Living Car Free - Is it time for a name change?

Here's the forum description: Did you give up your car for good? Is your bike and public transportation the only way you travel from point A to point B? If your only mode of transportation is your bike, discuss your car-free lifestyle here.

Ouch. I'd forgotten just how bad it is.

When I first hit bikeforums, I remember seeing that, and immediately assuming it had nothing to do with me. Why? Because I walked or took transit everywhere. And even after I got a bike, it didn't seem particularly relevant for quite a while. I'm kind of dense, but it didn't really dawn on me that I was car free til I'd been doing it for over a year.

The big problem with the description is the first question, IMO. "Do you want to get rid of your car?" would be better, because the new question makes it clear that we're talking about personal vehicles. It also makes it clear that owning a car is fine. And it doesn't say a damn thing about forever. It better expresses that not using a car is a personal goal, rather than a requirement.

The last sentence is awful too, and I have no idea how to fix it. It makes the whole thing self-contradictory, and really makes it seem like the forum is an exclusive club. And I'm *quite* sure that our lot of cranky hippy treehugger tightwads is not what most people think of as an exclusive club. (cranky covers damn near all of us... hippy and treehugger are optional ;) but tightwad is damn near all of us again...)

+1

If we're not going to change the forum name, then I hope that the description gets revised. I think it should include something about ...

-- not owning a car
-- owning a car, but just using it occasionally (car-lite)
-- using a variety of alternate forms of transportation like walking, cycling, rollerblading, public transportation, etc. as our only, or main, way of getting around
-- and other alternate/green/sustainable ways of living ... where we can continue to discuss being house-free, using solar panels for energy, composting, etc.

Here (Ottawa) one and only one road within urban limits is paid for by the province. Every other road is municipal. So are the schools, much of health care, welfare and many social services, libraries.... we've been juggling numbers for years. $10 million to re-build a road, or build a youth addiction treatment centre? $5 million for a new off-ramp, or hire new police officers? We have 100 year-old infrastructure crumbling, are dumping raw sewage in the river every time it rains, cutting garbage collection to save money, and begging for money for a $4 billion light rail system. Yet the biggest budget items are road repair and maintenance.

The above is the primary reason I am part of the car-free movement. While I no longer post here enough for my opinion to matter, my *only* interest in this forum is based on the definition of car-free I am used to from advocacy. Reducing and potentially eliminating private motor vehicle use in urban centres.

Different country, but same trend here. Spent $120 million over the last 8 years on widening the freeway to the suburbs... meanwhile education, mental health services, buses, yada, yada, yada all went downhill...

We need to keep in mind the goal of reducing motor vehicle traffic within cities.

Right now, our forum comes up as result #9 on Google searches for "car free" and result #11 for "carfree". That's quite impressive. It's not an advantage that should be thrown away lightly.

I agree that the forum description needs work.

Currently is
"Did you give up your car for good? Is your bike and public transportation the only way you travel from point A to point B? If your only mode of transportation is your bike, discuss your car-free lifestyle here."

Could be
"Concerned about the crush of car traffic in your city? Wanting to live sustainably? Or just out to save some money? Join us here for a discussion of living car-free."

The money one is good. People like saving money if they are presented with palatable ways of doing so.

My motivation for not owning a motor car is around 60% money, 30% fitness and feel good, and 10% environment (just so I can call out greenies who piously preach about the environment but don't live by their own principles).

There was a recent survey in Australia that indicated Australians are waning on their enthuasiasm for climate change, largely because it is an issue that appears to be beyond their control. I cannot help but think that the majority feel disempowered by yhe proposed introduction of a "carbon trading scheme" which will inevitably mean paying more for energy "to help save the planet".

The survey showed that Australians were more at ease with stuff they could do themselves and that had tangible results, such as recycling. I don't think using transports modes alternative to their motor vehicles was mentioned, however.

