Gassless

I was reading this morning about the continuing rise in gas prices, and the oil industries continual attempts to place the blame on prices on Ethanol and renewable energy and the war and Santa Claus, while showing record profits and giving executives obscene retirement packages.

Corporate greed and lies aren't enough to upset me anymore. It's like asking a cockroach not to scurry into shadows when you turn on the light. But I have to say that I've been basking in the moral superiority of the decision to go carless several months ago. I made that choice primarily for economic reasons, although I certainly had an environmental warm fuzzy over the whole thing. Still, I recently did a financial assessment and figured out the average cost for BART and MUNI over the course of a year, and it's drastically less than gas, insurance and maintenance. Add the cost of the car in the first place and it's rather mind boggling. Sure, BART is greedy and badly managed and avoids responsibility just like the big oil companies, but at least it saves me money and isn't nearly as damaging for the environment as my car was.

I get my groceries delivered via Safeway, which was the thing that made being carless in Chicago back in the early 1990's difficult. Visiting friends who don't live near BART or bus lines is a pain, and I'm always glad for the odd ride here and there, but by and large being carless hasn't been a hardship at all. I read or write while traveling, and sometimes even strike up conversations with people (although that's usually on the last BART when people are a little lit). What's more, I'm often wherever I need to go just as fast, or faster than when I drive. It depends on where I'm heading, and if I have to change buses or not, but on high traffic days it's much better to be on that train than on the bridge.

And even when it takes me longer to go somewhere, the exercise is easy and perfect. I've had many people comment that I've lost weight since November, when I lost the car. I'm not buff, or about to run a marathon, and I wasn't exactly heavy to start with, but the mid-30's weight I had started to gain has melted away like the hot butter that was causing it.

I still need a vehicle every now and then. When the times comes to ship props and set pieces to the Eureka for Vagina Dentata, I'll need to borrow a friend's truck or rent one for the day. When it comes down to it, $20 for a day's use of a truck three or four times a year isn't that bad.

So, think about it. How much do you need your car? How much would it hurt you to be a little inconvenienced and lose a little status and do something good for yourself, your wallet, and the earth? Is there CarShare in your area? Do you have friends you can share cars with? There are options out there, and lots of them. It may be a bit harder for those of you out in the suburbs or the countryside, but for city dwellers, or those near public transportation... think about it. Then think about it again.

See you at the bus stop.