As a vanpooler, you’ve likely got more time to appreciate the scenery, rather than worry about merging and dodging potholes. And while trees, mountains and the late-afternoon sun are certainly worthy of contemplation, you might also consider the paved pathways that lead between work and home. Here are 5 things you might not have known about America’s network of roads, highways and freeways:
1. Although concrete and asphalt paving had been around for several decades, the first paved road intended for automobiles was constructed in Detroit in 1908.
2. The first coast-to-coast route was mapped in 1913 and dubbed the Lincoln Highway by a private entrepreneur who intended to promote travel along the road for commercial gain. It stretched between New York and San Francisco. Most of the route is still drivable today.
3. The Pennsylvania Turnpike is considered an early model of the freeway and its first section opened in 1940.
4. The Interstate system of freeways didn’t exist until President Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956. Kansas claims a stretch of I-70 is the first section of the system.
5. There are about 45,000 miles of Interstate highways in the 48 contiguous states. Alaska and Hawaii have Interstate routes, but of course, none connect with other U.S. Interstate routes, so rather than “I” names, the routes have “A” names: “A1,” “A2,” etc., in Alaska and “H” names in Hawaii.
The following post was written by Mark Royer from Moorpark, California. It was originally submitted to our iPhone contest, but it was so enjoyable that we had to share it with our readers.
Before I began vanpooling, I was putting over 20,000 miles a year on my Toyota Corolla. After I began vanpooling, my miles were more than cut in half. That means I can drive my car a lot longer without having to replace it.
But the Toyota dealer is having a tough time of it. They keep sending me notices that I need service, based on my old mileage, and I am nowhere near the odometer reading they assert I am approaching. Also, I really enjoy the fellowship with the other riders in the van. So it is a great deal for everyone but the Toyota dealer.
Fort Bragg shares a similar situation with many large to medium size cities. Fort Bragg and the surrounding region was built using a suburban sprawl model. Therefore moving about makes motor vehicle travel a necessity. Internal and external roadways are overburdened, traffic accidents continue to increase, and funding to build roadway capacity does not exist. Assuming funding were available, the time factor involved in roadway construction delays any relief in the afore mentioned shortcomings.
But there’s good news! According to a recent story published in the Fayetteville Observer, a new high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane will now help commuters travel to Fort Bragg.
We wanted to find out how this new HOV lane would benefit vanpoolers commuting to the fort, so we asked Charles Young, Fort Bragg’s Sustainable Transportation Planner, what he thought.
VP.com: What kind of an impact do you think these new HOV lanes will make on vanpooling at Fort Bragg? CY: The HOV lanes as applies to vanpools conceptually will do two things: 1) reward those who vanpool with quicker access to post through the ACPs, and 2) greatly reduce the number of vehicles traversing post. The obvious advantage to Fort Bragg will be reduced demand on the roadway network. Consider that a single vanpool will replace an average of seven vehicles yields a high impact solution.
VP.com: Do you know if this is the only HOV lane that goes to a military installation in the country? CY: I am not aware of HOV access at any other Army post. I am not sure about other services.
VP.com: How has vanpooling helped Fort Bragg commuters?
CY: The Army’s Mass Trans Benefit Program essentially reduces commuting costs to $0.00. Individuals that normally use a POV for commutes save not only the direct costs of commuting, but dollars associated with vehicle ownership. Suffice to say that once fully engaged, a family may find that only one vehicle, rather than two are needed to care for a family’s transportation needs. Savings are likely to be $5,000 - $7,500 annually per family.
Commuters can win a FREE year of commuting with the Commuter Nation RIDE FREE Sweepstakes! They can also save 40% on their monthly commuting costs by enrolling in their benefits program at work! For more information visit Commuter Nation.
Traveling at the speed of light might work for Superman, but when it comes to your car, faster isn’t always better. According to this recent AOL Autos article, the faster you travel, the more suctioned air your car has to push out of its way. This takes up more energy and thus, more gas. In fact, for every ten mph over 60 that you travel, you add approximately $0.54 onto the price of gasoline per gallon. Now that can really add up!
Typically experts say that to achieve the ultimate miles per gallon, you should travel plus or minus 55 mph. This is not a recently-learned fact though—as a result of the ‘70s energy crisis, the government enforced a nationwide 55 mph speed limit. But slowing down on the road, means adding more time to your route…which is worthier?
Subscribe to our RSS Feed
