my bike commute: first-quarter 2006 report

I'm a little late with this report, given that it's already halfway through the second quarter of 2006, but it is National Bike-to-Work Week this week, so maybe the timing is appropriate. I began regularly bike commuting--and by regularly, I mean at least once a week--last year. It worked so well that I've decided to keep closer tabs this year. So here's the skinny for the first three months of 2006:

• I commuted by bike on 29 of the quarter's 49 teaching days, or 59% of the time, for a total 1371 km and 60 hours.
• 11 of the 20 car-driving days occurred in March, due to injury and/or rain
• Estimated quarterly gas-money savings of about $100. During the first quarter of this year, I purchased only 35.4 gallons (=$93 @ $2.64/g) of gas, compared to 87.5 gallons (=$203 @ $2.32/g) during the first quarter of 2005, when I wasn't bike commuting regularly. That's an apparent year-to-year savings of $110. I figure every bike-commuting day saves me about a gallon of gas. Thus, when bike-commuting 100% of the time, and not just 60%, and with gas prices now well over $3 per gallon, I figure my monthly savings could easily top $50. That's enough to pay for my satellite TV service at home. Add in all the calories I'm buring by riding to work, and that adds up to truly guilt-free couch-potato time.

For more on bike commuting, and National Bike-to-Work Week, check out the following:

• League of American Bicyclists
• California Bicycle Coalition
• LA County Bicycle Coalition
• Biketown USA
• BikeForums.net
• Gmaps Pedometer route mapping (showing my 14-mile, 22.5-km usual route to work)