Living Car Free - after 2 years i folded. bought a car

long story condensed...

epileptic.
lost license.
car taken away cause on disability with no money.
rode bike to work for 2 years.
saved money cause no gas needed.


so now with a new job hopefully on the horizon i need to have a little more transportation available. picked up a used car which im hoping will not replace my bike commuting. after purchasing it on monday i still cycled to work on tuesday though.

should i feel like i let the BF down? part of me feels like it.

I take it you are not epileptic anymore? Anyway don't worry about it, if you love cycling you will stick to it car or no car. Maybe not as often but do whatever works for you.

...should i feel like i let the BF down?
People go into new phases of life all the time. It would be interesting to have your observations about how driving again changes your outlook on things. Will people on bikes start to look like obstacles in your way? Will you start to think of us as the riff raff and jealous bitter bicycle riders who can't afford a car? I'll stay tuned.

long story condensed...

epileptic.
lost license.
car taken away cause on disability with no money.
rode bike to work for 2 years.
saved money cause no gas needed.


so now with a new job hopefully on the horizon i need to have a little more transportation available. picked up a used car which im hoping will not replace my bike commuting. after purchasing it on monday i still cycled to work on tuesday though.

should i feel like i let the BF down? part of me feels like it.


Nobody will be forcing you to drive. So I hope you find yourself continuing to commute. You are always welcome here for reinforcement of how nice it is to bicycle commute.

WARNING! You may discover that your bike fights back fiercely. My old 10 speed commuter bike has outlasted five cars and a motorcycle. Somehow, there is always an excuse to leave the car in the driveway, tires need replacing, it needs a tuneup, yada, yada, yada.

http://www.pointhappy.com/gcf/AmEagleNishikism.jpg

People go into new phases of life all the time. It would be interesting to have your observations about how driving again changes your outlook on things. Will people on bikes start to look like obstacles in your way? Will you start to think of us as the riff raff and jealous bitter bicycle riders who can't afford a car? I'll stay tuned.

I at one time lived in Arlington TX and rode to Dallas every day to work at Fedex and after enduring beer bottles being thrown at me and being ran off the road several times, I concluded that I need a car, yeah I saved money, but not having a car really sucked and I bought a beater car to get to work. I still say bikes are great for recreation, but for daily going to the Cost co or carrying the general stuff I carry it just doesn't work for the long term. I wonder how many here secretly wish they had a car as they will never admit it especially here, but cars are more practical.
I do ride to the corner store if I need one small thing as I enjoy riding, but over all the car free thing isn't always practical in todays car driven society which is engineered for cars.

...over all the car free thing isn't always practical in todays car driven society which is engineered for cars.
I agree that today's society is engineered for cars. It was not that way in the distant past, and it may not remain that way in the far future. Maybe some of our disagreement would disappear if we factored in our different time horizons and what we are trying to accomplish.

My personal interest is to figure out what causes car dependency and what could be done to relieve it. It's a massively complicated problem and frankly I don't think anyone yet has a good handle on it. You said society is currently engineered for cars as if that were a given. I am an engineer, or at least I was a practicing engineer before I retired, so my perspective is a little different. The world as it exists now is the result of design choices that were made in the past. The world of the future is not a given, it will be the result of the design choices yet to be made.

My wife has a car, so I have caught myself cheating here and there.


I still rely on my bicycle for commuting and other errands daily - I just don't like sitting in city traffic, or stopping for red lights.

=)

feethandtooth,

I'm sorry that you're no longer carfree, but very happy if this means your medical condition is under control. I hope you'll still be posting here. :)

Best of luck,
Roody

You have to do what you have to do. You said it yourself, you need more options. Just because you have the car doesn't mean it has to be your main mode of transportation. Being car free isn't an option for everyone, besides you can still be car lite. :)

My wife has a car, so I have caught myself cheating here and there.


I still rely on my bicycle for commuting and other errands daily - I just don't like sitting in city traffic, or stopping for red lights.

=)

Please stop riding a bicycle.....thanks.

After parking my car and driving it once or twice a month since april, I am back to driving it daily. I got laid off from my old job, and my new job just doesnt provide enough time between after work and before school to bike it. I get off work now at 5 (used to be 3:30) and have to be at school 6 miles away at 5:30. I have been using the scooter mostly, but it has been raining this week so I have been in the cage.

Just remember, car-free is not for everyone, but dont let the car become a habit, like I fear it could do to me now that I have to drive it.

