I want to go green, I really do. But why does the transit company make it so bloody difficult? Honestly, I used to take the bus to work every day, but when I discovered the two-dollar-a-day parkade near my office, the choice was made for me. It’s cheaper for me to drive the three miles to work than to take the bus.
Even if the cost were the same, I would still drive — taking the bus can be such an ordeal, take three times as long, and you’ll never know exactly when (or if) you’ll get where you’re going.
Let me tell you about my commute yesterday. Early morning, I shuffle out to my trusty little Honda Civic. As I unlock the door, R2 bleeps at me; the alarm is on, and my keychain thing has fallen off. Not a problem — I have a spare inside.
Moments later, I’m back at my car and the alarm shuts off with that little bloop-bloop sound. This time, however, I notice that my left rear tire is flat. Since I bought the car, there’s been a slow leak around the valve stem that I simply haven’t had the inclination to fix. I don’t have time to deal with it, so I headed to the bus stop and hopped the ol’ Number 15.
Inside, it’s hot, humid, and we’re packed like sardines. Two seconds into the trip, we hit the traffic and slow to a crawl. The lanes on the left are moving freely, but of course the driver wouldn’t want to do anything sensible like change lanes.
It’s getting hotter. I want out. But of course on a bridge, the driver can’t let anyone off. Sweat is running down my back and there’s no air coming in the window because we’re not moving. Oddly, no one else seems inclined to open a window.
Twenty minutes later, we finally pass the construction that caused the slowdown, which is only a quarter mile from where I got on. I could have walked here faster! Out of frustration I leap off at the next stop and revel in the fresh, cool air. Since I’m still over two miles from work, I start walking. Eventually I showed up… irritated and tired.
In comparison, today I fixed the flat and drove to work in fifteen minutes.
OK, I know it’s immoral to drive to work, but what are my choices? The bus is a daily ordeal and costs too much. Scooters are notorious polluters (most have dirty, two-stroke engines). I don’t want to risk cycling in downtown rush-hour traffic. It’s too far to walk.
Somebody buy me a Segway Human Transporter!