5.5 miles, 22 stop lights?
I also have a shortish commute..used to be around 6 miles, now since I recently moved it's a bit more, 9.5 miles..I was just working out my average speed and I would roughly estimate it at 17-18MPH...I haven't exactly counted the traffic lights but I think there's around 12-14 + 3 speedbumps
. The biggest problem driving here in Cyprus is the size of the roads (very narrow in some places), the fact that some pedestrians/tourists don't seem to see the difference between
motor road -pavement as well as some of the most horrific drivers I've encountered. Driving in the States is pretty sweet, at least outside the major cities and subsequent gridlocks
Also can't really pull too slowly from a traffic light as other drivers start hooting, giving you the "look"
It's such a relief to be on the highway although I don't get to drive much, when I did I manage to pull around 56MPG and I was driving a bit too fast for good FE (115-120km/h ~75mph) and mind you my car has only 45HP so it works really hard at that speed
Anyway, to cut a long story short, I know from experience it's hard to squeeze MPG out of short trips