Living Car Free - The car-free teenager thread

Really starting to think about skipping the car. I will be getting my license next year but I am unsure about giving into the car. I have been thinking it is just not favorable for me to own a car. Gas is going up and it will be expensive to insure me being a teenager. Currently, everything I would do with a car I could do on a bicycle. Not to mention helping the environment. School is less than two miles away and I can fix anything mechanically on my bicycles. So what am I asking? Well I am asking about for experiences or advice. I hear a bunch about people living car free, but not anything about teens and car-free living. What do you think?

I was car free in high school, and always walked to school in less than 15 minutes. I also had a part time job within walking distance of my home. By the time I got my license, there was really no need to change my routine simply because the option to drive became available. If you can deal with it before you're old enough to drive, then you can certainly do the same despite having a license.

Roughrider504 you are really fortunate to have the knowledge that bicycles can be used for most of your transportation needs. Had I had a clue about this when I was younger I would be a much richer person today.

You don't need to be a car hater just because you ride a bicycle (not that you are one now). Just get a drivers license for those rare occasions when you might need to drive. Sometimes other people might need for you to drive their car. It has happened to me a few times.

You are under the age of 23 you can't rent a car yet, so that isn't a reason to get a license.

Being a car free teen might lead to a little peer pressure. Remember this, the only person who can feel the pressure is you. If you don't give value to negative comments from others about being car free then there can be no real peer pressure.

Teaching your friends about the benefits of being car free might make a difference. Maybe it wouldn't, but at least you will be letting them know of another possibility for their transportation needs.

The layout of your city and the types of mass transit will play a big part in your ability to remain car free easily.

What would your car insurance cost per year? Have your parents looked into it? If your parents make you pay for it, ask yourself if you want to work that many hours to pay for it. Honestly how many hours would you get to drive your parents cars per month? Unless you get your own car it would probably cost way too much per hour of use. Well, many people say any car costs too much to use.

If you can skip car ownership, do it. I wrote a book about money (How to Be Debt Free Fast!). Here is something that will give you a great retirement income; If you invest only $2000.00 per year for the next six years and don't ever invest again, you will retire a millionaire at age 65. This assumes the world doesn't go to hell and the stock market gives the same long term average increase in value. You are young enough to do this. If you wait till you are 21 to start you will lose tens of thousands of dollars in compound interest years from now.

Whaddya think about that?

My son is 15, he doesn't want a driver's license. He rides everywhere on his road bikes. I'm going to train him how to drive (the RIGHT way, as if he were a bike... invisible and surrounded by nuts) when he's closer to 18. He likes being car-free for now. Many of his peers are fat and disgusting. He's fit. Some of the cheerleader girls bike to school. RWAR !!!

I am going to use a bike for most things, and use a Ducati for when I need to go longer distances.

Yay for Chrome messenger bags!

I too was carfree during my teen years. I was 20 before I bought my first car (and still regret it) I rode to school, I had a part time job all the way thru high school and rode my bikes to them too. I say go for it. One thing I did was negotiate with my dad, that if I didn't drive he would help me purchase an expensive bike that I wanted with the savings from the insurance:D

Aaron :)

I was car-free all through high school. This is the perfect time to do it because:
a) you are probably fitter than your older counterpart
b) no family to take care of (and shuttle around in a car)
c) huge group of peers that will often be driving to the places you want to go. Carpool.

I did take some crap for walking or riding everywhere, but it was all in jest and it made me feel even better about myself. "Not only do these people drive" , I would say to myself, "but they have no perception of the enjoyment I get from not driving." Didn't know what they were missing.

I'm mostly a lurker. I think I have two total posts, one about how much a mountain bike that was gifted to me was worth and one about fixing the shifting on a bike I picked up at a tag sale. That tag sale bike has become my main carfree transportation. I visit this forum and the commuting forum almost daily.

I'm 18, just graduated high school. My parents gave me a car so i could start driving to school right before my senior year started. after a few months i had had enough. I made the decision to stop driving about half way through that school year. I ended up giving the car back to my parents a few weeks later. Although the car afforded me great mobility, i felt like i was paralyzed, motionless. I hated that feeling, I was so bored, so stressed. also more than half my check from work was going toward car expenses. It was awful. When I first gave up the car I walked to school. It was 3 miles. The walking calmed me and allowed me to think, and the self satisfaction of walking somewhere put a smile on my face. After I discovered the bicycle, i retained all the positives of walking while increasing my distance and speed. I still walk alot, because I feel its good to slow down every once in a while.

