Wednesday News Roundup

Phoenix Business Journal has a story (here) about how the cost of owning and driving a car is going up.

"AAA agrees that consumers looking to save money need look no further than
their driveway. The auto club has released a new edition of Your Driving
Costs, which compares the costs of operating different types of vehicles to
help consumers make informed purchases and budget for annual automotive
expenses.

Driving costs are based on national fuel averages, routine maintenance,
tires, insurance, license and registration, loan finance charges and
depreciation costs."

It goes on to note that gas prices are not the only thing to go up, tires, registration and taxes are also on the rise. The most interesting part is the per mile and annual estimated cost of driving a car (which does not include the cost of the actual vehicle). The average cost is $0.514 per mile or $8121 a year. They also note that you can lower your cost by switching from a large vehicle or SUV to a smaller more fuel efficient vehicle. (But somehow fail to mention that you can reduce those costs even further if you walk, bicycle or use public transportation.


Northern Kentucky University's newspaper, The Northerner, reports about Wi-fi in Highland Heights city busses that was developed along with the university. (here)

While this is a wonderful development in commuting (or potentially disastrous depending on how you feel about wireless technology,) the best part of the article is this quote: "Adding Wi-Fi was something we really wanted to do to encourage young professionals to ride..." This kind of forward thinking is exactly what we should all hope that our own local transit authority is using in developing transit in our areas.


In personal news, I bought a tank of gas for my car yesterday (I had to drive to make a chiropractor appointment), and spent slightly over $50(!!!!!). The good news is that it was the first tank I've purchased since the first week of February. (Although to be perfectly fair, I loaned my car to my brother in March and he put some gas in, though not a full tank.)