Commute stats: Feb. 4-8, 2013

Last week's commute details.

Monday, Feb. 4: Drove to work. :(
Tuesday, Feb. 5: Biked!
Wednesday/Thursday: Drove one day, biked one day. Can't remember which.
Friday, Feb. 8: Biked!

Two days of driving, three days of biking, for 48 miles of bike commute. But this was my best week in quite a while. And man, I was TIRED some of these days. Can I sustain this pace -- and then improve on it?

Throw away the crutch

This piece of plastic costs me $90 per month.

Okay, since I pay for it by payroll deduction, it actually costs me $76.50 per month, after taxes. But that's still over $900 per year! That's $900 that could be feeding the hungry or paying down my student loans. But what does this piece of plastic do instead?

It gives me the right to park my car in Berkeley.

That's right. I am paying $900 per year for the privilege of storing my car outside my office every day, when I have a perfectly good garage to store it in at home!

I've been trying to bike to work more. I made a commitment to myself at the beginning of the winter that I would bike at least once a week, even when it was cold and rainy. With the exception of the week where I was home sick with the plague, I kept that commitment. But only just. I've biked one, maybe two days all through the winter. Why am I not biking five days a week? Because this piece of plastic is my crutch.

Since I've sunk the money into the parking pass, I have an out. It's a sunk cost, why not use it?

I'm throwing away the crutch. Sometime before March 10 (when monthly benefit enrollments happen), I am marching myself down to Parking and Transportation and trading my F Permit for a daily scratcher. More on these permits in a future post on the economics of commuting. But what it means I will be unable to drive more than once per week. No more safety net, and no more $90 per month.

I am getting rid of this expensive piece of plastic and committing myself to at least 64 miles per week of biking and carpool commuting.

The Challenge

What if I told you that I could cast a magic spell that would keep you healthy for a long time, save you money every day, rescue you permanently from rush hour traffic, and save the planet, all at the same time?

Well friends, I can cast that magic spell. It's called bike commuting. But the truth is, I need your help.

You see, I have been hanging out in the shallow end of the bike commuting pool for a while, biking to work a day or two here or there. But always I've hung onto my car like a life preserver, depending on it for most of my commuting needs. But no more.

Now it's time to jump into the deep end of the pool.

Here's the challenge: No more driving to work. No more traffic, no more hunting for cheap gas, no more parking in Berkeley. Inspired by Jesus, a few hardcore bike commuter friends, and badassity king Mr. Money Mustache, it's bike commute or bust.

I need you to witness it. To hold me accountable. To cheer when I complete my first week of no driving and jeer when I can't get out of bed in time. And maybe, just maybe, you'll join me in the bike commute revolution.