Living Car Free - Car lite...keeping motivated

So yesterday evening I was going to head down to my girlfriend's place, about 10km away through the city. The weather wasn't the best, I was tired and I knew we'd be going for a run when I got there. I also had my car and motorcycle sitting in the driveway. I thought about taking them but them I screwed up some gumption and hopped on the bicycle. Sometimes it's a hard decision, the difficulty stemming for pure, unadulterated laziness. Sloth. Wanting to sit on your ass and get somewhere rather than pedal your legs and do the exact same thing.

I thought of the commitment I made to myself to drive less and cycle more, that's why I took my bike. I know all the very good reasons to cycle instead of drive, but when you're tired/full of food/in a hurry it's real easy to hop in a car instead of on a bike. For those of you who are car lite, how do you keep yourself motivated? Is there anything in particular that keeps you from making the decision to ride instead of drive?

hiding the keys/registration might be a motivator for you. I think the key is making the mental shift to considering the bike your primary mode of transport. Why drive somewhere when you can bike there instead? It'll take a little while. But once you make that mental shift, it'll be just as difficult getting in the car when you need to use it for something, rather than the bike. the way it is now for you (i presume). Keep working at it!

I also had my car and motorcycle sitting in the driveway.

Strictly speaking, a motorcycle is not a car. I know, I am no help.

hiding the keys/registration might be a motivator for you. I think the key is making the mental shift to considering the bike your primary mode of transport. Why drive somewhere when you can bike there instead? It'll take a little while. But once you make that mental shift, it'll be just as difficult getting in the car when you need to use it for something, rather than the bike. the way it is now for you (i presume). Keep working at it!

Don't even need to hide the keys. Just put them on a separate ring, and don't reflexively carry that ring. So you have a ring with your bike lock and house keys that you have with you, and a ring with your car keys that you have to deliberately go get if you want to drive.

I just ride more slowly when I am not motivated. What gets me is the hills---- and I live at the top of one. I generally ride fixed--- my own masochistic choice. I just take it easy home from work after a long day, or to work on a Monday after a long weekend. It really changes my outlook when I don't turn it into a race.

I make myself say out loud what I intend to do, "I am too tired, I will just take the car ride". Hearing me say the wussy words is a motivator for me to do the right thing, especially when it is tiredness of the 50% sort and I can do it but just feel lazy. Just feeling lazy is what got me fat, I am trying now to reverse that.

And the advice to go slower works well too. Make it an easy ride and you will be more motivated, well at least I am in that situation.

For me, keeping a bike tuned up, with air in the tires, helmet hanging on the handlebars, by the door and ready to go is the key.

If the bike needs to be worked on or I can't find my helmet or lock or something, it becomes too easy to say "screw it" and take the car.

I really like the suggestion of saying how you're feeling out loud. I've never tried that but can see how it would work quite well.

For me, it's just a mental state of not giving myself the option of driving. After 4 years of bike commuting, the thought of driving doesn't cross my mind unless it's over 10-15 miles. I keep my car keys separate from my work/house keys, and I also try to focus on how good I'll feel after riding. In addition, my bike has to be tuned and ready to go, so basically I'm seconding everything that's been said already.

On occasion I still have problems getting frustrated while riding, whether it's bad weather or an inconsiderate driver, etc. When this happens I'll slow down or even stop for a bit and remember to enjoy the fact I have legs and can ride a bike.

When my car was for sale I didn't use it much because I wanted to keep the mileage low in order to get a better price for it. That was one of my motivations to not drive it.

Other motivations could be the price of fuel or the source of the fuel. If 25% of our oil comes from countries full of people who hate us and who are funding terrorism then by not buying fuel you are keeping some money out of their pockets. It might not be much in the grand scheme of things but it means something to me to contribute a little bit towards stopping terrorism.

When I get into good shape and can cruise at twenty miles per hour on my new bicycle I will sell my motorized bicycle and use pedal power exclusively. That is my goal for the summer. Right now I can cruise at sixteen miles per hour on level ground without a headwind. By adding oval chain rings and power grips I should be able to add one mile per hour. That leaves three more. Since I'm not really in good bicycle shape it should be a doable goal.

