Note: Technically I don’t have a commute anymore, but I’m posting this anyway to illustrate how living in the right location can turn the commute into a fun activity and eliminate the need for a car.
I have the best commute in the world. I travel at top speed and I am rarely bothered by slower people in front of me since I always pass them without considering oncoming traffic in the other lane. Some times there are faster people on the road. This is fun as we can start racing or tailgaiting. Fortunately I live in an area where the local law enforcement isn’t bothered by my driving. As long as I don’t run any red lights or stop signs (rolling stops are semi-okay) I don’t get harassed. Also other drivers do not try to run me off the road and they don’t seem to mind me smiling as I pass them one by one in the side lane as they’re idling along in the 15mph stop-and-go fashion of the morning commute.
It’s a good thing that I drive a bicycle.
If I drove a car there would always be another car in front of me and a car behind me limiting the speed to 1/3 of what the car could do without obstacles. It would annoy me to sit in a fine piece of machinery that could easily go 100mph and yet only go at an average 35mph due to congestion. I would be pissed having to waste $3/gallon gas on a continuous cycle of acceleration and braking to follow Californian traffic; slowing down to coast or ride the green wave doesn’t help as other drivers just pull in in front of you. Better pray that you don’t find yourself going in the wrong direction since you can’t just turn the car around and go the other way lest other drivers get annoyed. Instead a wrong turn can turn into quite an adventure or subsequent right turns due to one-way streets and “no U-turn” signs. Also finding a place to park can be a major hassle when you can’t simply park on the sideway.
It’s a good thing that I don’t drive a car.
Originally posted 2008-02-24 07:24:58.
