More opt to bike, scoot to save loot

What would you do with an extra $120 a month? Buy 180 rolls of toilet paper? An iPod Shuffle plus 50 songs? Food for your family?

Some Mahoning and Shenango valley residents say they are saving more than $100 each month by using alternate methods of transportation such as bicycles, motor scooters and motorcycles.

An average car might get close to 30 mpg, whereas a two-wheeled counterpart could get up to 100 mpg, leaving the two-wheeled commuters with spare cash.

“If I were to be driving to work and back, on average I would spend $30 a week on gas. So I’m saving about $120 a month,” said Nathanael Welch, who rides his bike from the North Side of Youngstown to his job on the Youngstown State University campus.

Welch rides his green Schwinn Varsity about 15 minutes to and from work at YSU each day. Since picking up riding again in May, his trips now include riding to the store and Mill Creek Park.

For the complete story, see Sunday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com.