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Gas crunch forces drivers to think outside the box
Driving east over the mountain can be such a pain for Clarke drivers.And the drive is only getting worse with rising gas prices.
"The cost in gas each week is killing my monthly income," said Michael Burkey, of Winchester.
To ease the financial burden, Burkey and other local residents have decided to put the brakes on conventional commuting, and consider alternatives.
For Burkey, the solution was to join the Commuter Connection bus service.
He used to commute daily from his home in Winchester to his business in Fairfax in his wife's 2004 Ford Mustang.
His Ford F150 "gas guzzler" moves out of the drive only when necessary.
But despite keeping the truck parked, Burkey's round-trip commute still totals $100 on fuel alone every week.
"I have considered buying another motorcycle due to the savings in gas [that] would almost pay for it and the insurance on it," he said.
Burkey started rethinking the options. Selling his car or moving closer to work were both out of the question for him.
So, the commuter service turned out to be the best solution to a gas problem Burkey called "horrible."
"It's absurd that the oil companies are making a record profit from [high gas prices]," he said.
Burkey has little faith that prices will one day slow down and enter a reasonable range.
"Alternative research for other energy sources needs more attention," he said.
Paul Frappollo, of Berryville, has been looking into alternative energy sources for years.
Frappollo owns a S10-EV Chevrolet, a battery-powered electric pickup truck. Operated by 26 batteries that induce propulsion underneath its belly, the electric truck differs from a hybrid because it has no fuel tank. An accessory diesel tank heats the truck but is not necessary for the engine.
“Auto manufacturers have decided that they can make everybody happy with the hybrids,” he said. Despite the recall, Frappollo was able to obtain his electric truck on eBay.
He says it's misleading that the auto manufacturers tout hybrids as the most energy efficient vehicles. His truck was produced in the late 1990s as a result of a California Air Resources Board regulation on emissions, he said. The measure required car companies to sell a certain percentage of zero emissions vehicles in the state, according to July 2006 National Public Radio report.
General Motors sued to get the Zero Emissions Vehicle Mandate repealed in 2002, according to NPR.
When auto manufacturer's complained, he said, EV's were taken off the lots. Frappollo described the production of hybrids as cheating.
“It's not technology anymore, it's the politics," he said. "If even 5 percent of the population started driving around in something like this, I mean, can you believe it? They wouldn't be making the maximum profit."
With the purchase of his electric truck, it seems Frappollo is ahead of the green game. The S10-EV batteries are recyclable, and because it does not operate on fuel, it has zero emissions.
Bruce Coulliette, the co-owner of the commuter bus service S&W Tours, said he understands the pressures people feel about commuting.
After all, he was once a commuter, and that's why he decided to start his business.
“I thought if I saw a benefit to the service, others would as well," said Coulliette.
He commutes from his home in Warren County to Washington, D.C. every day and enjoys the commuter bus service because he doesn't have to deal with the stress of the drive.
“Most recently we've had an influx of customers and that's due to rising fuel prices," he said.
Coulliette's commuter company plans to lay down a new operating route that will run through Clarke County.
Most patrons, he said, enjoy the bus service because it saves time with the use of the HOV lane, and of course, it saves on gas money.
Contact the reporter at hhager@timespapers.com
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