The Best (and my favorite) Method of Transportation (Hint, its Not by Car)

Leslie Alfaro
Jul 15, 2022
5 min read

In a day and age where many are reconsidering commuting by car because of the soaring gas prices, I decided to write about how I get around without using the most common method of transportation: traveling by car.

Before I mention the most practical and convenient way of getting around, let's talk about driving and how it does no one a favor.

As the leading method of transportation in the United States, cars have incorporated themselves into our daily lives. They prove valuable when we're rushing to get to work, travel far distances, and move heavy objects. However, many overuse their cars to get to nearby places, such as going to school, getting a drink from Starbucks, or visiting a friend.

Cars can be practical depending on the situation. Yet, driving has its downsides. Aside from getting numb bum for sitting too long, driving deprives us of daily exercise, contributes to notorious city air pollution and loudness, and can be dangerous to drivers and pedestrians. Furthermore, cars require a copious amount of space to travel, which increases the number of stroads in cities.

Have you ever wondered what makes cars so loud? Modern vehicles, like hybrid and electric cars, are known to operate quietly. However, they still produce rolling noise, the sound of rolling tires driving on pavement, which is the most significant contributor to highway noise and increases with higher vehicle speeds. Gas cars create rolling noise and have a loud exhaust system, which removes the gases in an engine's combustion chamber. Many car owners deliberately make their exhaust system more deafening. Some do so by putting microphones in their cars that amplify existing engine and intake sounds.

Ultimately, cars make our cities noisy. They are the main factor that contributed to the idea that cities are naturally loud by nature. NotJustBikes have a great video on this subject that demonstrates that cities aren't supposed to be loud.

Believe it or not, our personal vehicles are a major cause of global warming. Specifically, according to The Union of Concerned Scientists, cars and trucks account for nearly one-fifth of all US emissions, emitting around 24 pounds of carbon dioxide and other global-warming gases for every gallon of gas. Picutre this: there are in the United States: 286.9 million registered cars in 2020. Now imagine if all these cars are used day-to-day, as the average driver spends 18 days driving per year. That's a lot of miles and A LOT of CO2 emissions.

There are crazy people everywhiere, even behind the wheel too. Open Instagram and you'll immediately find at least one video about young people speeding through residential streets. If you live in Los Angeles like me, you'll know this is pretty common: it's hard to ignore the sound of revving engines at night. What's more alarming is how easy it is for a driver to cause an accident. According to a Stanford Law School report, at least 90% of all motor vehicle crashes are caused fully or in part by human error.

This makes sense since motor vehicle accidents are a leading cause of accidental deaths in the United States:

More than 6,000 pedestrians were killed in 2018 alone.
38,824 people died in motor vehicle crashes in 2020.
More than 4,000 American kids are killed in car crashes every year.

Part of what makes cars so dangerous is their size and weight. Each year, cars have been increasing in size and weight. Look no further than electric vehicles: they weigh more than similar gasoline-powered models, typically about 1,000 pounds more.

A 9,063-pound GMC Hummer EV Edition 1 is zooming at you. What would you do? Move to the side? That could be the case for a car made in the 1900s, but in modern times, cars are getting wider and wider, mainly because of the heavy batteries electric vehicles hold. The increasing size makes it harder to share the road with other cars and bicyclists, thus requiring roads to widen, reducing sidewalk space, and making cities car-dependent hellscapes. A 9,063-pound car might not sound that heavy, but that's like a hippopotamus walking over you! A 4,000-pound rhino sounds much better, which is the average weight of a vehicle.

Overall, cars aren't bad. They can be pretty handy; they allow disabled people to travel to places, let moms drop off multiple kids at school, and make it easier to get around on hot days.

What makes them a problem, though, is how people utilize them. More often than not, we prefer driving to nearby places because it is convenient. However, if you have some time and are willing to save some gas money, let me share with you some of my favorite ways to get around without using a car.

Commuting by Bus

Whenever feeling lazy or when it's a hot day, I take the bus. I know buses have a reputation for being dangerous and carrying some sketchy people, but it's not like that all the time. I've had about three instances where I boarded the bus with sketchy people. However, to stay safe, you should carry self-protection and sit at the front. Furthermore, if you can't handle the anxiety of being around strangers, you can get off anytime and use the second, and a personal favorite, method of transportation.

Commuting by Scooter

I've been using a scooter since senior year, and let me tell you: it has been the most convenient thing I own. Here's why:

They are light-weight and portable.

Forget buying a chain or parking fee. You can take a scooter anywhere. I'm talking retail stores, supermarkets, on buses, up the stairs, school, and more. And the best part is many scooters have a kickstand to make them stand by themselves, so you never have to worry about them falling over.

Serve as a cart while shopping

Whenever I go to a store, instead of getting a big cart - which is hard to move around - I grab a shopping basket and hand it over the handles. From there, I drive the scooter with one hand and place items in the basket. Just don't ride the scooter in the store - the manager won't like that.

Easy storage

Sometimes I find my mom passing me with her car as I scooter home. Who do you think get's to enter our house first? You guessed it, I do. All I have to do is fold my scooter and place it in the corner while my mom has to roam the streets for parking and walk from wherever she parked her car.

Of course, these instances vary from person to person, for not everyone will live in a neighborhood full of apartments as I do. On the bright side, you will never have to worry about dealing with a hit-and-run or buying insurance.

Easy Maintenance

Scooters have very few components, which hardly break or wear. In all the years I've owned my scooter, I've only had to tighten the collar clamp once. I don't have to apply oil, put air in the tires, pay for storage, or clean anything. It's such an ideal vehicle for a broke student.

Safer to break

Unlike a car or bicycle, scooters don't need much time to break. I found this handy when cars don't stop to check for pedestrians or quickly turns on at the corner. In rare cases, I get off the scooter immediately if I determine it's too late to break.

Perfect for city life

Because everything is closer to each other in the city, scooters are most suitable for city people: scootering gets you to places quickly and makes it easier to share the sidewalk.

Pomote daily exercise

Depending on the type of scooter, you can get a feel-good workout with a kick scooter, which is the one I own. It's not like a drenched-in-sweat activity but rather a nice leg stretch while burning some calories.

If you don't want this benefit, I suggest you buy an electric scooter: you get to your destination faster without breaking a sweat. However, many of the above don't apply to these scooters.

There you have it! I hope you found some value in this post about why I'm not a fan of cars and prefer sustainable and affordable transportation.

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