I lilke the title the way it is - I doubt I ever would have clicked on here if it had been"sustainable living" or some such thing. We are touring for a couple years, therefore carfree. But we do not compost or deal with hybrid cars or make a huge effort to go green or whatever. We're simply carfree at the moment.

I think you should just switch it around and call it "CAR-FREE LIVING", you know, like "southern living". It has a better sound to it and makes me think of sitting on my bike and sipping lemonade.

Here's what I think -

Change the name to Living Car Free / Car Lite
change the description to something that mentions
-cycling as a way to live more sustainably
-that forum members seek to reduce or eliminate their travel by car

I can't (and shouldn't) really add to this, but just a side comment that all the people I know who don't own a car, don't cycle either and don't identify themselves as 'car-free' nor do they have any outwardly communicated issues with motor vehicles. It's just the most normal practical way for where they live. (dense urban areas with good public transport)

The very few folks I know who are car light (out numbered by those in the above category ~10:1) work hard to archive that lifestyle, cycle for primary transport and are very anti-car.

Al

I can't (and shouldn't) really add to this, but just a side comment that all the people I know who don't own a car, don't cycle either and don't identify themselves as 'car-free' nor do they have any outwardly communicated issues with motor vehicles. It's just the most normal practical way for where they live. (dense urban areas with good public transport)

That's my experience as well. In fact, we have a huge event coming up produced by a group I belong to - out of 18 people on the production team, only three have motor vehicles. We actually had to seek out a volunteer with a truck to move set pieces around for the weekend.

Keep the name. It represents a very fine ideal - even if the majority of us posters don't or can't live up to it completely.

How about Living outside the Box?

How about Living outside the Box?

There's something very appealing about that name. :)


Add to it a description saying something about:
-- not owning a car
-- owning a car, but just using it occasionally (car-lite)
-- using a variety of alternate forms of transportation like walking, cycling, rollerblading, public transportation, etc. as our only, or main, way of getting around
-- and other alternate/green/sustainable ways of living ... where we can continue to discuss being house-free, using solar panels for energy, composting, etc.


And we might be set. :D

I like the current name; it's what brought me to BF to begin with, and I think it's an accurate descriptor of what is (mostly) discussed here. I think fiddling with the title would be counter-productive.

Currently is
"Did you give up your car for good? Is your bike and public transportation the only way you travel from point A to point B? If your only mode of transportation is your bike, discuss your car-free lifestyle here."

Could be
"Concerned about the crush of car traffic in your city? Wanting to live sustainably? Or just out to save some money? Join us here for a discussion of living car-free."

I like your suggestion. (But I still think the forum title is better left alone.)

Currently is
"Did you give up your car for good? Is your bike and public transportation the only way you travel from point A to point B? If your only mode of transportation is your bike, discuss your car-free lifestyle here."

Could be
"Concerned about the crush of car traffic in your city? Wanting to live sustainably? Or just out to save some money? Join us here for a discussion of living car-free."


Excellent!

Here's a tweak: "Concerned about the crush of car traffic in your city? Wanting to live sustainably? Or just out to save some money and improve your fitness? Join us here for a discussion of living car-free."

What about public transportation? Bus, trains, trolley, rail? You must live somewhere that at least has buses right? You are making excuses, there must be some sort of public transportation in your neighborhood. How about Cabs? So what if it cost $100, borrow money, that interview can land you a dream job or indirectly lead you to it. Excuses. Excuses.

I take the light rail, trolley, bus, cabs and bike everywhere. Sometimes co-workers and friends will drive me to and from work or places. There IS a way around cars, I know because I never owned a car in my life and I'm 31.




Name change? Lifestyle?

If you think gas price shock is gone think again. If you think there aren't people who would like to live car-free or at least car-lite but just don't know how, think again.

It is not so idealistic to use a car less or not at all.

I am now unemployed with no hope of a job. I just lost my company vehicle and cannot even drive around looking for work, much less get to a job if I can find one.

So, yes, there are people like me who WANT to be car-free but cannot survive without one. My family depends on one. But, I get ideas from here.

