Enter for a chance to win $200 at dumpthepump@yahoo.com I moved to Massachusetts three years ago when I was hired at The MathWorks. My wife and I decided to attempt to live car-free. We moved to Brookline, right on the T, so we could get around without a car easily. We signed up for Zip cars for those times we need to drive. We sold our station wagon shortly after we moved. I found a nice route for my 14-mile bike ride to work (click here to view the route) . I ride a long recumbent bicycle to work when the roads are dry. It takes just over an hour to ride to work, and almost exactly one hour to ride home. The slight difference in time is due to the slight difference in elevation, and due to the prevailing winds blowing easterly. I am a bit of a spectacle. My bike has a front fairing and a wrap-around lycra American flag. This combination keeps me warm in the winter, is quite aerodynamic, and makes me noticeable. My bike is as long as a tandem (~7 feet) so I have a lot of road presence. On days when the roads are wet or covered in snow or ice, I usually take the T to Woodland, and take the MWRTA Route 1 shuttle bus to work. This again takes a bit over an hour door-to-door getting to work, but, because The MathWorks is on the eastbound side of Rt 9, it usually takes under an hour to get home. I like riding my bike when I can, it is good exercise and is inexpensive. But I also enjoy taking the T and shuttle because I get to read. I usually read fiction or science magazines, or put them all together and read science fiction magazines. In my three years of commuting by bike and public transportation I have had very few problems. I got exactly one flat tire, an excellent record. I used to take Commuter Rail to work during bad weather, but found the Framingham line to be somewhat unreliable. I am far happier with the Route 1 shuttle/T combination; it is speedy, has more choices of times, and is reliable. I commute five days/week. I see no reason to go back to owning a car. Commuting is pleasant both by bike (good exercise) and by public transit (I don't have to drive, I get to read). It is cheaper to commute by bike and public transportation that to own a car. In fact, it is cheaper than just parking a car in Brookline, which cost $150/month for the few months we had a car. Here's an estimate: I take the shuttle less than half the time (I shuttle more than half the days during the winter, many fewer than half during the summer). The shuttle costs under $8/day. So it costs me under $80 for an average month of commuting, half the cost of just parking a car, let alone driving it! (Biking is not completely cost-free, but the costs are pretty negligible, perhaps $250 in maintenance for an entire year, or about $20/month. So the preceding estimate is not completely fair, but still shows that it is cheaper to commute by bike & public transit than to park in Brookline.) --Alan I live about 20 miles from work.(West Acton to Natick) I’ve been carpooling for the last 2+ years that I worked at The MathWorks. We share the ride with my co-worker who lives in Concord - each drives every other week. During warmer months we also occasionally commute by bike. I shoot for 2 times a week, it comes out more like 1.5. -- Sasha I have been carpooling for two years now and love it. We used to have three people, but politely “evicted” one member due to his habitual tardiness. My fellow carpooler works at another local company, and we’ve fallen into a comfortable “every other day” pattern of driving. It’s nice to have someone to chat with on the commute – makes the 66 mile round trip go faster. Our schedules change often but it’s never a problem. Even if we carpool twice a week, it takes one car off the road and out of the parking lots for two days. We usually average four days a week. Both of us appreciate the savings at the gas pump that we realize through carpooling. We would like to add 1-2 more members to our carpool, but have never been successful in finding others with the same hours. My one complaint is that since I don’t carpool with a Staples associate, I am not eligible to park in our carpool lot. Apparently, there is more demand than spaces (clearly not evident at 8:00 am!). Regardless…I’m a huge fan and will continue to carpool as long as I can! -- Sue CLICK HERE to return to the TMA home page