Living Car Free - Took a drive, almost lost my mind...

I had to return a tux to a shop about 40 miles south.... I took my wifes' car, dropped her off at the bowling center, and headed south.

Not 2 blocks from the bowling center, I get stuck in a traffic jam.

I would like to mention that I have been car-free and daily commuting on bicycles for nearly 4 years...

This experience was almost surreal. My body tensed up, my chest got tight. My stress level went through the roof. All I could think about was the scene from that old movie with Michael Douglas (Falling Down) where he was stuck in a similar jam and just got out of his car and walked away... going on a rampage and killing a bunch of people.


wow, I have problems.

Thank goodness for bicycles. Anyone else here have this type of problem?

I always have to think about Office Space and how the old man on the walker passes up all the traffic in the beginning of the movie.

I do get stressed driving, I basically turn into a hypercritical a**hole.

Been there, done that, and fairly recently, too.

This is why you get a car that you enjoy, and play music on the stereo that you enjoy.

Can't do anything about a traffic jam, and everyone else nearby is stuck just like you are. No reason to get worked into a lather about it.

I would like to mention that I have been car-free and daily commuting on bicycles for nearly 4 years...QUOTE][QUOTE]




Yeah same here. I dont drive no more either, but sometimes I will take my wife's car down to the store if its storming out. Other than that, I get around everywhere by bike. If there's something I need thats too big for a backpack, or want to make a run to the home improvement store, I have a bike trailer I built just for that.

Havent personally owned a car in eight years.

[QUOTE=fordfasterr;7446792]I would like to mention that I have been car-free and daily commuting on bicycles for nearly 4 years...QUOTE]




Yeah same here. I dont drive no more either, but sometimes I will take my wife's car down to the store if its storming out. Other than that, I get around everywhere by bike. If there's something I need thats too big for a backpack, or want to make a run to the home improvement store, I have a bike trailer I built just for that.

Havent personally owned a car in eight years.


Cool !

I have a trike for bigger loads =)

[QUOTE=Wino Ryder;7449519]


Cool !

I have a trike for bigger loads =)





Yeah I like trikes too. Dont have one, but want to get one for my mom (who's 70) so she can ride around her apartment complex. The nice ones at the bike shop are near $400.

This is why you get a car that you enjoy, and play music on the stereo that you enjoy.

+1. I do this when walking, when riding, and when driving. In fact, any time I'm transporting myself and not in the company of others, I'm almost always listening to my iPod.

I get that way too. I used to drive 20-30 minutes each way every day and think nothing of 8-10 hour road trips. It's amazing how your tolerance for driving changes.

I get that way too. I used to drive 20-30 minutes each way every day and think nothing of 8-10 hour road trips. It's amazing how your tolerance for driving changes.

Really, I really have got to the point where I simply have to "tolerate" driving and avoid it as much as possible.

When I have to drive, I treat it like I do biking in heavy traffic. I can't control anyone else, so it's completely pointless to ***** and complain about what they do. I'm not nearly as upset as some of you are saying you get.

That's not to say that I'm not aware of the dangers and responsibilities, and I can't dismiss the amounts of idiocy I see out there. But, I just expect the worst, and end up feeling better because it's never that bad.

I've been car free for 4 months now. In one more month it will be the longest I've gone in my life without riding in a car.

I kinda think that riding in a car again would be metaphorically similar to:

1.) Swinging on a swing for a long period of time and then trying to run
2.) Rollerskating for hours and then putting on regular shoes
3.) Skiing all day and then changing from your ski boots to regular shoes
4.) Walking on the moving sidewalk at the airport and getting used to the speed you can travel and then coming to the end of it

It would just feel weird.

4.) Walking on the moving sidewalk at the airport and getting used to the speed you can travel and then coming to the end of it


Oo, that gave me memories of using the airport in a way I haven't had since I last used one (back in May or so). Good times.

I just drove today after about a year of not driving. It was the DRIVE OF SHAME. There I was at the wheel of an SUV, a giant Chevy Suburban. The driving chores weren't too stressful. I just had to drive my supervisor's behemoth and follow him from the truck rental place to our office to pick up furniture and then to the storage facility.

A year or so ago I found myself driving after a year's lapse. The worst part was that I started at the San Jose airport going to Santa Cruz. In addition to re-orienting myself to driving, and relearning all the scanning and things that drivers might be doing behind me, I had to navigate at high speed along roads I had never driven. That took a little getting used to. At the start, 45 seemed fast, though within a few miles I had rediscovered most of my skills and was sailing along with traffic.

I'm worried about you, op. For starters, your comment reads like a hypochondriac profession of faith, as if becoming physically ill inside of an automobile somehow makes you a more pious bicycle commuter. To hell with that, morals are made to be broken. Or, as my distant cousin, the alcoholic monk, said, "be good, but don't be too good."

