Jeff Woelker : Chicago SEO, SEM, and Online Marketing Consultant

So I’ve been debating recently whether to ditch my car all together or not. Here are some of the pros and cons of both. Should be pretty obvious which is the better decision at this point:

Keep My Car:

1. Personal freedom - the ability to drive where I want, when I want and not wait for anything or anyone
2. Moving - Every so often I have to move this thing or that thing around for friends or family and it’s just nice to throw it in the car and move it, as opposed to having to think about getting a truck or having to borrow someone’s car
3. Travel - This really isn’t a big deal for me, as I prefer to take Amtrak or, as my sister is trying to convince me, the MegaBus back and forth to Michigan. But what about weekend trips or impromptu trips? I guess it just requires a bit of planning to rent a car or book travel ahead of time.
4. Supporting US auto makers - This really is the weakest reason I can think of, as I only got a Chrysler Sebring because of my grandfathers discount, and with Toyota and Honda opening more plants everyday in the US, what’s the difference anymore?

Lose My Car:

1. Car and Insurance Payments - This is really the biggest motivating factor. My car sits on the street 5 or 6 days a week and doesn’t do anything for me except suck up money.
2. I’m an enviro-hypocrite - I talk about fuel economy, environmental preservation, protecting existing resources, reusing, and recycling, but I drive a huge metal box that spews CO2? As my sister so eloquently puts it “Man Up!”
3. iGoCars - There is an iGoCar right around the corner from where I normally pick up the train every morning. So if I need a car, it’s just a short walk away and how can you beat these rates?
4. Car Rentals - There are several car rental places within quick riding, walking, busing, or training distance from my place.
5. Oil changes and upkeep - Since my car only sits on the street most of the week, it isn’t getting proper usage and is only going down in terms of resale value and money I’m going to have to invest in it eventually to keep it going.
6. Public Transportation and Biking - I have both a bike and easy access to numerous methods of public transportation to get to and from work.
7. Constantly moving your car - One great thing about living in a city that cares for the appearance of neighborhoods and streets is that there is constant street cleaning. As a result, I often have to play the parking game at least once a month and during the winters, I have to double check every time I park that I am not in a snow removal zone.
8. Cold hard economics - So the economics of my current car are $302 per month for my car payment (until Feb of next year), $160/month for insurance, and probably $10 in gas/month. That’s $472/month in sunk costs. If I were to take a cab to the grocery store and other errands, we’ll say 10 times per month (probably more like 3 or 4) for about a $10-15 cab ride on average, that costs $100. I could use an extra $370/month.

I think it’s pretty obvious. Anyone need a lightly used 2004 black sebring? 35K miles, original owner.

Any reasons I have forgotten either for keeping or getting rid of my car?

So I got my APTA buttons today. I’m such a nerd, but I love them. Many thanks to Mark Neuville for sending them over. I really appreciate it. Go visit the APTA website if you have a few minutes. It’s a great site with lots of information about how you can rediscover your city via public transportation.

There really is something nostalgic and community based about taking public transportation in that you get to see and meet so many interesting people you would not have otherwise met by driving by yourself in a car. So on that note, are you taking public transportation as often as you could? If not, give it a shot. It’s not as bad, dirty, loud, noisy, smelly, etc. etc. as you might think it is. Really it’s not. So enjoy Illinois!

According to a recent EIA announcement:

“Retail regular grade motor gasoline prices are projected to average $2.81 per gallon this summer, 3 cents below the average of $2.84 per gallon last summer, according to forecasts released today by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) in the April Short-Term Energy Outlook. Retail diesel fuel prices are expected to average $2.82 per gallon over the summer, down 6 cents from last summer’s average price of $2.88 per gallon.”

Well, gas prices nationwide are already at $3.19 per gallon and the summer hasn’t even started yet, so by my calculations this estimate is in the ballpark of doesn’t make any sense at all. I mean, look at these numbers:

Image copyright of GasBuddy.com

As you can see, last summer, gas prices peaked in May and stayed steady for most of the summer and then rose again in August and September with the problems associated with Hurricane Katrina. And with some minor extrapolation on the data provided by GasBuddy, it looks like if there is a minor hint of a gas shortage, crisis, or some other weather related problem gas prices could easily shoot to $4 or beyond. Even if it doesn’t necessarily hit $4 per gallon, $3.97 is pretty darn close for my tastes.

So really, what is the point of this concern over numbers and reports? Essentially, I’m telling you to drop your current means of transportation and:

• Take public transit
• Buy a bike
• Walk to work
• Ride with a friend
• Buy a hybrid vehicle
• Drive less
• Drive smarter

Do what you can. You’re wallet will thank you and the environment will thank you.

Ok, so maybe that’s a bad comparison, as SUV’s will soon go the way of the dinosaur once gas hits $4 per gallon and small cars are going to be around for a good long while. At least until cars themselves are banned outright for inner city travel.

But all the kids on the internets are talking about these new “small” (small you say?) cars. I’m referring to my old standby and future car, the Smart car, as well as Chevy’s tiny concepts the Beat, Groove, and Trax (see video with excellent music below).

As more car companies realize, “Why doesn’t anyone buy our cars that get 5 miles to the gallon anymore?”, small cars will be the way to go, especially for inner city living and travel. Easier to park, better gas mileage, and exactly functional to what someone needs in a large metropolitan area. Seriously, you need a Suburban to drive from your house to the pizza place around the corner? Take a walk or ride a bike, fata$$! [end rant]

So anyway, what’s keeping you from making the switch from a road boat to a city coupe?

Well, you drove me to it CTA. I went out this weekend in preparation for 3 track hell and bought myself a Fuji Absolute for my new ride to work. It’s my first road bike and I think it’s pretty sweet and from the reviews I’ve read, it’s a pretty good value and easily customizable for when I want to graduate to a “big boy bike”. Much love to my friends over at Performance Bike at Halsted and Diversey. Where some other bike shops laughed at my beat to hell mountain bike when I brought it in two years ago, you guys were eager to give me a hand. In return, you have a new customer.

And as for you CTA and your so called “plan” for the 3 track nightmare which you have brought on the north side, I will say that I am anything but pleased. For the past 20 years, Daley I and II (Corruption Boogaloo*) have worked to bring the northside and the city in general back from the cities of the 70’s and 80’s, but I think this project may undo a large portion of this. Currently, the CTA is underfunded and overused. How will the funding perform if many people like me start taking their bike, taking the Metra, walking to work, begin driving again, or start working from home more often? What happens to revenue and capital funding at that point? I hope that someone at the CTA thought about this prior to saying “Sure, let’s inconvenience many of our customers. We can just tell them to leave for work early and come home late. No big deal.” If I leave for work early, but arrive at the same time as I normally would and I leave work late and arrive home later than I normally would, I could probably stomach that for about 2 or 3 months. 3 years is a bit much to ask of anyone. I imagine that many businesses will also see a decline in revenue as a result of the CTA’s decision, and if these businesses close, residents in that neighborhood will also begin to evaluate their choice of neighborhood. The implications of a radical disruption in CTA transit are much larger than inconveniencing people on the northside.

Either way, I’m ready for whatever happens.

Chicago Bicycle Federation
Chicago Bike Map

*Corruption Boogaloo provided by my good friend Shylo