You have to do what you have to do. You said it yourself, you need more options. Just because you have the car doesn't mean it has to be your main mode of transportation. Being car free isn't an option for everyone, besides you can still be car lite. :)

I agree with this. It isn't black and white (owning a car and not owning a car); the grey area in between being how you use your automobile. Feethanddooth, you said you still plan on commuting by bicycle and basically being car-lite, I personally see nothing wrong with that. With the way things are right now, it isn't really feasible for everyone to be car-free anyways. By the way, what kind of car did you get?

I have been using the scooter mostly, but it has been raining this week so I have been in the cage.
What kind of scooter do you ride? I used to have a Honda 150 that I rode in the rain, and it handled fine. I had a helmet with one of the clear plastic flip-down faceshields that I had treated with rain-x, it worked surprisingly well.

After parking my car and driving it once or twice a month since april, I am back to driving it daily. I got laid off from my old job, and my new job just doesnt provide enough time between after work and before school to bike it. I get off work now at 5 (used to be 3:30) and have to be at school 6 miles away at 5:30. I have been using the scooter mostly, but it has been raining this week so I have been in the cage.

Just remember, car-free is not for everyone, but dont let the car become a habit, like I fear it could do to me now that I have to drive it.

6 miles away??? And a half hour to get there??? I fail to see the problem here.... ;)

I cant show up all sweaty and smelling like fried rice (I cook in a chinese restuarant) in front of all the college chicks! :D j/k. Oh, yea then after school I have 15 minutes to make it 4 more miles to my other job.

I do still plan on riding the bike to work on the weekends, and to school on days that I am off.

I agree that today's society is engineered for cars. It was not that way in the distant past, and it may not remain that way in the far future. Maybe some of our disagreement would disappear if we factored in our different time horizons and what we are trying to accomplish.

My personal interest is to figure out what causes car dependency and what could be done to relieve it. It's a massively complicated problem and frankly I don't think anyone yet has a good handle on it. You said society is currently engineered for cars as if that were a given. I am an engineer, or at least I was a practicing engineer before I retired, so my perspective is a little different. The world as it exists now is the result of design choices that were made in the past. The world of the future is not a given, it will be the result of the design choices yet to be made.

Platy, this is an interesting question. Last year, I read a history of cycling , The Noblest Invention: An Illustrated History of the Bicycle http://www.amazon.com/Noblest-Invention-Illustrated-History-Bicycle/dp/1579546692 and the author pointed out that when the bicycle first arrived on the scene around the 1890s, it was heralded as a great opportunity for workers to travel farther for job opportunities. The automobile was a kind of evolution of the bicycle...in many ways the first cars were simple builds on bicycle design. I just wonder if the invention of the bicycle wasn't one of those "design" decisions that you mention... it would be ironic!

What kind of scooter do you ride? I used to have a Honda 150 that I rode in the rain, and it handled fine. I had a helmet with one of the clear plastic flip-down faceshields that I had treated with rain-x, it worked surprisingly well.

I have just some little 50cc scooter. I have seen the bigger ones but I would need to get a motorcycle licence for one. I would eventually like to get my motorcycle licence and then I could get rid of the car for good. I have heard that they are not to bad in the rain with the right gear. I dont wear a helmet on the scooter so it stings in the rain!

I wonder how many here secretly wish they had a car as they will never admit it especially here, but cars are more practical.
I do ride to the corner store if I need one small thing as I enjoy riding, but over all the car free thing isn't always practical in todays car driven society which is engineered for cars.

I can only speak for my family. We do not wish for a car. My husband I have been car free from the start of our adult lives. We have reached the point where we are members of a car share and rent a car once a year or so to take a vacation. Our eldest also has a standing ride to her Girl Scout troop activities. But we really don't enjoy cars and are always happy to return the car and get back to our version of normal. What I really wish is that I could ditch cars altogether.

I do think that personal cars have a useful place in society. We aren't making very efficient use of them though.

I have only been car free for four months but have been car lite (drive once a month or less) for a couple of years now.

I hate driving and I never, ever secretely wish I had a car. I feel like such a dummy everytime I put goo money into a gas tank or an insurance bill.

The thought of taking a car into the shop makes me want to vomit.

Im far from rich but I am not poor either. I could definetely afford a car if I wanted one.

...The automobile was a kind of evolution of the bicycle...in many ways the first cars were simple builds on bicycle design...
Cars and bicycles are similar in at least three important ways:

1 - They are both products of industrialized society,

2 - They are both privately owned vehicles and as such they are presumed to express something about the owner's socioeconomic class and attitudes, and

3 - They are both essentially useless without a road infrastructure provided at public expense.

