Comments gohlkus has made

  • Wow, that's a lot. City CarShare required a $300 deposit when I joined, but it's fully refundable. It was a cash hit at the time, true, but it's nice to know I can get it back if I leave for any reason. (Looks like it's refundable for the Co-op also, and they have a deposit-free plan that looks sort of reasonable.)

    On the subject of joyrides, hey, you gotta recharge sometime, somehow. If burning a little gas once in a while helps you do good work the rest of the time, it's probably worth it. (And I say this as a VERY occasional driver -- I haven't taken a car out in over a month.)

    On I sold my car, and I couldn't be happier ... I think posted 6 months, 1 week ago 20 Responses

  • Have you considered car sharing? It can be a great way to have those experiences without the expense, hassle, or carbon footprint of owning a car. Your profile says you're in Vancouver -- have you looked at http://www.cooperativeauto.net/ or zipcar?

    I'm a member of City CarShare here in the SF Bay Area and like it a lot. I don't know what the services up there charge, but I pay $10 a month to be a member (I consider it a donation to a cause I support). And then each trip costs no more than what it would cost to rent a car (sometimes less), I have access 24/7 via phone or web, and the price of gas and insurance are included.

    It's a good deal for that occasional need for a joyride (or a trip to the store).

    On I sold my car, and I couldn't be happier ... I think posted 6 months, 1 week ago 20 Responses

  • I got rid of my car for good not long after moving to the SF Bay Area 6 years ago.

    It would have been a little bit tougher to do so when I lived in the Midwest (winter biking to the grocery store kinda sucks).

    A great book that helped inspire me to do it was "Divorce Your Car" by Katie Alvord, which I'd recommend to anyone. I don't know how dated it is now, since she got rid of her car in 1993... but it is an interesting and well-researched story.

    On I sold my car, and I couldn't be happier ... I think posted 6 months, 2 weeks ago 20 Responses

  • The above is also a spam comment.

    On From Uranus to You're Welcome posted 6 months, 2 weeks ago 14 Responses

  • The above comment is a spam comment. Note the link at the bottom.

    Grist folks, you guys should recognize these and delete them.

    On From Uranus to You're Welcome posted 6 months, 2 weeks ago 14 Responses

  • Hmmm...

    Some might see it as divine intervention...On Hurricane Dolly cancels McCain's trip to offshore oil rig posted 1 year, 4 months ago 4 Responses

  • Greenwashing

    Yes, it sounds like WM's pronouncements need to be taken with a grain of salt.On Largest U.S. garbage hauler greens operations posted 2 years, 1 month ago 4 Responses

  • Waste Management

    Waste Management stinks, literally. They locked out their union employees in Oakland this summer, and the people they hired to cross the picket line didn't pick up garbage in many areas for weeks. Including outside my apartment building. For weeks.

    So when I think of Waste Management, I think of union busting, and piles of smelly garbage sitting around for days.

    But good for them.On Largest U.S. garbage hauler greens operations posted 2 years, 1 month ago 4 Responses

  • Congratulations to Vice President Gore

    Though it's not exactly the Nobel Peace Prize, last year Vice President Gore also won a California League of Conservation Voters Environmental Leadership Award....

    Congratulations to Al Gore and to the IPCC for their work and their courage.On Al Gore and the IPCC win Nobel Peace Prize posted 2 years, 1 month ago 4 Responses

  • Inspired.

    Informative and hysterical -- thanks!On Umbra on peeing in the shower posted 2 years, 8 months ago 18 Responses

  • Best opening line ever

    "I don't want to rock your world too severely, but it's come to my attention that cars cause problems."

    Wry. Nicely done.On Cars pollute the dictionary too posted 3 years, 6 months ago 1 Response

  • Nice idea, but impractical

    To preface my comments, I'm a huge advocate for public transit, work for an environmental group, and sold my car and haven't looked back. But PRT isn't the way to go.

    This idea has been around a long time. Here's a well-written critique I found from a professor of transportation science: http://faculty.washington.edu/jbs/itrans/vuchic1.htm

    Unintended consequence: PRT would make cities really, really ugly. To serve everybody, you'd basically have to have a huge grid of above-ground tracks almost every other block.

    Also, you think graffiti on the bus is bad? Just think what it would be like if there were no one else in the "car." Public property damage galore. (I guess you could have live surveillance all the time... uh, no thanks.)

    I think it's a better idea to further develop existing transportation systems. Build light rail in cities that don't have it. Expand systems and expand service in cities that do. Have more timed transfers and have robust bus systems that work into the light rail system. Create a network of safe bike lanes/trails and lots of free, safe bike parking at transit hubs. Investing in making public transit more desirable by building capacity and ease of use is a much better idea than PRT.
    On Personal Rapid Transit posted 3 years, 9 months ago 32 Responses