Life in the Slow Lane

[kevin_standlee]

One of the reasons that it's taking me longer to get to my office in the morning, aside from it being five miles further away than it once was, is that I've been deliberately slowing down and driving 55 MPH (or a lot less, when traffic is heavy) instead of 65 or more. The one exception to this is a stretch of road approaching the Dumbarton Bridge. I have a toll transponder, and the transponder-only lanes are on the left, so unless I want to get run over, I need to drive at least 65 in the leftmost mixed-traffic lane.

Why am I enraging the other drivers who want to drive 80-plus? Money. With gas prices going up to (inflation-adjusted, even) all-time highs, I'm experimenting with slowing down a bit to see if it makes a difference. (Yes, I know that even at USD3/gallon, gasoline is absurdly cheap compared to Europe.) Initial results are promising: I got an 11% increase in fuel economy immediately. My minivan will never be a high-mileage vehicle, but an 11% savings seems good to me.

Still, much of the time I'm surrounded by people for whom even 65 is too slow and who pass me like maniacs. Every now and then, I see them crash into each other, too. (I'm not joking; I've seen several accidents happen close to or nearly right in front of me during my commute. Bay Area residents: if you ever hear KCBS credit "Kevin of the Phone Force" during a commute-hour traffic report affecting the Fremont-to-San Mateo-via-Dumbarton drive, it's probably me.)

Comments

Good experiment

[johnnyeponymous.livejournal.com]

I've got a lot of driving to do (going between Santa Clara, Mt. View and Campbell every day, and sometimes twice both ways) I've learned that at the best, my car gets 330 miles to the tank. I've started taking Lawrence and San Thomas instead of 87 and 17 because there's slightly less stop and go and I actually get about 20 miles more a tank than if I stuck to teh freeways.
Chris

[wild-patience.livejournal.com]

"Mr. Roadshow" in the San Jose Mercury News (Gary Richards) has had several columns about saving gas by driving 55.

I drive Lawrence Expressway to work every day. The speed limit is 55 and it's not enforced in the morning. (I see cops on it in the afternoon but not in the morning.) Traffic had been going 60+ until the gas prices went up. Now people are finally driving closer to 55 than 65. (Stay out of the middle lane. That's the default fast lane since you have people making turns from the left and right lanes.)

[kevin-standlee.livejournal.com]

Indeed, I'm in "Mr. Roadshow's" file, having contributed some items, and he's come to me for opinions on certain issues in the past. Here's a quote from the June 25, 2005 issue of the San Jose Mercury News, reacting to news of a plan to raise bridge tolls to $4 to pay for the "signature span" single-tower suspension replacement for the eastern half of the Bay Bridge:

"This one will hurt, although I can't say that I find it surprising," said Kevin Standlee of Fremont, a 39-year-old logistics solutions engineer, who thinks a fancier-looking Bay Bridge is not needed. "It's maddening to see our money consistently spent on the least cost-effective project out there simply to make local politicians feel proud of themselves."

I also spent one three-year term on the Caltrain Citizens Advisory Committee, as an appointee out of Santa Clara County when I lived in Mountain View. I'd prefer to use public transit to get to work when possible, but the routing I'd have to take to do so is absurd.

[fr-john.livejournal.com]

You're only 39?! Makes me feel OLD.

[kevin-standlee.livejournal.com]

I turned 40 the Saturday before CascadiaCon. I just look older.

[avt-tor.livejournal.com]

And again one is amused by the variety of ways you find to distinguish yourself from the herd. :)