Living Car Free - Any carfree folks with kids (under 16)

I can see maybe going down to one car. But I don't know how we could possibly make it completely carfree with a 6 year old.

Anybody doing it?

Anyone?

I keep trying to convince my sister who has a set of twins, age two, to give up one of her cars and share her mini van with her husband. No give. I really think that if I were in the same situation I could be car free but I dont place judgment on other people with kids because I have no idea what that is like...

I think of it this way:

I frequently (constantly) need to move a priceless :love: (and not always cooperative ;) ) 50 pound package to any number of places 5 miles or more from my home. And the this priceless package can not be left alone for any period over say 10 minutes.

I imagine this can theoretically be done without a car, but I haven't figured it out.

My husband and I have two children (8 and 5) and no car. We were car free before we had kids and just decided to not bother getting one. That means that I am pretty useless and trying to explain how to switch from being car reliant to car free.

My husband and I have two children (8 and 5) and no car. We were car free before we had kids and just decided to not bother getting one. That means that I am pretty useless and trying to explain how to switch from being car reliant to car free.

It's good to know that it can be done. I'm in awe.

I have a car I use pretty much only for emergencies, and I basically only keep it because it's paid off. With the snow that just hit the east coast I just don't feel 100% safe on the now icy roads with people who haven't experienced driving on it since last year. Other than that, my 3 year old and I go everywhere by bike.

I keep trying to convince my sister who has a set of twins, age two, to give up one of her cars and share her mini van with her husband. No give. I really think that if I were in the same situation I could be car free but I dont place judgment on other people with kids because I have no idea what that is like...

We've got 17 month old twins and one car (minivan). It can be done.

On the other hand, it really requires a lot of schedule coordination and trying to pick up the kids from daycare can sometimes be interesting. We use a bike trailer in good weather, but not during the winter, so we need to have the van available before 6pm to pick them up.

I suspect the ease at which it can be done with kids really depends on the local public transportation system. Big city, reliable mass transit, I wouldn't think twice about giving up the minivan. And while our bus sytem is ok, there's no way I think I could keep my sanity trying to haul two toddlers around on the bus to get groceries here.

Although, if we hadn't made a conscious committment to only have one motor vehicle before we thought about having kids, I probably would have thought the same way about going down to one car. I guess it all just depends on what you're willing to try and how good the local mass transit is, and how much you're willing to structure your life differently.

Here are some blogs:

http://totcycle.com/blog/queer-eye-for-the-mountain-bike-guy.html

http://xtrasue.com/

http://carfreewithkids.blogspot.com/

http://carfreefamily.blogspot.com/

http://bikeportland.org/2008/04/03/carfree-families-a-new-column-on-bikeportlandorg/

My friends live a virtually car free life and have 6 year old twins... they have a car but from what I see it just gathers more dust than anything.

These girls have spent more time travelling via bike trailer than they ever have in a car.

We have an older child than you but are only car-light, not car-free. She's also bought into the idea, which she might not have at 6yo, making it easier and more fun for both of us. She and I ride a tandem for errands and commuting. It's often quicker and easier to ride a bike than to drive and find parking in our small town. The benefits are that there are a lot of bicyclists here, we have good weather year-round and we live close to downtown. A large drawback already mentioned is lack of good public transportation. But two grocery panniers and a cargo net allow us to carry almost anything we need on a daily basis.

Does your child ride in a trailer or on the bike with you? If the former, do you think s/he might be happier peddling and being close enough to converse easily rather than being cargo? We didn't start bike commuting till our daughter was old enough to ride a trailer bike but knowing how much she disliked her stroller (very high energy kid!), I suspect she wouldn't have taken kindly to a trailer after the novelty wore off. But she's always loved to ride -- any errand is more fun on the bike.