Living Car Free - I cannot be car free... but I wish I could

About a month ago, we decided to take the plunge and live TV Free.

The kids cried..



I would love to live car-free, but honestly don't see any way to achieve that in the near-term.

My 2004 gas-guzzling Jeep Wrangler has just rolled 48,000 miles. It's about 45 miles to work.

I simply cannot trek that far on the bike. In New England Winters.

There may be rail-service - but the nearest station has to be 15+ miles away. The good news is they are building a t-stop walking distance from my home. Which leads me to my next excuse.....

The educational system in this state is very poor - thus my kids are in private school in the next town (which means there is no bus service). And the family likes long weekend drives and vacations - camping, touring, etc.


Can it be that the car-free lifestyle simply cannot be achieved by everyone?

Can it be that the car-free lifestyle simply cannot be achieved by everyone?


Theoretically, everyone could be car-free - but some would have to sacrifice more than others. Moving from a typical modern car-centric lifestyle to a car-free lifestyle is easy for some. I recently moved to a small town where I get everywhere I need and do anything I want without a car. I'm currently single and unattached, it was easy for me to up and move across the country. My renewed interest in biking and return to car-lite living was a side effect; I didn't move to be able to drive less, but I find I can drive less because of where I moved. Prior to my move, I lived in a big city for about three years - one place I worked was close enough I could have commuted by bike, but for almost everything else I needed a motor vehicle, be it mine or someone else's. My last job there involved about a 20 mile round trip commute, plus anywhere from 20 to 150 miles a day making service calls all over the metro area, suburbs, and satellite towns. There's no way that job could be done on a bike. It depends on your priorities - living car-free vs maintaining your current lifestyle. I'm not insisting you (or anyone) has to be car-free; it would be nice if you could, but just the fact that you're seriously considering it is a step in the right direction. Go for car-lite, then see if can do more. Kudos for considering your family's needs and not just whether or not it would be comfortable or easy to do.

My 2004 gas-guzzling Jeep Wrangler has just rolled 48,000 miles. It's about 45 miles to work.

And the family likes long weekend drives and vacations - camping, touring, etc.



Just a few suggestions ...

1) What about getting rid of the gas-guzzler and buying a small, fuel-effecient vehicle instead. That would probably save you some money and might be a bit better for the environment.

2) Then, because your family likes vacations, and sometimes it can be hard to pack a whole family's worth of gear into a tiny vehicle, rent a larger vehicle for your trips.

3) As for long weekend drives, what about getting everyone out for long weekend bicycle rides instead? That's one thing I just don't "get" ... what is the attraction of going out for a drive? But then ... I get car-sick quite easily, and never feel very comfortable in any motorized vehicle, so the idea of going somewhere in one to just drive around is almost a nauseating idea to me. I'd so much rather get out on my bicycle and ride for several hours.

And that's what my parents did with my brother and me when we were young. I remember many times going for bicycle rides that lasted several hours when I was as young as 10 on a Saturday. Sometimes my father would go out early in the morning, ride out to a designated spot and then turn around and cycle back. Meanwhile, my mother, brother, and I would wait a couple hours and then cycle out to meet him and come back in with him. That way we all got a good ride out of the deal. Other times we rode into the downtown area to stop at the library, and to stop by the park, and the museum, and other places. We got to see the city where we lived.

Then on vacations, the bicycles always came with us, and we'd drive out to a spot, then cycle in all directions from there.

I grew up with cycling as a completely normal and natural part of my life. It's what we did as a family. And I have some very fond memories of it all. :)

Excuses are like armpits........

Bottom line is that it isn't a priority. Where there's the will, there's a way.

Ach, don't listen to me. I'm just moody and grumpy today.

Kaleid: In your current situation, it might not be possible for you to be car-free. You can take efforts to reduce car usage, if that is what you'd like.
Another thing is to watch for car-lite or car-free alternatives for the next time you decide to move.

Here's some idea for reducing car-usage (not saying they necessary apply to you)

-Plan car trips together (Ex: do your groceries when you go get the kids at school)
-Drive to the Rail-service and take it from there. (This might give you some personal time when you can read a book, relax, meditate, listen to your favorite music cd etc...)

The rest you can figure out by yourself. If you really wish to reduce your car usage, think it through as you do it, you'll keep findind solutions that work for you.

About a month ago, we decided to take the plunge and live TV Free.

The kids cried..



I would love to live car-free, but honestly don't see any way to achieve that in the near-term.

My 2004 gas-guzzling Jeep Wrangler has just rolled 48,000 miles. It's about 45 miles to work.

