I don't disagree with Umbra's response, but I would add that, from a different point of view, taking the ferry or the light rail are both the same (and much superior to the car).

Since the ferry and light rail trips will make the trip regardless of Freddy's choice, the marginal impact of using either of these modes is essentially zero (assuming the same means of getting to the terminal). So, the decision between light rail and ferry should be made on the basis of convenience, cost, and other personal factors, but not on environmental impacts.

EmeraldCloud: You're right... until enough Freddies of the world decide to take the ferry or train, in which case the transit authority might add another trip in the next scheduling go-round.  In that sense, the marginal impact might be higher than zero - it depends on what everyone else does.

Oh no, I've gone cross-eyed.

P.S. Nice work Sightline!

Yeah I found that Sightline chart a couple months ago and printed it out to post on my office fridge and on the bulletin board in the bike parking room.  Highlighting the carbon footprint of biking and walking in this graphical manner makes a good message to those who are considering their options.

I also used these carbon emission factors to create a personal spreadsheet for tracking my monthly and annual bike commuting activities.  I have translated my bike miles into avoided commuting costs (vs. hybrid car or bus options), saved commuting time, and avoided CO2 emissions.  It's great info to have and use for making informed decisions and seeing how the numerous advantages of carbon free biking, in my case, keep adding up...

Now if I could just avoid my bike collecting and repairing habit.  :-)

Hi, Dan Howitt, sort of new to grist.  "Ah, the Bay Area life. Which pleasant mass transit option shall I take to work today?" I too often think well BART or what?  Dan Howitt.

This is kind of a sub-category of Commuting, I hope:

We have an employer threatening 'progressive write-ups' for workers who fail to pick up their paychecks/direct-deposit stubs over at the ritzier main club. Three write-ups and you're automatically fired!
They had been delivering to this very popular sister club during routine business, and mailing whatever wasn't claimed within two weeks. No one from the sister club has reason to go to the main club,thus combining p/u of the envelopes, and our  gen.mngr is refusing this task (why??).

Owner's goal is saving gas and money on their gigantic company-SUV (and van) by not delivering the envelopes. It's the same vehicle that, wouldn't ya know, I witness each day miles from said club, driven by the owner's daughter picking up her child at the distant vehicle-clogged elementary school that is on my commute route.

Instead,they are requiring over 80 (downsizing is ongoing; was >100) mostly-part-time-college-busy employees to each show up 3 to 5 miles in surface (no by-passes here) traffic to get their envelopes!
Perhaps a few can carpool? Several already use bicycles exclusively. Our bus system is useless for large parts of town unless you have 2 hours to spare.

How hard should employees push back on this?
Will we soon live in a world where this kind of waste by employers is incentivized out of existence?
This is simply a twisted, unintended result of high gas prices.

The write-ups are legal, but the "green" issue is what bites...
perhaps we could start a better bicycle courier biz...thanks for letting us rant.