My expierence hasn't all been positive. when I first gave the keys back to my parents they didn't uderstand what was going on. After explaining my intentions, my dad was adamantly against what I was planning to do. My dad works in the auto industry and is absolutely car crazed. He also one of the most miserable and money hungry people I know. Well, after becoming car free he has all but stopped talking to me. My mom supports me. In the end I know I have to do what makes me happy.

OP, I thinks it admirable that you realize the negative effects a car can have on your life as well as on society. you may not fully realize the extent of this unless you drive and then go carfree, but learn from the collective past expierences of the people on this forum. bikes can take you all local places that people drive to.

I'm sixteen years old and trying to go car-free. My family is as supportive as I can ask of them since they love their cars. (We have six cars for six people. My younger sister doesn't even have her license, and obviously I'm not driving a bunch.)

I've had to make some concessions. My family goes out of town a lot, and they won't let me stay home or ride my bike there. Thus I've adopted the principle of riding in cars with at least four people if I absolutely have to according to my parents.

My social life hasn't been affected at all. It's strange, too; I've read all these posts on here about negative remarks from other teenagers, but I've never had anything at all like that. Some people think it's cool. Maybe my classmates accept it since I was already a strange teenager.

Hmm, let's see. Annoying things about teenage years and being car-free. Well, my mom sometimes begs of me to be "normal" and do all the things other teenagers want to do, but I think that is more of an issue between her and me as opposed to having anything with bicycling.

How about siblings? Do you have any? Younger, that is. My mom always wants to me to take my younger sister places which is another annoyance to her.

I love being car-free whenever I can, though.

I think you are all very wise. My boss' son graduated from high school this June and he received a lot of gift money. By August, it was all gone - spent on gasoline. (He's lucky his parents didn't make him contribute to his car insurance costs.) Fortunately for him, he's at a school that doesn't allow freshman to have a car on campus, and it's enough of a small town that he really won't need one. (Roughrider - Grambling, LA) But he blew through a lot of graduation money before he left... :eek:

Roughrider, why don't you just take it a week at a time? See how long you can go without needing a car? You're a very resourceful and creative bike mechanic and innovator. How much can you do with a bike that most people think they need a car for? Challenge yourself. :)

Mod note: I stuck this thread and altered the title a little. I think the teenage members of this forum have some unique challenges in being car-free, and deserve their own sticky to discuss those issues. :)

What would your car insurance cost per year? Have your parents looked into it? If your parents make you pay for it, ask yourself if you want to work that many hours to pay for it. Honestly how many hours would you get to drive your parents cars per month? Unless you get your own car it would probably cost way too much per hour of use. Well, many people say any car costs too much to use.

Not sure about the costs, but I'd bet it wouldn't be cheap. If my parents would give me a vehicle, it would be my dad's truck. That brings up another subject, a truck! Bleh! Don't get me wrong, I like cars. I like little old cars that have souls. Not huge trucks that will take my whole paycheck at the pump, not to mention it runs pretty bad. I know if I had it, it would sit, a lot.


One thing I did was negotiate with my dad, that if I didn't drive he would help me purchase an expensive bike that I wanted with the savings from the insurance

Good point. Just about two months cost of insurance could build me a real nice utilitarian bicycle. Having a useful bike would reinforce being car free.


Maybe my classmates accept it since I was already a strange teenager.

Yeah, that is about right for me too. Not one other person rides a bicycle to my school. I am considered weird but eh, I don't really care.


How about siblings? Do you have any?

I have an older sister. That could be what started me wanting to be car-free, actually. Her getting a car caused a lot of drama. The thing was not reliable at all which caused alot of problems. That is when I started thinking, you know what! I don't need that.

I'm 19 and car-free. In high school I really wanted a car, because I lived far from anything. Now I'm in college full-time, and I live in town/on campus, and I can do absolutely anything I want to on a bike. I bike to work, dates, bars, and class. (pretty much in that order :)) and I actually went bike camping last night, which I recommend. I think that we're going to be the generation that really cracks the lid open on bike culture and sends it out to the masses.

