car light experiment, continued
(This is a continuation of my October 2024 post).
Tire hit the asphalt.
Was on my way to the gym to test out my two night lights.
Better get it over with no matter how tired I feel.
āI donāt normally do this. Go to the sauna after work,ā I thought to myself.
Another test for my low carbon transport experiment. Itās currently month three.
What does it feel like not to depend on a metal box?
Biking in daylight to the gym six minutes from my house? That was the first test. Because of that, I discovered their bike āparking.ā I placed an AirTag in the battery compartment of my bike so at least if someone stole it then I would be alerted on my phone. And there are cameras in the gym foyer where the bike āparkingā is.
There was no parking when I visited Main Street, Punkt phone in my GOT BAG Rolltop Easy, iPhone left behind.
Both experiences made me want to call my city rep.
Commuting to work is easy. Itās a straight shot down a bike path.
The real challenge is riding my e-bike on roads lacking basic bike lanes, on train tracks, over a road with a crosswalk far away on the other end of the street. Saying āScrew itā while darting out to get to the Park and Ride where I would catch the train or as itās called here, the āFrontrunner.ā It runs along the Wasatch Front (The Wasatch is the mountain range here).
To be honest, I havenāt brought it on the train yet even when it is very easy to do. I prefer to stretch my legs. So I purchased a bike locker where I could store my bike without worry.
The problem Iāve come up against is that it is not clean inside. So far, Iāve only put my bike in there once and in order to fit it in, I had to fold it up. And now there are some scratches and dirt. Have to put a tarp down. But could I just double lock my e-bike outside the station?
Readers are probably wondering how I got groceries.
I used my Instacart+ membership. I purchased panniers to haul them, testing them out with a quick trip to Target. My two choices: purchase a lot of food at once through Instacart or bike more to the stores. So far, Instacart is proving to win out. Itās easy in a city to just walk into a store on the way home from work. But in the suburbs, thereās more planning. At first, I thought someone would steal my panniers. Then I remembered that I have a combination bike lock that I can wrap around them. My main lock is the Diamond Elite certified Via Velo bike lock.
I also biked to the library. In that test, I found out that I need to store snacks in the panniers in case I get super hungry.
Never again.
Another day, I took the train downtown to one of my favorite places to write. Had to ride two stops until it let me off at the station. Tested out one of the micro-mobility options here, Lime scooter. I rode Lime past the auto shops , the street art, the food hall. Another day, I took the Frontrunner to my favorite cocktail lounge, again with Lime. Alongside getting soaked, I found out that a Lyft back home would cost $35 on a weekday night! So I took a Lyft to the station, catching the last train back to the Park and Ride.
Ugh, the bus.
I walked 20 minutes to the gym because I wanted to test the bus route after my workout. The stop is close. After the ride, it dropped me off close enough to the coffee house, but I had to walk a couple minutes to get there. I donāt intend on walking 20 minutes to this bus stop after this test though. The bus is bumpy, noisy, and itās too far to walk when the other option is an easy bike ride to the train.
Now onto rideshare.
I learned about the carpool and vanpool services that my counties provide. Just in case I ever need to use them. To get to the Starbucks again, I took the on-demand transportation service offered here or āUTA on Demandā as it is called. I also took UTA on Demand to the train.
I havenāt bought a rain cape yet so when it rained, I chose Lyft. It was super easy to call a Lyft, costing less than $10. After work, I wanted to see what it was like to walk and to stretch my legs. The whole walk lasted 40 minutes which I will not do again.
Another Lyft I took was to a shopping center because it was the weekend and neither UTA on Demand nor Frontrunner were operating. Fortunately for me, I wanted to try out Lyft Pink again(The Points Guy does an excellent review of the feature). After arriving, I remembered that there are no bus stops in this shopping mall. Had to walk on a bridge over the freeway to get to the closest bus stop which I located on the CityMapper and Transit app.
After the bus ride, at the thrift store, I got mason jars and summery clothing, things I wouldnāt have been able to get delivered. Of course, I could have purchased mason jars online and clothes from ThredUp and eBay.
Checking my phone, I saw that my battery was low.
A portable charger. Thatās what I forgot to factor in.
To use an outlet, I decided to go to Krispy Kreme across the street. Also, I didnāt know I had to stand at the stop earlier than expected. That was what happened. Sitting inside, I missed the bus and had to catch the next one. And that time, the ride actually made me sad because I want to be able to live in a city with rapid transit service. I obviously donāt yet as I had to wait another 45.
All the moments that I waited, read my paperback, an offline article. For the planet.
Waiting is a lost art according to an article I read so perhaps Iām practicing patience.
Now, my next attempt is to take the Frontrunner, carrying only my Punkt phone and paper time tables. And then my future analog camera. To combine both my analog and sustainable choices into one test. Also, I want to get to the trailhead without my own metal box.
In all honesty, I had to drive twice a month during these three months to keep my car engine running. Trips included the thrift store, the gym, the Park and Ride, the library. To purchase more gas, hating every second that Iām willingly putting carbon into the atmosphere. At least Iām swiping my planet-friendly debit card.
Need to look into carbon offsetting.