Living Car Free - Why do you visit Living Car-Free?

I hate polls! That being said, I will allow myself this one execption.

Why do you visit the Living Car-Free forum?

(Now lets see if I can create a poll without messing it up :eek: ).

I answered the first two checkboxes and the last, but the "other" is pretty significant because it's not just one other.

1. I like to both give and compare advice as much as coming here to get it.

2. I like to meet other people who are interested in this! Honestly, I admire each of you tremendously. There are some wonderful, intelligent, and creative people in here, and some of my favorite posters in all of bikeforums.net come in here and jaw.

3. Hairsplitting, sorry: It's not just getting help with the challenges, but I like to come in here and see if people have considered an idea that I haven't. I don't need any help sometimes with the lifestyle or challenges mostly - because I've been doing this for years and I've been through a lot of it - but sometimes people come up with interesting ways of being car-free that just knock my socks off even when I'm not looking for advice or help. An indicative example was seeing the thread with the group of people in Portland moving an entire apartment's-worth of furniture and personal effects by bicycle. I wouldn't have even thought of it, and seeing people do that was not only remarkable, but clever and creative and it sent a warm feeling to my very bones.

4. I like the orbital discussions about simplicity. This is a bike forum and all that, but it's both fun and important to discuss the finer points of this way of life.

5. Other.

EDIT: Nitpick #2: I also want to say that I'm car-free and advocate reduced car use even though the choice was for car-lite and advocating it. Whatever you can do is fine by me as long as people are honest with themselves and try.

I visit Living Car Free because
I am car-lite and TRYING TO
KEEP THE DREAM ALIVE!

Not only for myself, but for all the fat miserable
people driving their SUVs and such in a completely
unconscious manner about what 'footprint' they
are leaving on the earth as a result of their oil
gluttony.

Yeh, I said it, I am basicly a tree hugger.
And Anti-war and damned proud of it. :)

Ned Goudy

I am here to poke fun at the hippies. Ha ha ...... I like that answer best ..... do they still call 'em hippies??? :)

Really though, My vote would be, I'm not car free or car lite and I don't see the possibility in the near future, but I want to see what it's all about, if that was one of the choices. I do enjoy thinking about how life could be simpler though and some of the folks in here seem to have mastered that.

One of my rules in life is: If you want to learn how to do something, find somebody who already does it well ....... and copy him. So, i'm here hopefully to learn and certainly not to poke fun at the hippies, cute as that may be. If I'm lucky, i'll pick up something in here that I'll be able to apply to my own life one day. :)

Should that happen, Thanks in advance to whoever you may be.

Rik

Yes, old guy there are one or two who actually do come to poke fun at the hippies. I haven't seen their posts in a few days, so maybe they've moved on to greener pastures.

I checked the first two boxes, but I should have also checked "other." I come here for a sense of community because I don't know people in real life who are carfree by choice. And certainly none who incorporate a bike into the mix. So it's fun to be here among my own kind, so to speak.

This is just a place to associate with like-minded individuals. I don't need or seek advice, or wish to give it. As far as advocacy, this wouldn't be the place to do it, because anybody visiting this forum already is interested in the cause. Some consider being car free in itself to be advocacy and protest. Maybe it is, but I'm not personally fanatical or evangelical about it. I'd say that I find motivation here too.

(Now lets see if I can create a poll without messing it up :eek: ).

Nope, "wondered" should be "wandered". Just sayin'. ;)

Good poll though, Pat. I chose four different answers to meet my current status of: car-lite, want to be car-free, would like more people to drive less, and like to see discussion of challenges and solutions even if they don't apply to me.

Like Mtn Mike, I'm here simply to associate with like minded people. So I chose the option that seems closest:

I am Car-Free and I am here to get help dealing with challenges.

...because the single-speed/fixie forum has lost all of its edge and is no longer fun or worth my time.

I am here to poke fun at the hippies.