Roughrider, why don't you just take it a week at a time? See how long you can go without needing a car? You're a very resourceful and creative bike mechanic and innovator. How much can you do with a bike that most people think they need a car for? Challenge yourself.

:D :o I thought about this when I was looking out of my shop at the rain this afternoon. Without a car, I will have to brave the elements. So, thinking about your post I grabbed my jacket and went ride. Not bad at all, almost pleasant.

You can walk those two miles, driving would be a waste in every sense of the word.

I'm a huge car guy, but I'm considering primarily using my bike even when I have my license. I'm in a small town, so it will be easier, and I'll likely enjoy it more. The car will be for highway duty and cruising for fun:)

I probably should add that my children are both in college or grad school;):p My DS is living in Leeds, England and is car free. He depends on mass transit and is looking for a beater bike. He has never owned a car. My DD is a senior at a smaller college, she owns a 15 year old car that sees maybe 5,000 miles a year, mainly when she comes home for holidays and at the end of the year. What cracks me up is that she owns a kayak and a nice MTB...each of those cost more than her car:D

Aaron:)

I had the same problem when I was a teenager. I put off getting a drivers liscence until I was 17.
I passed the road test on the first try, which is easy because cyclists already know the rules of the road.

People ought to get their facts straight. Fact is, 99% of bicyclists have a car. As I stated in the first paragraph; cyclists allready know the rules of the road.

And I can afford both a bike and a car. I don't know when was the last time someone had to choose between a bike OR a car.

This article sums it up:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article2500754.ece

It's more likely that the motorist can't afford a bicycle, at leats not a high-end or decent one.

I don't know why cars are pushed on teenagers. Human legs only get stronger untill the mid-twenties.

And when a teenager drives a car, all your friends , and your friends friends, want a ride in the car. That cause accidents, because of the distraction, and has been banned in some states.

Yes, you should get a liscence, but it should be easy to pass the road test on the first try, you already know the rules of the road. "No Sweat".

:D :o I thought about this when I was looking out of my shop at the rain this afternoon. Without a car, I will have to brave the elements. So, thinking about your post I grabbed my jacket and went ride. Not bad at all, almost pleasant.
Well, with all the PNWers on this forum, you know where to go for raingear advice. :D

I'm 19 and car-free. In high school I really wanted a car, because I lived far from anything. Now I'm in college full-time, and I live in town/on campus, and I can do absolutely anything I want to on a bike. I bike to work, dates, bars, and class. (pretty much in that order :)) and I actually went bike camping last night, which I recommend. I think that we're going to be the generation that really cracks the lid open on bike culture and sends it out to the masses.
same with me(and i agree with the last sentence!). in high school, i was from upstate, NY where a lot of things we're pretty far from each other. now that im out of HS, ive since moved to LA and got a bike as soon as i got out here. havent thought about getting a car since. i could not begin to fathom having car payments/insurance while living here. plus the last thing LA needs is another motorist!(bleh)... if it wasn't for school, i would be else where in CA, but thats neither here, nor there. good luck!

I lived car free all through high school and college. I owned a Pegeot bike. I took transit and lived near Montreal, a city with probably the best transit in Canada. However, my bus ride to Montreal was at least an hour because I was off the island. I did no need a car until I moved, joined the Army at 20 years of age, then I lived in a city with poor transit. I asked to put myself on my Dad's insurance as a second driver, for those weekend trips to the ski hill and dates. Face it, we are slaves to the oil companies and to the Auto Culture!

The only reason i don't have a car is i can not afford one.

If i got one it wouldn't be for utility use (or commuting). It would be for some serious tinkering, crazy joy rides and all the track days i can find. But that, of course, is if i could afford a car in the first place.

Affording a car, from my point of view, is not buying some rundown car but getting a $10,000 car and not having to worry about it. Other wise theres no fun.

