Living Car Free - Living Car Free?

I can't go carfree... or I should say Truckfree for that is my other hobby (offroading and 4x4ing)

I work 4 miles from home and I am quiting smoking.
Therefore it makes sense to bike for health along with the savings that comes from not driving to work.

Point being is I have seen in my own life pointless trips to the store, or back into town for this or that which wasn't important.
People with cars tend to fall into a convinence trap. Running here or there just because it is easy to do. They fail to plan or think large. Chit half of the time I don't believe they are even thinking at all when they are behind the wheel of a car.

IF someone makes a choice to be carfree, more power to them!! If they have to beg for a ride they are no differant then the carpoolers. If they give gas money and the car owner was driving that way anyways, then it is no big deal.

I love driving, I left home at 17 and drove from Ohio to Cali. I did this round trip three times. I drove from OH to MI 6 times in one summer between my Cali trips. I drove to MN 3 summers in a row before I moved there. and then it was at least 3 trips a year to OH for 5 years.

I don't think I could ever be carfree, but at the same time I can find advantages of being carfree and apply them to my own life and benifit from them.I congratulate you for stopping to consider the implications of your motoring behavior. All this driving, and many motorists have never stopped to consider the moral implications. I mean, it seems like many Americans brag about the unnecessary driving they do, and care not at all if that activity harmed the health of the planet--or even their own health.

I wish people would think responsibly first, then decide if starting the engine for that particular trip is really a good idea. To me, driving is like eating meat. If you choose to do it, you must be accountable (in your own conscience) for the damage you do to other beings, and you should be able to do the killing yourself, at least once in your lifetime. (This analogy kinda falls apart, but maybe you get the idea I'm trying to convey with it.)

You say that you could never be carfree, and maybe this is true. But I bet there was a time when you said that you could never be nicotine-free, and look at you now! So continue to think it through, and your decision might or might not change. You probably made changes in your lifestyle to help you kick the butts, and, similarly, minor lifestyle changes can help you be more carfree without giving up activities that are important to you.

P.S. Congratulations on quitting cigarettes! I quit 4 years ago and it was probably the hardest thing I ever did. I guarantee your cycling performance will improve as a result!

BTW--Have you ever considered mountain biking as a replacement for the offroad 4X4 stuff? It's a lot more thrills, a lot less damage and noise pollution in the "wilderness" areas!

I haven't had a car at first because I just can't afford it. I haven't driven a car in a long time either. I've been toying lately with getting a car, but still can't afford it. we have pretty good public transportation, but not having a car also means not being able to apply for jobs in certain areas or burbs.

where I now live, it's really serviced well by buses. A bus stops right near my house, and there are several routes around here which can get me just about anywhere. What's funny is that I recetntly began working at a car dealer part time (data entry). And here I am with no car.I am sure they think it's weird. It's pretty easy to get there by public transit, takes about 40 minutes.

In the US, or at least where I'm from, it seems most people think being car-free is for the young and strong, and maybe the eccentric among us. But in reality, while I've known a few eccentric car-free people, most of them have been little old Brittish ladies and one Danish guy who is about 100 years old.

*laughing like a mad-man*

It's gone, gone I say...

They said it would cost me $400 to fix it, so I sold it for $600 and bought a new bike. Ha ha ha ha!!!

Now if I could find a way not to be so damn saddle sore... Boo hoo hoo

I am happy that I no longer have a car. One less headache for me...

That's one way to do it, Nikademus. See ya Out There!

In the US, or at least where I'm from, it seems most people think being car-free is for the young and strong, and maybe the eccentric among us. But in reality, while I've known a few eccentric car-free people, most of them have been little old Brittish ladies and one Danish guy who is about 100 years old.you know I never thought about it before but a lot of elderly people are carfree. Some of them probably ride bikes.

I went car free for almost 7 years and both loved and hated it at the same time.

On the loving side: I was in great shape, had a stress free commute of 10 - 15 miles each way which I made in less time that it took a car because of the traffic and construction. I bought my groceries and everything else online and willingly paid the shipping. Enterprise will 'Pick You Up' and deliver a rental car at any time! I felt better about myself and the difference that I felt I was making in this world because I was not polluting or dispensing road rage.

Things I hated: living in LA... they even have a song about this one 'No One Walks in LA'. Southern California is very bike friendly, but very spread out and the public transportation is horrible. Therefore, being a car free person spotlights your eccentricities and many people out here have a tough time dealing with that. (Many) women here are also superficial and do not think that you have have a normal relationship with them without a car.

I cannot say how many times I heard the question 'Why' when I was car free, and I could always come up with a different answer (as there are a number of valid reasons to live that lifestyle). However, I have turned back around and bought a car (4 months ago) and now drive occasionally. Expenses are minimal for a car that you own outright; insurance is $35, gas is $50, repair is $100 (all per month) and I have found that I ride my bikes more often now that I have the car. I also must admit that it is nice to drive to work (2 miles) on Monday after completing a major bike ride of 100-200 miles on Sunday.

If you can go car free, it will save you tons of cash and make life simpler.
If you cannot go car free, maximize the utility of your car and don't make pointless trips to the store a block away; make pointless trips across a geographic feature instead!

