Car-pooling their resources

Lisa M. Parker has saved hundreds of dollars in her daily commute to Syracuse in the past few months, and the savings are growing.

She hasn't bought a fancy new hybrid vehicle or a motorcycle. She still drives her four-cylinder, 2001 Kia Sephia with 108,000 miles on it. Her particular road to lightening her financial burden has been to share her workday commute to Syracuse.

She is among a growing number of north country residents exploring car-pooling as a way to lessen the pain of rising fuel prices.

Mrs. Parker, 47, who works as a legal secretary at the Syracuse law firm of Smith, Sovik on South Clinton Street, has been commuting to the job from her town of Watertown home for the past six years. In April, as the price of gas kept rising, she had the idea of seeking fellow commuters for the 62-mile trip to downtown Syracuse.

She placed an advertisement on the online classified Web site Craigslist. She heard nothing for several weeks, but eventually, two people joined the car pool. One is an Army recruiter who also works on South Clinton Street and the other is a secretary who works at the Syracuse State Office Building on Washington Street.

Another car-pooler may soon join the ride-share group, and they would also have room for another.

Mrs. Parker said they each drive their own cars six or seven days a month. She said they are managing to save about $100 a week each in fuel prices. "The savings are fantastic," she said.

Not only is Mrs. Parker using less gas, but she is also having fewer oil changes: once every three months instead of monthly.

The American Automobile Association projected in April that the average cost of operating a vehicle this year will average 54.1 cents per mile, an increase of 1.9 cents per mile from last year. That figure is likely on the low end considering the recent spike in gas prices.

Mrs. Parker wants to get more people interested in car-pooling. "Gas is so outrageous, and it's only getting worse," she said.

In Mrs. Parker's case, convenience makes the car-pooling option easy. Her two pool members, who didn't want to be identified, have the same hours and work within blocks of each other.

Since Mrs. Parker is the closest to Interstate 81, they meet at her house on Route 11 each day and are on the road at 7:45 a.m. at the latest. They arrive back in Watertown a little after 6 p.m.

They tend to chat during the morning ride, Mrs. Parker said. On the way home, the radio is the preferred entertainment option.

Mrs. Parker admits she sees a bit of difficulty on the horizon with winter traveling and poor weather, especially the notorious lake-effect bands that hit along I-81.

"I've always stayed the night in Syracuse when it's bad," Mrs. Parker said, but added that the other car-poolers might not want to do that; they might want to "get out of Dodge early and face the music."

"Those are the cons," Mrs. Parker said. "But the pluses are traveling with someone and saving on gas and oil changes."

Mrs. Parker said it was tough for her to find a similar job as a legal secretary closer to home. "They all paid $9 or $10 an hour with no benefits," she said. "The drive is worth it."

She said she also doesn't want to live in Syracuse because she fell in love with the north country when she moved here six years ago from New Jersey.

■ / /

Mrs. Parker has been lucky in her search for car-poolers, but others who want to car-pool have had no luck in their Craigslist postings.

For Nathan R. Irwin of Sackets Harbor, his commute to Fort Drum is frustrating, and not only because of the price of gas. Sometimes he follows other drivers from Sackets Harbor to Fort Drum, a 26-mile trip.

"It seems like a lot of soldiers and other military workers are driving from Sackets to Fort Drum," he said. "I figured, 'Why can't we car-pool?'"

He had no responses two weeks into posting his advertisement.

Mr. Irwin, who works as a biologist on post, is employed by Colorado State University's Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands. He drives a 1999 Subaru Legacy.

He said he may be criticized for "driving like a grandma," but noted, "I manage to squeeze out 28 miles per gallon."

Mr. Irwin and his wife, Bethany, have an 8-year-old and a 22-month-old. They're trying to live on one income as Mrs. Irwin stays home with the children.

"Anytime we need to drive anywhere we really think about it," Mr. Irwin said. "It's getting worse and worse with no end in sight."

Mr. Irwin has been able to adjust his work hours so that he works four 10-hour days per week. "That cuts back on the amount I drive," he said.

But it's not enough.

"My wife and I are relatively new to the area," he said. "We like Sackets Harbor. But we're wondering how long we can live here."

■ / /

Katheryn M. Pleak's last commute involved 26 miles, a bicycle and a ferry while living in San Francisco. Now it involves 13 miles and a 2003 Nissan Xterra. The SUV gets about 20 miles per gallon.

"I bought it thinking it'd be great for the winters, which it is, but I have room for someone else," Ms. Pleak said.

Ms. Pleak moved to Alexandria Bay about two years ago from San Francisco when her boyfriend was assigned to the Wellesley Island Coast Guard station. She works as the office manager for the Handweaving Museum and Arts Center, Clayton.

"I think it was when I began paying $4.20 a gallon I realized I didn't want to do this," she said. "It's better to have one car on the road instead of two."

Ms. Pleak recently posted a classified ad on Craigslist seeking someone to share the ride from Alexandria Bay to Clayton. She had no responses less than two weeks later.

"I think it's important for everybody to be conscious of what they're doing and think of ways to use less," she said.

■ / /

Connie S. Turner-Lawof Harrisville has felt a big financial pinch in her 25-mile commute to Gouverneur, where the certified nurse's aide provides some of the 24-hour care required for her father. Like Ms. Pleak, Ms.Turner-Law has also posted a listing on Craigslist, but has had no responses.

"We're trying to struggle by and make a living like everyone else," Ms. Turner-Law said. Her fiancé is a long-haul tractor-trailer driver. "It's not just gas," she said. "It's groceries and everything."

She said she realized she had to do something when gas went to $4 a gallon and diesel, which fuels her fiancé's rig, went to $5 a gallon. She drives a 2003 Buick Rendezvous and pays about $50 a week for gas.

"We very much want to buy a house of our own," Ms. Turner-Law said. "We want things. But with the price of fuel, it makes us wonder how we're going to do it. We're also wondering how we're going to heat the house this winter."

Ms. Turner-Law is looking for someone to share the trip to Gouverneur three days a week, Wednesday through Friday. She leaves Harrisville around 7:15 a.m. and returns at about 4:45 p.m. On Mondays and Tuesdays, she stays with her dad from 4 p.m. until midnight.

"I'd be willing to adjust my schedule," Ms. Turner-Law said. "I'm trying to help myself and help anyone else along the way. One hand washes the other."