Commuting - Carfree Musings

Well, I've been carfree for 6-odd months now. It doesn't seem like it's been that long. I can't get over just how easy and unintrusive it has been to our lifestyle.

Before I got rid of my car, I commuted almost exclusively by bike so there really was not change in commuting. However, what has changed is my perception of it. Before, even though I had been a bicycle commuter for many years, I would think to myself in the mornings "I'm bike commuting today--let me check the weather and are the any errands to run on the way home." Now I just think of it as my commute to work--it just seems so natural. I also now go far more places (like running errands) by bike than I ever did before.

At first my wife protested this arrangement. But now, though she'd never admit it, she sees it as "normal." It's now automatic to consider how I'll get there by bike, or if she'll need to pick me up if it's coming a lightning storm, etc. No big hassle, just a little more thoughtful planning and coordination. A note here: I've always hated cell phones, but they are a godsend to the carfree. And the savings from giving up a car justify the expense of both me and my wife having one.

All in all, it's been so easy--almost a non-event becoming carfree. Plus, I've now saved enough from being carfree for a new Ti wonder bike! Not that I'm buying another. But it's certainly been easy and guilt free to buy all those bike upgrades and accessories that I've always coveted.

Dave

Myself, I've been carfree for a year, other than the taxi ride I took to and from the airport when I was transporting myself, my luggage and my bike to Canada this summer.

I feel fitter, stronger, happier, and proud of the fact that I feel like I'm really accomplishing something with myself. I'm also saving a lot of money- when I was pre-bike, I would use public transportation and pay $75 a month for the bus ticket. That's not a lot of money compared to having a car, but it's still a lot. I barely pay that for bike repairs and accessories.

I'm happy and comfortable with my decision. Everyone around me supports me because they see how much happier I am with my bike than without.

Koffee

hey Dave (and Koffee),

that's great and i know exactly what you mean.

i became a full-time bike commuter about 4-5 years ago but still had the car around. now i'm in Germany and the public transit and long-distance trains make it even easier to now have a car.

i roll my bike on and take the train to the mountains almost every weekend.

but it is so great to start every day on the bike and i love the FREEDOM!

and no matter how busy i am i always get my time on the bike and my minimum physical activity...

anyway, i could go one, but becoming a bike commuter was one of the best changes i have ever made in my life and really increased my quality of life!

congrats on taking the chance and finding such a wonderful thing that's really available to most, just current society and car culture makes people believe it is not.

I've always been carfree - never liked the things. Yes I'll occasionally get a taxi and I won't turn down the offer of a lift but it's rare. A trailer for the bike is a boon for shopping and gets used pretty much once or twice a week. Maybe if I had kids I'd find a car essential but my step-children are grown up (oddly only one of whom drives...) so I don't.

I'm not going to preach about living without a car, but it's perfectly possible for many people.

Richard

I too am carfree and it is pretty good. I reversed nathank's transitiion and went from Munich to Portland, OR. I found Munich easier to be carfree but Portland is definately friendly to the lifestyle.

-Duncan

originally posted by Duncan
I too am carfree and it is pretty good. I reversed nathank's transitiion and went from Munich to Portland, OR. I found Munich easier to be carfree but Portland is definately friendly to the lifestyle.

hey, interesting...

yeah, Munich is easier for a few reasons:
1) the city is more compact - yes, even than wonderful Portland, one of the best planned US cities with the Urban Growth Boundary and METRO ---- i live in the center and ride to the very edge of town (actually a suburb) where the fields start and it is 12kilometers - that's 7 miles! and 7 miles from downtown Portland will hardly get you out of Portland, much less Beaverton/Hillsboro or Sandy or Vancouver...
2) way more people cycle (yes, even than cycle-happy Portland)
3) auto drivers are TRAINED to watch for cyclists - all turn their heads to the right when making a right turn to look for bikes - i am still amazed after 2 years when people look (after assuming they won't in the US)
4) the subway is awesome for anytime you need an alternative
5) and probably most important: the train system is awesome and takes me to the mountains or almost any other destination (i ride 6 minutes to the main train station and am off)

in Portland i still had a vehicle as i had no other way to get to the mountains (i was at Mt Hood, the Gorge, Bend or other destinations almost every weekend and since they still haven't built the Mt Hood Rail...)

although both have car-sharing now -- i'm a member here in munich but i have only used it twice - and once was for moving to a new apartment where a truck has certain advantages over the bicycle :)

so how'd you end up in Munich?

by the way, did you get your footer caption (why drive when you can ride) from me or is that a coincidence?

oh, yesterday i was at the dentist and reading the German edition of Men's Health magazine... and they had a one-page article about why you should bike commute. it was great with all the reasons and issues covered: that it's healthy, good for the environment... as well as FASTER for distances under 6km, same as car/transit up to 11km, plus strategies if your commute is longer: splitting the commute or alternating days, etc. ... and they dealt with bike theft, sweating/showering, and acceptance in the office. it was so well written it was basically saying any person who has any desire to be somewhat in shape should bike commute and there were no excuses. anyway, IF something like that were in the US edition it woud be like a "there are some freaks who do this any maybe you could try it too" but definitely not so maintream focused!