Yeah, there is no way in hell I was not voting for that. Actually I do not try to antagonize, as I just like to sit back and watch what happens when others do. This forum is usually good for a laugh or two, some of the funniest things I have ever read online have been here.

It is not that I do not have respect for the people here who live car free and try to be an example for the rest of us, which is not the case at all. It is just that their narrow mindedness is really just a laugh riot. They behave the exact same way that the guy in the topic below behaves and the best part is they cannot even see the hypocrisy in themselves!

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=168671

I'm just envious.

Car-lite. Here to learn how to be 'liter' and eventually, I hope, car-free.

I am here to poke fun at the hippies. Ha ha ...... I like that answer best ..... do they still call 'em hippies??? :)

I've been called a "tree-hugging hippie" often enough! I only hug trees for religious reasons, though ;)

I voted for number 2, "I am Car-Free and I am here to get help dealing with challenges." but i suppose that that isnt quite right. I tend to ignore "other" categories because i usually tend to be overly anayltical and put everything into "other" categories. But the real reason is that i visit the forum is the community feeling. I dont know anyone who is car free and bike dependent. I enjoy knowing that other people out there are doing the same thing and i like to see how they deal with challenges. I feel like i have the whole car free thing figured out and i dont really need help, but i like knowing that there are also other people out there.

...because the single-speed/fixie forum has lost all of its edge and is no longer fun or worth my time.
Heaven help us all! :)

I've been called a "tree-hugging hippie" often enough! I only hug trees for religious reasons, though ;)
For me it's sexual. :p

I voted for number 2, "I am Car-Free and I am here to get help dealing with challenges." but i suppose that that isnt quite right. I tend to ignore "other" categories because i usually tend to be overly anayltical and put everything into "other" categories. But the real reason is that i visit the forum is the community feeling. I dont know anyone who is car free and bike dependent. I enjoy knowing that other people out there are doing the same thing and i like to see how they deal with challenges. I feel like i have the whole car free thing figured out and i dont really need help, but i like knowing that there are also other people out there.
Same here. And we live probably 2 or 3 miles apart. Ironic?

For me it's sexual. :p

:lol:

haha i am a hippie...but i really do come here to poke fun at us...i like to come here and usually just read everything i can, soak up the knowledge, sometimes at my 2 cents, help out where i can, or say something witty so as to provide some comic relief.

steve

I put down pokin fun at the hippies. But I'm really car free because I hate cars and love bikes.
Ah those funny hippies

For me it's sexual. :p
LOL
I would have to check the two car lite things as being closest, but I am tempted to check the making fun of hippies because it is the funniest. Darn treehuggers! I might come here because I advocate less car dependence, but I do not come to advocate here. Most posters are either way beyond me in living sustainably or would not be at all receptive anyway. I am in awe of the creative ways people have come up with, although I do not come here for practical advice either. Really here, and the commuting forum, just make me feel at home in the sense that bicyles are viewed, generally, as part of a bigger package of working on ecogrooviness. Bikes are cool and all, but it is really the simplicity threads that keep me checking back here.

Same here. And we live probably 2 or 3 miles apart. Ironic?

That is pretty damn amusing. we should meet up sometime.

Other - Aspiring to be a hippie.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go buy another $7.00 Frocha-mocha-chachie-latte. :)

Yes, old guy there are one or two who actually do come to poke fun at the hippies. I haven't seen their posts in a few days, so maybe they've moved on to greener pastures.

Could be a case of if ya' can't beat 'em, join 'em! ;)

In answer to the original question, I ticked the second box, but I was tempted to go for "other". Basically I just come here to associate with like-minded people and learn from their experiences. Sometimes I'll have experiences of my own to relate, too.

Car-lite. Here to learn how to be 'liter' and eventually, I hope, car-free.

+1

That is pretty damn amusing. we should meet up sometime.
Any day--late night ride--east side--pancakes at Theio's--you buy. :D

Seriously, time and place are negotiable, and I'll buy if it's after next payday.

