OCTOBER 16, 2008

Personalizing My Ride

I recently completed a lifelong dream.

It didn’t require a degree in rocket science, the ability to hit a baseball, or good enough looks to attract Tiffani Amber Thiessen (but I would easily settle for Elizabeth Berkley).

I only needed a clever play on words and a few dollars.

This past weekend I received my new plates and registration for my car. On the DMV’s website I noticed how easily I could add a personalized vanity plate while renewing my registration. As a native of Massachusetts, where it is more expensive to get vanity plates, I was delighted. I quickly solicited some ideas on my personal blog and soon my new plates were on their way.

When I was 16 I thought personalized plates would be cool, but it was a luxury that few indulged in back in Chelmsford, MA. When I moved down to Virginia I noticed that the number of people who personalized was much higher - and I am not the only one to notice.

Personalized plates are now expanding globally. China recently allowed their citizens to purchase personalized plates for their automobiles. In contrast, license plates are randomly assigned in Europe and are very expensive for those who seek specific combinations. Just ask the English gentleman who paid over $20,000 for his.

In regards to my plates- be sure to honk if you are ever driving in Arlington and pass by a beat-up Toyota Corolla with my clever name play: Pho Sho.

[Comment(1) »] [TrackBack »]

JULY 11, 2008

The Bicycle Of The Future

I am always in a hurry when I am driving to get somewhere.  But while I want to travel fast, at the same time I also would like to help the environment, save on gas, and get my exercise.  What better solution than the bicycle?  If we stop to think for a moment, isn’t that the obvious solution to high gas prices, global warming, and obesity?

The obstacles are obvious, however.  You can’t take your kids to soccer practice on your bike.  The postal service may not be impeded by ”snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night”, but I am.  And unless I only have to travel a short distance, I won’t even consider it.

Something needs to happen to make the bike more user-friendly.  First, why not make it electric? Next, make it semi-recumbent with a roof.   Finally, add a passenger attachment for my child.  As it appears, all these things are currently possible.  It won’t be long before someone thinks to put them all together.

If the design is perfect, and I have the will to do it, what will make me take the leap from car to bike?  Peer pressure.  If I look around, and I see that using a bike for everyday transportation is becoming trend-setting, cutting edge, statement-making behavior,  it won’t seem so formidable.  It doesn’t hurt if your favorite celebs are seen setting the stage for the transformation.  Look at Barack Obama - one of the first things he did after clinching the Democratic nomination was to go ride a bike.   

Right now it seems unlikely that I will ever make this transition to a new mode of transportation.  Yet, I hope some day we can emulate the Chinese and make room for both cars and bikes in our lives.  Who knows, maybe someday my electric bike will be parked in my driveway next to my electric car.   

[Comments(3) »] [TrackBack »]

JULY 3, 2008

Metro: Crowded And Broken

Because I used to ride the D.C. Metro every day, and a lot of my coworkers take advantage of riding the Metro (not all of us have Phuong’s love of commuting), I am always fascinated by news reports surrounding public transportation issues.

One article in particular, published in May in The Wall Street Journal, made me wonder: can public transportation handle the recent strain caused by budget-conscious people who are deciding not to drive?  I’m not so sure it can.  From the article:

After decades trying to gin up enthusiasm for their services, public transit agencies are now having trouble meeting rising demand as more commuters dodge high gasoline prices by hopping on a train or bus.

Under normal circumstances, the surge in ridership would be a boon to the agencies, which have long argued that public transit is one of the best ways to combat social ills such as traffic congestion and global warming.

But at the very moment they should be investing to expand their services, the same driver that is ballooning ridership is crippling transit budgets: steep fuel bills. As record numbers of people board buses and trains, higher costs are forcing public transit agencies to scale back on services, further straining capacity. Local transit agencies fret that the capacity problems may squander the opportunity to convert more Americans to public transportation.

The WSJ piece states that 66% of people would change their commute if gas prices rose to $5.00/gallon.

Although I am a big advocate of saving fuel and money, wherever possible, I am worried that commuters may pay a price for flocking to the stations all at the same time.  Hopefully the public transit industry will not sacrifice service because demand is so high that they think they can get away with anything (much like my enemy, the airline industry, has done).

[Comments(2) »] [TrackBack »]