Throughout Bonita Vista High (BVH), teachers on campus have taken unconventional methods of transportation to and from school; unconventional in that these vehicles are not exactly civilian cars. In the current day and age, more customized, exotic vehicles are seen more frequently to be entertaining and more practical.
“Currently, I just have my Subaru. It is a 2016 Subaru Crosstrek that I have modded quite a bit and that is pretty much it for now until I get another toy,” Auto tech teacher Jose Leyva said.
Previously owning a motorcycle before his Subaru, Leyva speaks on his experience with vehicles and viewing them as toys to modify as his own. He has modified his Subaru with a built in shower system to use whenever he is out on roadtrips or camping. Although Leyva views vehicles as toys, he does not have an abundance of them like a collector would.
“I see cars as toys because you can take anything and everything apart in a car and put it all back together. There is literally nothing you cannot do. It literally is just a big toy, that is all it is,” Leyva said.
Leyva modified his Subaru to fit his personal needs of traveling and exploring. Leyva continues to explore what is in front of him and bask in the moment at hand, his car greatly helps with that. However, some teachers like Health Career Internship, Honors Anatomy and Physiology teacher George Lafiguera, drive something completely different from a car.
“I own two SUV’s, a RAV4 and a Mazda Tribute. Soon I am going to own a Sprinter Conversion RV and an electric scooter,” Lafiguera said.
It is widely known on campus that Lafiguera drives an electrical scooter to and from school more frequently than his other vehicles. These vehicles are usually matched with the situation of the day.
“It just depends on what I have to bring to school and how the weather is. If I have to bring a lot of stuff, I bring my car. If the weather is rainy, I drive my car,” Lafiguera said. “Every other day I drive my scooter because it is electric and I have solar panels, so I try to save the environment and save money.”
From motorcycles to cars and electric scooters, these different forms of transportation all have their own gimmick. International Baccalaureate English Higher Level 1 and Theory of Knowledge teacher Jason Good is one of the teachers on campus that uses a motorcycle to commute to school. Opting to use it more often than his truck due to the truck’s mileage.
“I think that being conscientious about your transportation [is important]. My truck is a 1970’s truck and uses ten miles a gallon. If I were to daily drive that, that would be environmentally unfriendly, it would be terrible. I think it is important for me to recognize that I cannot drive daily because its gas mileage is so bad,” Good said.
Good owns a wide variety of types of vehicles, ranging from an FR-S, Corvette, Dodge truck, Harley-Davidson motorcycle and a jeep. This range of vehicles allows him to pick and choose what is more efficient to be driving that day. These vehicles Good drives give him great solutions when it comes to situational days.
“I think the size of our [society’s] vehicles is really the main target. If you compare my truck to a modern truck, a modern truck is twice as big. You just see vehicles get bigger and bigger, which is making it less and less fuel efficient. That is a massive problem,” Good said.
Although size takes a large influence in vehicle pollution, it is also the type of vehicle. Good recognizes these factors in pollution, shining light to the issues of larger vehicles and the pollution they emit. There are reasons to take certain vehicles for certain occasions. For the exploration, the environment and personal preference, there is always a vehicle for your needs.
“I want to encourage people to try different means of transportation when exploring their communities. There are so many places where you can go with bicycles, but you cannot go with a car; there are so many places you can go with a motorcycle, but cannot make it with a bicycle. Try as many different forms of transportation as you can and explore as many different places as you can. If you see a trail and you have the time, just go check it out,” Leyva said.