Newly car-free and find myself dealing with not being able to drive to where I can get things cheaper farther away. SIlly, cause I save so much by not driving in gas. BUT I find myself resisting my bike more than before, because now it's related to a chore- and the idea of making multiple trips if stuff is heavy (I have 2 baskets on my bike) and time when some places are further away...and the time to pile on the warm clothes instead of walk over and climb in. I mean theres the layers, the hood under the helmet, the gloves, the lock, the packing. Sheesh.

I find myself eyeing compact trucks on craiglist. Something to throw in bags of leaves, compost, bales of hay, lumber without having to borrow a vehicle. I spend a lot of time figuring out when I can borrow it and the whole contact back and forth thing.

SO I may end up car-lite. I'll try it a bit longer. I come here for encouragement from people that do it.

Newly car-free and find myself dealing with not being able to drive to where I can get things cheaper farther away. SIlly, cause I save so much by not driving in gas. BUT I find myself resisting my bike more than before, because now it's related to a chore- and the idea of making multiple trips if stuff is heavy (I have 2 baskets on my bike) and time when some places are further away...and the time to pile on the warm clothes instead of walk over and climb in. I mean theres the layers, the hood under the helmet, the gloves, the lock, the packing. Sheesh.

I find myself eyeing compact trucks on craiglist. Something to throw in bags of leaves, compost, bales of hay, lumber without having to borrow a vehicle. I spend a lot of time figuring out when I can borrow it and the whole contact back and forth thing.

SO I may end up car-lite. I'll try it a bit longer. I come here for encouragement from people that do it.
Way to go, overthere!! Even a brief carfree experience will provide you with a lot of new insights.

Emotional/psychological support!


We are not alone! :beer:

Newly car-free and find myself dealing with not being able to drive to where I can get things cheaper farther away. SIlly, cause I save so much by not driving in gas. BUT I find myself resisting my bike more than before, because now it's related to a chore- and the idea of making multiple trips if stuff is heavy (I have 2 baskets on my bike) and time when some places are further away...and the time to pile on the warm clothes instead of walk over and climb in. I mean theres the layers, the hood under the helmet, the gloves, the lock, the packing. Sheesh.

I find myself eyeing compact trucks on craiglist. Something to throw in bags of leaves, compost, bales of hay, lumber without having to borrow a vehicle. I spend a lot of time figuring out when I can borrow it and the whole contact back and forth thing.

SO I may end up car-lite. I'll try it a bit longer. I come here for encouragement from people that do it.
Of course, like anything else, using your bike as transportation gets easier as you go on. You will become more adept and efficient with the clothing layers and so forth. When I get to work, it only takes me 4 minutes to change into my work clothes, and I change everything down to the skin. After work I change even faster, but then need a minute to to unlock and put my lights on the bike.

After some experience with the bike, I discovered that there are some things that are not really needed. For example, I wear much fewer layers than I used to for normal rides around town. If you're only going to ride for 30 minutes, you won't get real cold, so you don't need as many layers as if you were riding a century or something. You start to plan your trips better, too, so you don't waste as much time on the bike.

When you finally get to be in better shape (and you will, but it might take a few months), you come to a point when you realize that you can ride a long time, with heavy loads, without getting tired anymore. That is a great feeling!

Although you do spend more time getting ready than cagers do, you save time in other ways. No more oil changes! No more waiting rooms at Midas Muffler and Discount Tire! I can change a tube in less than 15 minutes, and I'm no speed demon. Could you do that with a car?

Another time saver is that you don't have to spend much extra time exercising. My short round trip commute gives me 30 minutes of vigorous exercise every day. Driving round trip would take almost 20 minutes, and I would still have to find 30 minutes to exercise, so I save about 20 minutes a day. Of course most days I spend a lot more time on the bike, so I get more exercise than just about anybody I know who isn't a professional athlete.