Isn't it great? Been TV free since September 2004 and car free for 6 weeks, life can't posbly get any better! (but I am very willing to let it try ;) )

I guess you aren't watching The Tour then?

CHEERS.

Mark

I guess you aren't watching The Tour then?

CHEERS.

Mark

No, but my LBS has it running all the time and I tend to linger there at least a little bit most days, it's good to have your friends working at the local shop. :)
But In all honesty, I'm not overly into it, just enough to be curious how they are all doing, not enough to watch it all day.

In the US, or at least where I'm from, it seems most people think being car-free is for the young and strong, and maybe the eccentric among us.

Where I'm from, it seems most people think being car-free is for college students and poor people (sometimes these terms describe the same people). While it's socially acceptable for "normal" adults to ride bicycles for recreation, grown-ups who chose to use bicycles for transportation or utility are eyed with suspicion. When my bike is loaded with groceries or other cargo, I sometimes get puzzled looks even from other cyclists and people with bike racks on their cars. :eek:

I guess you aren't watching The Tour then?

CHEERS.

Mark


internet dude, internet, Ive downloaded each stage daily, oh ya, and they are commercial free

ILTB, and everyone else that thinks that it's somehow impractical or nearly impossible to live car-free, I say to you that it is entirely possible but it requires lifestyle choices to be made with a car-free mind. Choices such as where you live relative to shops, schools, public transport hubs, etc. If you have always made those choices as a car owner then it's very difficult to change how you think of these choices when you go car-free, but it's not impossible.

I went car free for almost 7 years and both loved and hated it at the same time...

I thought that was a most insightful post, Extort.

Your father made what I consider the classic mistake millions of families make in this country and that's to move hours from their place of work. Where I work, people get upset that they live 5 miles from the office and consider that a long commute! It's all about choices.

You will grow old real fast and spend a considerable amount of your life on a highway commuting to and from work. That could be your future as I'm sure it is your fathers. I bet your father never factored in the hours he spends traveling to the overall cost of living. The best job is one that you can walk 5 blocks to and from your home.

I agree, far too many people buy into the "affordable" suburb, miles from work. When you live where you work, you care about the community- it's yours.

Oh, one more thing. Speaking for myself, I do not advocate a carfree lifestyle for Americans in general. The conditions and personal characteristics that favor it are quite exceptional.

this must be what the guy that lives on my street thinks as he drives his big gas guzzling v-8 camero 3 blocks to work...at a auto dealership that his vehicle in no way advertises...maybe its health reasons..if so maybe he should stop smoking...

but whatever....just a thought....


i find that by living car free it slows life down a bit, which to me makes me take the time to look at life and appreciate some of the little things that i had been taking for granted...

I've noticed in my neighborhood there is a white-haired little old lady (I wouldn't be suprised if she was 90yrs old) that runs errands on her bike. Her bike is quite interesting, too. It's a little Schwinn cruiser with white fenders and rims, and has a large basket on the front and a banana seat like a Stingray. Sounds ugly but in fact it looks pretty cool.

I work second shift so I've been noticing that there are quite a few retired people that ride bikes for transportation and utility. Probably alot more than you would think. On a fixed income it just makes sense.

I had to get rid of one of my bikes, so I picked the 12 speed old school bike, and instead of throwing it away, I wheeled it to the corner and affixed a sign saying something like "good bike for free to loving owner". I had my brother keep an eye out, and within hours, a woman came up and wheeled it away. When I asked my brother what she looked like (I'm in a yuppie type neighborhood), he said she looked like a woman in hr 30s who would be using that bike to run errands and stuff on it. I felt really good- like I just encouraged someone else to go car free. I was worried that some yuppie would take it and put it on their balcony and never use it, but I think she'll get some real use out of my bike. I cross my fingers that she'll be car free now.

Koffee

I had a similar experience with TV. . . ;)
That's so good to hear! There is always something better to do than sit in front of a frekin tv and just sit there. I HATE tv.

Presently I am not car free, but my van has not run for 2 months now, so I'm pretty much car free. I did a year without a car commuting to work 25 miles one way. I loved it, and in the deep of winter strolling into work with a beard encrusted with icicles gave me the "you're hard core" look I have come to love.
Have been debating selling off the van and getting one of those freaky deaky carbon fiber frames, not necessarily to commute on but to ride.
As for the TV I own one but find I feel very insulted with commercial television, so I rarely watch commercial TV. I do watch a lot of DVDs, funny, the ones I watch most are the Tour De France and Pari-Roubaix bike races, and usually just have them going in the background (ADD/multitasking).
Something I would like to add to the discussion here, is the fact that biking actually helps the body stay young. Okay, any exercise will do that, but being car free, riding you are working out, and releasing natural chemicals that help the body repair itself, which in turn keeps the body younger. I wish I had my sources to cite. One was in researching information on heart attack risk factors. I just lost a good friend to a heart attack. They cut him open to do a triple bipass, and he lived three more months. It really had me thinking about my own health, and that of my family. What I came away with was a little more knowledge, and hopefully being able increase my longevity, I have lost 3 grandparents in their 60's, my mother in her 60's, there's a history of high blood pressure. I hope to out last them, but there are days I wonder why. I am nearing 50, and I wonder what that will be like, much less what 60 will be like.