Cars and bicycles are similar in at least three important ways:

1 - They are both products of industrialized society,

2 - They are both privately owned vehicles and as such they are presumed to express something about the owner's socioeconomic class and attitudes, and

3 - They are both essentially useless without a road infrastructure provided at public expense.

very true.

thanks everyone for making me still feel welcome. so far after three days of owning the car i have cycled to work 2 of the 3. the one day i had to take the car in for inspection which was located next door to work.

i think everyone here has a lot of great points. my brother owns a car and in the event i needed something that was further away than i was comfortable or the weather was not welcoming he gave me a ride.

i think the idea of car-lite is great for me. when my new job starts i already have been planning routes to cycle there. most likely will do a drive/cycle home. cycle there/drive home. but i will see what the job does to me physically.

a few points id like to make...

two days ago i left work in the 'rush hour' period. took me longer to drive home than it did to cycle.

i did happen to purchase a car that fit what i would be needing in the future and what i felt was as friendly to the environment as possible. a chevy pickup. not a tank though. just the small regular size with a regular two seat cab. and the key... 4 cylinder engine. :) at least i wont be spitting gas everywhere just to drive on a road.

when i drove to work, it felt awkward.

my bikes seemed to miss me the day i returned after driving to work.

im waiting to see how my cycling to work habits continue after the temp drops to below 20F. :)


thanks to all of you who mentions me being "cured" of my epilepsy. its great that we all support each other like that. :)

I was under the impression that since we all have different needs, the goal was to minimize our use of gas-powered locomotion to the best of our individual abilities.

Since May, I've been commuting to work by motorcycle. We've started to get a bit of snow, and I have to drive now. I love cars, but driving to work sucks.

i did happen to purchase a car that fit what i would be needing in the future and what i felt was as friendly to the environment as possible. a chevy pickup. not a tank though. just the small regular size with a regular two seat cab. and the key... 4 cylinder engine. :) at least i wont be spitting gas everywhere just to drive on a road.
:)


I just thought of something, maybe instead of me getting a car with great gas mileage, I should get a car that gets about 10 miles per gallon (like a big 4x4 truck) that way I will allways be too cheap to buy gas for it. Kinda reverse psychology kinda thing. :)

i did happen to purchase a car that fit what i would be needing in the future and what i felt was as friendly to the environment as possible. a chevy pickup. not a tank though. just the small regular size with a regular two seat cab. and the key... 4 cylinder engine. :) at least i wont be spitting gas everywhere just to drive on a road.

I like that approach. I don't drive much but there are times I need a car. The one I own has served a good long life and will soon be put out to pasture. I'm looking to replace it with one that will suit my needs and provide reliable and economical basic transportation.

I just thought of something, maybe instead of me getting a car with great gas mileage, I should get a car that gets about 10 miles per gallon (like a big 4x4 truck) that way I will allways be too cheap to buy gas for it. Kinda reverse psychology kinda thing. :)

Hey! that was one of the big motivators for me... except... after they swapped out my carb (and put in one that was jetted WAY too big) I was only getting 7.7 mpg. There were other factors... such as having to carry my 20+ pound starter to the autoparts store in a backpack, then carrying the replacement back to the truck. (About 10 miles each way) on my bike...

And then all the insurance and everything.... Yeah, I finally decided enough was enough. My wife wouldn't let me get rid of the truck, so when it broke down again, I just kept making excuses to why I couldn't fix it. Eventually even SHE figured out we didn't NEED it.

7.7mpg!!!!! What were you driving? A Ford F-35,000?? I thought at 12 mpg the GMC Dummer gets was about as bad as it got!

7.7mpg!!!!! What were you driving? A Ford F-35,000?? I thought at 12 mpg the GMC Dummer gets was about as bad as it got!

1979 Chevy Blazer. All time 4 wheel drive, lifted, 31" tires. 400 ci small block engine with an edelbrock carb. ;)

It originally got 12 mpg with the quadra jet carb... the guy that replaced the engine when it blew did me the 'favor' of throwing on the edelbrock. I never got around to finding a replacement quadra jet to put on there.

Dude,

Your paying close to $0.50 cents per mile just for gas.

imagine throwing two quarters into a jar every 1 minute just to go down the highway!!!!

How crazy.

ha ha ha ha

I rode 50 miles today....that would of cost me 25 bucks in your ride.

ha ha ha

3 - They are both essentially useless without a road infrastructure provided at public expense.
Not completely true. Mountain bikes could be used as transport on traditional dirt paths created purely by use. Also the road infrastructure has been or is going to be provided even in pre- and post-industrial civilizations whether or not there are wheeled vehicles. Cities have had paved plazas and streets for millenia, and long distance paved highways were widespread in Roman times, for pedestrians, riders and carts/carriages.

