<\/div>\nMy family, friends, and colleagues know that I am a pretty dedicated transit user. <\/span>When you come from New York City, riding transit is just something you do. <\/span>I’ve never seen any reason to behave differently just because I live in car-oriented Southern California. <\/span>In fact, one of the reasons I live in Long Beach is because I could ride from here to my (then) job in downtown Los Angeles via the Metro Blue Line. <\/span>Now that I work in Long Beach, I usually get to my office by taking the Long Beach Transit bus down Cherry Avenue. <\/span>If I need to go to downtown LA, it’s back to the Blue Line.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Here are some of the many reasons why I try to leave my car at home as often as I can.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n I avoid producing emissions and I reduce my carbon footprint.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n I’m not clogging up a street or freeway or on-ramp with yet another car.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n I’m buying a little less $4-a-gallon gas.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n I don’t care about traffic reports! <\/span>I cannot tell you how many years this benefit alone has added to my life.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n My company pays for my monthly transit pass. <\/span>(OK, so I own my company, but lots of employers do this.)<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n While walking to and from transit stops, I get exercise and fresh air. <\/span>I see my community face-to-face and I appreciate its beauty (especially on Ocean Boulevard). <\/span>I can stop and smell the flowers (and I do!).<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n I don’t have to pay for parking. <\/span>I don’t have to worry about parking or the risk of damage to my car.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n After business meetings, I often get back to my office by “bumming a ride” with colleagues, potential clients or people I’d like to get to know better. <\/span>Carpooling like this has turned out to be a great networking tool!<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n While riding transit, I have time to read, talk on the phone, catch up on e-mail, play games, or even sleep. <\/span>Most of those activities are, shall we say, inadvisable while driving.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n OK, I don’t take transit everywhere, no matter what. <\/span>There are places I have to drive to, and days when I decide to drive because I can’t spare the extra time transit would take. <\/span>But my default mode, especially for work days, is, “How can I get there without a car?”<\/span><\/p>\n