But really, I'm far more bothered by how you completely butchered the plot of Falling Down, which is one of the best films ever made. Watch it again, chop chop, and dammit, remember it right this time! D-Fens didn't kill "a bunch of people", he killed ONE person, and that guy was a Neo-Nazi, so it was okay. And he only went on a rampage at the fast food restaurant, other than that he just took a long walk to his estranged daughter's house, acquiring a series of weapons with steadily greater destructive power along the way. Pffffffft.

Really, I really have got to the point where I simply have to "tolerate" driving and avoid it as much as possible.

This is where I am at. Unfortunately my job requires a fair amount of driving...but I do all I can to minimize it.

Aaron:)

.....

But really, I'm far more bothered by how you completely butchered the plot of Falling Down, which is one of the best films ever made. Watch it again, chop chop, and dammit, remember it right this time! D-Fens didn't kill "a bunch of people", he killed ONE person, and that guy was a Neo-Nazi, so it was okay. And he only went on a rampage at the fast food restaurant, other than that he just took a long walk to his estranged daughter's house, acquiring a series of weapons with steadily greater destructive power along the way. Pffffffft.


Good point, your review is much better than mine.

So is driving like what they say about riding a bike? Once you learn how, you'll never forget?

Once in a blue moon, I have to drive one of our company vehicles for whatever reason. It is literally always miserable, and every time I drive it just solidifies my commitment to being car-free. Driving feels so confining and stuffy, and since I always drive the speed limit I'm hated by motorists even more than when I'm on my bike! Apparently the speed limit is a minimum speed. Who knew?

So is driving like what they say about riding a bike? Once you learn how, you'll never forget?

If they ever freakin' LEARNED how to drive to begin with!:notamused:

Aaron:)

I find driving fine at 6:00 o'clock on a Sunday morning. After about 11:00, it becomes a jungle! Don't get me started about driving on the interstate where the other vehicles REQUIRE you to drive 75 mph or they cut you off left and right on purpose! Talk about Stress!

I still like driving but it's just too expensive. All the associated cost with gas, repairs, tolls, tickets and maintenance are just too much.

I stopped riding when I got my car. Drove it everywhere like most have done. At one point I was driving less than a mile to hang with friends...how stupid...Now I refuse to drive. Like a few of you, it just stresses me out. Even if I drive fast on carvy roads it bores me. I've been riding to work for about 2 months and have never felt better. I'm in shape, eating only good stuff, drinkin good stuff, etc, etc. I'm averaging a hundered miles a week. Or saving nearly 15 dollars a week. 60 bucks a month. Atleast 100 for insurance, 300 for car payment etc, for say. Either way, its a great feeling knowing I'm out there using my power, and also not a slave to the fuel station!

I find driving fine at 6:00 o'clock on a Sunday morning. After about 11:00, it becomes a jungle!

I don't know about your town, but here 11am on Sunday means all of the churches are letting out and so traffic becomes insane. Just about everyone here goes to church, so riding before 11 on a Sunday morning is like heaven (no pun intended).

I don't know about your town, but here 11am on Sunday means all of the churches are letting out and so traffic becomes insane. Just about everyone here goes to church, so riding before 11 on a Sunday morning is like heaven (no pun intended).

Why isn't there as much traffic when they're all trying to get TO church at the same time?

Why isn't there as much traffic when they're all trying to get TO church at the same time?

I haven't figured that one out yet! :lol:

So is driving like what they say about riding a bike? Once you learn how, you'll never forget?

In my experience in the past, not driving for a while and then driving is like riding fixed gear for a while and then riding a freewheel bike.

It definitely feels weird for a bit and you may make some mistakes at first but it comes back to you quickly.

Y'all just need to look at the positive side. I bike commute everyday as well, but whenever I have to drive (for whatever reason), I try to just sit back and relax, and enjoy the ride and rest. Don't let bicycles turn you into a wound up crabster when you get behind the wheel.

I still really enjoy a good road trip. Nothing like some good friends, an open highway, and loads of free time. Solo drives can be enjoyable too -- I used to drive across Michigan's upper peninsula overnight, often in silence or with a good book on tape.

Even if I drive fast on carvy roads it bores me.

OTOH, I don't think there's anything LESS boring than riding fast on a bike, and "swooping" through curves, and seeing how much lean you can get on your bike. No sports car or even race car could match this feeling.

:)

OTOH, I don't think there's anything LESS boring than riding fast on a bike, and "swooping" through curves, and seeing how much lean you can get on your bike. No sports car or even race car could match this feeling.

:)

Well, not at speeds that would be safe enough.. ;)

Yeah drove out to meet my parents for dinner tonight. If there was any lingering doubt bout selling my car, tonight cured it.

