It’s no surprise that as gas prices go up we drive less, but these days more San Diegan’s staying off the road and turning to public transportation. While we are no where near the European gas prices of $10 per gallon, the Union Tribune analyzed state data and found that people are driving less on San Diego freeways.
At certain points on the freeways, including on Interstates 15, 805 and 8, weekday traffic in June declined by as much as 9.1 percent and by at least 3.3 percent, compared with the same time last year.
Weekend trips thinned out even more, with decreases ranging from 5.2 percent to 11.9 percent.
So if you have to drive here are a few easy steps you can take that will save you money.
- Costco has cheap gas - on a good day it can be 30 cents a gallon less than other stations. On top of those savings you can get rebates of up to 2-5% depending on the membership you buy, which pays for itself fast
- Keep your tire pressure at the recommended level
- Change your air filter at the recommend time / mileage interval.
Tags: costco, freeway driving, gas, union tribune
3 responses so far ↓
TheWeatherMan // Jul 22, 2008 at 12:58 pm
Good tips. I would also add to drive slower, accelerate slower and coast to a stop when possible. Also, windows down up to 35mph and AC above 35mph.
Furthermore, I contend that most people would be surprised how much easier bicycling and public transit is than they expect. That would make the number of people who “have to drive” go down significantly.
tomorrowmorningsweather.blogspot.com
Merrick Lozano // Jul 22, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Thank you for elaborating on the tips, keep em’ coming.
I am all for public transit but our public transit system is not cost/time efficient for most people who live in the suburbs. We need more express routes, and subsidized fares to promote this form of transportation. Some cities like Santa Monica only charge 75 cents for all fares and they get students hooked early by charging them only 50 cents. At least it got me hooked when I was in school, I left the car in the garage and took the Big Blue Bus as much as possible.
Mario Lozano // Jul 25, 2008 at 10:32 am
I just purchased a bike yesterday, so I can ride to starbucks instead of driving. My immediate goal is ride at least 300 miles per month, saving me one fill up at the pump.
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