Living Car Free - More Mainstream Discussion...

The good:"I told the kids I was no longer providing car rides to swim practice. Yes, I'd still take them, but from now on it would be on foot or bike. I calculated that each round trip to the pool was costing 50 cents, and we often make two to three trips per day. Although their bikes were handy and ready for use, mine was dusty, and I had lost my helmet years ago. So I borrowed an extra helmet from my husband, and off we went. Added benefits: quality time with the kids, plus a decent workout."
The bad: "Do I still need my minivan? Of course. I want to visit my grandmother 10 miles away, and I can't carry a week's worth of groceries on my bike." She displays her ignorance. Last night I went to visit a friend 20 miles away.

Her final word:"Still, we're making permanent changes in our transportation habits. The high cost of gas has been nothing but good for our family." Not bad.

The full article:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/151739

Wait until the price of gas comes down. I honestly believe the raised prices was a plot by the oil companies to see just exactly how high the price could go before people might start to change and then drop it back just a bit to where they'll go back to their old ways.

Wait until the price of gas comes down. I honestly believe the raised prices was a plot by the oil companies to see just exactly how high the price could go before people might start to change and then drop it back just a bit to where they'll go back to their old ways.

I'm sort of convinced that gas tax is the reason Washington has not pushed alternative energy in cars.
I've run across several stories about how the US is driving less but it is causing a short fall in the road tax.
The policy makers know that an odometer tax will never fly, and other than taxing gasoline, I don't think they are bright enough to come up with a way to pay for road repairs.

Wait until the price of gas comes down. I honestly believe the raised prices was a plot by the oil companies to see just exactly how high the price could go before people might start to change and then drop it back just a bit to where they'll go back to their old ways.
On Jan. 2 when I filled up, gas was $1.099 a litre. It went as high as $1.459 a few weeks ago and it's now at $1.389. People around me are talking about how the price has come down, but they've forgotten that the pump price is still more than 25 per cent higher than it was at the start of the year.

I started bike commuting 2X a week about a 18 months ago (mostly for fitness reasons). I don't do it more often because it's a long way (21 miles each way)...but I might consider it. I also work from home 1 day a week. If I went car free for work, it would probably save $3000-$3500 a year over what it costs today....even more if you included the two days I'm not driving today.

I also thought - what would it be like if I replaced everything under 5 miles by biking? There are reasonable bike paths next to the really busy roads, and the neighborhood roads are no big deal....and if I add a rack and foldable grocery panniers to our spare Giant Cypress hybrid, we could even carry groceries....more, if we added a trailer.

Here's what's within 1 mile of the house:

2 Grocery stores
Pharmacy
3 fast food restaurants
3 Banks
Dentist
Optometrist
2 Chinese restaurants
1 Italian restaurant
1 Sushi/Japanese restaurant
2 dry cleaners
Gamestop
1 Hardware store
2 service stations (for when the cars need inspected
Physical therapy (I know, I'm going there now)
1 Starbucks (actually 2 if you count the other one inside the grocery store)
1 ice cream shop
2 pizza places

etc....

If you went up to 3 miles, you would almost triple what I've already listed, with convenience stores and lots of other specialty stores.

Things that would still need a car for would be where we needed to shuttle the kids. I'm still not comfortable getting them out of the neighborhood with all the traffic here. The library about 6 miles away, and you'd have to cross too many major traffic crossings. Swim and music lessons still require driving - although piano lessons are done here at the house. School is walking distance for one kid, and the other has bus transportation.

So....it will be interesting to see just how much we could reduce car use. I'm not ready to give mine up, but between bike commuting, online shopping/business and utilizing the two close-in shopping centers via foot or bike, that will make a major dent in gas consumption and vehicle wear and tear....

The good:"I told the kids I was no longer providing car rides to swim practice. Yes, I'd still take them, but from now on it would be on foot or bike. I calculated that each round trip to the pool was costing 50 cents, and we often make two to three trips per day. Although their bikes were handy and ready for use, mine was dusty, and I had lost my helmet years ago. So I borrowed an extra helmet from my husband, and off we went. Added benefits: quality time with the kids, plus a decent workout."
The bad: "Do I still need my minivan? Of course. I want to visit my grandmother 10 miles away, and I can't carry a week's worth of groceries on my bike." She displays her ignorance. Last night I went to visit a friend 20 miles away.

Her final word:"Still, we're making permanent changes in our transportation habits. The high cost of gas has been nothing but good for our family." Not bad.

The full article:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/151739

Congratulations on getting you and your children out on bicycles for practical transportation. The more you do it, the better it gets.

It is hard to live without a vehicle, especially when you have children, but you will find that you can bicycle more and drive less than you ever imagined.

More good news; a ten mile ride to your grandmothers is certainly within bicycling distance. You will find many people on these forums, myself included who bicycle commute to work every day with distances of over 10 miles each way. YOU CAN DO IT! YAAY!

Good article. It's nice to see that bicycles are getting a bit mu coverage now.

I was so heartened by this story, I actually registered at Newsweek and left a comment.

If this trend continues, I should be able to rent myself out as an alternative transportation consultant.

It is hard to live without a vehicle, especially when you have children, but you will find that you can bicycle more and drive less than you ever imagined.

Why is it that Americans keep using the word "vehicle" as if it actually meant "car". A bike is a vehicle, a bus is a vehicle.

According to the American heritage dictionary a vehicle is "A device or structure for transporting persons or things; a conveyance."

Wikipedia says: "Vehicles are non-living means of transport. Most often they are manufactured (e.g. bicycles, cars, motorcycles, trains, ships, boats, and aircraft), although some other means of transport which are not made by humans also may be called vehicles; examples include icebergs and floating tree trunks."

Why is it that Americans keep using the word "vehicle" as if it actually meant "car". I bike is a vehicle, a bus is a vehicle.

According to the American heritage dictionary a vehicle is "A device or structure for transporting persons or things; a conveyance."

Wikipedia says: "Vehicles are non-living means of transport. Most often they are manufactured (e.g. bicycles, cars, motorcycles, trains, ships, boats, and aircraft), although some other means of transport which are not made by humans also may be called vehicles; examples include icebergs and floating tree trunks."
When I visited various Hindu temples the people there always translated the animal associated with the particular god as its vehicle. Like the one with the elephant head has a rat as its vehicle. Another one has a cow and another has an eagle. I got in the habit of looking for the vehicle to see what god was associated with the temple. Its hard to be a god without a vehicle. You Gustavo are just observing the deep penetration of car - culture into our minds. I imagine that after a generation the horse culture embedded itself into the minds of some plains Indians cultures too. From stalking buffalo and traveling by foot to horse travel must have had this liberating effect on them. For me going from car to bike has had a liberating effect.