My Way of Dealing With Rising Gas Prices

Today I took a step toward having more efficient means of motorized transportation — I bought a small motor scooter. A Honda Metropolitan in “Salsa” red to be exact.

No, I’m not giving up bicycling. But there are times when I need to get somewhere faster than my bicycle will take me. I look at it as having multiple modes of transportation: walking, bicycling, MetroBus/MetroLink, scooter and finally my car. I plan to use all of these methods of transportation.

Back to the scooter. I rode it from Creve Coeur home today via the Loop and Central West End. Very fun!!! I was easily able to reach speeds of 30mph and if pushed I could get to 35mph. That is about the limit especially considering that my weight is at the top of the payload. On the ride home I saw a few other scooters including the same exact model.

Meeting clients to show houses and such just takes too much time by bike but by scooter it should be a breeze. I hope to significantly reduce miles that would normally go on my car which, in town, does well to get 20mpg. With fuel economy around 80mpg+ I will be saving money while having fun.

I estimate that given current fuel prices every 5,000 miles I can put on the scooter rather than my car I’ll save at least $600. As fuel prices rise the savings will be even greater. In less than 3 years the scooter will pay for itself in fuel savings. My scooter has a 49cc engine which is an entry level size. The advantage of these small engined scooters is they do not require licensing, special liability insurance or motorcycle license. A regular drivers license and helmet are required by Missouri law.

Not all scooters are created equal. Most people know the classic vintage Vespa scooters from Italy. These and other older scooters were not the best for the environment. Sure, they sipped fuel but lacking modern emissions equipment they would unload hydrocarbons many times that of a car. Two-stroke engines, like used in lawnmowers, are inherently worse than four-stroke engines with respect to pollution. This Honda is a model of efficiency with both four-stroke and liquid cooling (vs air cooling). Modern Vespa scooters and some others have environmentally friendly two and four-stroke engines. Unfortunately, many others on the market are not so kind to the environment.

Scooters with engines greater than 50cc are required to be licensed and have liability insurance. A motorcycle license is also required. Honda offers an 80cc scooter as well as models with 150cc and up. Most manufacturers go from 50cc to 150cc. Most 50cc models are two-stroke (again, the Honda is an exception) while the larger 150cc models are four-stroke. I’m considering taking a motorcycle safety class.

High fuel prices are here to stay. The US cannot continue to sustain our sprawling habits and SUVs. What are you doing to live in a more sustainable manner?

[UPDATE 9/5/05 @ 7PM – Be sure to check the laws in your state as some do require licensing and motorcycle licenses even for 49cc scooters. – SLP]

– Steve

US Bank Installs Bike Racks At St. Louis Area Operations Center

Regular readers of Urban Review – St. Louis know I have a thing for bike racks. Most often it is either the lack of bike racks, wrong type being used or the right type in the wrong place. My focus to date has been on bike parking for the general public — at local stores and shopping districts. For me going to work is walking downstairs to my office. But for most people going to work means heading to an office. Such is the case for my friend Jeff Jackson.

Jeff lives in North St. Louis County and works for US Bank in Olivette. This is not a branch location but instead a 300+ person operations center supporting their home mortgage officers in 26 states. In other words, an ideal place to have bike racks aimed at employees rather than customers.

Rather than finding excuses not to ride, Jeff is a committed transportation cyclist. Rain or shine, hot or cold Jeff is on his bike. Lack of proper bike parking at his workplace didn’t stop him either. He simply asked for what he wanted. Although it took some time to get it done, US Bank was receptive to Jeff’s request for bike parking. Sometimes all it takes to bring about change is asking a few questions of the right people.

Earlier this month two new bike racks were installed at the US Bank Olivette Operations Center in Olivette MO where Jeff works.
These two racks combined can accommodate a total of eight (8) bikes. The racks are an offset wave rack. These function very well as they support the bike in two places in much the same way an inverted-U rack does. These are great where you want to parking for more than two bikes.

“Bicycle Commuting to work has been a challenge for me (weather, darkness etc). But I wouldn’t change it for the world. It has made me a more productive worker, kept me healthy, less stressed and more focused. I appreciate that US Bank has put in new bike racks showing that it supports bicycle commuting as a valid alternative to the automobile. They are in turn making investments in their employees that will reap benefits in the long term.”

