Jeremy Markovich WCNC Producer

It happened like this:

A few months ago, I started running a daily segment on the news at 4:30 called "Cruel Fuel." It takes me about a minute to write. It merely consists of the average price of gas in the Charlotte area, followed by the cheapest price we can find.

You may not follow it every day. I do.

In all that time, I can't remember the price of gas ever going down. If it did, it was usually by a fraction of a cent. And that got me thinking--how much am I spending just to get to work every day to write, among other things, a segment on the price of gas?

The answer: $2. That's $10 a week. $500 a year. Just to get back and forth to my studio. And I only live about five and a half miles away.

There had to be a better way. What if I took the bus? Would I actually save any money? I'd been riding my bike fairly regularly over the summer. Could I do it EVERY day?

My curiosity became an obsession. I figured out the answers I wanted. Then I wondered how much other people living in other places were paying. Did the options that made no sense to me make more sense to them?

That's when I decided to grab a camera.

I picked five ways that I thought were the most realistic ways to get to my job. I found the shortest one. The cheapest one. The most comfortable one. And one that I'll never do again. Ever.

Along the way, I found people that could help me improve on my commute. I somehow convinced them that this guy with a tiny HD camera and an awful microphone was legit. They took a ride with me. They told me what I was doing wrong. They clued me in on some pretty interesting stuff.

I ended up shooting close to five hours of footage. I've whittled it all down into a series of stories that I hope will point out the best and worst or getting to work. Maybe you'll use it to save money. Maybe you'll use it to save the environment. Or maybe you'll just use it to satisfy your curiosity.

I learned a lot in five days. I hope you will too.

Tell us about your commute. Has it changed with high gas prices? What have you learned? E-mail us at commute@wcnc.com.

3 Comments

Karin said:

What is the answer to your five ways of getting to work?
I drive 40 miles round-trip every day to work.

July 3, 2008 1:05 PM

Ellen said:

I no longer drive to work, I bike. Six miles total, and I need the exercise.

July 3, 2008 1:48 PM

Judi said:

Jeremy,

What suggestions do you have for people who have long commutes? I drive 50+ miles round trip every day.

Thanks,

July 11, 2008 10:58 AM

Leave a comment

Name:

Email:

URL:  

Remember personal info?

Captcha:

Type the characters you see in the picture above.