[genec]

Interesting subject for some residents of San Diego... hopefully the news will follow this story and the results will enable some citizens to realize that there are alternatives to the auto... such as the "biking" mentioned.

Based on the potential this has to add folks to the biking "roster," I would very much call this "cycling advocacy."

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Some San Diego residents will give up their car keys for an entire month, 10News reported.

Starting Wednesday, the participants of the San Diego low-car diet will be using transit, a car-sharing service, walking, and biking to get around.

In exchange for their keys, each participant will be given a low-car diet survival kit which contains a MTS bus and Trolley pass and 25 hours of car-sharing use.

The goal of the diet is to show residents of San Diego how simple it is to live without owning a car full-time.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/kgtv/20060201/lo_kgtv/3232104

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[Roody]

As somebody going into my 45th month of carfree living (this time around), I welcome all who want to try it. For many of us, it's a great way to live, providing many more benefits than sacrifices, or we wouldn't do it.

I was carfree in San Diego about 30 years ago. It wasn't easy then, due to a lousy bus system and the huge area covered by the city. I believe that it's the largest city in area, and also one of the largest counties?

[genec]

I was car free in SD back in the late '70s and early 80's...

It can be done... especially if you live near your work and your neighborhood has a nice range of stores.

[ItsJustMe]

25 hours of car sharing use? EACH? Doesn't sound very low car to me. Certainly not car-free.

[Roody]

An hour in the car every work day. They wouldn't even have to commute! What an anomalie.

[ItsJustMe]

If they count car sharing hours like, "borrow car, drive to work, keep it 8 hours, drive back, give it back" then that only gives them a couple of days and a few errands. If that's how that 25 hours is metered, then I guess it's not bad.

But if the car is used only to get to work, then is relinquished, then you get another time slot to drive home, hell, I am not actually IN my car for 25 hours a month even back when I drove to work every day.

[Roody]

Well, anyway, the event does bring attention to carfree living. Many carfree people that I've been in contact with didn't realize that dumping their car was an option until it was pointed out to them.

In many areas, for many people, the benefits of carfree living can outweigh the sacrifices. For a lot of us, no sacrifices are even required--we live better without a car!

[sbhikes]

Well, at least there is a car-sharing service. That sounds like a good idea to me. And in the age of the Internet it ought to be really easy to do.

Actually, come to think of it, there is car-sharing here out at the University. They have some Priuses that people can sign up to use at lunch for running errands. It's supposed to cut down on people feeling like they have to drive cars to work out there and free them up to feel they can use alternative transportation, which usually means a bus as most ordinary, middle-class workers in this area live 45 mins to 1 hour or more drive away from here.

They ought to supplement that with bike sharing, too, for employees. After all, sometimes all you have to do on lunch hour is go get some lunch.

[oilfreeandhappy]

I think it's one of the most innovative Alternative Transportation ideas ever conceived.

[pakole]

This is such a cool thing. They should try this out in other "unbikable" cities to show it can be done. Thanks for the post.

[Artkansas]

I think it's one of the most innovative Alternative Transportation ideas ever conceived.


I'll take that as sarcasm. I have to agree, it's a pretty sad joke. It somehow pretends that there aren't low income citizens of SD already living car free who would serve as a better example than this media circus.

[Roody]

I'll take that as sarcasm. I have to agree, it's a pretty sad joke. It somehow pretends that there aren't low income citizens of SD already living car free who would serve as a better example than this media circus.
I disagree. Everybody knows that some low income people don't have cars, but most thimk that's because they can't afford them. It just isn't likely that higher income people are going to have role models who are carfree because of lower incomes. Seeing a peer succeed at being carfree will be more persuasive to most people.