I simply cannot trek that far on the bike. In New England Winters.

There may be rail-service - but the nearest station has to be 15+ miles away. The good news is they are building a t-stop walking distance from my home. Which leads me to my next excuse.....

The educational system in this state is very poor - thus my kids are in private school in the next town (which means there is no bus service). And the family likes long weekend drives and vacations - camping, touring, etc.


Can it be that the car-free lifestyle simply cannot be achieved by everyone?
Same reason why not everybody is a perfect driver, is Donald Trump, a programmer, or a billionpother things that most, some or a few people can or cannot acheive. People that make braod statements such as "everyone can" or "everyone can't" usually are leaving themselves open for error.

Exchange gas guzzling Jeep for a AWD CRV or Element :p

All these suggestions are great, Kaleid. But I would like to address one that might be the most difficult one of all-patience. It will take longer time in many of the parts of the United States to either adopt or bring back less or even no dependance on the car. In my case, biking and public transportation is finally being somewhat phased in after a great many years of disappearing off the radar. I live in Southern California. The reality of our car culture is finally dawning ever so slowly on the population here.

About a month ago, we decided to take the plunge and live TV Free.

The kids cried..



I would love to live car-free, but honestly don't see any way to achieve that in the near-term.

My 2004 gas-guzzling Jeep Wrangler has just rolled 48,000 miles. It's about 45 miles to work.

I simply cannot trek that far on the bike. In New England Winters.

There may be rail-service - but the nearest station has to be 15+ miles away. The good news is they are building a t-stop walking distance from my home. Which leads me to my next excuse.....

The educational system in this state is very poor - thus my kids are in private school in the next town (which means there is no bus service). And the family likes long weekend drives and vacations - camping, touring, etc.


Can it be that the car-free lifestyle simply cannot be achieved by everyone?
It sounds like you are dissatisfied with the place where you live? Bad transportation, cold winters, lousy schools, far from recreational activities. . . . Have you thought about relocating to an area that has a better infrastructure for the lifestyle you want?

Also, 15 miles (to the train station) is not so far to ride for a commute. For many, commuting is the entry point to a carfree or carlight existence. Why not try riding your bike to the train station on a couple weekends, just as a dry run to see how it goes? Also, you mentioned only trains. Have you looked into busses and carpooling?

Sometimes you need to change your point of reference in order to reduce dependence on cars. Or, like my sig says, "Think outside the cage."

Great input from everyone (except becnal :D )

I absolutely love the thought of replacing our random drives with random rides but for some reason I just haven't figured out how to teach the kids to ride without training wheels.

They are both deathly afraid of the bike leaning at all and when it does fall over, they grunt, moan and complain until I go and pick it up for them. You can tell when I take their training wheels off and try the whole "I'll hold you up" trick, they don't even try to balance. They lean to the side like they had the training wheels.

One of the first steps for me should be to get the kids and the wife to learn to ride. I haven't browsed the web for instructional help yet - anyone have any advice?


Good news is I had the wife somewhat looking forward to a bike outing (without the kids) this weekend, but it looks like its going to rain - which is not OK with her.

Theoretically, everyone could be car-free

I think you're very wrong here. There are very good reasons why being car-free isn't for everyone by far:

1) Our societies are designed around the automobile. The fact that our friend here is forced to drive 45 miles to go work, to me, is a triumph of human will over common sense. Same with supermarkets and having to drive many miles to go to them, even if it's just to get a pack of chewing gum.

2) There are many people who can't be car-free by trade. Travelling salesmen (duh), farmers, people who live out of cities in the country, etc etc...

Regarding point #1: there is much work needed to undo a society designed around cars. I've read about utopian cities with efficient shapes to facilitate public transportation and bicycles. I've also read about revolutionary automated public transport vehicles that would be so flexible to use that a car would become useless. But the truth is, mostly, if the whole of society is to become car-free (and it'll happen soon enough, with oil reserves depleting), like it was 100 years ago, it'll simply slow down and return to the way it lived before the invention of ICEs, or some modernized version of it. As it is today, our societies just aren't designed so that a vast majority of its people can be car-free, and as long as oil is affordable, you'll see countless people who can't be car-free, not because they're lazy or because they find themselves easy excuses, but because they just can't due to the society they live in that offers them no other choice.

One of the first steps for me should be to get the kids and the wife to learn to ride. I haven't browsed the web for instructional help yet - anyone have any advice?