As for fun, I can honestly say that I enjoy riding as much now as I did back in the days when I rode only for recreation and exercise. I still go on fun rides in the nice weather--road rides in the country, trail riding, slow rides around town with a friend, etc. But the best thing is that most of the time, even my commute or a trip to the store is a fun ride too!

Emotional/psychological support!


We are not alone! :beer:

:beer:

Cheers! It does help. I don't know anybody else around here that is car-free. I've had some positive influence on some of my friends and co-workers, but being car-free still makes me a bit of an oddity. I can live with that, but it is nice to hear from other oddities. ;)

I was car free for many years, though interisting, it dosen't work well in LA and where I live it gets up to 11o* in the summer and I have 2 small kids and it dosen't work to well, how ever I like to ride when I can.

Have a two car family with one taking public transit from a park and ride and the other dealing with family concerns during the week. Just looking for additional advice on how others become less dependent, etc.

I find myself eyeing compact trucks on craiglist. Something to throw in bags of leaves, compost, bales of hay, lumber without having to borrow a vehicle.
You can carry all those things (and passengers) on a bicycle: http://xtracycle.com/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=real_loads

I had a hippie nudist roommate once. Grew organic food out back and foraged for backyard fruits hanging over fences and wild edibles on his bike. Had a part time job handing out condoms. Had a cabinet full of herbs. Gave me the nastiest-tasting tea for a cold. House had no furniture because it was more natural to sit on the floor. Couldn't handle sitting on the floor while the hippie nudist stood in front of me to chat. Certain outwardly facing anatomy was always in my face. And it was quite distracting having his female partner being nude around the house as well. So much anatomy! So much difficulty focusing your gaze in neutral places.

Nope, I don't come for the hippies. Hippies are nice and all, but I'm more interested in people who just don't want to blindly follow the rest of the sheep. People who actually made conscious choices about the mundane parts of ordinary life: how to get from here to there, how to get this watermelon home, what to do if...when you don't have a car. It's interesting.

I wanted to be like those hippies but I just couldn't. Nope. I'm an ordinary middle-class white lady who grew up in a strict Lutheran church, but I try not to be as much as I can. I couldn't be like those hippies even thought I thought I wanted to. I probably can't be like a lot of you. But I still am interested in aspiring to it.

I had a hippie nudist roommate once. Grew organic food out back and foraged for backyard fruits hanging over fences and wild edibles on his bike. Had a part time job handing out condoms. Had a cabinet full of herbs. Gave me the nastiest-tasting tea for a cold. House had no furniture because it was more natural to sit on the floor. Couldn't handle sitting on the floor while the hippie nudist stood in front of me to chat. Certain outwardly facing anatomy was always in my face. And it was quite distracting having his female partner being nude around the house as well. So much anatomy! So much difficulty focusing your gaze in neutral places.

Nope, I don't come for the hippies. Hippies are nice and all, but I'm more interested in people who just don't want to blindly follow the rest of the sheep. People who actually made conscious choices about the mundane parts of ordinary life: how to get from here to there, how to get this watermelon home, what to do if...when you don't have a car. It's interesting.

I wanted to be like those hippies but I just couldn't. Nope. I'm an ordinary middle-class white lady who grew up in a strict Lutheran church, but I try not to be as much as I can. I couldn't be like those hippies even thought I thought I wanted to. I probably can't be like a lot of you. But I still am interested in aspiring to it.

You're not like the hippies, and you're not like us (whoever "us" is!)

You're like you!

I'm one who wants to reduce car use. When I was younger and single, I was extremely car-light. Lifestyle, location, and desire were in harmony. Now I have a family, and it is very tough to get back to that.

I did bike to work for some time, and enjoyed it. I had a really close call one morning with a 85+mph car. The thought of my infant/toddler kids put me back in a car. I'd like to get back, but having a difficult time convincing my wife.

I'm here for inspiration and ideas.