Living Car Free - My try at Living Car-free...

It is not going so well...

You see, I lost my job last week with my car, so all I have in suburbia is a bike when the wife is off to work. The lack of cycling-friendly infrastructure precludes riding except for a short trip to the grocery store and my daily 15-mile training ride through the huge subdivision we live in. Public transportation is a mere dream.

Interviews? If I ever get one it is going to be difficult to get there. Errands? Forget it, can't do 90% of them.

But, the good part is, it is SO NICE being without a car. I don't miss the driving. I don't miss the traffic. And I don't miss the costs!

The bad part is, I will most likely get a job within the next 12 months and I will have to commute a long way. That's just life in suburban Atlanta....:mad:

Sorry about loosing your job.
But as Atlanta suburbanite myself (near Gwinnett Place) I think you paint too glum of a picture.
There is infrastructure here - it's called public roads. Granted, drivers are not very courteous nor accommodating, but cycling is certainly possible.
Could you give me example of 90% of errands you can't do on bike? My take on it is completely opposite - I think I can do 90% of my errands on bike.

Sorry about loosing your job.
But as Atlanta suburbanite myself (near Gwinnett Place) I think you paint too glum of a picture.
There is infrastructure here - it's called public roads. Granted, drivers are not very courteous nor accommodating, but cycling is certainly possible.
Could you give me example of 90% of errands you can't do on bike? My take on it is completely opposite - I think I can do 90% of my errands on bike.

I would say the same. Give some examples of the things you are having trouble with and we can help you figure it out.

Yeah. If the guy is doing 15 mile training rides I wonder why some more than 10% of his errands couldn't be folded in. There must be many amenities within 4.8 miles.

Sorry to hear that news, dave_gt.

If you haven't already done so, you might make an inventory of the retail and other resources that you can reach by bike. You mentioned a grocery store, maybe there are other things as well? And if the grocery store is all there is, you might as well get to know it inside out. Making maximum use of local resources is an important aspect of car free living.

I don't know the layout of your area, but there may be ways to overcome some of bicycle access barriers. For example, at certain times of day traffic might be light enough for you to get in and out. There may be short cuts to an adjacent neighborhood. There might be some transit service you've overlooked. You might could install a bike rack on your wife's car and have her drop you off or pick you up from somewhere.

Another thing, with the economy turning so bad I bet there are more than a few other people in your residential area in the same situation. If a few people set up hobby type shops in their garages and get to know each other, at least you will have local places to go and people to meet up with. I read somewhere that the great hidden resource of suburbia is all the garages which could potentially be pressed into service as workplaces. (Yeah, I know about zoning and HOAs and all that.)

The bad part is, I will most likely get a job within the next 12 months and I will have to commute a long way. That's just life in suburban Atlanta....:mad:
If you can't ride a bike, maybe there's something like RideShare where you can travel to work for a modest fee. Is that a possibility? There may be many,many resources that could get you to a workplace without having to travel all by yourself in a car. You have some time off. You should try to do some networking.

Sorry about the job loss. I lost mine almost a month ago.

It's not that hard to pedal to an interview. I've gotten more than one job after I pedaled to the interview. The main things are to use deodorant, have a spare shirt comb and mirror, allow 20 minutes extra to cool off. Though if you have an interview, I suspect that your wife will let you use the car for the day, and barring that, some car rental places will pick you up. You arrived air conditioned and ready to talk.

A long commute is not a bad thing. You effectively commute 7.5 miles a day already.

Well, my assumption is that as you mention a daily 15 mile training ride, that you probably have a sleek road bike. If so, that's why you can't do any errands. I have a nice bike for those uninterrupted rides, but I also have a utility bike that does some pretty heavy duty. With a pletcher-style rack, a couple of bungees and a backpack, I can carry a surprising amount. If I need to carry a lot, my Bikes At Work trailer can carry over 12 square feet of stuff; up to 300 lbs. When I had to move much of the stuff out of my apartment so I could clean the carpets, the trailer took everything but the bicycles over to the storage unit in 3 loads. So it's mostly a matter of a little planning and putting some thought into it.

Good luck.

