A motorcycle is looking pretty good to Empire resident Anne Shoup, who drives to Leland five days a week for work.

"I don't know what the board of directors would say if I drove up in a motorcycle," said Shoup, director of charitable giving at the Leelanau Conservancy. "But oh, 70 miles per gallon is looking pretty good right now."

JENNIFER, BILL and Asher Carlson use scooters to
save gas and to get around Leland a little bit
easier in the summer.

She drives 25 miles each way from her home in Empire to Conservancy offices in Leland. The Shoups’ Volvo is just big enough to accommodate their three daughters — Sonya, 6, Katja, 4, and Talia, 1. Her husband, Dan, owns North Coast Improvements, which requires a vehicle capable of pulling a tool trailer, so he drives an SUV. The couple needs a large enough car to travel to Ohio once a year “without killing one another,” she joked.

“(Gasoline) is a big issue for us,” Shoup said.

A recent trip as a passenger in a co-worker’s hybrid vehicle made her green with envy as she watched the “consumption meter” adjust as the driver’s foot pushed on the pedal or coast.

She is among a handful of people seeking to share the cost of getting from “here to there” in northern Michigan through a little-known service offered through the Northwest Michigan Transportation Alliance, a collaborative group of more than 20 human service agencies, non-profits and businesses seeking to expand transportation options in Leelanau, Grand Traverse and Benzie counties. By logging on to www.NMRide.net she was able to post a notice offering to share a ride and transportation costs with another person going to Leland, or any place in between.

“I haven’t had a bite,” Shoup said of the post, which has been on the website for about three weeks. “Even if it were part way, it would help.”

Although it’s been available for nearly two years, few have taken advantage of the opportunity to car pool. The website also includes a section that calculates the cost of commuting and compares it to shared costs when two or more travel together.

“It’s not heavily utilized,” said Michelle Goetz, director of the Transportation Alliance. “We were hoping (the fuel situation) wouldn’t reach critical mass until we started a real public relations campaign. We went to large employers in Traverse City, such as Munson Medical Center, but there was very little interest.”

Gas prices that AAA Michigan says have jumped from an average of $3.06 per gallon statewide in January to $4.11 as of Saturday have caused some motorists to question their driving habits and look for alternatives. It’s been a topic of discussion at the Michigan Land Use Institute.

“We talk about it all the time. It’s central to the issues we’re working on,” said Hans Voss, MLUI’s executive director.

Hundreds of county residents have participated in the Grand Vision, a citizen-led land use and transportation study that will provide a framework for the next 50-plus years of development in Leelanau and five other bay area counties.

“We’ve had a lot more public input than expected,” Voss said.

Public transportation has surfaced as one alternative for commuters, he said.

“The rising cost of gas makes it difficult for those who aren’t able to live near where they work or shop. They’re forced to take on that cost— which for some— is prohibitive,” he said.

A recent New York Times survey examined transportation costs versus the median income level throughout the United States. Not surprisingly, it revealed that those who live closer to work or have public transportation available spend a lower percentage of their income on this expense.

The highest percentage was 16 percent in areas of Alabama and Mississippi, and the lowest was 2 percent in New Jersey and suburbs of New York City. Michiganders spend from 5 to 6 percent of their income on gasoline.

“The thought that 16 percent of someone’s income going into their gas tank is amazing,” Voss said.

A greater number of area residents are refusing to pay at the pump and are seeking alternatives available through the Bay Area Transportation Authority.

“We’re up 16 percent across-the-board for this year, which is a big increase for mass transit,” said Don Scharmen, interim executive director for BATA. “More people are saying, ‘I don’t have to do this,’ and are making choices. There are choices out there.”
Scharmen said he’s also seen greater numbers of motorized scooters on the roads. Two of his employees who have purchased the vehicles for themselves. The motorized bicycles, which average nearly 50 miles per gallon, can also be seen in Leland this time of year.

Bill and Jennifer Carlson became a “scooter” family 16 years ago. Initially purchased for convenience, the good gas mileage experienced with this transportation are a plus for the couple and their son, Asher, 16.

“Around here it’s perfect because you don’t have a parking problem or a gas usage problem,” Carlson said. “We put in only about three gallons a summer.”