"Gas Crisis" in Atlanta

I have to say that right now, I am very happy that when we bought our new house in Gwinnett County that mass transit options were a major consideration. Because I researched my transit options and made sure to move within 5 miles of my choice, I actually have limped along for 2 weeks on a tank of gas, missing the drama completely.

While it does mean that I can't really commiserate with my coworkers as they tell their tales of hour long lines only to have the gas run dry, it does mean I get to gloat a bit. My coworkers no longer brag that they drive to work while I ride MARTA and have to put up with aggressive panhandlers.

While it is true, MARTA is plagued by some issues, I still chose it rather than driving. The panhandlers *are* aggressive, the cars do sometimes smell strongly of beer or urine, and the crowding was getting intolerable in the rush hour commutes. I no longer ride MARTA, and I have to say that the georgia XPress bus service is much nicer. But still, had I not moved, I'd still be riding MARTA.

I have been taking the Georgia XPress bus service for two weeks now, and while it is nice, I do think they need to add another bus. In the morning, between 5 and 15 people are forced to stand on the bus while travelling on I-85. As a former firefighter, this just really bothers me. I've attended too many accident scenes with ejections to be comfortable with this.

However, I do still think it's a better option for me than driving in the middle of all the crazy drivers in the regular lanes. The HOV (carpool) lane is pretty quick and lacks the drama that the weaving, speeding, crazed drivers in the regular lanes create.

When I rode MARTA, I signed up for the Commuter Rewards program at http://batma.org. If you haven't ridden public transit for a while, the Commuter Rewards program by the Clean Air Campaign will pay you $3 a day for taking public transportation for a 3 month period. Even after that, if you log your commute you are eligible for drawings for $25 Target gift cards.

So for all of you that are thinking of taking public transit, I can tell you that I'm very happy doing it. It is quite relaxing to let someone else do the driving. I love to read, so I have 30 minutes in the morning and 45 minutes in the afternoon to kick back and transition into and out of the work mode. My stress level is much better since I started doing this.