Another thing, with the economy turning so bad I bet there are more than a few other people in your residential area in the same situation. If a few people set up hobby type shops in their garages and get to know each other, at least you will have local places to go and people to meet up with. I read somewhere that the great hidden resource of suburbia is all the garages which could potentially be pressed into service as workplaces. (Yeah, I know about zoning and HOAs and all that.)
McMansions could become businesses on part of one floor, inventory workspace in the garage and still house two or more families. With food production in the yards. You could keep a pig or two in the yard.

When looking at turn of the century census records I noticed that many of those big victorian homes had boarders. Why not McMansions too?

McMansions could become businesses on part of one floor, inventory workspace in the garage and still house two or more families. With food production in the yards. You could keep a pig or two in the yard.

When looking at turn of the century census records I noticed that many of those big victorian homes had boarders. Why not McMansions too?
Full up agriculture might be too much of a stretch in suburbia, but little kitchen gardens are well within reach. I love going out to our back yard and picking fresh tomatoes, different kinds of squashes, greens, peppers, okra, blackeye peas and so forth.

Instead of boarders, I'd expect something more like grown kids returning home, or elderly parents who don't want to live alone. It would depend on the family -- some are able to get along well with each other, others aren't.

I wouldn't cast the repurposing of suburbia as turning homes into businesses. I'd see it more as people spending more time with their hobbies and getting some productive advantages from them. "Business" connotes big parking lots, uncomfortable attire, rigid schedules, meetings meetings and more meetings, etc. That's certainly not what I have in mind!

What grocery store is near you? I've found that Kroger (and I'm sure others) have nearly everything I ever need. You can even get socks and undies there! :D It's also a full-fledged pharmacy/drugstore. Kind of like Walmart without the overwhelming hugeness.

What grocery store is near you? I've found that Kroger (and I'm sure others) have nearly everything I ever need. You can even get socks and undies there! :D It's also a full-fledged pharmacy/drugstore. Kind of like Walmart without the overwhelming hugeness.

Yup. Kroger is great, but they do miss a few crucial things, like umbrellas. I go to Walmart when I need stuff K doesn't sell (like clothes).

It is not going so well...

You see, I lost my job last week with my car, so all I have in suburbia is a bike when the wife is off to work. The lack of cycling-friendly infrastructure precludes riding except for a short trip to the grocery store and my daily 15-mile training ride through the huge subdivision we live in. Public transportation is a mere dream.




Why limit yourself to a 15-mile ride? Can you head into the next subdivision, or out into the country to ride longer? Now that you're unemployed, you could be logging some serious mileage!

While you're doing that, you could also take the opportunity to explore. Ride down streets you've never been down before, ride through parks, ride down alleyways ... once you start explring, you may discover all sorts of ways to get places that you never knew existed before.

I wouldn't cast the repurposing of suburbia as turning homes into businesses. I'd see it more as people spending more time with their hobbies and getting some productive advantages from them. "Business" connotes big parking lots, uncomfortable attire, rigid schedules, meetings meetings and more meetings, etc. That's certainly not what I have in mind!

I meant some of them, no parking lots needed if most people are car free. I'm thinking of old neighborhoods around DC near where the old street cars ran. You talk to old timers and look around and you can see that some of the homes had shop fronts. And some still have quite large sheds out back. One I know of had a small boat building operation back there. I don't know how the guy got the boats down to the river but an old man told me he remembered that boats were built there when he was a kid. Anyway Platy, you got me thinking that suburbia might not be a dead end.

I wouldn't cast the repurposing of suburbia as turning homes into businesses. I'd see it more as people spending more time with their hobbies and getting some productive advantages from them. "Business" connotes big parking lots, uncomfortable attire, rigid schedules, meetings meetings and more meetings, etc. That's certainly not what I have in mind!

A doctor's office doesn't need a bit parking lot. Or a lawyer, consultant, designer, artisan, etc. Just convert the parlour to an office and you're done.

A corner store, 2-6 person IT firm, etc. could operate from the ground floor of a large house, and only need one or two parking spaces for clients.

As a self-employed person who mostly deals with other SEPs and small businesses, to me "business" just as often denotes someone working from a home office. The biggest hurdles are NIMBYs and poor municipal by-laws.

My mother has a business in her home ... and has been working from home for about 10 years now.

She doesn't have a big parking lot, and doesn't need one. She dresses how she wants to dress (but on that topic ... I work in an office of a business and also dress the way I want to dress - jeans, sweatshirts, skirts, blouses, whatever I feel like). My mother does have deadlines she has to meet, so there is some scheduling, but how she goes about meeting those deadlines is up to her so the scheduling isn't terribly rigid. And she has occasional meetings, one every few months, but that's it.

