Imagine you’re riding a bicycle along a road. Which would be easier overall — going 15 mph consistently, or going 10 mph up hills and 20 mph down hills. When you think of it this way, it becomes obvious that to save gas, you should go slower as you’re going up a big hill and then faster going down (so your final speed would be a weighted average of the two). Using cruise control forces your car to work really hard going up a hill to maintain your speed.

For more information, read about hypermiling and “driving with load”.

We also plan ahead and group our errands in a circuitous (sp?) route.

Many stores, such as Lowe’s or Home Depot, have their items listed on line. Simply punch in your zipcode and find the ones nearest to you that carry your item. Better yet, visit your small, local hardware/feed store and support the small business owner! Call them ahead to confirm they carry the item, they’re happy to help and appreciate your business. But I digress…

I wish I had cruise control, but instead, I don’t go above 60 on the hwy, and I avoid those jack rabbit starts and long idles. If I hit a light that just turned red, I turn my little truck off. I have increased my mpg by 20% doing these things.

Longview, where we recently located to, doesn’t have the best public transit yet. But they are working on it, and they’re creating more bike lanes. What blows me away is that Longview is a railway hub, yet Amtrak has no station here! Many people here commute daily to Portland – imagine the reduced carbon footprint/reduced traffic if there were trains that stopped here & then went on down to Portland. However, there are vanpools and the numbers are growing. I’m hopeful that there will be an increase in demand for trains/trams/streetcars for commuting as well.

We were recently in Amsterdam, and the public transport there is nothing short of stunning. Trams and trains and buses galore at all hours. People, by the thousands, commute on their bicycles. There are entire families commuting on one bike – a cart (similar to a motorcycle sidecar) is in front and the kids sit in that – often there is a rain cover for them. Dad does the peddling, and momma is sitting on a small bench or seat behind him with her umbrella up if it’s raining, or they’re peddling tandem. There are large multi-storied bicycle garages – where THOUSANDS of bikes are parked. It is truly fantastic!

The Dutch are also some of the most fit people on earth (and some of the happiest). They do a lot of bicycling and walking, and it shows! This country would be so much healthier, and probably happier, if we would adopt some of the habits of the Dutch!

Adam
http://www.avoidregret.com