I didnt get my license til i was 17......senior in high school.....2 months after i graduated i got a DUI...im not even really a drinker but this was one of the few times i did.......i was car free for 13 months and when i look back on it in retrospect it might have been a good thing......i rode that bike everywhere

now its 20 yrs later and i just got back into bikes.......had a 3 yr period of mtb'n about 10 yrs ago but never considered usin a bike for more than fun.....we used to drive 2 hours away to ride then drive 2 hours back......since then ive tried to use my car less and less.....i finally got a decent bike and ive been ridin for work and it feels great.....i still use my car but im really tryin to atleast go car light

as others have said......i wish i never got into the car lifestyle but i did.....i really hope you guys are right and the bike makes a comeback as a common form of transportation.....i dont know if its just because im on a bike now but i see alot more bikes on the road lately

I'm so impressed with you guys! This thread makes me feel better because you are willing to get away from cars and see that life can be so awesome without them. I've been car free for over seven years now and I hope that I can stay away from them. I do use a car sometimes, but I haven't owned one since 2000. I've owned one car in my life (I'm thirty now) and one motorcycle. I wouldn't mind having a motorcycle again for my commute to work, but I still love riding my bike for everything else.
Just stay away from them and you're life will be simpler and healthier. Congrats my friend....

Thanks, halfro. I know our generation (gen Y?) does some pretty stupid stuff, so it feels good when at least some of us have one big thing figured out. Like I said earlier, I think the generation that's in its teens now is gonna be the one to really blow the lid off of the car-free culture, and unleash it on the masses.

*Sigh.* I wish I could say the same, kjohnnytarr. I often am asked why in God's name I ride my bike everywhere, and try hard as I may to explain it, nobody else seems to understand. Or they don't care.

Okay, rant over.

Too bad you can't pick up your hot date on a bike. This is a serious consideration, if you're into that sort of thing.

:)

http://www.xtracycle.com/images/img-wedding.jpg

Too bad you can't pick up your hot date on a bike. This is a serious consideration, if you're into that sort of thing.

Huh... That's funny... I've been on many dates on bikes. Had some REALLY great times.

We used to take the ferry across the Sound to Seattle and ride around... Well, one night we were going to go watch fireworks on the waterfront in Seattle... well, we got out of the house late, and missed the ferry we wanted.... so we caught the next one, but knew we weren't going to get across in time... so we went up on deck to watch the start of the fireworks from the ferry. Then the ferry stopped in the middle of the sound for the entire show!!! We had NO idea that they were going to do that, but it was SO awesome!

Hrmm... a few months ago, we went downtown, ate at a nice little Greek restaurant, then rode the Cherry Creek trail for a couple hours... visited REI Sporting Goods, then grabbed the bus home. ANOTHER awesome day!


Just today, we went out to lunch, then rode down to the light rail, went over by DU and went riding around the neighborhood's to check it out (We're getting ready to move and found a possible place over there...) It was awesome! Then we took the train back to downtown Denver, and hung out for a while. Stopped and had milkshakes and fries... visited the book store, then headed home.
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c269/AzCowboy/Shawn%20and%20I/Purty.jpg

So... tell me... Do you REALLY want to go out with someone who has no interest at all in biking???

I have to admit once i got a GF that and the encroaching winter made me buy a car, i dont drive it yet, but it was half the reason i got one. and my GF cycles,

Well my name is Timothy, and I've been a car free tenager since the summer before my junior year in high school (I'm currently a senior). I live in NYC and have the luxury of very developed and expansive transit systems that help me out when I cant ride somewhere. I commute to school (about 6 miles one way, over a hilly route) just about everyday and have even convinced one of my friends to join me in this bike commuting. At various times I've gotten different people to join me but only one person rides somewhat steadilly with me. Many people at the school where I go are very surprised by the fact that I ride there and cant believe that I do it every day. I generally only have a problem with the weather limiting me from riding as it can get brutally cold in the winter and I get very cold/numb easily, as well as going thorugh very rainy spells. Many problems I've had with riding come from my parents who believe that riding my bicycle is a poor and unsophisticated method of transport, so if there is anything that they consider important they wont want me to ride due to the sweat produced from riding (never mind the fact that I always bring extra shirts so that I can change when I get to my destination). My parents are also extremely fearful of my bicycle commuting always positing that I'll get hit by a car while riding at night (even though my bike is equipped with front/back lights and reflectors) and while riding in the rain/snow. My parents have basically banned me from riding in the rain or snow (even with fenders) since they think cars will lose control and hit me and while I can sometimes get away with sneaking out in light rain the snow usually presents an impasse for me. I have found that I really dont need a car for much of anything and I would gladly go without one for my whole life. I am still trying to convince more people that I know that going car free really is doable and the way to go but even in high school there are tons of students who dont believe this is possible; many also dont think they are in good enough shape to do such a thing and are not convinced with the logic and personal example of the fact that you do get in better shape the more you do it. Many people ask me why I ride everywhere and I tell them that I love the feeling of transporting myself, that I enjoy feeling the wind in my hair, that I enjoy the sense of independence it affords me, and the many health benefits that I get from it. In the meantime I'll just keep riding away, hoping to convert more to the cause. The main point, ride often, and stay car free.

