Living Car Free - making the jump... suggestions?

last year, i put about 3,000 miles on my truck. that is only because the nearest city is 20 miles away and i do most of my shopping there. i put about 1,000 on each of my bikes riding to work each day. in two months, my sons and i are moving to olympia, washington. my plan is to use the truck one last time to facilitate the move, and then go 100% car/vehicle free. been thinking about it for awhile, it appears to be completely doable (spelling?) For me, anything within 10 miles is easily commutable for work purposes. Olympia has a fairly good transit system. Groceries can be carried in bags, panniers, baskets, trailers and the like.

wish me luck. any suggestions to help the transition would be appreciated.

be well,

jim

I think you're there and if you're ready, do it.

The biggest thing is get to know your local transit system. Not only the bus that serves you, but the others in the area. Instead of waiting 20 minutes for the next one that goes door to door, I know that some of the more populated routes come at quicker times and get me close enough to walk.

thank you, Andrew. I'll keep that in mind. Olympia is fairly small as cities go, and in truth, i think everything is in walking distance in a worst case scenario. But, I agree that it is good to be familiar with the routes in one's area. I was car free during college (way too many years ago.) Knowing the bus routes in that much larger city saved me many cold walks in the winter.

thanks again,

be well,

jim

I wouldn't consider it "the jump" but an adventure at best. There will be tough times before you learn "the ropes"( my wife & i are car lite, so i wouldn't know a lot of "the ropes") however you'll gain confidence with experience and look back at those tough times and remember you've gone through worse. Then of coarse the beautiful days you ride will be most appreciated. best wishes, be safe and you'll be fine. notice the changing seasons and have fun.

thank you, Andrew. I'll keep that in mind. Olympia is fairly small as cities go, and in truth, i think everything is in walking distance in a worst case scenario. But, I agree that it is good to be familiar with the routes in one's area.

So far, my worst case scenario was a badly sprained knee *g*. I managed about 3 blocks (to the nearest phone and ibuprofen), but the 5 block walk to a bus that would take me home was right out. And there was no way I could have lifted my bike onto the bus's front racks either.

For most other worst case scenarios tho, bus routes can get you out of all kinds of trouble. The two big things to check are how often the buses run where you live, and how late they run. It is not uncommon for buses to stop running at 10pm, or to run every half hour or less.

Olympia has a fairly good transit system.

Make sure you check out that transit system well before you get up one morning and discover that your rear derailleur just fell off.

Other than that, you'll probably have a blast figuring it all out. You'll save some money. You'll feel healthier. Why wouldn't you?

So far, my worst case scenario was a badly sprained knee *g*. I managed about 3 blocks (to the nearest phone and ibuprofen), but the 5 block walk to a bus that would take me home was right out. And there was no way I could have lifted my bike onto the bus's front racks either.

For most other worst case scenarios tho, bus routes can get you out of all kinds of trouble. The two big things to check are how often the buses run where you live, and how late they run. It is not uncommon for buses to stop running at 10pm, or to run every half hour or less.

Odd cases like that aside, if you're healthy enough to ride the bike, walking and expanding your range isn't too far off.

I've found with our transit system, I know the approximate headways for the various routes that'll get me back to my place. If I miss one of the direct routes, I know enough of the others to pick up a different bus.

If google has your city on it's get directions page for transit, it's pretty helpful. There are sometimes a few mistakes, but not many.

thanks again for the help, folks. the busses tend to stop running in olympia at about 8:30 at night. being a small city there are only about 20 different routes total, including the routes to the next city up the road (Tacoma). there isn't a lot of overlap. but, again, i'm not too worried about the transportation aspect because olympis is a smaller city. the population is only about 45,000. but, coming from a city of 5,000 this is a significant increase in size.

i plan to spend february making day trips to find the best locations for housing based on a bicycling lifestyle. things like proximity to schools, shopping, work, parks, trails, etc. the things i learn in feb will determine how well the move in march goes.

be well,

jim

thanks again for the help, folks. the busses tend to stop running in olympia at about 8:30 at night. being a small city there are only about 20 different routes total, including the routes to the next city up the road (Tacoma). there isn't a lot of overlap. but, again, i'm not too worried about the transportation aspect because olympis is a smaller city. the population is only about 45,000. but, coming from a city of 5,000 this is a significant increase in size.

i plan to spend february making day trips to find the best locations for housing based on a bicycling lifestyle. things like proximity to schools, shopping, work, parks, trails, etc. the things i learn in feb will determine how well the move in march goes.

be well,

jim

That's a good sized city for the bike. You'll find most of your common destinations within 5 or 10 miles if you live centrally. Another thinig is that you might be able to live in the country. Rural areas might be just 5 miles or so from the city, depending on how it's laid out.

... i don't think it's five miles from one side of olympia to the other! it is truly a small city. i have a hunch it will be great for the biking. and it is a very bike friendly city, as well.

be well,

jim