Phil Lehman: Express to Raleigh

Watts Hospital-Hillandale

Phil Lehman is energy conscious and is well-informed about the environmental impacts of driving. However, until recently, he drove daily from his Durham neighborhood to work in downtown Raleigh.

He has been making the same commute for years, and years… and years. After so many years of traveling by car, it would not have been surprising if Phil had kept on driving even as traffic and gas prices increased. Instead, he took the first step towards a new approach to commuting by getting the bus pass he qualified for as a state employee. He planned to try the bus soon. But soon turned into later, and a perception of the bus as slow an unreliable kept him firmly seated in his car.

Then a friend, fellow Watts Hospital-Hillandale resident and bus commuter Jean Cary, vouched for the bus to Raleigh and suggested they ride in to work together. The bus far exceeded his expectations and quickly dispelled his previous perception of what commuting by bus would be like. Rather than an onerous task for the carless or über-green, riding Triangle Transit replaced the hassles of driving and provided time for some light non-fiction reading on why our economy collapsed.

Flexibility can still be a challenge. Phil now appreciates that the bus forces him to keep a tight schedule, but he still commutes by car a couple of times a week, when his schedule does not fit nicely with that of the Durham-Raleigh Express. So what does choosing the bus three days a week mean over the course of a single year for Phil?

• 7,500 fewer miles of wear and tear on his car
• 2 fewer oil changes
• 250 gallons of gas saved

And the cost? Nothing! Plus he gets extra reading time.

Contact robin@cleanenergydurham.org to be connected with Phil or to learn more about your commuting options.

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