No Love for Bikes, I Guess

http://www.frogfire.com/images/bike-lane.jpg?

I don’t think I’ll buy this.

Massachusetts Considering a 'Hummer Tax'

Gov. Patrick said he is looking at a Hummer tax -- adding higher registration fees for gas-guzzling cars and offering discounts for those that do less harm to the environment. This would be the first such fee in the nation on a state level. Environmentalists applauded the proposal, saying it would encourage people to buy more fuel-efficient cars.

read more | digg story

Anybody Tweeting Their Commute?

http://www.commuterfeed.com/

As I get more into Twitter I’m looking at interesting things people are doing with the medium.  How about near realtime updates of traffic from the people who are sitting in it?  It’s an interesting idea, but seems like the kind of thing that either

a) you do strictly when you’re at a standstill, or

b) you text and drive, which is certainly dangerous and becoming illegal in some places.

It’s an interesting idea, but when your most recent update is a month ago, I’m not sure it’s catching on.

Where Was This Plan Last Year

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/13/your-money/13money.html

Wondering how the stimulus bill is going to impact your own bottom line?  Here’s two bits directly relevant to commuters: (emphasis mine)

CAR BUYER TAX DEDUCTION For the rest of 2009, you’ll be able to deduct the state and local sales and excise taxes you pay on the purchase of a new (not used) car, light truck, recreational vehicle or motorcycle.

Eligibility for this tax break begins to phase out for single people with adjusted gross income over $125,000 or $250,000 for married couples filing jointly. And the deduction does not apply on spending above $49,500.

TRANSIT ACCOUNTS If you commute to work via public transportation, your employer may allow you to set aside pretax money from your paycheck to pay for the bus, train or parking. Currently, you can put aside only $120 a month for mass transit while those who drive and park can save $230. This year and next, those who take mass transit will also be able to put aside $230 each month.

 

While I haven’t bought a new car in a while, I have to say that the first one would make me think about it – my family has two cars, one we own outright and one we lease.  So we often talk about when to upgrade the one we own.

The commuter benefit would certainly have helped me last year, where my monthly train pass ran something like $150/month, and my friends farther out were over $200.

Would You Hack Your Car?

Had a conversation with a coworker the other day.  Young guy, maybe mid to late 20’s?  Who surprised me by telling me that his hobby was hacking the computer-controlled aspects of his car.  And I don’t mean the Bluetooth/MP3 player stuff, I’m talking about the control systems that regulate how the turbo works, and other fundamental stuff like that which controls how the car goes.

I would never in a million years do that.  I go back to something my dad told me about a much simpler technology –your tires.  He said, “They’re what’s between you and the road, so you want to pay attention and take them seriously.”  The same could certainly be said for the fuel injection system!

How About A 30 Second Commute?

http://dailyroutines.typepad.com/daily_routines/2009/01/barack-obama.html

Ok, you have to live in the White House :), but I saw the commute reference and thought it would be funny.  I guess that’s a plug for the ultimate work-from-home career.

Best Alternative Transportation

http://www.mahalo.com/answers/cars-and-transportation/what-is-the-best-alternative-transportation-ie-no-cars-no-gas-no-electric-price-brackets-appreciated

I’m enjoying this Mahalo Answers site (where you can find me going under the name ShakespeareGeek, for my other web site), where people can throw a question out there and get people to vote and discuss the best answer.

Here, the question is alternative transportation – specifically, no gas required.