Originally posted by nathank
by the way, did you get your footer caption (why drive when you can ride) from me or is that a coincidence?

I shamelessly stole your tagline. I then noticed someone with LAT/LONG details at the bottom and added that.


Originally posted by nathank
so how'd you end up in Munich?

I was living in NYC and very tired of the crowds and stress. I wanted to move west but my then employer didn't want to lose me. They offered me a position in their Munich office. I jumped at it and my wife and I moved to Munich. 9 months later and after an executive reshuffle they wanted to move my position to Tel-Aviv. I declined and moved to Portland. Interestingly I became car-free when I moved to Munich.

In Portland (actually Beaverton) I live on the light rail which is very convenient. Since all the buses have bike racks as well, I can get most places if I need to. I like to go out to Troutdale by max/bus and ride around out there as a change.

I do miss Munich. Like NYC people don't automatically assume you have a car. Enjoy Munich. I didn't get to stay there long enough.

-Duncan

I've been carfree for my entire life. I've never seen any justification for the expense of owning one. What I like about bike commuting the most is the reliability of it. I can ride my commute in 30 minutes and know that it's going to take 30 minutes, irrespective of what the traffic is doing. Car drivers don't get that - no wonder they appear so stressed out. I also like being able to fix things that go wrong myself without relying on others (a big plus right at the moment). I, too, use a taxi or a bus on the odd rare occasion, but with the estimated $10,000 per annum I save on being car free, I can afford it.

BTW, I'm also cell-phone free, although this might have to change if Telstra keep stuffing up the fixing of my home phone! :mad:

I do miss Munich. Like NYC people don't automatically assume you have a car. Enjoy Munich. I didn't get to stay there long enough.

yeah, i love that. i find myself explaining why i have no car and awaiting the quesiotns of "why, how, etc" and maybe half the time the response is "oh yeah, me too!" ... or maybe "yeah i don't drive in the city, just to visit my relatives in xx or for business, but it is so nice not to have to drive in the city"

hmm... NYC - Munich - Portland - interesting
mine was Dallas - Austin - Houston (sucks!) - Portland - Massachusetts - Munich - ??

but yeah, Portland is pretty great for an American city - with the MAx and the bus bike-racks. but even though cycling is supported, i still found myself constantly explaining/justifying cycling instead of driving (and even had a car b/c outside the city is just like everywhere else in the US - a train to the mountains? yeah right! and with Congress' newest transportation plan it's gonna get even better!)

yeah, i love that. i find myself explaining why i have no car and awaiting the quesiotns of "why, how, etc" and maybe half the time the response is "oh yeah, me too!" ... or maybe "yeah i don't drive in the city, just to visit my relatives in xx or for business, but it is so nice not to have to drive in the city"
I loved that about Munich. The funny thing was that in NYC I was the guy with a car. All my rock climbing friends lived in NYC and didn't have a car. I supplied the weekend rides to the Gunks (2.5 hours from the GWB). It was just normal in NYC. Here in bike friendly Portland, I have to explain to climbing partners that I don't have a car. That always seems to cause problems after a year or sooner. I pay my way but...


hmm... NYC - Munich - Portland - interesting
mine was Dallas - Austin - Houston (sucks!) - Portland - Massachusetts - Munich - ??
My full list is:
Long Island -NY, Blacksburg-VA, Long Island- NY, West NY-NJ, Munich-Germany, Portland-OR with 15 summers spent in Maine.

Tracing your list backwards I don't want to end up in Houston. Austin wouldn't be bad. But I really like Portland and will stay as long as I have a job.


but yeah, Portland is pretty great for an American city - with the MAx and the bus bike-racks. but even though cycling is supported, i still found myself constantly explaining/justifying cycling instead of driving (and even had a car b/c outside the city is just like everywhere else in the US - a train to the mountains? yeah right! and with Congress' newest transportation plan it's gonna get even better!)
I don't have a car and so I am getting a cyclocross bike. I will try to see how far I can get by bus, maybe sandy and see how far I can go with my bike toward hood.
-Duncan

I don't have a car and so I am getting a cyclocross bike. I will try to see how far I can get by bus, maybe sandy and see how far I can go with my bike toward hood.
for years i wanted to do a human-powered ascent of mt hood from Portland --- i.e. ride from my house in nw portland to government camp and up to Timberline lodge -- pulling the trailer with boots and skiis... and then hike up the South Side and ski the summit down...

anyway, somehow never did the combo trip although i climbed mt hood a lot.

p.s. i'm a rock climebr too although wasn't _that_ into it in porland, but Smith Rock is way cool. i spent 10 days in june in Verdon in southern France doing big walls - was awesome!


