Betweem Two Rivers Scooter Calculatorl allows me to get a better idea of what impact my scooter use has on the environment and the economy.
Here's some of the result:
The goal for the planet is to reduce our energy use by 80% over four decades. This is a decent start. Of course, if I rode a smaller scooter or a bicycle, the savings would be greater.
I also had a no-spend day.
Here's some of the result:
you burn 107.14 gallons of fuel in your Yamaha Majesty each year, and that amount of fuel costs you $277.50. In your other vehicles you burn 88.89 gallons of fuel, which cost you $230.22.
If you did not have your bike, you would be forced to put 10,000.00 miles on your other vehicle each year. This would cost you $959.26 in fuel charges each year. Having your bike saves you $298.06 in fuel costs each year.
If you did not use your bike, you would burn 370.37 gallons of fuel, but with your bike you only burn 255.29 gallons of gas each year. Therefore, using your bike conserves 115.08 gallons of gas each year. Translated into barrels of oil, that represents 5.48 barrels of oil that did not need to be refined for the gas you used.
If 1,847,820 people in this country rode a scooter like you, an entire day's worth of oil imports into this country would not be required, resulting in more than $500 million dollars that the country would not need to devote towards foreign oil purchases.
The goal for the planet is to reduce our energy use by 80% over four decades. This is a decent start. Of course, if I rode a smaller scooter or a bicycle, the savings would be greater.
I also had a no-spend day.
March 6th, 2007 at 03:55 pm 1173196522
March 6th, 2007 at 09:44 pm 1173217476
I love riding the bus best of all though. Somebody else gets the stress, I feel good about reducing my carbon footprint, and I get reading or puzzle-solving or chatting done. Sadly, my current contract occasionally calls for last-minute overtime, so the bus doesn't oblige me. As the daylight hours extend, I'll bring my scooter more, but I drive with my head bowed in shame to and from work a few days a week. At least the overtime money can go toward a hybrid family car vehicle, or a sidecar.
March 7th, 2007 at 02:42 pm 1173278538
How many mpg do you get with it? I researched Vespas a while back and wondered if insurance would be high for them.
When i worked in Vermont as a newspaper reporter, i was within walking distance of my office, but i got into trouble a few times becus i really liked to walk to work, and then something would happen, like a fire, that they'd want me to run to and get pix of, and of course i'd be stuck.
I have a 7 yr old car with only 80K miles, so i'll have it a few more years, but i would really like to get a Camry Hybrid. I believe they get 48 mpg.
March 7th, 2007 at 03:09 pm 1173280180
With the maxiscooter I get 48 (city) / 65 (highway) mpg.
I get 28 (city) / 36 (highway) mpg with my current car which has 130000 mi and is eleven years old.
A Vespa will get you much better mileage. I am paying $26/month for insurance for the maxiscooter, but insurance for a Vespa would cost less, I think. Depends on your state.
I don't know that I'm a big environmentalist. I'd like to "supersize" to a family sedan, which gets less mileage. The environmentalists would say "why don't you just have a bike seat for your child and bags for your laptop and ride your bicycle 18 miles to work?" I notice that people who have promoted "I gave up my one family car" gimmick tales do not have five-year-old children. That said, when my son was a newborn we started to rely on one car, more for budget than environment.