Living Car Free - Trying to become car free, almost there, but can't become completely car independent

When I moved to lubbock, Texas for medical school I wanted to become completely car independent, so I found an apartment within biking distance of my school and within walking distance of walmart, an area with everything I need close (I live just outside of down town), in fact all of lubbock is in biking distance for me, but not for my wife who can't go more then 5 miles away from home on bike. The problem is that my wife had our daughter just over a month after we moved here then my bike was stollen and I was back using my car every day for everything. Then last week I got my scholarship for this semester ($500) and I invested that into a brand new bike. I've cut out 95% of my car use but my daughter and wife have medical visits every once in a while. It is impossible to get from my apartment to Texas Tech Health Science Center, which is the hospital we use, with a bus or any kind of public transportation, and walking with my daughter and wife there is out of the question. Lubbock has bus service, but the main lines don't pass through close to our area. Cutting 95% of my driving isn't bad but it's still annoying that I can't live car free when I want to.

Anyone else in this situation?

It is annoying.

How frequently is a car needed? How reliable is the local cab service?

Weigh the cost of owning your car with cab fare, convenience versus inconvenience etc and you may find that it would be less costly to dump the car. Or not.

Your situation will change over time, it will get better.

Tailwinds!

Is the Walmart that you can walk to on 4th St? It looks like the 12 bus stops near there and also stops right near Texas Tech Health Sciences Center. The 12 has less than stellar off peak service. But I have found that scheduling medical appointments first thing in the morning works better for youngsters than afternoon appointments anyway.

The university might also have shuttle buses that could get you there with a little bit of walking. When my daughter was a baby, we lived in SLC, Utah near the University. I'd walk about 3/4 of a mile to a shuttle stop, take a shuttle, then walk about 1/3 of a mile to the clinic.

Another option is to plan appointment days as days to get all you assorted car trips done and rent a car. Our kids next dental appointment will also be a day of dropping off hazard household waste, donating some outgrown clothes, and a stopping at the hardware store.

When does your lease expire?

Lubbock was my hometown, my family's been there for generations, they had a small farm & windmill in what later became the Arnett-Benson area. The older area inside the loop is a marvelous grid of wide streets, which gives good alternate cycling routes to almost anywhere. It's generally very flat. Summers can be hot but the humidity is low. The moderate elevation of the south plains makes the nights cool off fairly quickly. I found the climate quite comfortable. One thing I found unusual about Lubbock was that there are plenty of east-west sidewalks, but the north-south ones were often omitted. I think Lubbock's developed the usual bikeability problems in the newer parts of town.

Things are all spread out and the distances to be covered can be significant. I guess this is the problem the OP is facing. Texas Tech has a huge campus and it really does make sense for most people to drive from one campus building to another.

I'd considered Lubbock as a possible place for an active car free retirement. Good housing is not expensive and there are interesting cultural things to do if you look hard enough. The long term economic outlook for Lubbock is clouded by future water shortages for agriculture (i.e., depletion of the aquifer), but I think the city has done a great job of nailing down future water resources for its own residents.

I'd guess that the interim carfree solution for the OP's problem would be to call a taxi or to trade favors with a car owning friend. The longer term solution might be to make a better choice of apartment location when the opportunity comes up.

Lubbock has bus service, but the main lines don't pass through close to our area.

It sounds like the main thing stopping you is the lack of transit by your house?

If so, this is a problem for some of your neighbors also. The answer might be to get the bus company to put a line in near your neighborhood. Is there a neighborhood association in your area? Go to their next meeting and find out if this is an issue they think about. Some pressure from the people might get the buses in there.

When I moved to lubbock, Texas for medical school I wanted to become completely car independent, so I found an apartment within biking distance of my school and within walking distance of walmart, an area with everything I need close (I live just outside of down town), in fact all of lubbock is in biking distance for me, but not for my wife who can't go more then 5 miles away from home on bike. The problem is that my wife had our daughter just over a month after we moved here then my bike was stollen and I was back using my car every day for everything. Then last week I got my scholarship for this semester ($500) and I invested that into a brand new bike. I've cut out 95% of my car use but my daughter and wife have medical visits every once in a while. It is impossible to get from my apartment to Texas Tech Health Science Center, which is the hospital we use, with a bus or any kind of public transportation, and walking with my daughter and wife there is out of the question. Lubbock has bus service, but the main lines don't pass through close to our area. Cutting 95% of my driving isn't bad but it's still annoying that I can't live car free when I want to.

Anyone else in this situation?

Don't beat yourself up over this. You're doing more than most people, and there's no good reason to make your family suffer if your situation isn't ideal. (Remember the movie "Mosquito Coast"? If not, take a look.) In the meantime, you might want to consider relocating to a better-placed apartment.

Cutting 95% of my driving isn't bad but it's still annoying that I can't live car free when I want to.

Anyone else in this situation?

No one can be car-free their entire life. The best you can do is optimize it. Sounds like you are doing well. Be proud.

It's almost impossible to not need the use of a car at some point if you have kids or pets.I don't think it needs to be your car though.If you consider that a car costs an average of $500/mth(lease/car payment,gas and upkeep).That's $6000 a year!You can take alot of cabs for that type of money(some cabbies allow pets/kids:)).
Another thing to consider is that it's not good for a vehicle to just sit for long periods.Gas goes bad,brakes have a chance of rusting,tires can develop flat spots,and things just generally can seize up and even though you're not racking up the miles,you should change the oil on a regular basis too.
The hardest part of becoming car-free is letting go.But I think between biking,cabbing,and public transit you'd save enough to be able to go on a vacation every year(!).Food for thought. TBG

...and no car means more room in the garage for your bikes:D

Planning, Planning, Planning, sometimes by planning your activitiy you can reduce the amount of time you will need to use your car. Some people can go cold turkey but others have to taper off. The fact that your family is even considering going car-free puts you ahead of a lot of people. Keep working at it and before you know it you will be car-free.

Gas, the price of a can of beans.

No one can be car-free their entire life. Huh?

Maybe if you said "A very small percentage of North Americans can be car-free for their entire life without making significant sacrifices and/or changes in their lifestyles" then I'd agree.

Cutting 95% of my driving isn't bad but it's still annoying that I can't live car free when I want to.

Anyone else in this situation?

I'm in the same position. For a number of reasons, I can't give up the car entirely without some serious negative consequences, but I'm as car-light as I can get.

If you've cut 95 per cent of your driving, you've already gone a long way — much farther than many around you will ever dream of doing. That by itself is impressive. You've got nothing to be ashamed of.

Also keep in mind that your needs may change in the years to come. You may find yourself in a position where car-free is possible and practical or you may find yourself in a position where you'll need the car a little more. There are all sorts of reason why either one could happen.

You've already made some significant progress and for now that's good enough.

You can get rid of -your- car if you know how to get hold of -a- car when it is needed.

You can put a cab company on speed dial.
You can get to know the local car rental place well. (A lot of carfree do this, because once you've cut your car use down a lot, the combined fixed costs of owning a car become far more than the rental costs! It costs a LOT to own a car even if you never start it up once.
You can make an arrangement with a neighbor to be able to borrow a car or a ride on rare occasion. Return the favour generously! I know people in my family have helped out neighbors needing someone with a pick-up or similar before.