Save Gas, Ride Bike
Photo by laszlo.lim
This seems to be a solution many people in Netherlands see as a means to combat the rising price of fuel. I just read this in the news, more Dutchmen and women are buying bikes this year because of high gas prices, in doing so they also help lessen pollution. I’m not sure if riding a bike to work or school is applicable in the country although I’ve noticed there more motorcycles now in the roads compared to a few years ago. This made me think, what about us Pinoys, what have we done to address this issue that we know is not going away anytime soon.
The Yahoo! Philippines Editor recently asked the community – “How can we save money on our daily commute?” When she says “daily commute” this can refer to both driving your own vehicle or taking the public transport. Click now and share your thoughts, let’s learn from each other on how to best save money with this ongoing gas crisis.
To anyone who’s driving their own cars, I checked Answers and got a lot of information on how to save gas. Thomas M asked this question and Lover not a Fighter shared these tips: keep proper tire air pressure, keep air filters clean, tune-up (spark plugs and wires in good condition), don’t accelerate and slow down a lot. In the same question by Eric C, John Carlo shared more tips: be familiar with the traffic flow/signals around your town and area; slow down when you see a red light and coast up to it; don’t haul around dead weight, if you don’t need a full tank of gas then keep your tank only 1/2 full, less weight means less gas used; accelerate moderately but get to higher gears quickly, this allows the engine to turn more slowly; plan your trips, go the furthest destination first to warm up the car then work your way back home; consider car pool, ride a bike, or walk.
I think we should seriously consider the two of the last three suggestions – car pool and walking. I know car pooling is not popular in the Philippines because of safety issues but it’s not impossible to do. If you live in a neighborhood and you know the people around, you can actually coordinate with them and start a car pool with people you know. And of course, walking is the most practical. Not only do you save, it’s also good exercise. I think we can all apply this, we just need to integrate it in our daily commute. This means planning what part of your way to work or home you can walk, where the ideal route will be (so you won’t be walking under the heat), etc.
Tonytong01 asked if it’s okay to constantly shift to neutral and let the car coast in order to save gas and Mark F gave him advice that it’s not. On the contrary, it’s dangerous since you lose control over the driveline while in neutral and you don’t save gas because when the transmission is in neutral the engine returns to idle. In order to stay running the fuel injectors have to start firing in order to maintain idle speed. Cody Z asked if it’s true that one can save gas by turning off the car while sitting in heavy traffic. Jay gave the best answer – it depends a lot on how long you stop in traffic. While it does take more gas to start a car than it does to idle for a minute, again the safety issues come into play. Plus, you wear and tear on the ignition, the starter, and other parts that engage the engine when you start and stop.
There you have it, just some of the many ways we can save on gas in the ongoing gas crisis. If you’ve heard this before, it’s always nice to be reminded every now and then. If this is just your first time to learn about this, feel free to apply it and share it to others who need to know. We may not be able to bring down the price of gas but we can be smart about it and find ways not to consume too much of it.
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Hi. I read a few of your other posts and wanted to know if you would be interested in exchanging blogroll links?
Bikes are the best!
[drawing about bike love] http://www.zegiel.net/?p=468
i agree with the proposition, the thing is in europe their are ways made only for the bikes, belgium and holland applied this system in some places, they extended some ways for bikers and pedestrians, in england only one place i saw but more likely they must have it in london, in paris also some places, in nice, france as well but not everywhere.
the reason why is:they consider that bikers who will go same flow as the cars can be potential danger for drivers so it’s not generalized yet though they are talking about. philippines i don’t know if it’s going to work over there since i don’t live there, besides on every plan and project we make we have to analyse and study the country as wel as the people. knowing pilipinos compare to europeans they lack of discipline which the country has to develop self discipline for things to work. besides the roads over there is narrow and lack of space not like in europe where roads are wider, to create bikes ways is not difficult.
apart from this pollution in manila from cars is very high, cars and buses are cramped to circulate. if you add bicycles on top then more traffic jam would be more expected from the horizon. like i said pilipinos has to learn to have self discipline who has the priority on the sense of transportation then your project might work.
besides more tolerance should be more applied and develop from the part of every citizen.
as hit and run is common practice by pilipinos i don’t know if they can have an honest heart if they cause accident to bikers what is the position of the biker?
what’s the government thinks about it, are they going to contribute for the proposition or they are just going to sit and wait, seems that the government is inexistant it’s just a superficial.
I’m from Brazil and I always read news from the Philippines cause I have some filipino friends and a real interest in your culture. Here in Brazil something we’re doing for some time is using ethanol in cars instead of gasoline, it’s cheaper, pollutes a lot less and it’s a renewable source of fuel. I know there has been some debate lately on areas used for agriculture before now being used to cultivate the source matters for bio-fuel, but I think if a good politics in this matter is established it may also generate lots of new jobs. The problem is there, oil prices are ever rising, pollution, etc. We can’t ignore them anymore.
@Daniel Zegiel – thanks for dropping by Daniel!
@dessie lopez – Hi Dessie, thanks for sharing your views. I totally agree that the government will need to play a big part in helping Pinoys cope with the rising gas prices. Encouraging commuters to ride a bike will only work if there are designated lanes for them which is safe and well-maintained. I don’t think it’s impossible to implement despite the challenges (cramp roads, budget, etc.) because some of our neighboring Asian countries do this but for something like this to work, both government and the private sector must really collaborate well so that we can have a cheaper, more eco-friendly alternative to getting to work or school apart from the usual means we have right now.
@Andre – Thanks for the comment Andre.
Some gas stations have actually started offering thiat type of gasoline mixed with ethanol (I know Shell does it, not sure about the others). It’s a good first step to shifting to a more environment-friendly fuel alternative. I agree with you that it will take good politics coupled with cooperation from the people for countries to implement this kind of program.
I knew one officemate who happened to be our night guard. He arrived at the office when we are about to go home in the afternoon. He used his mountain bike (with street tires) to go to work in our office at Roxas Blvd from San Mateo, Rizal EVERYDAY. He comes in all sweat and wet. But has extra clothes for him to change. Talk about will power. Here in the Phiippines, those who cant afford motorcycles but had to work opted for the mountain bike. I usually encounter a lot of them when i used my motorcycle to go to work.
@Ian Endangan – Thanks so much for sharing that Ian. Very commendable yang office mate for bringing his bike to work. I think one of the things that prevent everyone from biking to work (aside from no bike lanes) is the heat. Sobrang pawis ka na nga naman when you get to work if you bike under the sun, pero if offices have shower rooms maybe it will be more probable.
Riding a motorcycle is also more economical than a car, I just hope you drive safely and always wear your helmet. 
Sana nga lang local goverment support the use of bike commute as well as local businesses.