Back in Winnipeg, I worked for a lady who had a business in her home for about 6 or 7 years. Five days a week, I walked 1.6 kms to her home, grabbed a coffee in her kitchen, and headed down to the basement to work with her. On nice days we worked on her back deck. Again, no big parking lots, I could wear whatever I felt like wearing, we did have deadlines of course, but nothing too rigid ... and our meetings were over coffee in the living room or wherever to chat briefly about what we had to do that day. Very casual and relaxed. I really enjoyed working there. :)

Childcare centres are also businesses, and I have several friends/acquaintences who had/have a childcare business in their homes ... young moms often go that route.

A good friend of mine is an IT consultant who works out of an office in his home. If he has meetings, he dresses up a bit and goes to his clients' offices, but when he works at home, he's in jeans and a T-shirt.

There are lots of home business ideas out there!!

Well, hello fellow Atlantan...

Here in Newnan, south of Atlanta, we live in a huge residential community but, as you know, subdivisions have been built quite segregated from commercial/office and other residential communities. The other residential areas are connected by a single road and a single parallel highway. The single 2-lane road has a HUGE amount of traffic everyday and the irony is...it is a Share the Lane Bike Route designated by the County! I have lived here 5 years and have yet to see a single cyclists on that road for good reason. It is bloody dangerous.

We do have a Publix and a Kroger within a mile and accessible by foot or bike but that is it. True, they do have a lot of things but when riding a 5.2 Madone, it is difficult to carry a lot back home. The banks are not accessible, the photo lab I use is not accessible, my grandchildren all live within 5-10 minutes drive away but they are inaccessible, etc...well, you get the idea. If I had a job even close, it would be inaccessible.

Grrr....

The good news is, I am experiencing what a lot of you already live and it is very educational! I admire all of you and appreciate your comments. Another cool thing is, I am doing most everything I need to do online and by email. Haven't got a job yet...but I have announced my full-time professional photography endeavor! In fact, just shot my first gig Saturday with the Trek Breast Cancer Awareness Ride and it was fun, great people and a great cause!:thumb:

Thanks for alll your comments, I find them very interesting.

1. Why are all these places inaccessible?

2. I still think you need to spend several afternoons cycling all over the place ... up and down all sorts of little roads here and there until you discover the back ways from one place to another. Remember, you've got a bicycle ... you can go where cars cannot go ... like paths through the woods, etc. etc. Subdivisions are often connected by such paths. Oh, and get a really good city map, and a cycling map of your city.

3. You need a different bicycle. That Madone is pretty much useless outside of racing ... get yourself a good (but inexpensive) touring-type bicycle, or a mtn bike, with eyelettes for racks and panniers, etc.

Thanks for alll your comments, I find them very interesting.

I can feel with your fear, after 35 years in California, the first time I rolled out onto a 4" Arkansas Bike lane beside a narrow and busy street, I was afraid. But it didn't stop me. Though it did get me to find and join the local bicycle advocacy group so I can make conditions better.

But I'm not going to buy "inaccessible". You're only trying to frighten yourself. When I was in San Diego, they were building subdivisions that were 5 miles by 5 miles all at once. When I lived in the desert there was literally one grocery store within 5 miles in any direction. I second Machka's suggestions of getting a utility bike and doing some exploring. The best bicycle short cuts are not on any map.

You should also google "Urban Bicycling". John Hurst has written a book called the "Art of Urban Cycling" and there are many other sites. If you don't fear controversy, go to the Safety and Advocacy forum and discover "taking the lane."

Good luck with your photography business.

I think a successful carfree cyclist must learn how to ride safely and comfortabley in traffic. I'm all for taking the easy "bike-friendly" routes, but there are times when you have to get it on with the cars.

It takes knowledge and practice, but traffic cycling can be learned in a very short time. It really isn't any harder (or more dangerous) than driving.

Car-free, or at least, car-light is a wonderful opportunity for a life change. I commend all who can do it.

What I think is missing in some replies here is the fact, that with a large cycling community in the area in which I live, NO ONE, not one single cyclist has ever been seen to ride the main 2-lane road that connects our huge subdivision with the rest of the County and adjacent cities. They, being much more experienced, know how dangerous and how much hassle there is in travelling that road.

