November 2, 2007

Ride Smart Thursdays opened up my eyes

By Stan Dyer

When I first decided to sign up for "Ride Smart Thursdays" a number of years ago and give up driving the car one day a week, I went into it half-heartedly. I wanted to do my civic duty and help my community, but I did not want it to cause my life too much inconvenience and I was not yet ready to give up any old, ingrained habits, like my car. I tried to come up with ways to have my cake and eat it too. In the end, I made it work, but not the way I originally imagined, and the experience really opened up my eyes.

My first idea was an electric car. With an electric car, I could still drive, but I would not be using any gas and I would still be helping to keep the air clean. Both are goals of the Ride Smart program, so it seemed like the thing to do. The car I chose was a nice 1981 Mazda RX-7 that was converted to run completely on stored electricity from 18, 6-volt batteries. I could keep my promise and look good doing it.

The electric car only had a range of around 50 miles, depending on the terrain, but it needed 10 full hours for a re-charge. It was different from what I was used to with my other car, but it was perfect for taking me the 10 miles I needed to go to work and the 10 miles to get back home on a single charge. I had plenty of leeway. The extra stored energy meant I didn't have to run the batteries down everyday, and that would extend their life. The electric car idea became especially nice when gas prices started to rise and I discovered I could go 500 miles in a month on $12 worth of electricity. I knew I was onto something good for my wallet, but I had no idea the car would also improve my driving.

An electric car like the one I have is driven differently than a regular car. It seems obvious now, but I started noticing how my voltmeter would drop as I took off from a standing stop and the acceleration was much slower than a regular car. I could really see how all cars use most of their energy starting from a standing stop. I found I could increase my vehicle's range by coasting to stoplights and stop signs instead of racing up to them. The more momentum I could keep, the quicker I could get going and the more energy I could save. Of course, most drivers race up to stoplights and stop signs, so it angered them that I wasn't doing the same and they wanted me out of their way. I tried to stay out of the way, but I had a hard time understanding why these people were in such a hurry just to get to a stoplight. That was my first eye opener and it changed the way I drive every vehicle. I am much more conscious of stops and momentum now. In the same respect, I noticed how much more energy it took to get up hills and how little energy it took to go down. Soon, I rearranged my route to work so that I was using either flat or downhill roads most of the way both coming and going. That was the second eye opener.

Having that limited supply of energy and not having the ability to refuel every couple of blocks really made me aware of my vehicle and what it took to maximize my range. Little things like extra weight in the car and the level of inflation of the tires suddenly became much more important. I learned many good habits that positively affected the way I drive and made me more aware of conserving energy. Unfortunately, the distance to work changed, and it was no longer practical to use the electric car. When the time came to use the highway to get to work, I decided to leave the electric car at home.

The electric car certainly could handle highway speeds (I had it going as fast as 65 mph!), but it did take longer to accelerate to that speed and I wasn't too sure I even wanted to risk it. The electric car is small, white and very, very quiet. Other drivers, even on city streets, just don't see it, and I am too old to risk my life that way. I parked the car and thought about other ways to keep my "Ride Smart Thursday" promise. The new idea I came up with was another old one. I decided to do more walking and biking.

Naturally, it is impractical for me to walk 20 miles to work, but it is not impractical for me to park my car on the weekends and use foot power to run the majority of my errands. Most of my weekend errands are within a mile of my house. At first, it was a little difficult to break the habit and convince myself to walk that far or to ride my bike, but, once I started doing it, I wondered why I waited so long. If the weather is decent and I have the time, why not? That was yet another eye opener.

I have been a runner for years. I run for exercise, health and to maintain a strong cardiovascular system. Yet, it never occurred to me to combine my exercise with my errands. Oh, sure, I stopped at the mailbox many times while out for a run, but I would still hop in the car for most other errands. Now, I still run, but I do much more walking and biking as well and I notice how many cars are using the streets. Those roads are very busy with cars. I wonder how many of those people really need to drive to their destinations and how many would benefit from a walk from time to time? I even remember when newspapers were delivered by bicycle, but now those, too, are delivered by car. Do we Americans really need our cars as much as we think? This American found out he didn't, and now I actually enjoy my walks.

I enjoy seeing my neighbors and maybe stopping to chat for a while. I enjoy having the time to appreciate the beauty around me: the color of the mountains, the changing of the seasons and the sounds of life. I also enjoy the memories. It reminds me of when I was young and "footing" it was the main way I got where I was going. Even when I had both a car and a bike, I often chose to walk just for the fun of it. Somehow, life allowed me to forget that. I suppose some people think it odd to see a man my age running, walking or riding a bike, but I enjoy thinking that maybe I am planting some "seeds" and maybe others will decide to join me. It makes me feel good not only to help my community by saving gas and saving the environment, but also by keeping my promise to Ride Smart Thursdays. Promises are important to me.

The Ride Smart Thursdays promise isn't meant to last forever, but I can't see myself ever going back to the way I lived before. For me, what started out as a promise to give up the car once a week ended up permanently changing my life and my life habits. It's funny how what I thought would be a struggle and somewhat painful, turned out to be so easy and so rewarding. Yes, I made it work, but not the way I intended. Maybe that's what the people at Ride Smart Thursdays intended. It doesn't matter. It worked out well all the way around. Now, it makes me wonder what other things I am not seeing so well, what other areas of my life are open for positive change, and what other simple ideas exist for improving life around me? All of that from a half-hearted and reluctant promise to Ride Smart Thursdays. A promise that really opened up my eyes. A promise that improved my life.