Rising Fuel Prices Impact On Local Communities (Pittsburgh, Republic: credit, transfer)

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by igo

How did they figure the average Pittsburgh commute to be 21.2min I don't think you will be getting to far from downtown during rush hour in that amount of time.

I would assume the commutes to Downtown averaged more, but the overall average will include people doing things like working in Oakland and living in the East End, or working and living in the same part of the suburbs, and so on.

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by igo

How did they figure the average Pittsburgh commute to be 21.2min I don't think you will be getting to far from downtown during rush hour in that amount of time.

That's the thing -- people work all over the place, not just downtown -- every single one of those workers who work in Cranberry or Pine or Franklin Park or those South Hills places I can't name have a commute.

It irks me that people always assume the commutes are always to downtown where ever. They do that here. All the commutes are to San Francisco. Honestly -- people really work in Oakland, and San Leandro and Walnut Creek and San Jose...

My cranky pants are back on...

[Goodjules]

Originally Posted by Tallysmom

That's the thing -- people work all over the place, not just downtown -- every single one of those workers who work in Cranberry or Pine or Franklin Park or those South Hills places I can't name have a commute.

It irks me that people always assume the commutes are always to downtown where ever. They do that here. All the commutes are to San Francisco. Honestly -- people really work in Oakland, and San Leandro and Walnut Creek and San Jose...

My cranky pants are back on...

Back when I was commuting I commuted from my home in SF to downtown SF on public transit. Then Redwood City to Oakland by car. Then Redwood City to Walnut Creek by car - 53 miles each way! and, I didn't even have the longest commute in the office! It was the recession of the early nineties and I couldn't find a job closer to home for over a year. Once I did I was commuting from Redwood City to SF by train, by far the most civilized. but it was 1 hour and 15 minutes door to door each way because I had to take a city bus after I got off the commute train. the distance was probably only about 30 miles. I now work at home, but my kids go to schools in different cities. Neither is too far away, but they are in opposite directions so I am doing a ton of short trips every day and the gas is killing me. About $400 a month. It's about $3.89 a gallon. I'm looking for a smaller car for my daily trips. I need my big van for my work , but not to drive the kids to school. I could probably cut my gas costs a lot if I get a more efficient vehicle.

I'm sure there a many other people making changes to their lifestyle based on the rising price of fuel.

[kpoeppel]

It's amazing how much short trips kill your gas mileage, since the engine is cold for most of the trip. I've found just by combining errands (and thus keeping the engine hot) I can get much better overall fuel economy. Another good strategy is to drive in a manner that minimizes use of the brakes when possible. If I think it's likely that an upcoming traffic light will be red by the time I get to it, I let off the gas and coast, giving the light time to turn green before I get to it, eliminating the costly stop.

[Bazzwell]

Originally Posted by kpoeppel

It's amazing how much short trips kill your gas mileage, since the engine is cold for most of the trip.

Very true indeed. The office is less than two miles from my house. Some days my only trip is out and back, no road trips to take. My average after enough weeks of doing this is roughly 23 mpg. But if I take it on a road trip of two or three hundred miles, my average heads up to 28 mpg.

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by kpoeppel

Another good strategy is to drive in a manner that minimizes use of the brakes when possible. If I think it's likely that an upcoming traffic light will be red by the time I get to it, I let off the gas and coast, giving the light time to turn green before I get to it, eliminating the costly stop.

Making the people that drive sticks shifts and can't do this CRAZY... But hey -- when you see someone leaving about 5 car lengths in front of them -- that's why -- that's how we cope.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Tallysmom

Making the people that drive sticks shifts and can't do this CRAZY... But hey -- when you see someone leaving about 5 car lengths in front of them -- that's why -- that's how we cope.

I drive stick, and I just put it in neutral to coast.

[kpoeppel]

Originally Posted by Tallysmom

Making the people that drive sticks shifts and can't do this CRAZY... But hey -- when you see someone leaving about 5 car lengths in front of them -- that's why -- that's how we cope.

Hmm...that's odd...wouldn't a stick make coasting even easier and more efficient by pushing in the clutch or shifting to neutral?

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by kpoeppel

Hmm...that's odd...wouldn't a stick make coasting even easier and more efficient by pushing in the clutch or shifting to neutral?

Indeed, and I'd actually suggest you aren't truly coasting until you have completely disconnected the engine from the wheels.

That said, there is a potential safety issue in doing that, since you cannot accelerate on demand but instead have to reengage the engine first. But on the third hand, studies have shown that in sudden emergency situations, "avoidance" behavior can actually cause more problems than it avoids, including by sometimes turning what would have been an accident that just involved property damage into an accident involving permanent injuries or death.

So, having read all that, I now think coasting in neutral is actually fine.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by Bazzwell

Very true indeed. The office is less than two miles from my house. Some days my only trip is out and back, no road trips to take. My average after enough weeks of doing this is roughly 23 mpg. But if I take it on a road trip of two or three hundred miles, my average heads up to 28 mpg.

I have the same situation with my 4 1/2 mile commute. However, even at a lower MPG, I'm using way less gas than when I worked 20 miles away. If I don't take any major side trips, such as to my daughter's in Denver, I can go two weeks on my 12 gallon tank.