For the last month, i have become the designated delivery driver for our company, because the idiot child we used to have couldn't keep his act together. ( You know, little things, like turning up on time, not disappearing for hours at a time, not running up the phone bill, etc ) It has become quite common for me to end the afternoon with a tense bar of muscle across my shoulders from the stress. If they don't find someone soon, I'm gonna be taking sick leave. Driving is very unhealthy.

For the last week and a half, I've been on my bike far more than in my car, and when I get in now, I find that I am perfectly content with much lower speeds. I'm not going bike slow, but the speed limit doesn't feel like so much of a limit anymore. I also notice that I get an urge to pedal harder at the base of a hill when I'm in my car.

For those of you who still get stressed by driving -- I guess it's best that you don't drive, or at least do it as little as possible. I'd think that it would stress y'all out no matter what.

I could just go, "HTFU, it ain't that bad," but maybe I'm coming at it differently, having done my time as a pizza delivery driver and, during college, living out in BFE where multi-hundred-mile road trips are just what you do when you visit friends and family.

For those of you who still get stressed by driving -- I guess it's best that you don't drive, or at least do it as little as possible. I'd think that it would stress y'all out no matter what.
I think one of the main problems is that I don't have much choice, and I didn't sign on for this cr@p.

Then stop getting upset over something you can't control.

We all get kind of locked-in to certain situations. Yeah, maybe it was our choice sometimes. But it isn't always an easy choice to move away from situations we're no longer satisfied with and move on to other, better circumstance. There are commitments on our part that we feel we need to live up to, and also things that are beyond our control. Just do the best with what you've got and it's all good.

Then stop getting upset over something you can't control.

A person's tolerasnce for driving probably has a lot to do with innate characteristics that they can't control.

The same cannot be said for a lack of empathy and a tendency to judge others harshly. Those are things one can learn to control.

What was harsh about what I said? Should I have used more buttery language instead?

How about, "Well, dear friend, it's something that you can't change, at least not right away; so in the meantime, there isn't a need to worry or get upset. When you have the opportunity to change the situation, take it and make it better for everyone."

Sheesh... A simple solution doesn't need so much verbiage. Life is so much simpler when you realize that you have very little you can truly complain about. If there's something you don't like, decide whether you can change it. If you can't, then remaining upset is only going to leave you mad, and the problem will stay unsolved. If you can change it, then stop complaining and fix it.

So, then -- what is there to complain about?

What was harsh about what I said? Should I have used more buttery language instead?

How about, "Well, dear friend, it's something that you can't change, at least not right away; so in the meantime, there isn't a need to worry or get upset. When you have the opportunity to change the situation, take it and make it better for everyone."

Sheesh... A simple solution doesn't need so much verbiage. Life is so much simpler when you realize that you have very little you can truly complain about. If there's something you don't like, decide whether you can change it. If you can't, then remaining upset is only going to leave you mad, and the problem will stay unsolved. If you can change it, then stop complaining and fix it.

So, then -- what is there to complain about?

My point exactly.

The first time I went months without being in a car I found it very disconcerting traveling, even as a passenger, in a car on the highway at such high speeds and within such restricting confines.
The anger involved in driving, for me, stems from a loss of freedom in regard to other people's driving goals & lack of skill. I find it ironic that much of the appeal to car ownership is derived from the myth of individuality but really anyone who has been caught in a traffic jam or on a busy high/free-way knows this to be absolute nonsense.
My bicycle provides the freedom, in heavy traffic to split between cars and flaunt my freedom at the pompous drivers trapped within their own obsession. I know that's not going to make me many friends but it's a great joy in my life.

...
My bicycle provides the freedom, in heavy traffic to split between cars and flaunt my freedom at the pompous drivers trapped within their own obsession. I know that's not going to make me many friends but it's a great joy in my life.

Me 2.

=)

Then stop getting upset over something you can't control.

"!"


What was harsh about what I said? Should I have used more buttery language instead?

How about, "Well, dear friend, it's something that you can't change, at least not right away; so in the meantime, there isn't a need to worry or get upset. When you have the opportunity to change the situation, take it and make it better for everyone."

Sheesh... A simple solution doesn't need so much verbiage. Life is so much simpler when you realize that you have very little you can truly complain about. If there's something you don't like, decide whether you can change it. If you can't, then remaining upset is only going to leave you mad, and the problem will stay unsolved. If you can change it, then stop complaining and fix it.

So, then -- what is there to complain about?
I am considering a change of job, actually, dropping off a resume tomorrow, the alternative is telling them I won't drive anymore, which will also, probably lead to a change of job. !!

