Living Car Free - A rant... isn't there more than one solution to carefree?

I love this section of the fora, I really do and other than the touring page I don’t look too much at the rest. But honestly what gives? Is there no middle ground? I get the feeling now and then around here that if you are bike free one must stick to this urban, very hip, democratic, socialist, what ever label. But I see so many here that are not that. Why is this the only answer for a lot of people?

I live in the suburbs of DC. I don’t want to live in the city. Yep, I work in the city. I have a 20.3 mile one way trip in and yep I am car free. There a few like me that I see on the trails, and roads year round. Some ever travel much further in distance. I am not left nor right in my politics (If I could create a party I would call it the Common sense party) I have to dress nice for work (i.e. suits, ties etc.)



It seems to me that libertarian politics supports car free - a rugged bicycle could probably get by without any paved roads at all, negating the need for publicly funded roadways.

If anything it is the monopoly personal motor vehicle model that embodies the most top-down central planning. Only cities specifically designed by central planning authorities can sustain private cars as a practical means of transportation (see how Beijing clears entire neighbourhoods to allow cars space, expropriation of private lands for rights of way, or requirements for parking spots on private property, etc, etc).

Rural or less dense areas pose fewer problems for transportation competition, though high speed roads require a massive outlay of pulic funds (try driving at 60 mph on a one-lane logging road), or very high tolls in the private-road option.

Don't get me wrong - I think that spending public money on motorized transportation is one of the things that the government should fund - I just don't think it's supported by libertarian politics.

I get the feeling now and then around here that if you are bike free one must stick to this urban, very hip, democratic, socialist, what ever label. I'm not yet car-free, but I aspire to be. Some of those stereotypes do fit me also. I am not urban, but I feel the need to live near an urban area, possibly in an older suburb of Austin, to be able to live car-free and still get dates. I don't agree with the left on all economic issues, but I'm basically left of center. I'm not hip, but I'm a wanna-be hippie, and curious about socialism.


I live in the suburbs of DC. I don’t want to live in the city. Yep, I work in the city. I have a 20.3 mile one way trip in and yep I am car free. I think most car-free people tell other people to live closer to work, stores, schools, etc.... becuase very few can, or are willing to ride a bike 20 miles one way. Many times those locations are in closer proximity to one another in urban areas. Sure, many better planned suburbs have stores and schools in the right places, but living close to one's own job seems to be the killer many times. So, it's more about travelling distance, than simply moving to an urban area. From what I've seen in Austin and New Orleans, the majority of the car-free hipsters live in what was the old burbs back in the day. These older neighborhoods are in the first 1 to 4 miles from the downtown centers. This is where many of the artist and hipster types move. If I could find a large enough yard there for gardening and $ afford it $, I would live there too, particularly for the social life there.




I have at my long term rental, an acre of land to grow my veggies and do with as I like. That's something that is very important to me, having a large enough parcel of land for a large garden. You are lucky! I may have to live further from a downtown center specifically in an effort to afford a large lot, even if I'm renting/leasing it.

You see most of the car-free advocates on this forum as being leftist. Maybe it is because responses from such people stand out to you more and are more noticable to you because they are different. On the other hand, maybe there is a slight leftist majority here. Either way, as we've seen from other replies, there are quite a few libertarians, and a few middle uh' tha' roaders here. What we do not see much of in this car-free forum are traditional conservatives. Sure, a few may be far right, but they are by no means your basic traditional bread and butter conservative. I may not be making a clear point with this last paragraph, but I'm trying to say there is a mix here, even if slightly more than 50% are left of center when it comes to politics. I used to be traditional, but I lost my religion, and I greadually became an environmentalist over the years. I certainly have more to learn about economic models though. I love the idea of egalitarianism, but humans are competitive, which originates much from mate selection, and the pressure to be a desirable mate.

You see most of the car-free advocates on this forum as being leftist. Maybe it is because responses from such people stand out to you more and are more noticable to you because they are different. On the other hand, maybe there is a slight leftist majority here. Either way, as we've seen from other replies, there are quite a few libertarians, and a few middle uh' tha' roaders here. What we do not see much of in this car-free forum are traditional conservatives. Sure, a few may be far right, but they are by no means your basic traditional bread and butter conservative. I may not be making a clear point with this last paragraph, but I'm trying to say there is a mix here, even if slightly more than 50% are left of center when it comes to politics. I used to be traditional, but I lost my religion, and I greadually became an environmentalist over the years. I certainly have more to learn about economic models though. I love the idea of egalitarianism, but humans are competitive, which originates much from mate selection, and the pressure to be a desirable mate.
The left/right labels become meaningless after a while. Those on the right see me as a little to the left while those on the left see me as a little to the right, which probably puts me close to a centre position. Even that label will fall short. But I'm measured against the political spectrum here in Canada. If I were to relocate to the U.S., I'd be seen as a fairly well-established left-winger. The labels and definitions are convenient ways to pegboard those around us but each of us is a lot more complex than any ideological definition.

Newpaperguy, that is a good point.

Some labels that do fit me for sure are environmentalist, and tightwad. I like the fringe health benefits also. Minimalism has caught my eye too. I do need to read more about some political issues and the left and right perspectives though. Labels are so hard to place on people. If only it were easy.