I am not car free and really don't have an intention of being car-free. I live in the city (Philadelphia) but work 26 miles out in the 'burbs; luckily my workplace is semi-reasonably-served by transit. My wife works in town and doesn't drive -- walks or takes the bus or subway.
For the past 3+ years I've taken transit one day per week and driven the rest of the time, except for once-weekly during the summer taking the train to work and biking all the way home (32 miles). But still putting 12000 miles per year on our 1 car.
But in late February I bought my 2nd bike (a folding bike), and have ramped up taking the bike+Amtrak train to/from work. In fact, in the past 3 weeks (15 work days) I've driven only 3 times. My intention is to make my multimodal commute my 'default', driving only when weather, schedule, or errands make it necessary. I'm not sure about winter/dark commuting November-February. I expect I can get my yearly car use down to 5000 miles -- generally 1 or 2 days each week for work, plus some weekend trips.
It's a good start, I think.
maddyfish
05-10-07, 06:36 AM
Sounds car lite to me.
cerewa
05-10-07, 07:13 AM
Welcome to Bikeforums/car-free section from a fellow Philadelphian, Dave.
I think bike-train commutes are a great idea. Which suburb do you work in?
gwd
05-10-07, 07:38 AM
Keep making decisions like that and experimenting with your transport options you'll become car free. If you are a juggler you are already not afraid to stand out from the crowd. One of the local DC jugglers used to commute by unicycle. What are the Amtrak rules for unicycles?
JugglerDave
05-10-07, 08:11 AM
A couple quick answers:
"Which suburb". I work in Malvern / Great Valley. Look in the Commuting forum, I posted "my folding bike commute FAQ" for my own amusement.
"Amtrak rules for Unicycles". I actually have a very long story. It turns out that I had to FIGHT for my 'right' to bring my folding bike on Amtrak. Short version: Amtrak web page lists vague folding bike policy. Conductor Rule book does not mention folding bikes at all, but does prohibit bicycles, therefore this one conductor kept denying me boarding. Through a number of letters, and my filing of a Freedom of Information Act request, and some letters from the Bicycle Coalition of Philadelphia, Amtrak finally updated the Conductor Rules Manual to specify the folding bike policy, as of 5/4/2007. So I have been taking Amtrak in both the AM and PM starting this past Monday - happy ending!
Oh, about the unicycle. They are very likely not mentioned in the rule book either permitted or prohibited, therefore the size requirements of carry-on baggage will prevail. Although the conductor ALWAYS has the option of denying for "safety reasons".
"transit options - will become car free". Philadelphia has PhillyCarShare and now Flexcar, as well as standard rental companies so car-ownership-free options are plentiful. Maybe I'll reevaluate at the end of my current car's usable lifespan (3 or 4 yrs).
Nightshade
05-10-07, 08:53 AM
You are car-lite when you use your personal vehicle for tasks
that can not be handled any other way.
gwd
05-10-07, 08:55 AM
"Amtrak rules for Unicycles". I actually have a very long story. It turns out that I had to FIGHT for my 'right' to bring my folding bike on Amtrak. Short version: Amtrak web page lists vague folding bike policy. Conductor Rule book does not mention folding bikes at all, but does prohibit bicycles, therefore this one conductor kept denying me boarding. Through a number of letters, and my filing of a Freedom of Information Act request, and some letters from the Bicycle Coalition of Philadelphia, Amtrak finally updated the Conductor Rules Manual to specify the folding bike policy, as of 5/4/2007. So I have been taking Amtrak in both the AM and PM starting this past Monday - happy ending!
Thanks for fighting for us.
maddyfish
05-10-07, 12:00 PM
Seems they should allow bicycles on board. Good way to get more peole on board.
Platy
05-10-07, 12:10 PM
...experimenting with your transport options...
That's the key.
Roody
05-10-07, 12:56 PM
Welcome, JugglerDave. I think you're doing great! It's harder to be carlite than carfree, so I admire you for doing a good job of it. :)
How far is your bike commute when you take the train? How long does it take? How long does driving take?
