This may shock you but I do not care if gas prices are $2 a gallon or $10 a gallon tomorrow. While like most drivers I would prefer to pay less for gasoline, I am largely insulated from the high cost of gasoline. My truck gets around 20 miles per gallon of fuel and costs about 20 cents to drive a mile in fuel. Yet, I don’t really care much one way or another. My next truck might even consume more fuel then my existing one. I’m thinking of getting either a full-size extended-cab truck like a F-150 or Chevy Silverado — although many now have similar fuel rankings.

Higher fuel prices might even help me buy a bigger truck at a lower price. There will be less of a demand for full size truck should gas prices continue to go up. That’s all fine with me as I am all for saving more money when it comes to buying a new truck. Did I mention my 20 mile per gallon pickup truck uses less fuel then most Toyota Prisus on the road today? It gets fantastic gasoline mileage sitting in first gear with the engine turned off — for days at a time.

… I don’t really drive that much.

I take mass transit or my bike to get around town. I live within 3 miles of the city and can get around it faster on my bicycle then I can by car. I have yet to get a parking ticket for illegally parking my bike—all it takes is a tree or a lamp post to tie it up and find parking. No searching for parking spots! I do drive sometimes on the weekends. Yet, I drive sparingly and my average weekly mileage is about 75 miles (basically 150 miles for bimonthly camping trips). That means that even at 20 cents a mile, it only costs me about $15 a week in fuel (or at $10/gallon that equals an affordable $38 week in fuel). I haven’t changed my motor oil since January. Best of all driving is fun when I get behind my truck after a week of idling it, the truck feels so powerful.

Mass transit is not perfect in Albany. Yet it is doable by understanding it and knowing when and where the buses run. Throwing a bike on the bus makes it even easier, as there is greater flexibility at finding and catching a bus. There might be sometimes