The fact that not one experienced cyclist uses that road (although designated a Bike Route) speaks volumes.

I have travelled all up and down the east coat and commuted 150 miles/day for years on a BMW motorcycle here in Atlanta and I can tell you that my in-town commute to Georgia Tech from the suburbs on a daily basis was much safer than travelling by bicycle on that 2-lane road in front of my own subdivision.

So, I shall stick with my daily training rides and the occasional group rides, such as the Breast Cancer Awareness Ride this past weekend. I am still car-free though...at least until my wife comes home in the evenings. But, we don't drive anywhere even then because we simply cannot afford it now.

Thanks for all your comments and kind words,

dave

Alpharetta here (well, technically John's Creek). I am not car free but I leave the car at home and commute 4 out of 5 days each week 8 miles each way. I stop at the grocery store (Kroger or Publix) quite often to pick up an item or 2 and throw them in my panniers.
The roads are marked with bike lanes, but many of the drivers are still stupid enough to yell at cyclists and tell me to get on the sidewalk. No big deal, unless I'm in a real bad mood like I was last Friday. I ended up telling the guy to go fornicate with himself, and offered to call the cops.
Anyway, I guess my point is that you can probably do a lot more on your bike than you thank dave.
I wish you the best.

What I think is missing in some replies here is the fact, that with a large cycling community in the area in which I live, NO ONE, not one single cyclist has ever been seen to ride the main 2-lane road that connects our huge subdivision with the rest of the County and adjacent cities. They, being much more experienced, know how dangerous and how much hassle there is in travelling that road.

The fact that not one experienced cyclist uses that road (although designated a Bike Route) speaks volumes.

That's probably because the cyclists have found other ways from Point A to Point B.



So, I shall stick with my daily training rides and the occasional group rides, such as the Breast Cancer Awareness Ride this past weekend. I am still car-free though...at least until my wife comes home in the evenings. But, we don't drive anywhere even then because we simply cannot afford it now.

Don't forget to go exploring on those "daily training rides". BTW - what are you training for?

I'm going to accept dave_gt's evaluation of the cycling potential of his own neighborhood. Out of curiosity I looked at a Google map of Newnan, GA. I don't know the OP's exact location, but the map indicates some factors that come up again and again with hard to cycle suburban areas: reticulated cul de sac neighborhoods, a creekscape type topography, large uncrossable obstacles such as golf courses and lakes, and a total lack of public transit.

In other words, the OP has been caught carless in a car dependent location. The OP isn't worried because it's temporary and his wife can continue driving. But the situation clearly indicates what a problem some people might have if they suddenly found themselves unable to drive.

What I think is missing in some replies here is the fact, that with a large cycling community in the area in which I live, NO ONE, not one single cyclist has ever been seen to ride the main 2-lane road that connects our huge subdivision with the rest of the County and adjacent cities. dave

Thats a big claim to live up to. ;) Have you sat by the road on a weekday say from 6am to 9am to verify this? How often have you ridden the route?

We hope to encourage you. I've seen 3 commuters in 3 years on the route I took before I was laid off. That didn't mean it wasn't safe.

Two narrow lanes, no shoulder, heavy, fast traffic, bad pavement, blind corner, its doable, maybe not fun but liberating.

I'd love to see some photos of this fearsome road and perhaps its name, cross streets and how long this road is? Where are you trying to get to? Thanks.

Platy,

Good evaluation and spot on. As a City Planner by profession and a now-retired adjunct professor,it is aggravating to see that cyclists in our community cannot do more than ride out to the rural areas on group rides away from the business areas or loop around their subdivisions for training. Before losing my job only 11 miles away in Peachtree City, I attempted to find a way to work that would be safe and found that everyone in the riding groups I asked stated that no one in their right mind would ever ride either SR 34 or Lower Fayetteville Road. It is just too dangerous.

We have a lot of rednecks outside of the subdivision and they make life miserable for cyclists. Two weeks ago, I had a Georgia fan nearly hit me with his car and yelling at me to get off the subdivision street (25mph speed limit) that we both live on! And this was at 9:00am on Sunday morning on HIS drive to church(after Alabama kicked Georgia's butt, by the way).

