Looking at Point A to B Alternatives
It’s never been easy getting around in Los Angeles without a car. Unfortunately, it’s getting even harder with gas prices at record levels. With premium gas hovering around $4.75∼5.00 per gallon, I’m paying upwards of $50 a tank on the MX5 and $15 a tank on the Gixxer. Now I think twice about flooring the throttle.
In an effort to start saving money at the gas pump, I’ve been looking at alternative methods of getting to work. My daily commute is approx. 50 miles round trip. I get roughly 23 mpg on the MX5, which isn’t too bad compared to some other “sport vehicles.” If you crunch the numbers, the MX5 cost roughly $10.00/day just with gasoline consumption. I’m sure maintenance and wear-and-tear nearly double that amount.
There are other problems I get when commuting with the MX5 and Gixxer. For starters, the MX5 is NOT made for commuting. The small compartment and close proximity to the shifter make the MX5 an awesome track/weekend canyon driving car. But meandering through bumper to bumper traffic inside the compact MX5 cockpit make the driving experience super annoying.
Then there’s the Gixxer. It’s literally an edge of the seat riding experience when crossing through Los Angeles traffic. I feel constantly high-wired and stressed when trying to keep my eyes on the vehicles around me. I always have to make sure that other drivers don’t decide to swerve right in front of me. Fortunately, there still is a low cost and less stressful alternative to commuting in Los Angeles.
Up to this point, I’ve always been skeptical about Los Angeles mass transit. I thought that it would be too troublesome to use. I figured I’d have to learn all the routes it would take to get to my mid-Wilshire office. Yet, after snooping around and looking at maps, there is a public transportation option that makes a lot of sense.
The Sierra Madre Villa Station in Pasadena is only 5 miles away from my house in Temple City. This station is part of the Gold Line that leads to downtown Los Angeles’ Union Station. From there, I can transfer over to the Purple Line and get off at the Wilshire/Western stop. Then it’s a short bus ride to my office near Wilshire/Fairfax. And all this at a cost of $5 per day (or if I decide that I really like this option: $3 per day when pre-paid monthly).
I’ll need to start looking at this alternative option to my commute. Some benefits I can already see:
- Cut my daily commute costs by over 50%
- Reduce the wear-and-tear on all my vehicles
- Enjoy the MX5 and the Gixxer the way they were meant to be driven/ridden
Tomorrow will be the first day I give this new option a try. Hopefully it will be all that I’m expecting.
Tags: commuting, gas prices, los angeles metro, mass transportation