower MPG...)

So, to everyone I know... I am an alternative transportation advocate. I am a cyclist, not for sport but just to get around town. I am a bus rider. For all of that, I am not ashamed.

AdSense?

The Blogger control panel now allows me to easily add Google AdSense advertisements to the blog, and I think I get enough traffic on here that it might be worth it to enable these ads and make a bit of money out of this little chunk of cyberspace, being a starving college student and all.

I'm not going to do it, however, if it's going to piss you guys off. So I've posted a poll. Let me know what you think.

Car costs

As many of you know, I live car-lite, not car-free. Yet. (We're working on it.) Accordingly, Monday was the day for me to go take care of the ritual sacrifice at the altar of AAA and DMV to ensure my vehicular operations, such as they are, comply with all local and state regulations. Namely, smog check, insurance and registration.

I don't have a car payment. My car was a gift to me for my 18th birthday. (Thanks, mom!) Even still, a "free" car costs a considerable chunk of our meager college-student income. This year's sacrifice was a little over $700. This is nothing extravagant- 1 smog test, 1 AAA membership (we decided to cancel the wife's card, as she doesn't drive), the cheapest liability-only auto insurance we could find, and $129 to the friendly DMV man. Some readers will point out that $700 really is rather low, comparatively speaking, for my yearly auto regulatory costs.

I will point out that $700, just one year's car costs, is enough to buy a sweet new folding bicycle, or 14 months of general 30-Day bus passes under the new fare structure. (More on that later.) It would also amount to around three months of our household food budget, six months of the cell phone bill, and a year's Internet bill. And, of course, this figure only counts the bare minimum it takes to legally park a car on a public street. To run it, you have to add in gas, maintenance, repairs, car washes, fast food, etc. I keep these operations costs to a minimum, but that doesn't change the fixed costs one bit.

How much is your car costing you?

Penguin Army

Windows and Mac peoples: The Linux Revolution is coming. Fear our Penguin army!

(For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about... I'm sorry.
Photo credit to fireurimagination at Incredimazing.)