Have you considered studded tires for bad weather, Timothy?

no I haven't. My parents havent been extremely flexible when it came to riding in snow. even if it was only very light snow. Seeing white precipitates just freak them out.

Car free teenager? I'm not a teenager anymore, haven't been for 2 years now. Even still, the experience is there. My mother developed a brain tumor back in 2001, I was 15. Her driving was suspended due to medical concerns and never reinstated. She wanted me to get a license, which in retrospect I should've. Would've made things a lot easier for her. Would've made those trips to Waterton easier. Would've helped get groceries and heavy objects home.

Never did get that license. Even to this day, all I have is a learners. I got the learners with the intent to get the drivers, to help get her around and take care of things around the house. She ended up in a nursing home before that ever happened though, and she's in a hospice to this day. That would be the sad side of the story. Wish that we could've gone out to the mountains a few more times, that I could've helped her do the things she wanted to do. These are things no bike can offer. You simply can't pack a terminally ill woman on the back of a bike and take her out for a tour of her favourite mountains. If there was a chance to go back and choose all over again, I would've had the car, even just for that.

For the good side of the story?

I used to cycle to school everyday. Knew this girl who was 30 seconds from the bus stop, and i'd still beat her to school. Coming into class in the morning feeling awake and exercised is great, and when i'd get the paycheque from the record store, $350 really meant $350, not $350 - 150 for your car. Many teens will ridicule you for anything they find different, but I did a little test once. Stopped riding the alley bike to school, and rode the full suspension rig for a few weeks. Yeah, ridicule stops fast. Apparently you're instantly transformed. A little stupid, but thats the nature of teenagers sometimes :D
I'd lock up well though. Lots of little twerps would love to have that bike instead of you.

Now to this day, this is still how I view the car: You may need to be able to help people out sometimes, there are things in life that no bike can drag, and places that no bike can travel in a short timespan. As a teenager, if you can live without these things, there's no need to even consider one. All it will do is drain you of your wallet, your physique, and your spirit. You'll find that you can spend more of what little money you have on enjoying yourself, or saving for your future. Now i'm 21, my fiancee and I are living in the house with 2 good friends of ours we went to school with. One car. Four bikes. Good balance.

Your parents are right in that the risks in bad conditions are considerable, regardless of how much it is denied in the bicycling community--and the consequences of a bike/vehicle collision are often pretty bad.

However, at some point you become old enough to be responsible for weighing the risk yourself, and that point is probably coming fairly soon for you. If this parental constraint bothers you, your best tactic is to prove to your parents (and yourself) that you are plenty mature enough on your on to deal with the risk, by appreciating the danger, and taking appropriate mitigating measures.

Besides special tires and fenders, which were mentioned, are you using a helmet and gloves? Do you have brakes which are safe in the rain? (Ceramic rims or all-weather disc brakes or coaster brake or something like that.)

Another point on your parents is to be realistic. Regardless of what various utility bikers might say, showing up to a job interview sweaty is quite unprofessional--even if you've brought a change of clothes. If you're going to win over your parents, you need to be realistic about these problems; don't just deny them. Accept compromises, try to find a real solution, etc.

Many people ask me why I ride everywhere and I tell them that I love the feeling of transporting myself, that I enjoy feeling the wind in my hair, that I enjoy the sense of independence it affords me, and the many health benefits that I get from it. In the meantime I'll just keep riding away, hoping to convert more to the cause. The main point, ride often, and stay car free.

