Effective Living > Transportation | Activism > Environment
Summary. Explore and discover transportation solutions for more effective living through the Life Mobility Transportation Group. This page is organized from simplest and greenest modes of transportation at the top to the more complex methods of travel toward the bottom of this page.
Small, Simple, Sustainable Living. Efficient and cost effective transportation is critical to living a simple and sustainable life. These resources can help.
Interest in Green Transportation. Increased concern about the environment has fostered a renewed interest in alternative and greener modes of travel and transportation. The high cost of petrol (gasoline) has caused people to search for more economical methods of travel. Those seeking more time in nature and less time in traffic and more time in parks and green spaces on trails and paths.
Documents. We offer information about a variety of transportation, travel, and commuting options. Click here for articles relating to mobility and transportation.
Green Transportation News. Here’s the latest news from Life Mobility and the world of transportation:
- ICEcoCabs.com – Iowa City Ecocabs at ICEcocabs.com offers Bicycle Rickshaw Pedicabs. The bicycle taxi cab movement begins! Learn more.
- ZeroMotorcycles.com – “Our first production motorcycle, the Zero X, accelerates from 0-30 in under 2 seconds. It delivers over 50 ft/lbs of torque and similar performance to a 250cc gas powered off-road motorcycle. Our street motorcycles build off of this technology and are designed to aggressively take on any urban environment.” (20090522fr1426)
- Bike for Life – Bike to Work Week 2009. The Nicholas Johnson Blog FromDC2Iowa has an excellent article about the many benefits of bicycle riding. (20090509sa1925)
- “Bike commuters laugh at the cold – Riders, bike shops seeing more people keep riding as temps drop”, Iowa City Press Citizen, 3 December 2008. “Biking is a great way to get around in the summer, but come winter a warm car sounds a lot better than a frosty saddle and bitter winds to many people. But not everyone. This year it appears more people are forging ahead on their bikes as temperatures dwindle.”
- Diamondback Performance Hybrid Insight 1 ‘08 Bicycle Review. (20080307fr1633)
- Review of Easton Flatboy Platform Pedals by Gregory Johnson (20070627we0118)
- Review of New Balance 767 Shoes by Gregory Johnson. (20070627we0117)
- The Reason You’re Broke by Liz Pulliam Weston. “If you’re constantly broke and can’t figure out why, the answer may be sitting in your driveway. Americans are spending more on their vehicles than ever before — more than $8,000 a year on average — and it’s driving some to the breaking point. Credit counselor Bill Thompson of Jacksonville, Fla., estimates that one out of every four clients his agency sees has overspent — sometimes dramatically — on a car. ‘They may be spending 15% to 20% of their (take-home) pay on just the car payment,’ said Thompson, who supervises credit counseling for the nonprofit Family Foundations, ‘and that doesn’t include insurance, gas, maintenance and all the other costs of owning a vehicle.’ And sometimes there’s more than one whopping payment. Sandra McGeary, a counselor at Consumer Credit Counseling Services of Western Pennsylvania, says she regularly sees middle-class families struggling with two payments in the $400 to $500 range. The burdens are so big that it doesn’t take a major disaster, like a job loss, to send them over the edge.” Read more…
- The Daily Iowan covered our recent Green Festival. Click here for the story online.
- Seattle family lives without cars and survives to tell about it! (20060604su1412)
Shoes. One of the healthiest and most efficient ways to get around is to walk. Many people relocate to live so that errands and the daily commute can be done on foot. We recommend the New Balance WR737 (women’s) or New Balance MR768 (men’s) running shoes. Both of these shoes are available at our online store ( women’s | men’s ). These shoes have the softest cushion we know of. To our knowledge, this series of running shoe is manufactured in California without animal products or exploitative sweatshop labor.
Bicycles. Bicycles are clean, quiet, fast, simple, and inexpensive mode of travel that benefits the commuter as well as the environment. Here are some useful links to bicycle related resources.
- Advocacy. 21Wheels.com | BicycleFixation.com | Bike Friendly Communities | CarFree.com | Feet First | International Mountain Bicycling Association | League of American Bicyclists | PlanetBike | Rails to Trails | Thunderhead Alliance |
- Chainless Bicycles. DekraBike.com | DynamicBicycles.com
- Children’s Bicycles. | ABikeStore.com |
- Children’s Tricycles. | TricycleKids.com |
- Covered Bicycles. Go-One.us | Velomobile
- Electric Bicycles. Electric-Bikes.com | GreenSpeed.us
- Folding Bicycles. Bike Friday | BreezerBikes.com | Brompton | Dahon.com | Montague
- Manufacturers: | Bianchi | Bike Friday | Cannondale | Diamondback | Fuji | Gary Fisher | Giant | Jamis | Klein | Lemond | Litespeed | Raleigh | Schwinn | Specialized | Trek |
- Tandem Bicycles. | Co-Motion.com | DaVinciTandems.com | TandemCycleWorks.com | TandemsEast.com |
- Three Wheel Bicycles. | IndustrialBicycles.com | IndustrialBikes.com | Worksman.com |
- Vendors of Bicycles and Accessories. 21Wheels.com | BicycleFixation.com | Bike Parts USA | Headland | Performance | PlanetBike | TrophyBikes.com
Bike Trailers. To enhance the capacity and usefulness of your bicycle, consider purchasing a quality bike trailer. Trailers like the one pictured here allow cargo to be protected from rain and road dirt. Most carts and trailers are easily attached and removed as needed.
Some trailers are designed for children and/or other tiny passengers such as pets. Prices can be from $200 to $500 or more. A bike trailer makes it possible to run errands such as grocery shopping or going to the laundromat – even further reducing your dependency upon automobile transportation. For some people, it may make it possible to eliminate dependence upon a car. Some respected providers of bike trailers are listed below.
- BicycleR Evolution – http://www.bikerev.com/
- Bikes at Work – http://www.bikesatwork.com/
- Burley – http://www.burley.com/
- CycleTote – http://www.cycletote.com
Clothing. Poor weather is probably the greatest deterrent to commuting by bicycle or on foot. All-season outdoor mobility requires specialized outer wear. Rain suits by FroggTogg are typically under $100. They are lightweight and breathable. O2 Rainwear by RainShield is also an excellent option as well.