You could try my dad's method: when I was little, I was afraid of riding without training wheels. But my dad never tried to take them off all at once. Instead, without telling me, he slid them up half an inch higher one day. I told my dad something was wrong with the bike, he looked at it, and declared it was fine but I might be getting too big for the training wheels and they might be starting to buckle (which was a big lie, but he said it with a straight face), and told me to take it easy until he finds new training wheels. A week later, he set the training wheels higher again, and again a week after. And one day, I took the bike to go ride, and when I let it go, it fell over: my dad had taken the training wheels off and I didn't even notice :)

Years later, he told me of his mischievous plan. He said he didn't feel setting a deadline for taking the wheels off would work with me, as I was too scared. He also said he did it during the summer holidays, so that I wouldn't associate the newly wobbly bike with a threat, but with a minor inconvenience I had to do with when I wanted to go fishing with my friends.

Great input from everyone (except becnal :D )

I absolutely love the thought of replacing our random drives with random rides but for some reason I just haven't figured out how to teach the kids to ride without training wheels.

They are both deathly afraid of the bike leaning at all and when it does fall over, they grunt, moan and complain until I go and pick it up for them. You can tell when I take their training wheels off and try the whole "I'll hold you up" trick, they don't even try to balance. They lean to the side like they had the training wheels.

One of the first steps for me should be to get the kids and the wife to learn to ride. I haven't browsed the web for instructional help yet - anyone have any advice?


Good news is I had the wife somewhat looking forward to a bike outing (without the kids) this weekend, but it looks like its going to rain - which is not OK with her.


Do you have the training wheels on your kid's bicycles set off-balance so that the bicycle will lean from side to side before the wheel on that side touches the ground? I believe that is the way the instruction manual suggests to set them up.

Well ... my father tried that on me when I first learned to ride a bicycle and I HATED it with a passion. I recall that there were several conflicts between him and me regarding the way those training wheels were set up. Finally he gave in to me and set them up so that they were both on the ground when the bicycle was straight. I took off riding and was just fine! No more conflicts!! I don't actually remember when he took the training wheels off, so it must not have been a big deal.

The thing is ... to this day I hate it when the bicycle tips slightly to one side in a situation where I'm not controlling it. For example ... being held at the start of a Time Trial. If that bicycle is not being held perfectly straight, I'm on the verge of panicking. There's just something about that feeling like I'm going to fall.

I think you're very wrong here. There are very good reasons why being car-free isn't for everyone by far:
There's a reason I said theoretically. We didn't used to have cars, therefore in theory we could go back to living without them. Of course changes would have to be made, some major, some minor. We also didn't used to have, say, modern sanitary medical practices and certification for doctors. We could in theory go back to living without that sort of thing, but life expectancies would drop, disease would run rampant, etc.



1) Our societies are designed around the automobile.
I disagree with that statement. American culture in general has developed to be pretty consumer-centric, including lots of car use. But that's not the case all over America, and certainly not all over the world.



2) There are many people who can't be car-free by trade. Travelling salesmen (duh), farmers, people who live out of cities in the country, etc etc...
You mention travelling salesmen - why can't they? Depending on their territory, there are trains, planes, horses, bicycles, feet... Farmers are not necessarily dependent on cars. Tractors, combines, harvesters, quite possibly, but cars? Then you list "people who live out of cities in the country." Well, that's not a trade...but again, why not? I don't live in a city. I do live "in town" but it's a pretty small town. I could live outside of town and still be fine without a car. Just the fact that you live outside of a more heavily populated area doesn't automatically make you dependent on a car - it depends on your individual needs.

I'm glad my post didn't irk you. I appreciate that smiley face!

How about a trailer bike, so one of your kids can ride behind you? Then they won't be afraid of falling because you are in control.

I believe many people misunderstand the concept of car free living. It's not as simple as doing away with the automobile while still trying to maintain an auto centric lifestyle. It's a willingness to make the lifestyle changes that make carfree living possible.

That means living relatively close to workplaces, shopping or access to transit. (I live 20 miles from my office, but an easily bikeable two miles from a bus that goes directly there. That was one of the things I required when I was house shopping.)

For parents and kids, it means substituting dance on Monday, soccer on Tuesday, library story time on Wednesday, cheerleading on Thursday, etc for other activities closer to home - such as family or neighborhood oriented - without having to drive all over town and stopping at McDonalds along the way. Parents who do not choose to make that sort of change or feel they are depriving their children if they don't let them participate in most activities are probably not ideal car free candidates.

It means a willingness to depend more on delivery. Remember, it's car free living, not independence from motor vehicles. That means free from the bonds of car ownership. For large items that can't be carried on a bike or transit, buy from places that provide delivery. Even if you have to pay a little more, it's still a far sight cheaper than the costs of owning a car.