My full list is:
Long Island -NY, Blacksburg-VA, Long Island- NY, West NY-NJ, Munich-Germany, Portland-OR with 15 summers spent in Maine.

Tracing your list backwards I don't want to end up in Houston. Austin wouldn't be bad. But I really like Portland and will stay as long as I have a job.
yeah houton sucks beyond belief. i hated every day of it!!

my mom would like me to move back to austin which is a cool city, but no mountains... also it was cooler before the tech boom when it was a small place --- now it's overrun with new contruction and traffic.

never lived in Virginia, but NYC i thought about... my ex is from Maine and seems like must be a great place for the summer!

i'm actually currently considering a possibility that would take me back to Mass, but still not sure. of course, if location were the only thing i would pick Boulder or northern California or mabye Portland again -- or something in Switzerland.

for years i wanted to do a human-powered ascent of mt hood from Portland --- i.e. ride from my house in nw portland to government camp and up to Timberline lodge -- pulling the trailer with boots and skiis... and then hike up the South Side and ski the summit down...

anyway, somehow never did the combo trip although i climbed mt hood a lot.
That sounds like a great project. I have yet to climb hood, and don't ski but what a cool idea.

I too love Smith Rock but I loved the climbing around Munich. I have a ton (ok 4) of miniguides of local climbing around Munich, some north, some south, some in Austria. If you are interested I could send you a care package. Just send me a private message. I also have some cool topos of some of the lower alps rock routes. There is also a cool rock gym called heaven's gate that has 30m silo routes. I miss that gym a lot.

BTW, I didn't ask before, what brought you to Munich?

As a private pilot I would love to be car free, but airplanes are getting too expensive and people keep closing landing fields.

Hrmmm....two of you who have lived in Portland, OR and have connections to Maine. Small world. I have lived in Maine my whole life other than a 4 year stint in Burlington, Vermont, working for IBM. I had a lot of friends at IBM who worked off and on over in Portland, OR.

Originally posted by tchazzard
Hrmmm....two of you who have lived in Portland, OR and have connections to Maine. Small world. I have lived in Maine my whole life other than a 4 year stint in Burlington, Vermont, working for IBM. I had a lot of friends at IBM who worked off and on over in Portland, OR.

It is a small world. I have a number of friends who work for IBM, ex-Sequent mostly. I also have some friends from NY that work for IBM.

I spent my summers as a kid in North Belgrade, near Waterville/Oakland. I love it in Maine. I was there last summer for a family reunion as well. Most of the people I know in Maine are ex-dairy farmers, cops, teachers or foresters.

-Duncan

tchazzard,

I looked up your location. Nice spot near the ocean. Another point that is funny. I copied nathank's sig for the carfree comment and your sig for the lat/long.
-Duncan

Wow, small world indeed. My wife used to work for Sequent, as well as IBM here in the beautiful, not so cycle friendly Houston Tx.

well just to continue here...

one of my good friends worked for Sequent in Portland. she is from Boise Idaho, but now lives in San Deigo...

and of course as already mentioned, i endured a summer and 2 1/2 years in Houston -- biked to work downtown the last year although i was considered a space alien

Ah...I grew up in Readfield, Maine, just down the road from Belgrade. I have made many a ride up through Belgrade to Farmington and back. Very nice area to bike ride in.

If you ever make it back to Maine, you should try and spend a couple of days in the Biddeford/Saco/Kennebunk area. The bike riding is fantastic, being quite flat, wonderful ocean views and not a whole lot of car traffic once you get out of the middle of town.

If you ever make it back to Maine, you should try and spend a couple of days in the Biddeford/Saco/Kennebunk area. The bike riding is fantastic, being quite flat, wonderful ocean views and not a whole lot of car traffic once you get out of the middle of town.

I looked up the area on mapquest using the lat/long you have and it looks very nice. I may be there next year. I will do my best to get to Kennebunk area. I may just ride down from Waterville. And you are right about the riding in North Belgrade, it is great, all those dirt roads down to lakes; even the paved roads are empty, wonderfull!

My current company (nCUBE) was founded by ex-Sequent people. We are filled to the gills with ex-Sequent staff. To connect me to Houston, I worked on a project that had me at Enron's offices for three weeks in 2001. I didn't get to Austin. While we were in Houstan, on of our project managers- a runner, ran every morning through the Houston streets in the summer. Quite a few people thought he had lost his mind. But that guy can out perform me every day.

Take it easy everyone,
-Duncan