This is EXACTLY how I feel, Timothy, and I'm 52 years old. :)

my name is dan from Australia, am 18, and car free. i just ride in cars owned by my friends, and talk garbage about cars like them, and seem to fit in just fine. i am currently able to save half my pay $400 pw even though i live alone, mainly because i don't have car expenses. i nearly bought a car, but them backed out because i knew i didn't really need it. damn peer pressure. hold tight, and watch the money pile up :D

I have my license and a car but really I only use it when I can't use my bike for whatever reason. if i can go on my bike then why put wear on the car sit in traffic and waste gas when I could just use my bike.

I am getting my permit soon by way of my parents. I'm 17. They think its a helpful thing because I can pick up groceries, shuffle my little sisters and overall help out. I don't think it's such a terrible thing, you can still be car free without being anti car. I suppose it just depends on the situation and person though.

There is so much more a young person can do with their money besides blowing it on auto expenses. It's such a waste. I was car free in my teens and early 20's, and I am cycling again now. Feels really good. Those car drivers just get older and fatter. I will be in good shape again in no time!

I live in a city where it is cost prohibitive to own a car (our car and house costs shot our living costs ranking above that of New York's). A very average car, like a Kia or Hyundai, would run you in the region of S$70,000 (US$45,000), a Chinese-made Chery or Geely would be around S$30,000, a Merc E-class would probably be, I don't know, S$110,000. Road tax also increases by 10% every year after the tenth year, up to a maximum of 150%, and cars older than 10 years have to have a maintenance check every year (I think), so most people get a new car every seven or eight years. It's absurd.

Just a quick calculation tells me that if I buy a new car every eight years, not counting road tax, starting from the age of 21, until I'm 60 (which, I think is the age where you have to renew your license every year), I'll have spent between S$150,000 to S$550,000, not including inflation - money that, with compound interest of 0.25% a year, would have net me between S$220,570 and S$808,760. If I retire at 60 and live to the age of 85, I'll have saved enough just from car costs to live comfortably on S$1,700 a month.

A little perspective - my bike is not a high-end bike by any means, but it has cost me all of S$122.

We have an excellent public transport system, and a nationwide network of park connectors that serve as bike lanes or MUPs that are kind of like bicycle highways (see http://www.nparks.gov.sg/park_connectors.asp if anyone's interested), and it's apparently legal to cycle on the sidewalk in my town, so commuting in Singapore is actually very safe (no PC or VC crap here unless you want to find out more about how cyclists handle themselves here). We also have very good air and a lot of greenery, plus sunny weather all year round, bar two major monsoon seasons. Consider all these factors, and add it to the health benefit, and I really don't see why I should drive a car in a city with notoriously high car costs. I will probably get a license, but I intend to be car free.

The only concession I might make is getting a van (around S$35,000), because I play the drums, guitar and I do film work, plus, as I mentioned earlier, there are monsoon seasons during which there's rain heavy enough to make it almost impossible to ride. But I'm trying to find a way to get that equipment around on a bike and seriously minimise my car/van time.

I'm going to college Fall '09 (I'm 18 this year, but intend to take a year off to teach, do volunteer work and make a few short films), and I'm currently looking at going to Austin (ah can you see why - music, films, bikes!), so - not stopping the biking anytime soon!

Hmmm... Just noticed this thread.

I recently turned 20 and I have been car-free for a year. I live in Gainesville, FL and most young people here ride bikes to some extent (it's fashionable here :rolleyes:) so socializing by bike is very easy, although few are dedicated commuters or utilitarian cyclists.

Unfortunately, I plan to buy another car next week so I can visit my folks on the East coast more easily. Periodic day trips to the beach will make life here much more endurable - I haven't surfed in over a year, and every time I ride home I can't find the time to get to the beach.