But without maintance they will become unusable.

Cars and bicycles are similar in at least three important ways:

1 - They are both products of industrialized society,

2 - They are both privately owned vehicles and as such they are presumed to express something about the owner's socioeconomic class and attitudes, and

3 - They are both essentially useless without a road infrastructure provided at public expense.
[Beg forgiveness that this is so off topic...]
An important similarity is that both the bike and the car allowed cities to comfortably sprawl beyond the walkable neighbourhood model. For a short while the bicycle, then the car permitted their owners to live a long distance from their work.

This fact should make the bicycle important in a post-oil era. The example is the town where I live... you will really suffer if you have to walk to groceries, work, etc.etc. However, with a bicycle, this city layout can be viable well into the future.

[Beg forgiveness that this is so off topic...]
An important similarity is that both the bike and the car allowed cities to comfortably sprawl beyond the walkable neighbourhood model. For a short while the bicycle, then the car permitted their owners to live a long distance from their work.

This fact should make the bicycle important in a post-oil era. The example is the town where I live... you will really suffer if you have to walk to groceries, work, etc.etc. However, with a bicycle, this city layout can be viable well into the future.


Probably cities will contract back to their original compact form.

I cant show up all sweaty and smelling like fried rice (I cook in a chinese restuarant) in front of all the college chicks! :D j/k. Oh, yea then after school I have 15 minutes to make it 4 more miles to my other job.

I do still plan on riding the bike to work on the weekends, and to school on days that I am off.

Sorry, I'm not buying this "need" to drive, unless you have a health issue. I do a 4 mile commute in 13 or 14 minutes every day. I'm 52 years old and I ride a mountain bike, often with knobbies or studs. So how come you can't do it?

Sorry, I'm not buying this "need" to drive, unless you have a health issue. I do a 4 mile commute in 13 or 14 minutes every day. I'm 52 years old and I ride a mountain bike, often with knobbies or studs. So how come you can't do it?

Do you not have a cool down time? Or do you just rush up in there pouring down sweat and smelling like a homeless person? Sorry but my hygene is a little more important in this situation :)

I guess it does come down to a "want" to drive, but if arriving to school not worried about how I smell and not dripping sweat on my school work (which I'm sure the teacher would like) helps me keep up my 4.0 gpa then so be it. I still use the bike for everthing else.

Do you not have a cool down time? Or do you just rush up in there pouring down sweat and smelling like a homeless person? Sorry but my hygene is a little more important in this situation :)

I guess it does come down to a "want" to drive, but if arriving to school not worried about how I smell and not dripping sweat on my school work (which I'm sure the teacher would like) helps me keep up my 4.0 gpa then so be it. I still use the bike for everthing else.

It's my experience that I sweat less in a 4 mile bike ride than most out-of-shape drivers do walking from the parking lot to the building.

You are from Florida, so I guess this is a bigger problem. How hot is it there, in the cooler months of the academic year? According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gainesville,_Florida#Climate), average highs in the winter range from 66 t0 69 degrees with average lows in the 40s. Sounds like pretty pleasant riding to me!

It's my experience that I sweat less in a 4 mile bike ride than most out-of-shape drivers do walking from the parking lot to the building.


How many out of shape drivers did you sniff to come to this conclusion?

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/40897000/jpg/_40897670_crackpipe203spl.jpg

How many out of shape drivers did you sniff to come to this conclusion?
]

More than my fair share. :eek:

Seriously. If you're acclimated to the weather, you might sweat less. You will certainly cool down a lot faster and feel comfortable in a wide range of temperatures. Most people are never out of AC and central heating enough to acclimate to either heat or cold. This is one of the biggest impediments to carfree cycling, IMO. People never give their bodies a chance to adapt to extreme temps. Too bad for them, really.

More than my fair share. :eek:

Seriously. If you're acclimated to the weather, you might sweat less. You will certainly cool down a lot faster and feel comfortable in a wide range of temperatures. Most people are never out of AC and central heating enough to acclimate to either heat or cold. This is one of the biggest impediments to carfree cycling, IMO. People never give their bodies a chance to adapt to extreme temps. Too bad for them, really.

I don't think you understood the question. Do you really think people break a sweat walking from their car to their office?

And once again, I'm sure a pro-bike attitude will do more good than merely having an anti-car attitude.

Do you really think people break a sweat walking from their car to their office?

