A GREENER MILE: Getting around in a $4-a-gallon world

With average nationwide gas prices sitting at $4.05 a gallon (as of July 22), American budgets are suffocating under the crude-slicked blanket of energy costs. Finding alternatives to increasingly costly traditionally powered passenger vehicles is becoming an absolute necessity for many tottering on the brink of economic collapse—but fuel costs aren’t the only reason that the gas-powered internal combustion engine is quickly becoming a pariah. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that a typical passenger vehicle emits 5.46 metric tons of earth-warming carbon dioxide a year, and the green movement activists have made it abundantly clear that carbon dioxide spewing cars (and trucks) are main contributors to the inconvenient truth that our planet is heating up.

Gas prices in the St. Louis area consistently sleep on the doorstep of four dollars a gallon, and even though Missouri traditionally has some of the lowest gas prices in the nation, that fact provides little solace to those who can’t afford it.

Whether it may be to save money, help the environment, or a combination of the two, many St. Louisans have turned to public transportation. According to Dianne Williams, Director of Communication for St. Louis Metro, ridership across all of Metro’s services has increased by eight percent in the last two years (July 2006-June 2008). From July 2007 to June 2008, Metro’s services were accessed more that 54 million times. As impressive as those figures are, another appreciable boom in alternate transportation to traditionally powered passenger vehicles has taken place with hybrids, smart cars, motorcycles, scooters and bicycles.

Scooters, Motorcycles, Smart cars

By C. Boning

Smart cars

Angelina Bertani, of downtown St. Louis, went to shop for a “Smart car” Friday July 11 at smart center Creve Coeur.

Bertani, who currently drives a Ford Escort, said she is interested in owning a Smart car because of its gas mileage, the environmentally friendly design and the manufacturing.

“It’s a streamlined version of a car that I think in the future we’re going to have to look into [for] environmentally friendly ways of getting around,” she said.

She added that she first learned about smart cars after seeing one on display at an area mall.

“I also did some research on the types of cars that get the best gas mileage, and besides the hybrid, this is the best [in] gas mileage and the cheapest price,” Bertani said. She also said she intends to pay the $99 deposit and put her name on the nine to 15-month waiting list for one of the cars.

“I wish I could have one tomorrow,” Bertani said.

Marissa Zouglas, a sales representative at smart center Creve Coeur, said Smart cars are unique because of their superior gas mileage and small size.

The most popular vehicle at the smart Center is the Smart Fortwo Passion Coupe because it’s a good middle-of-the-range model, she said.

Zouglas said sales have been going really well recently, and that she has been taking about 200 smart car requests a month.

“We’re all on backorders for about a year and a half,” Zouglas said.

She added that it takes so long to get a smart car because they’re custom-made.

“There’s just not a field lot of these cars,” Zouglas said. “You order it online, and it comes in as you order it. [The manufacturers] personalize them ... You pick out the color. You pick out what you want in it, and then they make it.”

Zouglas said the nearest smart car dealerships are in Kansas City and Chicago, so all the buyers in the middle come to Creve Coeur.

“I’ve had people travel four hours to get to me,” she said.

Motorcycles

Matt Will, marketing director for Gateway Harley-Davidson, said the advantages of motorcycles include the ability to park in tight spots in addition better gas mileage and cheaper insurance compared to cars.

Will said the company stresses to riders the importance of being mindful of other vehicles on the road. He added that Gateway Harley-Davidson offers a rider safety training course for beginning riders or any riders who just want to brush up on the rules of the road.

“Knowing how to be a smart rider and a smart passenger is very important,” Will said.

He said the rise in gas prices has resulted in increased sales, although the weather earlier this year also had an effect on business.

The most popular models at Gateway Harley-Davidson are those in the Sportster line, Will said. He added that the Sportsters are good for beginning riders, and they sell well among women because the seat is lower than on other motorcycles. The other, more traditional models selling well include the Heritage Softail and the Fat Boy, Will said.

He also said that all of the motorcycles Gateway Harley-Davidson are street legal and highway safe, except for one model, the V-Rod Destroyer, which is a drag racing motorcycle marketed toward amateur racers.

‘Scooters’

Jeff McCullar, service manager at Vespa St.Louis, said the typical customer who comes into showroom is difficult to describe, but they are usually between the age of 30 and 65, with the majority of them being women.

“We get a lot of people that are earth-conscious that are looking after the environment,” he said. “We get a lot of people that are in here just to save gas [and] money, but we also get the green, earth people.”

McCullar added that the benefits of riding a scooter include better gas mileage and the fun factor.

“It’s a great way to get around,” he said. “I know a lot of people will take extra ways of taking the long way home [and] doing more errands because they like to get out on their scooter. It’s a good time.”

Echoing Will from Gateway H-D, McCullar said people who ride scooters do have to be a lot more careful out on the road.

“There’s a lot more of risk being on a two-wheel vehicle than a four-wheel vehicle,” he said.

McCullar said sales have gone up about 25 percent since the price of gas increased.

“I know I’ve talked to about four or five people who have sold their car this year,” he said. “When they can’t ride their scooter because of the weather they take the bus [or] Metrolink, but they try to use the scooter every day as their normal means of transportation.”

He added that he himself bought a scooter to save on gas, although he still sometimes drives a Volkswagen Jetta.

“The money I’m saving riding a scooter is paying for itself, basically,” McCullar said.
He also said the most popular model right now is the Piaggio Fly 150. McCullar added that it’s a good medium-sized bike and can go up to at least 60 miles per hour while still receiving about 75 miles per gallon.

“The Vespas seem to be one of the best scooters you can get,” he said. “They’ve been around since the early 1940s. It’s an Italian brand – they’ve been making scooters for a very long time. [The] parts are very available. It’s a very reliable scooter.”

You can e-mail C. Boning at c.boning@gmail.com.