I lust after a
Boosted Board electric assist board. Beautifully engineered to make trips up to 6 miles (20 minutes) at 20mph before recharging (full corded recharge in 2 hours or will charge while pushing). Will slow you while rolling down hills and recharge at the same time. You can push like a regular board and it will recharge with your pushing and braking energy. Bluetooth controlled. Very sweet.
I can go about 30 miles on my longboard at 10 mph average. New Orleans just laid down miles of smooth tarmac and bike lanes too. I have a nice 25 mile loop around the city from my house. Rain is not too much fun though.
I could easily commute on my board and have skated in a few times. If not for the crime issue I would do it more often. I'm kind of a sitting duck on it at 10 mph or less. I could take a trolley part way and skate the rest. Just seems like a lot of effort when I can just jump on a bike and get there in 15 minutes or less.
Here is a look at my board getting hauled to the lakefront path:
Arbor Waterman Koa longboard. Nice fat, soft wheels are not affected by small rocks and twigs.
Go to
http://www.silverfishlongboarding.com/ for a great longboard forum with extensive information regarding using a longboard/skateboard as transportation.