The good thing about this forum, is it gives people a glimpse into what can be done. Everyone's situation is different.

So, leave the title alone, it catches the eye and leads some of us into the forum to see what there is to this concept.

What about public transportation? Bus, trains, trolley, rail? You must live somewhere that at least has buses right? You are making excuses, there must be some sort of public transportation in your neighborhood. How about Cabs? So what if it cost $100, borrow money, that interview can land you a dream job or indirectly lead you to it. Excuses. Excuses.

I take the light rail, trolley, bus, cabs and bike everywhere. Sometimes co-workers and friends will drive me to and from work or places. There IS a way around cars, I know because I never owned a car in my life and I'm 31.

Just remember that in many areas the infrastructure is so messed up that there aren't any real alternatives to driving. Really! :(

(However, if somebody posts here that living carfree is impossible in their are, we're going to take that as a challenge and at least try to help them out.)

What about public transportation? Bus, trains, trolley, rail? You must live somewhere that at least has buses right? You are making excuses, there must be some sort of public transportation in your neighborhood. How about Cabs? So what if it cost $100, borrow money, that interview can land you a dream job or indirectly lead you to it. Excuses. Excuses.

I take the light rail, trolley, bus, cabs and bike everywhere. Sometimes co-workers and friends will drive me to and from work or places. There IS a way around cars, I know because I never owned a car in my life and I'm 31.

You're in a large urban area with a good public transportation network in place. Not everyone has that. Some of us live in areas without any public transportation. Others live in places without workable public transportation.

Where I live, we have a rudimentary system designed to take seniors and infirm people to and from Penticton for medical appointments. There are one or two runs each way on weekdays and the schedule does not work for anyone with full-time work hours. There's no service on the weekends.

Before I moved here, I lived in a city of 36,000 people which also had an inadequate transit system. Today the system operates from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and is not available on Sundays or holidays. Anyone on shift work will be left in the lurch, at least part of the time. There are no transit routes to either of the two biggest employers in the city.

On a more positive note, there are discussions happening now in an attempt to bring in a workable regional transit system. This could take a few years but at least we're moving in the right direction.

To the original question about changing the name, I think it's fine the way it is.

If there are any changes, I'd suggest "Living Car Free/Car Light" in order to include those who are not completely car free.

To the original question about changing the name, I think it's fine the way it is.

If there are any changes, I'd suggest "Living Car Free/Car Light" in order to include those who are not completely car free.

Or we could call it "On Becoming CarFree" , which would also include the carlight and add a little more existential nuance :rolleyes:

Any new name needs to have porn in it, i.e. CyclePorn 'the Microcosm'

Any new name needs to have porn in it, i.e. CyclePorn 'the Microcosm'
That one has a pretty decent zomgwtf factor!

Thanks I think. What's "zomgwtf" if I may ask...

Thanks I think. What's "zomgwtf" if I may ask...
Uh oh, since I have to explain I'm pwn3d! It's Textish for z-omg-wtf. Too bad it doesn't have a pronunciation, it's such a useful concept. Picked it up off a finance board where the zomgwtf factor is off the charts these days. 20,400 Google hits.

I never had a problem with the name. If you substitute another mode of transport for the car for a single trip you're living car free during that trip and personally experiencing things we talk about.

We'd get more visitors if we work porn into the title somehow, BikePornLiving or LivingBikePorn- "Sex up your life by ditching the car, tell us about it!" However true it might attract the wrong elements. This summer I've been cutting through downtown on my way to work in the very early morning. Sometimes the hookers are still out and they seem to get into my recumbent shouting "Nice bike!" and stuff like that.

I never had a problem with the name. If you substitute another mode of transport for the car for a single trip you're living car free during that trip and personally experiencing things we talk about.

We'd get more visitors if we work porn into the title somehow, BikePornLiving or LivingBikePorn- "Sex up your life by ditching the car, tell us about it!" However true it might attract the wrong elements. This summer I've been cutting through downtown on my way to work in the very early morning. Sometimes the hookers are still out and they seem to get into my recumbent shouting "Nice bike!" and stuff like that.

tandem bent?

stylin.

so have we decided not to change the name after all? i like it the way it is now, personally.

tandem bent?

stylin.



