How much is too much?

One of the local talk-radio hosts (Michael Campbell on CKNW) was asking this week about "how much would the price of gasoline have to rise before your driving habits changed?"

I was on the 'Wing, and even with the hands-free on my cell phone figured that they would not be able to hear me well, so my answer is here. Warning - it is not just about motorcycles.
I got to thinking about my road-travel habits from right back when I started to take the bus on my own to the YMCA for swim classes, back in the early '60s.

Back then I took the bus in Vancouver everywhere that I couldn't ride my bicycle. Most of the buses were electric (the old Brill trolleys) - were mostly clean and relatively comfortable. I lived in Point Grey, and mostly headed into downtown Vancouver on Saturdays to shop, people watch and hang around the train yards watching shunting and other activities.

I was so used to the bus that the first time I actually could and did drive the family car downtown, I forgot it and took the bus home! Quite a scene when I got back without the car :)

Later, when I had my own (Morris Minor) car, I drove all over the lower mainland - hitting virtually every back road just exploring. I obviously love to drive, and with my Honda today I follow a similar pattern of exploring backroads.

So... how much would gas have to be to change my habits and either make me purchase a more fuel efficient vehicle or stop driving and take the public transit?

Well, in answer, I can point to the fact that in 1976 I purchased what at that time was the most fuel efficient production gasoline powered car of the time - the Honda CVCC. Only the diesel Rabbit got better mileage, but I wasn't ready for that much commitment. We were in the middle of the gas crunch and I didn't need anything larger, enjoyed the driving experience of the Honda and drove it until it pretty much fell apart about 10 years later (terminal cancer of the body - an endemic problem with Japanese cars at the time)

I was making relatively good money in the computer field at the time - as a salesman, store manager and then consultant. My consulting career started on Vancouver Island where I drove up and down the island almost every day, putting untold miles/km on the Honda. Sadly, I didn't at that time have a motorcycle.

In the 80's, after we moved to Port Moody and the Honda died, I drove a number of different vehicles, from full-size vans to an old Cadillac limosine (short body, but had the glass divider between front and back - great for keeping the noise of the kids down). I was mostly driving around North and West Vancouver once we moved from Port Moody and I stopped commuting. The reason we moved was not the price of the gas! It was the "waste" of time that the travel over the then choked 2 lane Barnett Highway took. I used to leave either very early in the morning and come home before rush hour, or leave late, after the morning rush, and come home after evening rush hour. Problem was that I wouldn't see my kids much.

This set the tone for my answer to Michael Campbell's question - what would it take to change my driving habits today?

I've found that I value my time more than I value many other things. I've several times changed my way of doing things in order to save time that I've felt was wasted; and I feel that time spent commuting is usually wasted. It isn't as wasted now as it used to be. Now I can use the cell phone in my car or, when I'm able to use the West Coast Express (we're now in Pitt Meadows), use the laptop. But if I had to use any public transit other than the WCE, I'd decry the wasted time because of the lack of space for the laptop or privacy for the cell-phone - and I can't abide by that.

So, what it comes down to is, how do I justify paying for the gas I use in my car or for the Honda? How do I value my commute time?

It costs me about $10 for gas (only gas - insurance and maintenance adds to this) to drive my Caravan into Vancouver. It costs me another $7-10 to park for the day or to feed meters if I'm going to various locations. If I drive the Honda the cost for gas is more like $5 and I usually get away with no parking costs.

If I take the WCE I spend $13/day.

If I took the regular bus I'd spend about $6/day

But the commute by car is 40 minutes to 1 hour of thinking time with the ability to call people (I use a hands free and speed dial)

The commute by motorcycle is faster because I can use the HOV lanes - but using the cell phone is not as easy (wind noise) - but I still get thinking time.

The WCE is 40 minutes plus a bit of walking - and I get to use the laptop - but it only goes to downtown and only on a fixed schedule, so I've only been able to use it for about 6 months out of the last 10 years.

I value my working time by billing my customers something in excess of $50/hour. I value my recreational time by looking at what I spend and don't consider "too much" for other things (than gasoline) - such as skiing where I spend upwards of $100 for a day, or a movie where I spend upwards of $10/hour.

So, until the gas prices push my comute price over something like $50/hour or my recreation price over $10/hour (adjusted for inflation over time) I'll likely not worry too much about the price at the pump. That's my answer.

Of course the other answer is that there probably isn't any price that would cause me to abandon my vehicles. Just yesterday I put over 200km on the Honda visiting 3 different customers, from Zero Avenue in Surrey to West Vancouver. I defy anyone to be able to do that with public transit and still get anything done.