As smaller becomes better
So, everyone’s jumpin’ on the scooter story. I ahem! did that story two years ago. Yup—back when gas was approaching $3 a gallon. So what’s it at now? According to the San Diego Gas Prices website, the cheapest, $4.34 is at the Arco on 1185 Palm Ave. in IB. The most expensive gas is the PB Chevron at Garnet and Ingraham, where regular is $4.93 a gallon.
When I wrote the scooter story back in 2006, Michael Shames, executive director of the Utility Consumers Action Network, questioned whether the savings in gas was worth the safety trade off:
Still, safety is what’s keeping Michael Shames, executive director of the Utility Consumers’ Action Network, from embracing scooters as a way to cut gas consumption.
“It’s hard for us to recommend that people use scooters when a lot of people have no idea how to drive them,” he said, “and worse, a lot of drivers aren’t used to navigating around scooters, so the increased likelihood of an accident or injury is significant enough that it may not be the most effective way-at least not the way we would recommend you save gas.” …
Shames also points out that for a scooter to be worth it for the owner, it requires commitment—the bike’s got to be more than a novelty, he said. “A lot of people will buy them, use them for a month or two, maybe even a year, and then get tired of them or don’t like them, and then they’ve wasted their money because the gas savings isn’t significant enough unless you use this scooter for a long time.”
Something to think about if you’re considering a scooter. But here’s this, too: there are far fewer gigantic Humvees on the road now than two years ago.