No not a tandem. I gave a small one a ride on the rear rack once, but let her off at the first corner when I saw the way this mean guy with her started running beside us. I'm not sure what was going on with him, she asked for the ride. Everything was cool with him after she got off. I've heard there is some thing with pimps where their girls are supposed to stick to business and no chit-chat.

Sometimes the hookers are still out and they seem to get into my recumbent shouting "Nice bike!" and stuff like that.

Cool. but if you ride a DF, they yell "Nice butt!"

Quoting from a post on the Dear Lurkers thread:


This forum, Living Car Free, is about the strategy of living carfree, but also includes social, political and philosophical aspects related to a more total reliance on bikes.
Well said. This would make a good revised forum description for LCF.

Quoting from a post on the Dear Lurkers thread:


This forum, Living Car Free, is about the strategy of living carfree, but also includes social, political and philosophical aspects related to a more total reliance on bikes.
Well said. This would make a good revised forum description for LCF.

You have my vote!

:D

Since so many of the recent threads have to do with sustainability, alternate living styles, living simply, and so on .... maybe it is time for a name change now.

We have the Utility Cycling forum for the nuts and bolts of how to use a bicycle to live car free, and the Commuting forum for people who cycle to work on a regular basis (and are likely car free or car light), and the Winter forum for tips on how to dress when you're car free year round in colder areas ....... but this forum seems to be more a lifestyle thing that encompasses more than just not owning a vehicle or only using a vehicle occasionally.



Right on the first page we've got topics like the following, which are all about a different way of living, but not necessarily about being car free:

How Simply Do You Live
Alternatives to Home Ownership
Broadband Yes Toilet No
So What Did You Grow Today
So What Else Did You Do For The Environment This Week
Market Value of Your Stuff
What's Needed For Basic Living


I'd suggest a name that includes the concept of living simply, living in a sustainable way, and as a part of that, living car free or car lite.

I dunno. I live car-free and have been for some time. As a result, when I first came to the forum I was excited to see a "living car free" section, and thought nothing of the minimal living topics, as living car free in itself is minimal living (the non-minimal alternative being keeping a car on hand and riding more often). The commuting forum, utility forum, and winter cycling forum offer no insinuation as to how an individual lives. They may live in a mansion with a 10 car garage, and have a private jet, and yet dabble in these adventures for the challenge of a car-lite lifestyle. To me car free is definitely something unique above and beyond using your bike more and car less, it's pulling all the stops and jumping into the deep end.

The short of this is that, the title of this forum helped me find the sort of community I was looking for, and therefore I wouldn't change a thing.

I'm good with the name; IF you feel you must, I can only suggest:

the subtle "CarFree/CarLight Lifesyle"

or, my daughter's mantra of two years ago, "Bikes Good Cars Bad!" in cadence with her pedal strokes.

or, my daughter's mantra of two years ago, "Bikes Good Cars Bad!" in cadence with her pedal strokes.

No ... that's the Death and Destruction ... or ummmmm ... Advocacy and Safety ... forum.

Roody hit the nail on the head way back in the beginning of this thread, LCF is a brand name for this forum.
It's a good name even though the forum encompasses more.

A "Sustainable Living" sub-forum could be a possibility, although I think LCF is working well as it is.

Since so many of the recent threads have to do with sustainability, alternate living styles, living simply, and so on .... maybe it is time for a name change now.

Or maybe it's time to stop hijacking this sub forum and focus on car-free living. There are plenty of other sites to discuss growing your own beans in grey water. ;)

While I enjoy such threads, I think that there is an important need to focus on bicycle-based living.

Or maybe it's time to stop hijacking this sub forum and focus on car-free living. There are plenty of other sites to discuss growing your own beans in gray water. ;).