It means having the right equipment, such as a bike trailer to increase the payload and reduce the number of trips made to the grocery store.

It means a willingness to put up with a little personal discomfort on occasion, such as when it starts to rain on the way back home from the grocery store. Of course, the rain gear you have stashed in the bike trailer makes it more tolerable.

It means establishing a mindset. That first month (or more) of car free living ain't gonna be fun. It will take time to develop the individual routines that make it work and to overcome the expectations consistent with years of car dependent living. For some people, this step is simply too much to overcome. Hopefully, they will find ways to live a little more car light.

Theoretically, everyone could be car-free - but some would have to sacrifice more than others.

I consider spending 20% of my income on motorized transportation to have been the biggest sacrifice in my life. An automobile is only the second biggest expense in your household causing you to work 3 months out of the year to afford it. Living in a cold enviroment, with little or not public transportation and totally dependant on motor transport is a sacrifice.

I agree that it requires a mind-shift.
I moved to a small, liberal, green state in the northeast after living with "less car" in upstate NY. The bike was a great way to get around - I was commuting 36 miles a day and I loved it - but I couldn't be "carfree" so I chose "less car".

After moving to Vermont I was well on my way to having that large machine parked in my drive almost useless... and then employment circumstances changed. I'm no closer to being "car free" than I was before - and I now need the vehicle for work. Luckily in my small town I am 1 mile from my office (when I'm actually working here!), 2 from the coop, library, and post office, and 8 from a larger town where I can find almost everything I need. I ride when I can - to work, to my meetings in town... and unfortuneately I drive everywhere else.

Its about a balance. Find what works for you and start doing it little by little.
Move closer to work, or change jobs.

Or, forget about focusing on the car - read Radical Simplicity and Your Money or Your Life... change your priorities and the answers sometimes appear themselves. Start buying local, check out where your food comes from... etc. On the balance sheet of "car free" and smart consumer you can probably come to a draw if you make wise decisions.

Living car free can happen - but you'll have to work at it. Especially in these lovely united states...

Can it be that the car-free lifestyle simply cannot be achieved by everyone?

Probably not. But maybe this isn't a realistic/responsible question for your situation. Maybe you can start out small.

Asking...how can I elminiate just 1 car trip this week. That requires some planning and organization. Places to look include:

*Make your kids ride the school bus if one is provided.
*Combining trips to the store.
*Car pooling after school activities or asking your child to walk to a friends house (if it's safe to do so).
* Of course biking when possible.

Car-less morning so far.

Family wanted Dunkin Donuts (a Sunday tradition). Instead of jumping into the car, I braved the rainy morning for a trip to the local shop on my bike

:)

Yeah! Donuts!

I'm on my way for some right now-- 14 blocks in the rain-- I'll walk because I'm sick of riding the bike right now and I have a big bike trip planned for later.

After reading all the posts on this tread, there has been a lot of good advice given here. I only have a little more to add. Pick the place you live very carefully--- look to move a *village* setting. Pick a spot near your kid's school, shopping, anything else you could walk/bike that you might enjoy. It could be a real stand alone NE village or just an urban village that's part of a bigger town. Your happiness depends on this.

I live within walking distance to 2 big supermarkets, a little hardware store, a Korean restaurant, several SE Asian restaurants and a killer buger joint. I never even have to bike if I don't want to for a whole week end.

I can also bike to the mall 3 miles away or downtown, 2 miles away. And I live next to 2 great bus routes. My wife walks or buses to work, I currently ride 30 miles RT. But jobs come and go-- I might have a longer commute in the future. But I'll still be walking/biking in the 'hood here.

Of course I knew all of this when I bought this house.

Think long and hard about moving-- and do it for your kids. Car lite = more family time.
Once you make the plunge, you'll wonder why you ever lived any other way.

That's the way it starts! Congrats...

You'll devise ways and means to ride more, offering to run to town and grab some groceries, finding ways to add a few more miles to your work ride, and begging the kids to go cruise the neighborhood!

Car-less morning so far.

Family wanted Dunkin Donuts (a Sunday tradition). Instead of jumping into the car, I braved the rainy morning for a trip to the local shop on my bike

:)That's the way you do it -- rock on! :)

Car-less morning so far. Family wanted Dunkin Donuts (a Sunday tradition). Instead of jumping into the car, I braved the rainy morning for a trip to the local shop on my bike :)

Well done, that's the spirit!

One small comment though: reading your post, it seems *you* go get the donuts for the whole family. Sounds like the tradition's on you :) I suggest you take the opportunity to make it a family ride and share the fun.

Well done, that's the spirit!