– Jeff Jackson

The lesson here is if you want bike facilities at your workplace you may have to ask for it. Many employers many not be aware additional facilities would be helpful. I applaud Jeff’s efforts to make commuting by bike to his workplace easier for himself and others.

– Steve

Green Drinks On The Loop September 14, 2005

Green Drinks is not a new wheat grass beverage place but “is a monthly opportunity for folks interested in environmental and sustainability issues to come together for
drinks.”

The next Green Drinks is happening in just two weeks – Wednesday, Sept. 14 at Riddles Penultimate Café, 6307 Delmar. Come at 6:30 to hang out meet some new folks and order something local, organic and delicious off Andy’s great menu. All ages are welcome.

From 7-8, we’ll be discussing local renewable energy initiatives. What’s up with that big wind turbine on 170? How can you buy green power for your
apartment, house, business, or campus? Is our state doing anything to promote renewable energy? You’ll have to come to Green Drinks to find out.
Panelists include:
* Dan Sammartano, Alberici’s Sustainable Design Manager
* Bill Barbieri heads up Ameren’s Renewables effort
* Pat Justis is Mo-DNR’s Missouri Schools Going Solar Project Manager

* (plus a Biofuel panelist TBA)

We do ask for a suggested donation of $3 at the door, just to keep the events self-sustaining.

For more information on Green Drinks click here.

– Steve

Selling St. Louis: Exploring the Retail Geography of St. Louis City and County

The title of this post is the title of Matt Bauer’s thesis for his Masters in Urban Planning and Real Estate Development from St. Louis University. I’ve read all 80+ pages. Twice. First, I have to admire Bauer for getting a Master’s degree. I personally couldn’t wait to get out of school so I simply have a bachelor’s degree. I’ve decided to critique Bauer’s thesis as a means of providing feedback to him as well as getting some points out into cyberspace.

Click here to download the 5.6mb PDF file.

Bauer’s “Executive Summary” at the beginning of the thesis gets things going. Other major sections include a literature review, methodology, findings, recommendations and finally conclusions. As you’d expect from a thesis it contains many facts and figures that interrupt the otherwise excellent flow of the material. Bauer has kept this to a minimum so the paper reads very well. However, lots of information is presented which some may find overwhelming. If you do, put it down and come back to it later as it is well worth reading.

So I’m going to attempt to share my thoughts on Bauer’s thesis without taking another 80 pages to do so. For the most part I agree with Bauer and found his thesis a confirmation of my own beliefs. What was new to me was his detailed research into retail space based on zip codes. As a result he has discovered gaps in the retail market in addition to points of saturation. I come to some different conclusions than he in a few places which I will detail later. Be warned, this is a very long post.

> St. Louis (indeed other cities) tried to mock suburban shopping through malls and strip centers. They have failed.

> Retail can succeed in urban markets, retailers need to grow through increasing the number of stores.

> Baby boomers and Gen Y are looking for unique shopping experiences.

> Urban areas represent much higher spending densities than suburban areas, plus many urban areas are under-served.

> Bauer asserts that “convenience of nearby shopping is important to home-buyers.” Yes and no. To many buying homes on the edge of metropolitan areas they don’t want anything close to them while the urban buyer wants to walk to stores. Suburban buyers often drive a couple of miles to a store while the urban buyer will see the same two mile drive too great a distance. Convenience is relative and this is not explored in his thesis. [p6]
… Continue Reading

Stupidity Reigns In Every City

I pick on the City of St. Louis often. It is where I live and what I see most frequently. When I make my way out to our suburbs I will remark on what they are doing wrong (or right if that ever happens).

Today I got an email with a link to California’s East Bay Bicycle Club “Hall of Shame.” Pretty sad stuff that proves cities all over the U.S. just sometimes don’t get how to put things together in the right way.

I think my favorite is the picture of the police department sign asking drivers to buckle up that is conveniently placed in the bike lane. The good thing is drivers will be properly secured as they hit cyclists going into the lane to avoid the sign!

Click here to see the Hall of Shame.

– Steve