SCDOT’s Extraordinary Focus On Conservation

I attended SCDOT’s public meeting in North Charleston today, and had the pleasure of meeting two members of the SCDOT strategic planning team and a senior planner within the Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments.  Together they are conducting a feasibility study to determine the practicality of implementing a HOV lane along an I-26 corridor approaching Charleston.  The team has embarked on an aggressive schedule to educate the public about the benefits of HOV lanes and their potential impact to the region.  Today’s meeting was the third of four planned events in our area.

All three planners had kind words to say about the launch of CarolinaCommuter.com and car pooling.  Their efforts to educate the public about HOV strategies include an informative tour of the many cities that have already or are planning to implement HOV lanes. The SCDOT’s introducing of an HOV initiative in the Lowcountry represents the very kind of bold innovation that we need from SCDOT and our local Government leaders, at a time when we need it the most.   

I realize ride sharing will not solve the entire problem of road congestion but I do think it deserves consideration as a viable strategic element within South Carolina’s approach to traffic density and energy sustainability.  South Carolinians can and should take pride in the I-26 HOV initiative.  

Carolina Commuters, to show our support and appreciation for the SCDOT’s extraordinary focus on conservation please plan to attend the upcoming public forum on September 30^th in Charleston from 5:30 to 7 pm at the Charleston County Public Library. 

I-26 Commuters – Upcoming Public Discussions on HOV Lanes

Carolina Commuters, public discussions are planned over the course of the next two weeks to hear S.C. Department of Transportation’s position on HOV lanes, and to let your positions be heard as well. This is a terrific opportunity to show your support for public transportation and carpooling.  According to Sunday’s Post and Courier (9/21/08) four meetings will be held on the following dates and locations:

Monday September 22, 2008 
6-7:30 pm
Dorchester County Services Building
500 N. Main Street
Summerville, SC

Tuesday September 23, 2008
6-7:30 pm
Goose Creek City Hall
519 N. Goose Creek Boulevard
Goose Creek, SC

Thursday September 25, 2008
5:30-7:00 pm
Armory Park
5000 Lackawanna Boulevard
North Charleston, SC

Tuesday September 30, 2008
Charleston County Public Library
5:30-7:00 pm
68 Calhoun Street
Charleston, SC

Visit the online survey at http://www.scdot.org 
*Responses will be received until Oct. 22, 2008

Do the math – How much is fuel costing you?

The cost of fuel is on everyone’s minds lately.  The higher prices at the pumps have caused South Carolina commuters to change their perspective considerably.  Luckily, for now anyhow, the price of fuel has appeared to have stabilized to around $3.50 per gallon in the Charleston area.  

With this most recent reprieve comes an opportunity to consider the impact of higher fuel prices on you and your family, your community, and our state.

Attached to this post is a graph of my fuel costs spanning an eighteen month period from January 2007 until June 2008.  Much to my dismay over that time, my monthly fuel costs have essentially doubled, rising from $150 per month to over $300 per month. 

For that cost, I suspect I’m still getting a pretty good value overall.  I drive to work and back.  My wife shuttles our two children to and from school, the bus stop, and various after school functions.  We both enjoy the opportunity to run the myriad errands required to keep a family of four well fed and properly provisioned. 

And, as you can see by the spikes in the graph, we even have enjoyed several driving vacations – that is to say not vacations from having to drive, but, vacations where we chose to drive.  (If you’ve paid for an airline ticket lately, with all of the extra fees you know why we chose to drive instead of fly.)

If you’re reading this, something in your own journey has led you to consider a review of your driving habits and that of your family and friends.  I encourage you to add up your fuel receipts and calculate how much money you’re spending on fuel now compared to a year ago, and then consider the long term affects of channeling those resources away from the important things in your life aside from transpiration - Like your family, your education, your health….

Respond to this post, by sharing with other Carolina Commuters how you think increased fuel prices are compromising your quality of life.

Carolina Commuter - Carpool Tips

If you haven’t already organized your carpool, your first step toward organizing a carpool is to complete your CarolinaCommuter.com profile. Click here to view a sample profile.

After making contact with your new friends who are also interested in saving tons of money in fuel and vehicle maintenance costs, reducing traffic congestion, and improving air quality, you may want to consider the following things as you begin to organize your carpool.

Set realistic expectations! How many days per week are you going to carpool? Like exercising, consistency is what pays. Trying a couple days a week at first may be best. Who will be the driver? How often should the driving responsibilities be alternated? If not everyone can be a driver, how will driving costs be shared?

Here’s a big one, will eating be tolerated? I once heard a very entertaining commentary on driver’s habits that suggested that there are really only three types of serious commuters – readers, eaters, and groomers. How many times have you looked over at the car next to you only to see one, two, or even all three activities being performed, at 70 miles per hour no less? Paper stretched out across the steering wheel, driver set on spearing that dodgy cherry tomato in his salad, eye shadow being applied in the rear view mirror. You get the idea.

These are a few concerns worth bearing in mind as you organize your carpool. I invite you to respond to this post with your own suggestions describing how fellow Carolina Commuters can get their new carpools off to a good start. What’s worked best for you and your friends?