Trying to keep this short and useful:

Living car-free in a city is much different than the suburbs. Without public transport, it's either riding your bike, bumming a ride, or borrowing a car (parents'?). It can be tough, but not impossible. Living in a city, I don't see any reason one can't easily live without a car, providing a moderate amount of planning in advance (home location with respect to work/school)

Here are my thoughts:
1) when in social situations, you can generally ride with a friend. I used to be the one with a car, and I often drove around friends of mine without cars. And these were kids without bikes.
2) - depending on the situation, borrowing the parents' car is probably useful for those "special circumstances" (dates, going to the hardware store, traveling distances)
3) - Tandems. Dates. I think they were made for each other, provided the weather is pleasant. If not, see #2, or get a girl who bikes. I don't think I could see myself with someone who refuses to bike, but that's just me. Spending $500 on a used tandem bike is like two months of car insurance. But you can keep it forever.
4) - When you head to school, it should be simple to live on-campus without a car. A lot of schools don't let you have one. If school is a long way from home and you want to visit for the holiday or a weekend, see if there's anyone else who's going the same way at that time. At my school, we had a "ride board" where people posted if they were driving somewhere or looking for a ride. It works out for everyone, because gas money can be split.
5) - Consider "carsharing" services. I'm not sure what cities they're in. I've only lived in two cities myself: Boston, MA and Sydney, Australia. Both had car-sharing companies that basically let you borrow a car/van for a couple of hours for an hourly rate. It fits perfectly with a cycling lifestyle. (Google "GoGet carshare" or "zipcar")

If i could redo my younger years, I would not have bought a car at 16. I would have borrowed dad's minivan (like I did when my car inevitably broke down) when I needed it, and biked. I would have stayed healthier, and had a lot more money to spend on things more fun than gas and insurance and repair parts....


Okay, I'm done.

I just bought a car yesterday :( - an '85 Camry with 185,000 miles. This is my first car with a manual transmission; Sure is a pain in traffic. My goal is to drive it less than 1,000 miles this year.

Don't bother with a car. I didn't buy my first car until I was 24. I never had any problems with dates or friends. You'll find most people think it's cool and are quietly envious of you for doing it your way. Besides people with cars will always be offering you rides. most people can't imagine living without their cars! present company excluded of course.

I'll be the first to admit that I'm a bit "strange"...

But I too was car free as a teen. I "tried" to explain to my daughter when SHE was a teen: "Why do you want to go get a job so you can afford a car so you can drive to work? It doesn't make any sense.". Of course she didn't grok that, working 20+ hours a week to support her car. Whatever...

I lived out in the sticks, and got to school/work just fine. School had a perfectly good bus, and I could ride into work with my mother who would drop me off and pick me up on her way to/from her job. Why would I want a car?

My parents offered several times to buy me car insurance: "Save your money" I told them - "I don't need to drive, where would I need to drive to?"

To this day my idea of ultimate freedom would be to live somewhere where I could be car free again. As it is, I'm able to bike to work - for the first time in my life!

There was even a time, when I could beat the school bus home by a good 45 minutes by WALKING the 4 miles. All the kids in my neighborhood did it, even those of us with large band instruments. We'd just trade instruments, the different weight balances of the various instruments would make them seem "light" for about 1/2 mile - then we'd trade back.

I remember when I was teaching high school, some of my students were complaining about their after school/weekend jobs.

"Why do you have to work so many hours?"
"To pay for my car. I pay for the gas, insurance, taxes, etc."
"What do you need the car for?"
"To get to work."

Hmmmm.

Yeah, that is about right for me too. Not one other person rides a bicycle to my school. I am considered weird but eh, I don't really care.

There are some school systems that don't allow students to cycle to school, can you believe?

Try doing this worksheet; be sure you get good figures.

http://www.bikesatwork.com/carfree/cost-of-car-ownership.html

I am 17 and attempting to go car free. All I really need is a good, BRIGHT light for my bike for those early morning rides to school and those late night rides after play practice. Unfortunately, I have ran into a rather massive brick wall in my quest to go car free. My parents.

I bought a good road bike about 2 months ago in my desperation to get away from the gas burners. But, unfortunately, my parents are not that supportive of me. I try to ride everywhere, but my parents always insist that I take their spare minivan. I hate it. I'm always filling up with gas and burning a ton of money that I could be saving for my bike light.

I think it is time to offer my parents a choice. Either let me ride my bike everywhere or pay for the gas. That may convince them, but I bet not. Hmmm..... What if I crash the minivan? Nah. They'd make me pay for it.

Any suggestions?