So, as a professional planner, I have successfully arranged for the large HOA to include the Share The Road literature in our newsletter (it comes out today!), and I have my wonderful neighbor on a police report for future reference should it happen again. More importantly, I am working with the County to start a grassroots advocacy for their ambitious Greenway plan which includes a MUP along Lower Fayetteville Road from Newnan to Peachtree City. This will take years to garner support and even a small amount of funding.

So, with the exception of driving to organized rides in the area, I am pretty much isolated and stuck with my training...which is a part of my daily exercise routine and includes equal time with weight training for rehab after surgery and my 5-mile power walk.

Car free? I can only dream when that will happen. My idea of being car-free is just that...free from HAVING to use a car but free to use one when I want to, like driving the MGTD (just sold it last year) on our 35th anniversary for a tour in the Smoky Mountains....or just going to the lake for a picnic.

Car free? Yeah, I am focusing on that second word..."free".:thumb:

Best regards,


dave

Hi Dave -

I have been looking at Jefferson Street (hwy 34) via google maps (satellite mode) and imagine that it can be an unfriendly road. I suspect that it has a speed limit of 45 mph and people do 60+ on it, is that the case?

In Baltimore, the occasional 'share the road' sign is all the protection offered. I spoke to the State Highway Administration, and they tell me that a standard road lane is 12 feet wide. Many are being repainted to be 11 feet wide and some semblance of a shoulder may make it to four feet wide. It is a bit risky here, nowhere near as nice as Minneapolis. Maybe Georgia can take a bit from the lanes and add to their shoulder.

Could you use your photography to help bike advocacy in your area? I have an old D70, and took several consecutive stills and made them look like a movie using iMovie on a G4 Mac (powerpoint will be okay too). That can make a dramatic presentation if you shoot traffic from the shoulder of the road. Maybe you can get paid for it.

I put a Topeak rack on the back of my road bike (bolted to the dropouts) and have their big EXP bag. I put my lock in it (a 6ft 3/8" cable with the Master Disc lock) and have occasionally put my tools in there (diagnostic hard drives and a small Mac laptop) and have made some local residential service calls this way. I have also used the bag to hold my old shoes when I bought bike shoes a couple of weeks ago, and have put some groceries in that bag as well. I'm not 'car free' by any means, but I want to buy as little gasoline as possible. When I just want a fun ride, the bag slides off and the bike loses a few pounds. A small seat bag remains and holds my emergency tire stuff.

Can you ride, stop, shoot, and ride some more? Maybe you can put your photos on local news. Get some exposure on the road situation. Get a local bike advocate to ride with you. Or attend a Newnan council meeting. Be super nice, bring a camera (maybe), and see if you can make some business contacts. Maybe you can get some nice photos of the councilmen and the mayor and be their photo guy. And maybe they will take some action to make the streets safer for cyclists.

Wow, great suggestions throughout this thread.

I have a feeling my journey to car-free has just begun...will keep all posted on how it goes!

best,

dave

Another suggestion is to take a LAB bike course. These are pretty intense courses, taught by trained and experienced instructors who are certified by the Leauge of American Bicyclists.

Here (http://www.bikeleague.org/cogs/resources/findit/?courses=1&instructors=1&state=GA&submit.x=30&submit.y=12) is a list of instructors in Georgia.

You could ask for a police escort while riding on those roads! That would be more of an advocacy strategy, though. It'd get you on the local talk radio pretty quick. Then they'd replace the "Share the Road" signs with "Absolutely No Bicycles!!" in short order, so ... hmm.

I have heard that in Kennesaw, GA that one most show proof of gun ownership upon buying a house.

Along those lines, cyclists may be required to carry guns!

Rudy Guliani fixed up New York by not allowing broken windows and other damage to go unrepaired. By paying attention to these little things, crime dropped and New York improved.

Having a bicyclist on the road may be an initial surprise to the drivers, but they will slowly grow to accept the smaller vehicles, or at least put up with them (us). David has never seen anyone ride these roads. If someone starts to ride these roads, they will be seen. it will encourage others.

It is a start, and it takes a pioneer to makes beginnings happen.

You could ask for a police escort while riding on those roads! That would be more of an advocacy strategy, though. It'd get you on the local talk radio pretty quick. Then they'd replace the "Share the Road" signs with "Absolutely No Bicycles!!" in short order, so ... hmm.

Or maybe a Critical Mass or Critical Manners ride. ;)