While I am now car-free, I was car-lite for some time, and I often faced the same problem. Usually all it took for me was to think about the last time I drove, and how frustrating/stressful/disappointing it was. It didn't always work, and when it didn't I'd find myself in the car, pissed off at other drivers and stressed out, just like I knew I would be. It's certainly not easy when you've grown up using a car to get everywhere.

I've been ill recently so I had to use the car. It's a 1977 Datsun that usually sleeps in the garage until it's wanted for a long journey somewhere and since that doesn't happen too often it doesn't get a lot of use. I keep it in good mechanical condition though because it's sometimes needed in a hurry to do a late night hospital run if my elderly Mum isn't well.
Having to drive the car this week instead of taking my trike has had all the usual frustrations. Parking the thing, manovering the thing about, climbing in and out of it, being held up in traffic etc etc. Once I'm properly back on my feet you won't catch me picking up the car keys again in a hurry and all it will take to keep me on my trike is my refreshed memory of just how awkward and uncomfortable it is for me to drive a @!$#%& car.

For those of you who are car lite, how do you keep yourself motivated? Is there anything in particular that keeps you from making the decision to ride instead of drive?

If you remember some of the conversations on LCF, as soon as you sit behind the wheel of a car, you think:
* this behemoth is a dinosaur
* if we run out of oil, this thing will rust in the driveway
* this trip would be so much fun on my Bianchi
* the air is kind of stuffy in here
* where are the damned brakes?...

....all those thoughts cross your mind.

I generally feel like crap when I drive or take the TTC.

In fact I'm often in trouble for insisting that I'm going to ride rather than taking TTC/Taxi/Car with the 'rest of the gang'.

No motivation required - I need motivation to take the car/TTC - I try and make up excuses to ride.

In fact I rode from work to High Park today on a trivial errand just so I could get an extra few km in.

As far as motivation goes, don't fill up the car, so that if you want to drive it you'll have to shell out.

I did this for a couple months and caved this w/e ($65 bucks for a cavalier :() to get to a hockey tournament in the northwest part of town.

One way I keep motivated is by having several bikes to ride, if I feel nostogic, I'll pull out the vintage Schwinn, if I want to get somewhere fast, I'll pull out the road bike, if I have some time to get to my destination, I'll pull out one of my hybrids, or my MTB with big knobby tires for that extra workout. If the weather is bad, I also have a foulweather bike, along with decent foulweather outerwear to match it.

I've tried to make my car-light lifestyle a game. Friends who drive normally can go one to two weeks on a tank of gas. I can make a tank last four to six weeks without trying and last summer, I went more than 70 days without refueling. Twice.

It's also fun to cycle or walk to events where people expect to see me driving. It's especially nice in winter, the day after a big snowfall, to pedal up to an event or function and watch the jaws dropping around me.

When going car-light becomes a chore instead of a game, it will be time to rethink what I'm doing.

Some great advice, I especially like the "saying it out loud" thing. I think that would shame me into riding quite well. Oddly, I am already doing quite a few things that were suggested. Car keys and motorcycle keys on separate keyrings from my house and bicycle lock keys. I have a two bike, floor to ceiling stand in my kitchen by the front door so I have to walk past the bikes on the way out the door.

Last night, after a long day of work and going to the gym, I rode to my daughter's school musical. I met her mother (my ex) there and she said "did you ride your bike?! You're so weird!" I knew in advance that it would bug her.

After the performance I walked past all the crammed in cars waiting to leave the parking lot, including hers, and cycled quietly away with a huge grin on my face. That in itself was priceless.

Sometimes it's the little things that keep you motivated. :)

No motivation required - I need motivation to take the car/TTC - I try and make up excuses to ride.

In fact I rode from work to High Park today on a trivial errand just so I could get an extra few km in.

This is true for me, too. I have a very relaxed life right now, with very few personal errands that I need to run, so I have to find excuses to ride. Although this won't be an option for the OP, I recently moved to a city that happens to be totally flat inside the city limits. There are also miles and miles of bike routes with a pretty friendly, laid back populous. This did wonders for motivation :p because I like to have the option of riding leisurely.

I don't know how I would feel about riding somewhere to go run, though. But then again, I stopped enjoying running a couple of years ago and wouldn't want to do it anyway.