Living Car Free - Car Free in SoCal: Newspaper Article

I love some of the comments at the end of the article. Just goes to show how angry a lot of these cagers are.

http://www.ocregister.com/news/erick-says-car-1847068-bike-jess

Ahhhhh... the kind of thinking that runs this country....


"Sounds like you people just have behavioral issues Impulse buyers and compulsive eaters. Now your trying to sound like your concerned about the enviorement."

"Great idea. Instead of building more roads and syncing traffic signals lets all buy bicycles. And consume less. Should be great for the economy."

BTA - Sep 18, 2007 07:42:07 AM Remove Comment

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"The very thought I would give up my car and freedom to ride a bike makes me ill. You people are so obsessed with global warming your making yourselves sick. Al Gore has you right where he wants you. SCARED"

:rolleyes:

Tried to post some comments, wasn't very successful. One that it wouldn't take I'll post here, because I'm sure everyone in the car free forum will love it:

The 'car culture' is so drummed into the American public that it seems weird to most when they run across someone that doesn't believe it. It's so bad that I know one family that owns two vehicles, and has a third permanently on loan to them... despite the fact that NOBODY in the family has a valid drivers license.

Oh, and did I mention that all three vehicles are money pits? Old, broken down, constantly in need of maintenance or repair. And that this family has been receiving welfare for more than a decade? THAT'S where this country's priorities lie.

Tried to post some comments, wasn't very successful. One that it wouldn't take I'll post here, because I'm sure everyone in the car free forum will love it:

Love it? I HATE it. I hate everything about it. I hate that anyone in this country feels forced into car ownership. No one should EVER feel that they HAVE to own a car to survive, particularly those who live paycheck to paycheck. However, so many poorer people's aspirations include, "having a nice house in the suburbs and a nice car", and not necessarily in that order. It's pitiful that the richest counrty in the world has a transit infrastructure (cars excluded) that would make the Bulgarians giggle at our stupidity. I decided on a career path in urban planning many years ago, because I thought that some change could be effected on some level of car culture. Several years later, I'm sick of fighting these battles, and I'm done with this profession. The school of thought that REQUIRES automobile ownership as a prerequisite for being a respectable citizen is too powerful; and a backward, unthinking populace like the one we have in most parts of America will continue believing it well into its collective graves.

I decided on a career path in urban planning many years ago, because I thought that some change could be effected on some level of car culture. Several years later, I'm sick of fighting these battles, and I'm done with this profession. The school of thought that REQUIRES automobile ownership as a prerequisite for being a respectable citizen is too powerful; and a backward, unthinking populace like the one we have in most parts of America will continue believing it well into its collective graves.


I'm sorry to hear that. I do understand. As the Buddha says, everything is impermanent.

We desparately need people like you in urban planning. Are there any pockets of sanity say like Davis, CA or Copenhagen where you might hang out till the tides turn?

We desparately need people like you in urban planning. Are there any pockets of sanity say like Davis, CA or Copenhagen where you might hang out till the tides turn?


Maybe CagerTools has some extra space in his cardboard box or on the park bench for another fellow traveler in Davis.

I loved the comment "You're not riding a bike to work in any reasonable amount of time after 10 inches of snow over night". These people live in Orange County, California. If there is 10 inches of snow overnight in Orange County, no one is going anywhere car or not. Disneyland will be frozen solid!

I loved the comment "You're not riding a bike to work in any reasonable amount of time after 10 inches of snow over night". These people live in Orange County, California. If there is 10 inches of snow overnight in Orange County, no one is going anywhere car or not. Disneyland will be frozen solid!

Hell yeah. They can't even drive in a light rain shower!

I thought this family's story was very inspiring: they were faced with a common problem, and were able to come up with a simple solution that should not be considered radical, but actually is, given the expectations of our culture. I applaud them for their independent attitude. If you can go car-free in SoCal, you can go car-free in any urban area. (If you're rural, maybe not).

I loved the comment "You're not riding a bike to work in any reasonable amount of time after 10 inches of snow over night". These people live in Orange County, California. If there is 10 inches of snow overnight in Orange County, no one is going anywhere car or not. Disneyland will be frozen solid!

I tried to reply to that one, too. Last winter when we got a bunch of snow I was 10 minutes late to work. Of course, all my co-workers that drove were 30 minutes late, so I didn't feel too bad. Only one person made it to work before me that day, and that was the owner. He said he left an hour early... I left at my normal time.

Things in the comment section must have gotten interesting after the last time I viewed the story. The section and the ability to leave comments seems to have been zapped. That's a real shame because there were some worthwhile things being said there.

The guy in the story does have a blog that he plugged before the comments were deleted though. http://www.thatdamngood.net/ if you want to see his thoughts on the topic.

I loved the comment "You're not riding a bike to work in any reasonable amount of time after 10 inches of snow over night". These people live in Orange County, California. If there is 10 inches of snow overnight in Orange County, no one is going anywhere car or not. Disneyland will be frozen solid!

Actually during last season's Denver blizzards bikes, skis, and light rail were about the only thing running.

Even the light rail was messed up... the switches to change tracks froze up. They've since upgraded the heaters on them to hopefully prevent it from happening again.

That was a week after the big storm during another ungodly cold spell. DURING the actual snowfall and buildup people were completely unable to drive, getting hotels, and hunkering down.

The buses stopped running mid afternoon but I think the trains rain regularly, and into the night w/out px to keep the rails open didn't they? I left and 2:30 that day and thankfully made it home...