Scooters - The Ultimate Alternative Transportation

Tenants at Old Town Plaza are increasingly using alternative vehicles for their daily commute. These days the garage is dotted with many bicycles, scooters and one highly enviable Tesla. While bicycles are certainly the most environmentally responsible choice, using them in San Diego County, with its challenging topography and average commute of ten miles, is often impractical. The Tesla, an electric version of the Lotus Elise, is downright sexy and doesn't use a drop of fuel. Such extraordinary styling and technology however is attached to a premium price, placing it beyond the means of most people. The dark horse, in what now appears to be a run-off for best commuting vehicle in San Diego, is unquestionably the scooter.

In the spirit of full disclosure I am the owner of the black Vespa S150, yes, the good looking one, parked on P1. Having used it as my daily commuting vehicle for one year, I find the results of this experiment conclusive. Scooters offer unparalleled economics and convenience.

Economics

Scooters are an order of magnitude cheaper to purchase and operate than any normal car. A new scooter can cost as little as $1,000, and top end models rarely exceed $6,000 unless one indulges in a seal skin saddle.

Depending on engine size, scooters get extraordinary gas mileage; over eighty miles per gallon of fuel in most cases. Using the average commuting distance assumption above, and driving this distance twenty days per month in a standard car averaging twenty miles per gallon of gasoline (a generous assumption), would cost approximately $100.00 per month in fuel. Driving that same route with a Scooter would cost a mere $22.00, a 78% reduction in fuel costs.

Maintenance is cheaper - there simply isn't much to maintain. Insurance is laughably less expensive than car insurance. Together, all of these reductions yield thousands of dollars of savings per year.

Convenience

There are many tired jokes about scooters and their owners, most of them surrounding the theme of "why don't you get a real motorcycle." Indeed, motorcycles are far more exciting and do take real driving skill to properly handle. This however is hardly the point. The complete lack of skill and power found in scooters is exactly what makes them so exceptionally convenient for daily use. Only with a scooter can you take whatever you are wearing, add a helmet and be ready to go.

Searching for a parking space can often take more time than it takes to drive to the destination. With a scooter, every tiny space in the lot is a new parking opportunity. Parking obscenely close to entrances within seconds of arrival while all the cars crawl about the lot battling one another for a space also delivers an immense amout of satisfaction. I also have been able to save time in unexpected ways. I no longer need to invent excuses to avoid shuttling friends to the airport. Neighbors no longer ask for help with their haul from Home Depot.

I had high expectations for the scooter and it has undoubtedly exceeded all of them. Stop by our office to arrange a test drive - of Justin's scooter, naturally.

Commuting Options for Old Town Plaza

In the last few weeks, I have had a number of inquiries about various options for commuting to Old Town Plaza.  This is great news because we do have so many options for commuting here it's really amazing.

1. COASTER/San Diego Trolley - arguably the best option for getting to Old Town Plaza if you live along the Coast/I-5 Corridor anywhere south of Oceanside.  Personally, I live in Carmel Valley and take the COASTER frequently from the Sorrento Valley Station.  The total commute time for me, door-to-door is about 31 minutes - 21 of those minutes are used on the actual train ride itself.

As for the San Diego Trolley, this is an excellent option if you live in Downtown, Mission Valley, East County or Santee.

Both the San Diego Trolley and the COASTER stop at the Old Town Transit Center.


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2. Bicycle - another fantastic option.  Personally, I use this option once a week or so.  When riding a bike, you have the option of riding it to a COASTER train or San Diego Trolley and then riding your bike from Old Town Transit Center to Old Town Plaza.  For our resident hard-chargers, you can always ride all the way in!  We have a bike rack secured behind the gates of the P1 Parking Garage near the Building A elevator landing.

3. Scooter - arguably the best option for those customers of ours who live in any of the great urban neighborhoods located close to Old Town Plaza.  North Park, South Park, Mission Hills, Hillcrest, Banker's Hill, Little Italy, Downtown, Mission Valley and Pt. Loma.  Matt bought a Vespa for his commute to Mission Hills.  Between the fuel economy (85 mpg), acquisition cost ($4500 MSRP) and ease of storage/parking, the scooter has no rival in terms of utility and efficiency.

4. Ride Share/Carpool - traditionally a fantastic option if you live near other co-workers in your office who have similar schedules.  However, we all know how likely that is...

5. Car - well, this doesn't really need an explanation.