The Transportation Survey

I think you can tell I'm really really bored...

* Do you drive a car often?
No, maybe once every couple of weeks at the most, or those times when I need to haul something big. I could probably give up driving entirely, but I don't think I could gain any economic benefit from selling my car, so I haven't made that move yet. A former roommate took the plunge when her car died on her, and a year later is still carless, so I think it's not a bad idea.

* Do you have a bicycle?
Yes, I have a 20 year old blue Nishiki 12-speed that I absolutely love. I also have a basic city bike for hauling that I bought at a garage sale in Ashland for $5. Unlike the more avid types, I don't ride much in the winter, but in the summer, I typically ride my bike every day. This is a bike friendly city so there's lots of places you can go that are safe and enjoyable without competing with cars.

* Do you have a car?
I do, but I barely use it. It's too expensive to be buying gas all the time and I hate driving anyway.

* Do you have a driver's license? If so, when did you get it?
I do have one although it's more useful as ID, and I've had it since I was 16.

* Do you often ride public transportation during rush hour?
Unfortunately yes, and it sucks mainly because the traffic's so bad that the bus doesn't move any more than the cars do. On the other hand, I can really get caught up on my reading at those times. The only time I get really annoyed is when I can't sit down and have to stand there for an hour. That sucks!

* Do you often use public transportation?
Yes, it's easy and effective and goes wherever I need to go, so I typically ride about 5 days a week.

* Do you ride a bicycle more than once a week?
Only in the summer. In the winter it's so wet I can't work up the enthusiasm to be both cold AND wet. Complicating matters further is the whole rain-on-glasses problem.

* Do you always wear a seat belt?
Ever since I got the ticket, you bet!

* Have you ever been in a traffic accident?
Yes, but it's worth noting they were never my fault. I've always played the role of victim here.

* Have you ever been stopped for speeding?
Sadly yes.

* Have you ever missed your last train or bus home? If so, how did you get home that night?
I usually have to cab it, which always sucks. It's hard to make the choice between going home and a week's worth of groceries. Arrgh.

* Have you every carpooled?
I used to carpool every day to school. Much better than riding the bus because you don't have to worry about random drunk guys flopping down next to you.

* How do you get to school?
I take the bus, which takes 45 minutes. Driving would take about 15, but it would take at least another 20 minutes to find some sort of legal parking situation, so in the end, it's about the same either way and I almost never drive to school unless I have to haul some huge posterboard-thingy.

* How much is the bus fare or the train fare?
It costs $2.05 but I have a pass so I don't think about it. I get a 30% discount.

* How many times have you traveled by airplane?
On numerous occasions.

* How much does gasoline cost is your country?
I don't know about the whole country, but here in Portland, it costs above $3 a gallon. Happily I don't have to deal with it much except I know it's impacting the cost of food.

* Is there any environmentally-friendly transportation in your area?
Sure. Not only do we have electric trains and buses, they even do flexcar here and of course the bike lanes...The paratransit fleet even uses biodiesel! I wish the regular bus fleet did, I'd be all for it because I hate diesel exhaust! There's also an insane number of hybrid vehicles on the road here.

* What do you usually do when riding a train or bus?
One thing I love about riding the bus is that you don't have to pay attention to anything other than where to get off. I love having that time to do my homework, read a book (often it's the only time I have for reading), or I can always listen to my ipod. Sometimes I take a nap if I'm tired. Sometimes I knit on the bus or write poems.

* What kind of things annoy you about other people's driving?
I hate aggro drivers, but at the same time I can't stand the timid ones either. I also hate when people pull out in front of you and you have to pray that your brakes are working that day, and people who drive real slow in the left lane annoy me as well. I also really hate it when people are talking on their cellphones because they tend to ignore the road completely and start driving erratically/unpredictably. Other people's driving annoys me so much I've basically given up on driving altogether and feel much less stressed now that it's not my problem anymore.

* What kind of transportation do you use most often?
Probably the bus because it's the easiest, but I used to ride the train a whole lot when I worked out in Beaverton. The next most common thing is my own two feet. I can walk to the library pretty easily and that's somewhere I tend to go a lot.

* What's the most readily available form of public transportation where you live?
Here you have a lot of choices, so it's really a question of what you prefer.

* What's your favorite form of transportation?
I love my bike, it's definitely the most fun way of getting around, but it's only practical when it's dry.

* When was the last time you rode a bus?
About an hour ago.

* Where is a good place to go for a drive?
The only place I enjoy driving is outside of the city. I like to drive out to Sauvie Island and pick produce in the summer.

* Would you like to go on a cruise? Why or why not?
I think being stuck on a boat with a bunch of rich white folks would drive me insane.

* Do you sometimes take a taxi (cab)?
Only when I have to. It's not a very thrifty mode of transportation.