Last weekend heralded the first BBQ food of the season and later on in the week was my first Edmonton patio of the season. Praise!
We're at the Sugarbowl all the time. It's tradition. Located near the University campus it's a staple for students and a hard habit to shake afterwards.
It's one of the few places in town where I'm comfortable just leaving Pashley outside with the wheel lock deployed.
Our waitress was very nice.
Another girl cyclist riding away.
It's that season. Sunglasses!
And pretty girls riding bicycles.
Zoom.
More active transportation.
Two guys having a conversation.
It's so easy to stalk people when you're sitting on the patio.
Helmet.
Looking forward to posting more about patios. Fresh air and open doors make me happy.
8 comments:
I to went to the sugarbowl this weekend but i made sure i drove. Then to be eco friendly i decided to drive to another venue for dessert.
I gave some thought into using the LRT more now that it has opened closer to my area but i figure it's still too expensive. $2.75/person maybe double that if you don't come back home within the transfer time. So $5.50/ per person roundtrip if you factor that i travel with my wife that's $11 to go say downtown. The train isn't that much faster to downtown during non-peak times (that's when i go downtown) and you can easily find parking @ $11 during non-peak times. Even if you factor in gas it's cheaper to drive and you can get "right to the door" of your destination. I will use it under certain circumstances but it won't be my main mode of transportation. We need 8 lanes highways that go in between skyscrapers (like in shanghai) that's how are cities are built!
big bird - Your "math" doesn't particularly resonate with me, but I'm sure you know that. Instead of quibbling over the details, or comparing Edmonton to Shanghai, I'll just propose that people who drive a lot may not notice the frustration of traffic and the impact it might subconsciously have on their ability to reasonably communicate. I suppose that could be a consequence of people traveling alone in their cars all the time. Less practised human interaction?
Patio season has only tentatively arrived in Flagstaff. We had a couple of days of snow flurries last week followed by two days of lovely weather. This week has started out quite nicely but again will end in snow, possibly through the weekend. I can't wait to be able to confidently make plans to meet Bob after work at Cuvee downtown on Heritage Square for good wine and tapas. Always a fine place for watching people and their bikes.
Ok let me breakdown this math for you. The cost of a train ticket/busfare is $2.75/ person. So if you travel with 2 people that's $5.50 (1way). If you don't return home within the transfer time you have to spend another $5.50 for the return leg, that's a total of $11.
Now factor in gas let's assume an avg car burns 10L/100km, a trip down from century park is about 15kms, so 30kms round trip that equates to about 3L of gas consumption, gas costing approx $0.90 today that's $2.70 for gas.
If you're like myself and usually go downtown during non-peak times, parking is cheap (maybe $6 @ the most). There is not much traffic and driving takes no longer than the train it takes about 20 minutes unless there's unforseen circumstances like an accident. So in my scenario for a 20 minute trip downtown $6 for parking + $2.70 for gas. that's $8.70, if you park for free after 6pm @ a meter then the only cost is the $2.70 for gas, compared to a guaranteed $11 in busfare. So the "cheap" public transit option actually costs more in the above scenario.
Hey big bird!
I had the feeling you'd be back. You do understand that you're talking about going downtown at a very specific time with very specific circumstances, etc? I'm sure if I engage you on these points you can specify me to death, which doesn't really do much to reach an understanding (though I realize you're mostly motivated by vexing me).
I have the suspicion that I live in a much more transit friendly part of town than you. So taking the train or bus is really easy most of the time. Also, many people have a bus pass and ride the bus enough to offset the cost.
Also notice that you brought up the cost factor and transportation issue yourself. I rarely talk about how cheap transit and bikes are. It's not really my thing.
Some information about car costs in general from the Canadian Automobile Association. I think households supporting a lifestyle requiring two vehicles ends up being pretty expensive in general. Also, it's a pretty sedentary way to live.
Light Car Van
Overheads $6,516 $8,625
(Fuel @81.2cent/l, maintenance, tires)
Running (18K km)
$1,926 $2,592
(Insurance, license and reg, depreciation, financing)
$8,442 $11,217
46.9c/km 62.3c/km
Happy Trails!
These photos are fantastic!
You are far kinder to Big Bird than I would be (delete!) :)
Dottie - Some people just love to hate. I get it.
I understand Big Bird's point of view; sometimes it's cheaper, faster, and more convenient to drive. Our winters are harsh, so driving in a warm car is more appealing than waiting for the bus in minus thirty degrees Celsius.
I take the train during rush hour and it's infinitely faster (and less stressful) riding the train than driving. The train takes 15 mins, driving takes 30 mins. In my case, public transit is the best option.
I am wondering how Sarah's post about hanging out at the Sugarbowl became a forum for pointing out the shortcomings of our transit system....
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