commuting success

i'm into the fourth week of giving up the car for the public transit commute, and i'm secretly addicted.

tomorrow will be the first time i'll bring the car back to the city since i last drove it to work from home since april 28th; and that's only because i have a full day of driving to lancaster, reading and lansdale on thursday. i'll leave the wheels back at the train station on thursday evening.

yes, door to door, it does take longer. but, i haven't received a parking or speeding ticket, i haven't paid for parking outside of the $1.00 per day to leave it at the train station lot, i've had to get gas once since i filled the tank on april 28; and most importantly, i no longer fear that my road rage will lead me to get shot at.

it's peace of mind here, folks. and tons of it to go around. there's no more bitching about the idiots in the neighborhood who eat up 2 spots, no more weekend "taxes" for parking around south street. the car doesn't get quite as dirty. if i had continued to drive the daily commute, i would be well overdue for an oil change that i can squeak out next month - and it will be for the 6 month mark, not just the 5,000 mile mark.

it leaves me open for the handful of road trips i feared taking this summer for the price of sky rocketing petrol and the mileage marks on the lease. i no longer fear driving for fun, since i drive less than 10mi a day, on the week days. and the office trips are less frequent, too.

my employer respects my desire to limit the road warrior time. we make plans for my train drop off and car pooling to after hours office events. when i do have to hit the road for work, it's anticipated i'll drive only one day a week and cram a number of locations into a day on the road.

i've gone so far as to order next month's trailpass and a parking permit for the month of june. no more daily meter feeding at the station lot and i can leave the car for as long as i please during the month in permit parking. it's a beautiful thing.

the time on the train is equal to the time of the door to door driving commute. it's the time to get to the train and from the train to the office that is added to the commute. which suites my lifestyle just fine. i've found its more convenient now to reach the center city markets i shied away from when i was vehicle dependent, as well as the library and the gym. the trade off also comes in form of reading while waiting for and riding the bus and the train, which is of great value to me.

ultimately, why i keep doing it, is i don't have to find parking when i get home. i'm simply home, and not angry with my neighbors for their complete lack of vehicle spacial awareness. and not being mad at your neighbors is a lovely thing. also, it lends itself well to my nomadic relationship. more on that for another post.