One small comment though: reading your post, it seems *you* go get the donuts for the whole family. Sounds like the tradition's on you :) I suggest you take the opportunity to make it a family ride and share the fun.
Sometimes getting away from the family for a minute is the best part of the tradition!

I think it has all to do with how one defines "car free".

I don't own a car, yet I am totally dependent on the internal combustion engine. I use bus a lot, all the food I eat is delivered to the local grocery stores and restaurants by trucks and the Czech beer I prefer is in all likelihood imported by ship. I also get a taxi every now and then, rent a car if needed and have even considered joining a carpool system of sorts.

For me being car free is essentially a way of finding alternatives to car ownership. So far it has worked out well, but if I get a family with kids in the future I will have to get more creative... or give up and buy a car. We'll see which.

--J

Can it be that the car-free lifestyle simply cannot be achieved by everyone?

A car-free lifestyle will not be achieved by everyone. But to say that they can't be car-free is implying that there is no way for them to survive without a car.

I think that automobiles for business and government purposes often truly make the difference between life and death. Automobiles for personal use tend to make the difference between "I can do this thing that I would like to do" and "I can't do this thing that I would like to do."

Being able to be car free, and being able to be car free, keep one's job, and still see one's parents 6 times a year, are two different things.

Being able to raise a family car-free, and being able to raise a family car-free in a specific suburban house are two different things.

A large majority of the world's population is car free simply because they don't have the money for a car. Most of human history happened before cars existed. Would some car-less people's lives be saved by having a car? It's possible. But other than that, one is not incapable of being car-free. Just unwilling to deal with some very real consequences.

I think it has all to do with how one defines "car free". I don't own a car, yet I am totally dependent on the internal combustion engine.

You hit the nail on the head. The whole point of being car-free is essentially to rent vehicle use time from the owners of the vehicles from time to time: the owners own the vehicle(s) full time (city for busses, taxi drivers, rental car companies) and they sublet their ownership for a price. It's much more expensive by the hour, but it ends up being much less in the end because you don't use it that much thanks to your bike.

About a month ago, we decided to take the plunge and live TV Free.

The kids cried..



I would love to live car-free, but honestly don't see any way to achieve that in the near-term.

My 2004 gas-guzzling Jeep Wrangler has just rolled 48,000 miles. It's about 45 miles to work.

I simply cannot trek that far on the bike. In New England Winters.

There may be rail-service - but the nearest station has to be 15+ miles away. The good news is they are building a t-stop walking distance from my home. Which leads me to my next excuse.....

The educational system in this state is very poor - thus my kids are in private school in the next town (which means there is no bus service). And the family likes long weekend drives and vacations - camping, touring, etc.


Can it be that the car-free lifestyle simply cannot be achieved by everyone?

Does your family have two cars (I think you mention a wife in a later post) or just the Wrangler? Maybe your goal instead of going car-free is to go from two cars to one shared car - which is a good goal in itself.

For your commute to work, its obviously more of a long-term solution than an immediate one, but I think a good goal when searching for work or searching for a home is to try to be in the same city - and the closer the better. (difficult if you and your wife work in different fields) Or locate close to usable transportation.

In the meantime does anyone that lives near you work near you? Carpooling saves on gas and wear and tear.

Yes, we are a two car family - there are four of us.

But on the bright side, we do have 10 bikes -- no, make that 11 bikes.

I was thinking this morning, that one of the railtrails we like to ride takes me 11 miles towards work. And right next to a commuter rail stop. I planned and mapped it out a bit more, and found I could take the commuter rail 5 stops towards Boston, jump off and ride about a mile to another track and take that commuter about 5 stops away from boston, putting me about a mile from work.

Seems like a nifty little commute. Drive to the rail trail, about 10 minutes. Ride the 11 miles, an hour? first train - 5 stops; 10 minutes? ride a mile - 5 minutes? second train - 5 stops; 10 minutes? ride a mile - 5 minutes.. or so, with traffic lights, and waiting on the train.. Maybe an hour and a half.

ok, probably more like two hours. but the freaking trains are $6 each, $25/day for the train is crazy. the 4hrs commuting isn't really all that bad when you consider it takes into account almost 25miles of riding.

And the commuter Rail is not open to Bikes during 'rush' hour.

Moving closer to work is out of the question, unless I win the lottery. Homes go for 3-10 times what they do in New Hampshire.

Now if I can just swing telecommuting a few days a week -

If you can't move closer to work, a job closer to home? Maybe your own business? Or a job with less pay but more family time and more satisfaction?

Ask your family what they think. You might be surprised by their answers.