Agreed. This is Bike Forums, not Mother Earth News.

There's another thread around here whining about how few people are participating here lately. That's my reason. The discussion of using bikes within the larger context of Living Car Free has become lost in the discussion and exploration of that larger context. That's why I don't participate here much any more--this sub-forum is no longer about bikes.

bicycle-based living

That's a very good way to describe the concept of using bicycles as a primary mode of personal transportation.

Agreed. This is Bike Forums, not Mother Earth News.

There's another thread around here whining about how few people are participating here lately. That's my reason. The discussion of using bikes within the larger context of Living Car Free has become lost in the discussion and exploration of that larger context. That's why I don't participate here much any more--this sub-forum is no longer about bikes.

True, but two other points:

First, in the real world, "living carfree" will always involve more than bikes. Most people will always need buses, walking, trains, etc. to augment and supplement their primary reliance on the bike. Also they will face problems and challenges that are not related directly to the bike.
Second, in the internet world, a forum is anything the members want it to be. If you don't like the threads that have been here lately, you have a choice. You can either stay away from the forum, as you have evidently chosen. Or you can decide to start new threads that are to your liking, and others will join your thread if they are also interested. The choice is yours, but personally I hope that you'll make the second choice, because I see you as an interesting writer who has a lot of good ideas to contribute to the forum. :)

That's a very good way to describe the concept of using bicycles as a primary mode of personal transportation.

Yes, and it (Bicycle-based Living) would probably be a good nasme for this forum. Nevertheless, my opinion has not change in the last 16 months. I prefer the current name, although I would also support something like "carfree cycling".

Yes, and it (Bicycle-based Living) would probably be a good nasme for this forum. Nevertheless, my opinion has not change in the last 16 months. I prefer the current name, although I would also support something like "carfree cycling".

Three things I like about "bicycle based living" -

1/ It doesn't define itself in reference to cars. Like Asana said on another thread, anti-car is still talking about cars. Also, "bicycle based living" wouldn't necessarily encourage people to start all those annoying threads which are essentially all about cars.

2 / It would appear to include car-lite on an equal footing with car free.

3/ Google doesn't come up with anything that has the exact phrase "bicycle based living", so it's an available brand name for the concept.

I don't think the current forum name really needs to be changed. I just wanted to say what I liked about Artkansas' notable way to describe it.

Or maybe it's time to stop hijacking this sub forum and focus on car-free living. There are plenty of other sites to discuss growing your own beans in grey water. ;)


Agreed. This is Bike Forums, not Mother Earth News.


Oh I see. Well my apologies for any discussion about the simple living and environmental aspects which may be related to a car free lifestyle. My apologies for looking at the bigger picture. Perhaps there should be a note at the top of this forum indicating that such discussions are not welcome here. The Simple Living sticky should be unstickied so as not to encourage such discussions, and recent threads that are not solely about car-free cycling should be locked. They are not wanted in this forum.

OOhhh, a wee bit touchy are we? Shouldn't you just be happy and ride your bike?

Kumbaya...?

Oh I see. Well my apologies for any discussion about the simple living and environmental aspects which may be related to a car free lifestyle. My apologies for looking at the bigger picture. Perhaps there should be a note at the top of this forum indicating that such discussions are not welcome here. The Simple Living sticky should be unstickied so as not to encourage such discussions, and recent threads that are not solely about car-free cycling should be locked. They are not wanted in this forum.

The odd thing is that these threads bring more traffic than some of the more obviously bike-specific ones. It's like after browsing through all the minutiae of cycling in other forums, everyone is ready for a nice philosophical discussion or a nice "lifestyle" topic.

Cool. but if you ride a DF, they yell "Nice butt!"

Yeah... I get that all the time. Or occasionally "Get your nice butt back on the sidewalk!" :)

Yeah... I get that all the time. Or occasionally "Get your nice butt back on the sidewalk!" :)

Then the cops will politely ask you to get your nice butt off the sidewalk and back on the road...you can't win.