I am not upset, or worried, about the driving, I am stressed. I am worried about the effect this has on my health. Driving in heavy traffic situations is stressful. I practice what measures I can to negate the stress, but when you are piloting a vehicle that weighs 4.5 tons unladen, amongst drivers who are best described as "erratic," some stress is unavoidable.

I stand by my earlier comment, driving is unhealthy.


A person's tolerasnce for driving probably has a lot to do with innate characteristics that they can't control.

The same cannot be said for a lack of empathy and a tendency to judge others harshly. Those are things one can learn to control.

Thank you.

I think, for me at least, it's because of what changes when I chose one over the other. On the bike, I usually take side roads with little to no traffic. Car is a lot of main roads with a lot of traffic and lights.

I've always been happier and more well adjusted on the bike.

My point exactly.

There's a difference between complaining and giving advice, too.

I stand by my earlier comment, driving is unhealthy.

For you, obviously. Good thing you're getting out of it.

I think one of the main problems is that I don't have much choice, and I didn't sign on for this cr@p.

BarracksSi, I think you may have been responding to this comment. The fact that I have to do this, because,
a) The job needs to be done, and without a driver who wants to do it, I am best able to get it done efficiently.
b) The company expects it of me, as low man on the totem pole.
c) The job is made harder by stupid mistakes elsewhere in the company.
d) I'd probably do my continued employment prospects no good when they do get a driver if I refused.
e) I'm getting little credit from some people for the extra effort I'm putting out.'

These are adding to, or, shall I say, Multiplying, the stress that is directly caused by the task of avoiding killing stupid drivers, pedestrians, and yes, some of the cycle couriers.

I understand what you mean about the stress of trying not to kill people. I had a nightmare (my first) the other day about buzzing a child on a bicycle at night, and being stopped by the police. Considering I work with kids, and am training to do so for the rest of my career, it wouldn't look good to take one out in an automobile. That said, you can still do a lot to reduce stress levels by things like meditation, mindfulness, and detachment. That doesn't mean driving less safely. It might mean learning to let go of your negative feelings and focus your energy on doing what needs to be done.

BarracksSi, I think you may have been responding to this comment.

Partially, yeah, although there's a lot of stress in this thread that I don't think is necessary.


The fact that I have to do this, because,
a) The job needs to be done, and without a driver who wants to do it, I am best able to get it done efficiently.
b) The company expects it of me, as low man on the totem pole.
c) The job is made harder by stupid mistakes elsewhere in the company.
d) I'd probably do my continued employment prospects no good when they do get a driver if I refused.
e) I'm getting little credit from some people for the extra effort I'm putting out.'


a) That's a good thing, stepping up to the plate to get the job done. I volunteered myself to clean the toilets in boot camp when we cleaned our squadbay; another recruit would ask me why I chose to do it, and I just said, "Well, it's gotta get done, and I can always wash my hands afterwards." My squad leader actually complimented me about how easy I was to work with.
b) That's part of being low on the totem pole. We do that all the time where I work. The trick with us is, when you're higher on the totem pole, you know everybody's job below you (or at least a good idea), and you can advise them when they need help. Might be different where you are, though.
c) That's true in almost every organization in existence. You'll be lucky to find it better somewhere else, so you might as well relax about it for now.
d) That's a tough spot -- you're probably well capable of doing other jobs, even in the same company, that don't involve driving, but don't have much chance to demonstrate as such. That might come with time. If you're doing well even as a driver, the management might decide that they can trust you in a higher position and, at the same time, get you off the road.
e) See my answer for c). ;)


These are adding to, or, shall I say, Multiplying, the stress that is directly caused by the task of avoiding killing stupid drivers, pedestrians, and yes, some of the cycle couriers.

Ironic, isn't it? :lol:

I understand what you mean about the stress of trying not to kill people. I had a nightmare (my first) the other day about buzzing a child on a bicycle at night, and being stopped by the police. Considering I work with kids, and am training to do so for the rest of my career, it wouldn't look good to take one out in an automobile.

They say that actors sometimes have nightmares about going up on stage and completely forgetting their lines. I've had a few over the years, always depending on what I was seriously involved in at the time. So, you're not alone; it just means that you care about what you're doing.

I think, for me at least, it's because of what changes when I chose one over the other. On the bike, I usually take side roads with little to no traffic. Car is a lot of main roads with a lot of traffic and lights.

I've always been happier and more well adjusted on the bike.

I avoid major highways and rush hour traffic unless I have no choice. If I have to drive somewhere I look for the US highways that quite often parellel the interstates. In some cases it is actually quicker than the "I'".:thumb: Definitely less stressful and you can see a lot of neat things along the way. I was taking a back route down to the coast a while back and saw a guy plowing with a team of horses, stopped and talked with him for a bit. Try that from the interstate at 70+mph:innocent:

Aaron:)