And once again, I'm sure a pro-bike attitude will do more good than merely having an anti-car attitude.
Sad to say, I work with several people who do just that. It's really scary. One day last week our elevators crapped out and it looked like a few of them were getting ready to bite the bullet after the nine flights of stairs. I thought I was going to have to call 911 for two of them. That was not a good day.

I often tell people I don't own a car because I'm lazy. I'm too lazy to live a lifestyle that requires me to go to a gym. :D

I often tell people I don't own a car because I'm lazy. I'm too lazy to live a lifestyle that requires me to go to a gym. :D

I'm considering mounting the laptop on my bike that's in my office on the trainer. Then I can work and pedal at the same time.

I don't think you understood the question. Do you really think people break a sweat walking from their car to their office?

And once again, I'm sure a pro-bike attitude will do more good than merely having an anti-car attitude.

Of course they break a sweat. The car people I work with are always complaining about the heat and cold, even though they're exposed to them only a few minutes a day.

Also, my comments were totally pro-bike. I said (condensed version) that if you ride a bike you'll be more comfortable in a range of temperatures, including extremes. How is that not pro-bike, since it points out a tremendous advantage to riding?

Also, what "good" am I supposed to be doing?

Also, my comments were totally pro-bike. I said (condensed version) that if you ride a bike you'll be more comfortable in a range of temperatures, including extremes. How is that not pro-bike, since it points out a tremendous advantage to riding?


It's not really your place to judge who "needs" a car.


Sorry, I'm not buying this "need" to drive, unless you have a health issue. I do a 4 mile commute in 13 or 14 minutes every day. I'm 52 years old and I ride a mountain bike, often with knobbies or studs. So how come you can't do it?

It's not really your place to judge who "needs" a car.

Of course not, and I've posted that many dozens of times on this forum. There are millions of people who need a car because our communities are so badly designed that they do force some into car ownership. I've especially posted about my friend, a single mother on disability who lives in a rural community because it's the only subsidized housing she could find in a decent school district. She NEEDS a car, and I've helped her make her car payment without qualms.

However, when a healthy college kid says he can't ride 4 miles in 15 minutes because the weather is too hot, I'm gonna call him on it. Based on the information he gave, he does not NEED a car. He WANTS a car. Personally, I don't care if he buys a car or not. That's his call. But to come on a carfree forum and make such a statement, he deserves to be questioned about it.

However, when a healthy college kid says he can't ride 4 miles in 15 minutes because the weather is too hot, I'm gonna call him on it. Based on the information he gave, he does not NEED a car. He WANTS a car. Personally, I don't care if he buys a car or not. That's his call. But to come on a carfree forum and make such a statement, he deserves to be questioned about it.

I commuted in Australia, just for the fun of it. And it was way too hot. Humidity, diesel fumes, headwinds and elevation changes all added up to misery. Someone was able to confirm that the winds changed each day during the worst part of my ride, so I did actually ride uphill into a headwind both ways. While I was refreshed when I arrived at work, riding home was just torture.

But without maintance they will become unusable.

But without 80,000# trucks and 35,000 cars a day they will last longer;) AND require less maintenance.

Aaron:)

I do know that there is a way that I could do my school and work by bike. I actually did so from March this year until now and I wish I still could. Believe me, I hate spending $10 on gas now worse then ever! But when it come down to me showing up for school smelling like fried rice and sweat. I think that right now I am going to choose to clean up and ride the scooter for now. Maybe once temps get down below 85 degrees with 90% humidity, then yes I look very much forward to getting back on the bike.

Also I do know that being exposed to the elements does "desensitize" you to extremes. I used to hang drywall and now Im a cook. I know about some heat :)

I know about some heat :)

Go spend a few years in Australia. Hotter and more humid than Florida. The air is so heavy it's suffocating, and the sun is so mean there that the government gives everyone 2 free full body skin cancer screenings a years. Elementary school children are not allowed to go outside for recess unless they have their broad brimmed hats.

Dude,

Your paying close to $0.50 cents per mile just for gas.

imagine throwing two quarters into a jar every 1 minute just to go down the highway!!!!

How crazy.

ha ha ha ha

I rode 50 miles today....that would of cost me 25 bucks in your ride.

ha ha ha

Who? ME? I've spent a total of $15 for gas since February 2006. :p

Go spend a few years in Australia. Hotter and more humid than Florida. The air is so heavy it's suffocating, and the sun is so mean there that the government gives everyone 2 free full body skin cancer screenings a years. Elementary school children are not allowed to go outside for recess unless they have their broad brimmed hats.

And yet... we have members over in the commuting forum that commute daily in Australia. ;)

And yet... we have members over in the commuting forum that commute daily in Australia. ;)

Ah, but do they stink?