PRICE OF GAS AND NATIONAL BIKE-TO-WORK-DAY

Are rising gasoline prices driving you crazy? Do what I did yesterday; ride your bike to and from work. As I've written before, I recently figured out a way to safely ride the 12.3 miles from my home in downtown Indianapolis to my office up on the north side of town. Need a reason to ride (aside from the good it does your body and the environment)? Well, May is National Bike Month, while next Friday, May 21st, is designated as National Bike-to-Work-Day. Here in Indiana, there's even a Bike-to-Church-Day, which takes place next Sunday, May 23rd. (See, even God wants you to ride a bike!)

Not gonna happen, you say? Okay; well, for some people, either because of health or logistical reasons, it truly isn't going work. For those of you who just can't avoid the car and the high gasoline prices, there is some minor relief. Rising gasoline prices are boosting traffic to Internet sites which offer daily updates on the cost of a gallon of gas at local service stations. Two of the best-known Internet websites sites for monitoring gasoline prices are GasBuddy.com and Gaspricewatch.com. Both get their information from volunteers who note prices as they drive to work or do chores.

Gaspricewatch.com has been online since April, 1999, when the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline was about $1.20. "Our whole goal is really just to point people to the cheapest price of gasoline in their neighborhoods," the site's founder, Brad Proctor, told the Reuters news service. He said his site has data from almost 128,000 gas stations in the U.S. GasBuddy.com directs visitors to more than 170 other websites which collect local price information. "A lot of times you can find gas 10 or 15 cents cheaper a gallon by just going a few more blocks,'' said Jason Toews, co-founder of GasBuddy.com in Minneapolis, in comments to the Chicago Sun-Times. Both sites are free, but beware... they do carry lots of annoying advertisments.

Oddly enough, on Mother's Day, we were discussing the price of gasoline. My grandfather keeps a sharp eye on the price. He can tell you the price of gasoline at most of the stations in my home town, as well as their prices over the last few weeks. He asked how much gasoline was in Indianapolis, and I had no clue.

Keeping track of gasoline prices isn't really anything I've ever paid that much attention too. I mean, when I need gas, I go to my favorite gas station, and fill up. I guess I'm a creature of habit, because I go to the same station each time and typically use the same pump.

So, how much per gallon would I need to save in order to keep track of this? Well, I'd guess maybe 50 cents a gallon. That would be $5.00 saved on my fill up.

Changing subjects here.... I would love to ride my bike to work. However, I'm not near a safe bike path, and my office doesn't have a shower/gym where I could get ready for work. I sure wish they'd add one....

Here in center Connecticut the price of gas is $1.97 at the local stations, so I went out and got a Prius. Right now it is averaging 44 mpg; during the winter it was in the mid thirties. The mileage really drops if you use the heater (it needs the engine running to make heat) but the AC does not affect the mileage because it is electrically driven.

Over all no problems with it so far, just have to watch out for pedestrians in parking lots because they donít hear you coming.