General Jackassery

Really annoyed the last two days. We don’t seem to know how to make small sacrifice’s in this country. Think about it, if everyone would drive slower and make an effort to reduce the mileage they drive by planning their trips a little better we could probably reduce the demand for gasoline by 10% easy! It wouldn’t take that much if I drive 70 instead of 85 I get a 4% increase in gas mileage, so all I have to do is reduce the number of miles I drive by 6%. A 10% reduction in demand would equate to a much larger reduction in cost.

So, yesterday I’m on my way home from the gym and I decided to drive by Sam’s on the way home, just to see what all the hub-ub is about. People are freaking out because they might have to pay more for gas. So what do they do? The rush to the gas station and increase the demand for gasoline 10 times, thereby driving the cost of gasoline up and CREATING the price hike that they were so afraid of. Whatever floats your boat. Me, the Camry staid in the garage today. I’m tired of complaining about the price of gas and I’m tired of hearing people complain about the price of gas. I’m riding my bike. I figure I can ride the bike to work and that will save me 125 miles/week of gas and give me 125 miles/week of additional training. It’s a win/win situation.

I’ve also come up with the newest cycling advocacy program. T-shirts that say, “I’m saving you money! Ask me how!” I figure that by riding my bike, I’m reducing the demand for gas, decreased demand means decreased prices. I’m keeping my car off the road which reduces the wear and tear on the road leading to less need for maintanence and less tax money spent on road repair. I’m getting in better shape which leads to improved health, fewer doctor visits and fewer medical bills in general. I’m reducing traffic on the road, while people may have to slow down to pass me, I take up much less space on the road on my bike than I do in my car. You can fit six bikes in the space of one car. This reduces the need for huge parking lots and increased overhead for companies which reduces the cost of goods. Removing cars from the road makes more room for truck transportation, fewer traffic jams and in general would speed up shipping times, reducing shipping costs and reducing prices. Reducing gasoline consumption would decrease the trade deficit, increasing the value of the dollar and making it cheaper to travel to foreign countries. I could go on and on, but I think you get the point, it may not equate to a measurable amount that I save you, but I AM saving you money and you could save me money by riding your bike! Even if it was just one day per week it would be a vast improvement!