Suggestion for winter commuting: Just keep riding your bike next fall. Say to yourself, "I'm just going to ride it for one more week, then I'll drive if it's too bad." If you can make it to mid-December, you've got it made.
This worked for me 5 years ago, and I'm still riding all winter. Of course I only have a four mile commute, but I still average 15-20 miles/day total ridin all winter. Most days, winter weather at our latitude is actually MORE comfortable for riding than summe weather is. Really!
JugglerDave
05-10-07, 01:01 PM
Welcome, JugglerDave. I think you're doing great! It's harder to be carlite than carfree, so I admire you for doing a good job of it. :)
Thanks for the support!
The winter riding thing is about committing to full-on lighting, not about temperature/comfort. The suburban portion of my commute contains 2 segments that I consider really dangerous at night.
Q: How far do you ride?
A: 8.5 miles round trip biking each day. I ride 1 mile to 30th St. Station
in Philly, take a 30 minute Amtrak train to Paoli, then ride about 3 miles
downhill to work. Reverse that to go home, except the downhill is now a
fairly tough uphill.
Q: How long does it take you (bike+train+bike)?
A: In the morning, about 60 minutes from home to sitting in my office chair.
In the evening, it's about 75 minutes. When I drive, it's 45 minutes in
the morning (at 6:30 AM!) and anywhere from 55 to 90 minutes in the evening.
But I get an hour of reading and relaxing each day on the train instead of
'wasted' time driving.. When I walk+SEPTA train + bus, 90 minutes in AM and 100 in PM.
linux_author
05-10-07, 01:04 PM
"Amtrak rules for Unicycles". I actually have a very long story. It turns out that I had to FIGHT for my 'right' to bring my folding bike on Amtrak. Short version: Amtrak web page lists vague folding bike policy. Conductor Rule book does not mention folding bikes at all, but does prohibit bicycles, therefore this one conductor kept denying me boarding. Through a number of letters, and my filing of a Freedom of Information Act request, and some letters from the Bicycle Coalition of Philadelphia, Amtrak finally updated the Conductor Rules Manual to specify the folding bike policy, as of 5/4/2007. So I have been taking Amtrak in both the AM and PM starting this past Monday - happy ending!
- i guess the conductor's rulebook never had anything about smoking dope on the Friday DC/Philly run all those years, either?
Roody
05-10-07, 01:36 PM
Thanks for the support!
The winter riding thing is about committing to full-on lighting, not about temperature/comfort. The suburban portion of my commute contains 2 segments that I consider really dangerous at night.
The Commuting subforum here at BF is probably the best resource anywhere on bicycle lighting. I ride home from work at 11:30 PM. I'm in a well lit city, so I don't worry too much about powerful lights. I just use LEDs, which are pretty cheap and low maintenence.
Q: How far do you ride?
A: 8.5 miles round trip biking each day. I ride 1 mile to 30th St. Station
in Philly, take a 30 minute Amtrak train to Paoli, then ride about 3 miles
downhill to work. Reverse that to go home, except the downhill is now a
fairly tough uphill.
Q: How long does it take you (bike+train+bike)?
A: In the morning, about 60 minutes from home to sitting in my office chair.
In the evening, it's about 75 minutes. When I drive, it's 45 minutes in
the morning (at 6:30 AM!) and anywhere from 55 to 90 minutes in the evening.
But I get an hour of reading and relaxing each day on the train instead of
'wasted' time driving.. When I walk+SEPTA train + bus, 90 minutes in AM and 100 in PM.
Also, keep in mind that you're getting your exercise while you commute. You don't have to go to the gym or take training rides, so you save a lot of time that way too.
BigRedSnackFoam
05-11-07, 12:15 PM
I think this is a good question, I think I'm fairly car-lite now too. Family of 4 with 2 cars, pretty standard. But, I started commuting this year (45 miles r/t), still only twice a week but I have to work up to that kind of mileage. And now that my wife is back to work we car pool on days that I'm not biking. We work on the same block downtown so it's very silly for both of us to drive. (Actually it's kind of silly for me to bike to since we're going to the same place everyday.) And of course, we drop the boys off at daycare on the way to work. So for most days it's four people, one car. Seems pretty car-lite to me.
