By John Stechschulte, Baltimore – Baltimore Sun
I have a confession to make: In a recent story about perpetually increasing gas prices, The Sun quoted Susan Sutter as saying "someone is lining their pockets, and it sure isn’t me" ("Gas-pocalypse?" Jan. 7). I must admit — it’s me.
Am I among the 1 percent? An oil company executive? A Saudi prince?
Nope. I’m just a normal Baltimore resident. Well, mostly normal. I am a little unusual in that I don’t have a car (in fact, a third of Baltimore households don’t). Instead, I go everywhere by bicycle and transit. I’ve been car-free for three years now, and in that time, I have saved more than $15,000.
What am I doing with all that pocket lining? Mostly, I’ve been saving and investing it. I’ve even bought stock in oil companies. I’m hoping for and working toward a world in which drilling for oil is not nearly as profitable as it is now. But in the meantime, someone’s going to make a buck off of it, and it might as well be me.
So when gas prices head skyward you might see a smile creep across my face. Those high prices will add a few more bicyclists to Baltimore’s streets, and a bit more lining to my pockets.
Of course, when I’m on my bike I’m usually smiling anyway.
John Stechschulte, Baltimore
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https://articles.baltimoresun.com/2012-01-12/news/bs-ed-gas-prices-20120112_1_gas-prices-saudi-prince-oiloldId.20120116160715314
My favorite line of this entire piece is the last line about always smiling when on the bike anyway.
In my opinion, above everything else, the best part of bike commuting is that it is fun! I am driving this week since my bike basically exploaded and let me tell you. I miss the fun of it. I passed some bikers (with ample space and respect) and I bet they were happier than I was in my cage…I mean car.