[BabyPeanut]

Have you been driving less since "all of this"?

[pilferage]

When I still had my Camry, yes! But since I picked up my Rabbit L, not so much. 43mpg in heavy traffic is just too neat, I think I do it just to compute my mileage after each fill up. Also, my bike fleet's mostly in disrepair.

[BabyPeanut]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '[')url=http://www.fcnp.com/534/peakoil.htm] Last week the Department of Energy reported US demand for petroleum products had dropped by 2.3 percent as compared to 2004. The American Petroleum Institute did DOE one better by announcing that demand during September had dropped by nearly 4 percent. This was backed up by a consumer survey in which 69 percent claimed to be driving less.

There you have it. Economic theory worked. Higher gas prices have finally driven Mr. and Mrs. America to slow down, ride a bus now and them, or to simply stay at home and watch TV. (link)[/url]

[PrairieMule]

I work 5 miles away from home. I switched to this job last year just to cut down on the commute time and the gas was just a bonus. In the last 12 months I have driven 7000 miles compared to 16,000 the previous 12 months. I am trying to get my wife to quit he job and work over here. It's nice filling up every 3 weeks instead of every 5 days.

[Klatuu]

Yes. Definitely driving less. Regardless of the present cost of fuel we (me and the little lady) are trying to wean ourselves from the "American way" of driving everywhere all-the-time: we moved into town and now are within walking distance of all essential services and can now walk to work; one commuter vehicle (4WD) is kept in top-notch mechanical condition, but is driven rarely - the other four-wheel vehicle is a worn out old pick-up truck which is used sparingly and will soon be retired; the third vehicle is a newly acquired motorcycle (50 MPG) that is capable of carrying two persons and it too is used sparingly. All vehicles are paid for and if wasn’t for the required vehicle registration fees and insurance, we’d have even less financial impact from owning these mechanical money pits.

Our next PO inspired target: greenhouse construction for growing both fresh homegrown produce and canning for yearly consumption.

[lotrfan55345]

Pffft, no.

[The_Toecutter]

I wish driving less was a viable option here, but so long as the Metrolink is $2.00 and buses are $2.00(more with transfer), provided gas remains under $4.50/gallon driving will actually be cheaper than the joke of a mass transit system in this country. and then whenever it does come time to switch, the four hours extra per day added to the commutes by walking 2.5 miles from my house to the Metrolink PLUS the slowness of the public transit and waiting around for buses will mean gas will need to be about $10/gallon before I can seriously see a benefit in quitting driving.

Should viable public transit be offered or should the cars go off the roads making biking somewhat safe again, I would gladly give up driving to commute in a heartbeat. Driving for day to day transportation is stupid and wasteful, but unfortunately, it's the only rational option for me at this point. At least things will get a little better whenever I get that electric car finished.

[ravensburg]

I wish I could drive less. I keep trying I need to get in shape anyway. I am lucky were I moved I may be 10 miles from work but I am in walking distence of everything else.

[Omnitir]

I started heavily using public transport a few months ago. I’m finding commuting to be much more relaxing now, as I just sit back on the train or bus and ponder at how stressful driving really is.

I’m also saving heaps of money, plus getting a little more exercise each day walking to bus stops and train stations.

However I still can't bring myself to sell my car. It still gets used if I'm running late or need to go somewhere that isn't close to a bus stop or train station.