BTW, my car is for sale if anyone is interested! Probably not gonna get a lot of bites on this forum though.....
Roody
05-11-07, 12:22 PM
So for most days it's four people, one car. Seems pretty car-lite to me.
.....
Unfortunately this is correct. One car for two drivers is realatively carlite, considering there are far more cars than drivers in the US. I hope you keep trying to get more carlite than you already are. It really is important.
JugglerDave
06-15-07, 06:06 AM
Update:
so for the past 25 work days, I've been able to do:
18 bike and/or bike on train
1 train/bus/walk (no bike - heavy rain)
6 driving
so, down to 24% driving and 76% biking/transit. Bike-on-train is definitely my new default, and I'm having a blast.
I called my car insurance and they dropped my rate by $400 / year. That just paid for my folding bike with an extra $100 to spare, thank you very much.
cooperwx
06-15-07, 07:25 AM
Awesome, Dave. I am lucky to have a commute that I can bike every day. I sold my little Mazda truck last summer, and even though we lost the "multi-car discount" it still saved us a ton on insurance. I've got a family, and my rule for being car-lite is that any time I'm going somewhere alone, I am not taking the minivan.
I'm saving crazy amounts of money, I'm in better shape than I've ever been in my life, and I feel good about reducing my impact on the environment. Any one of those reasons would be enough for me! I can't count the number of times I've thought to myself, "Why in the world didn't I think of this sooner?!"
wahoonc
06-15-07, 08:19 AM
Update:
so for the past 25 work days, I've been able to do:
18 bike and/or bike on train
1 train/bus/walk (no bike - heavy rain)
6 driving
so, down to 24% driving and 76% biking/transit. Bike-on-train is definitely my new default, and I'm having a blast.
I called my car insurance and they dropped my rate by $400 / year. That just paid for my folding bike with an extra $100 to spare, thank you very much.
SWEET!:beer:
Aaron:)
acroy
06-15-07, 08:51 AM
so, down to 24% driving and 76% biking/transit. Bike-on-train is definitely my new default, and I'm having a blast.
great job. Def car lite!
Quite a feeeling of freedom, no? ;)
gerv
06-15-07, 07:53 PM
I don't know what car-light means, but if you are trying to reduce your car mileage, you might check insurance rates. At 5000 or less a year, I recently got a 33% reduction in rates. For me, this makes driving less than 5000 miles a good goal to strive for. 5000 miles is actually quite a bit of driving (at least in my opinion) but for a small family with 2 or 3 drivers, it does mean you will have to work seriously to reduce frivolous trips and do some other essential trips via biking, walking or public transit.
Good luck with this!
MrCjolsen
06-15-07, 09:32 PM
I'm a teacher. This last school year, out of 180 days, I drove maybe 10-12 of them. I did not drive once between April 9 and June 1.
My drive is 12.5 miles one way. If I bike, it's 14. I go multi-modal once and a while, but mostly I bike the 28 miles round trip each day. As of today (the last day of school) I have already racked up 3000 miles on my two bikes and about 500 on my car. After work and on weekends, I use a bike for most of my local trips.
But my wife and I own two cars. It's just that I never drive mine. My wife does not bike, so when we go someplace together, we go in her car. We keep my car because she often relies on me to do things that require a car. Otherwise, I'd sell the damn thing.
So do I qualify as car-lite?
bkrownd
06-15-07, 10:18 PM
I don't know what car-light means, but if you are trying to reduce your car mileage, you might check insurance rates. At 5000 or less a year, I recently got a 33% reduction in rates.
Damn, that's nice. I only got a few measly dollars off for low mileage in Colorado, and they don't have any low mileage discount in Hawai'i. (Instead I get a few measly dollars off ($20/year?) here for living within 5 miles of work)
gerv
06-16-07, 07:50 AM
I'm a teacher. This last school year, out of 180 days, I drove maybe 10-12 of them. I did not drive once between April 9 and June 1.
My drive is 12.5 miles one way. If I bike, it's 14. I go multi-modal once and a while, but mostly I bike the 28 miles round trip each day. As of today (the last day of school) I have already racked up 3000 miles on my two bikes and about 500 on my car. After work and on weekends, I use a bike for most of my local trips.
But my wife and I own two cars. It's just that I never drive mine. My wife does not bike, so when we go someplace together, we go in her car. We keep my car because she often relies on me to do things that require a car. Otherwise, I'd sell the damn thing.
So do I qualify as car-lite?
Certainly sounds "lite" to me. At your current rate of usage (1000 miles a year?), you need to figure the cost of keeping a car. You costs (insurance, repair, licencing, etc) for those 1000 miles must be way up there. You are almost in the range where Flex car or occasional Hertz rentals might work out to be cheaper. However... I don't know how that would work for commuting to your job. Is there any reasonable public transportation?
Spaceman Spiff
06-16-07, 08:46 PM
Good job. I've gotten my car usage down to around 3000 kms yearly, but I'm a single guy with no kids so it's probably easier for me than for you. I'd get rid of it altogether except that there's no reason to since it's all paid off so there's no payments on it, it's relatively new so the maintainance is negligible ($30 for an oil change twice a year), and the insurance is relatively low.
A couple weeks ago a coworker mentioned that she "only" drives 20,000 kms a year. I had to laugh.
Goriot
06-18-07, 08:54 PM
Glad to see there is a place to boast about frugal car use. Since April 2007, I've driven a car a total of MAYBE 200km, and biked 1000kms. Feels good.
I just can't stand all of my friends and family who can't stand that I ride everywhere. "Just take the car" is probably the most common line I hear nowadays. I just ignore and enjoy, but I get a little annoyed when my friend takes his gas guzzler to the local coffee place to buy a drink. I told him to walk/bike one day and he responded as though that option is completely out of the question and cannot in any way apply to him. Its amazing how some people view biking as complete alien technology as opposed to a real alternative.
Secondly, how do you guys deal with sweat? When I ride for pleasure/fitness I don't care, but there are times I'm riding in dress pants and a dress shirt and really don't want to get sweaty, despite it being 30C (around 90F) and I need to ride for around 2-3 miles. I find I don't sweat while on the bike, but the second I stop I perspire quite a bit. The only semi solution is to slow down considerably before getting off as well as walk around for a little bit once I'm off. If I sit down right away I get drenched! Any other tips?
wheel
06-18-07, 09:12 PM
I think you can also go bike lite.
Sometimes I will bring my roller blades on transit. :D
It's all about enjoying life.
CommuterRun
06-18-07, 09:21 PM
If you have to ask, you're not.;) :D
Seriously though, if you're choosing to use transportation other the car, when you could have used the car, you're car-lite. At least that's my definition of it.:)
gerv
06-19-07, 09:15 PM
Secondly, how do you guys deal with sweat? When I ride for pleasure/fitness I don't care, but there are times I'm riding in dress pants and a dress shirt and really don't want to get sweaty, despite it being 30C (around 90F) and I need to ride for around 2-3 miles. I find I don't sweat while on the bike, but the second I stop I perspire quite a bit. The only semi solution is to slow down considerably before getting off as well as walk around for a little bit once I'm off. If I sit down right away I get drenched! Any other tips?
I have given up worrying about it. In the morning as I arrive at work, I have a quick wash down with a facecloth and apply deodorant. At any other time, I just let it happen. I think our society has a phobia about sweat. After all, if it wasn't for the sweat of our forefathers, where would we be today?
MrCjolsen
06-19-07, 09:54 PM
Sweat:
First of all, if you shower normally before you head out on your bike, you might sweat but you won't smell. Human stench comes from poor hygeine to a much greater degree than physical activity. I reek a lot more when I've been sitting on my ass all day than I do when I'm out on my bike all day.
If sweaty clothing in an issue, carry another shirt in your bag and pop into a restroom at your destination and change.
JugglerDave
07-13-07, 10:55 AM
Folding Bike Commute Update 7/13/2007 - slightly over 2 months since Amtrak fixed their policy
38 Round Trips on Bike + Train
2014 Miles Not Driven
84 gallons of gas not purchased
11,400 Calories burned (3 ¼ lbs of fat)
$228 dollars saved vs. driving (Savings of $6 per round trip counting “everything”)
gerv
07-13-07, 03:14 PM
Folding Bike Commute Update 7/13/2007 - slightly over 2 months since Amtrak fixed their policy
38 Round Trips on Bike + Train
2014 Miles Not Driven
84 gallons of gas not purchased
11,400 Calories burned (3 ¼ lbs of fat)
$228 dollars saved vs. driving (Savings of $6 per round trip counting “everything”)
Congratulations. I wish there were more of these success stories.
I should keep statistics like this. It would really motivate me. Also like to know how many pounds of CO2 not emitted.
keiththesnake
07-27-07, 03:44 PM
Goriot: I can't stand it when I'm looked at cross-eyed for wanting to take the bike instead of the car to get a cup of coffee. Like riding the bike just a couple of miles is something we don't do on this planet.
I'd carry baby wipes in my panier to keep fresh after a sweaty ride. Maybe it does help some to spin easy for the last bit of the trip, but it's pretty common to sweat up a storm in the heat. I often wear my dress slacks and shirt on the way to work, carrying my sportcoat and tie. I'll take a little time cooling off and freshening up, and then put on the monkey suit and go to work. Hope this helps.
makeinu
07-27-07, 04:59 PM
I think you're doing great! It's harder to be carlite than carfree, so I admire you for doing a good job of it. :)
Indeed, when it's already been paid for and it's just sitting there it's so easy to just get in the car and drive it.
I personally was never car lite. Many years ago my car was on its last legs. I took it to the mechanic, he gave me a price, and I said to myself, "What do I need it for? It's not worth the money." So I became car free. I don't know if I would have been able to go car lite.
ReachHigher
08-15-07, 07:49 AM
Keep making decisions like that and experimenting with your transport options you'll become car free. If you are a juggler you are already not afraid to stand out from the crowd. One of the local DC jugglers used to commute by unicycle. What are the Amtrak rules for unicycles?
I see a guy every morning coming from the Union Station direction headed toward the Senate buildings rocking out on a unicycle... props for bravery to that guy...
Jerseysbest
08-15-07, 08:16 AM
Amtrak blows!
They're like the Bicycle Nazi's. "No Bikes On Board!"
All the while the train is half empty.
eofelis
08-15-07, 08:51 AM
I was checking the maintenance record on my old Subaru recently. I had changed the oil back in January, 1000 miles ago! I drive the car about once a week, usually to get a bunch of bulky heavy groceries. Sometimes I go out of town for something or another. I get a low mileage discount (<7500 miles/yr) on my car insurance. We do plan on taking this car on a road trip to Az and Ca over xmas.
This car is still cheap to keep but when it starts to be an anchor I'll let it go.
My SO has a 13 yo Toyota 4x4 truck that he sort of inherited, it has 105k on it, it's very cheap and reliable transportation. He drives it about once a week and we use it for camping trips out on the jeep roads.
We both pay $250/yr per car for liability insurance through State Farm. I go through a local agent and I've actually been happy with them. When I had a fender bender issue (my car was hit while parked) I went to my ins. agent for advice and they let me call the other ins co from their office and they answered any questions I had.
The interesting thing that came out of the fender bender is that the car had almost $2k damage on the door (all cosmetic, it functions fine) and the car blue booked at $2k. The other driver ended up paying me $2k cash (he was driving a Mercedes Benz.) I didn't get the door fixed, I just had some engine work done instead and banked the rest, so I sort of have a free car now.