Living Car Free - Sapping The Middle Class Or Are You Really Freely Choosing A Car Free Lifestyle

http://www.usnews.com/money/blogs/flowchart/2010/03/16/7-stressors-sapping-the-middle-class.html (http://www.usnews.com/money/blogs/flowchart/2010/03/16/7-stressors-sapping-the-middle-class.html)

False expectations
".....For the past 40 or 50 years, Americans have lived by a series of unofficial tenets: A good education guarantees a good job, hard work will bring prosperity, and 40 years of 40-hour-a-week work earns a comfortable retirement. Then, maybe; now, not so much. Workers who believe that somebody owes them a comfortable life just because they try hard are risking bitter disappointment in a Darwinian economy, where there are likely to be more losers and fewer winners than we're used to. The winners will be those who learn how to adapt, expect nobody to give them anything, and are prepared to work harder in the future than they did in the past. That's how it was in America before anybody ever heard of the middle class, and it may be that way for a while again. The real middle class—the true bedrock of the nation—will be able to handle it....."

How to Live Happily on 75 Percent Less
http://www.usnews.com/money/blogs/flowchart/2009/12/15/how-to-live-happily-on-75-percent-less.html (http://www.usnews.com/money/blogs/flowchart/2009/12/15/how-to-live-happily-on-75-percent-less.html)


Companion Photo Galleries:

http://www.usnews.com/money/business-economy/slideshows/how-to-gauge-your-middle-class-status (http://www.usnews.com/money/business-economy/slideshows/how-to-gauge-your-middle-class-status)

http://www.usnews.com/money/business-economy/slideshows/21-things-were-learning-to-live-without (http://www.usnews.com/money/business-economy/slideshows/21-things-were-learning-to-live-without)

I have been actively reading and posting on this particular forum for quite a while. One of the things I noticed here online and offline around my city (Greater Los Angeles) is the sheer number of people once driving now dropping down to cycling more or less exclusively. I am now curious after reading the above links is....are people really giving up driving and/or owning a private motor vehicle because they really want to? Or are they pushed into the car free life and still lusting secretively after their middle class ideal way of living?

Now be completely & brutally honest with yourself. It is better that way as perhaps you will really choose to cycle because you are consciously aware of the whys and hows of living the car free lifestyle and benefiting yourself and your loved ones, rather than just trying to impress others or be "in".

Sounds more like the working poor than middle class. Just saying. But I tend to agree that the division of classes will only get worse as the years go on. Companies are getting 120 to 130 percent out of the employees they still have and there seems to be no reason to hire as many people back as they once had. The unemployed will end up taking jobs that pay less and offer fewer chances to retire. But that is a subject for another time.

Brutal self-honesty has never been an issue, so I'll be equally honest here as I am with my mirror reflection.

For the first four years of my bike-commuting, I had a car; I discovered that it made things easier to be able to continue bike-commuting, as my not-employed wife could take care of other family business. Then she left, and during the transition from a married couple to friends-with-child, I would frequently leave the car with her to manage the other children (she came on board with kids). Eventually, I gifted her the car and bought another.

During this whole awkward, uncomfortable time, I found that the pure joy of riding (finally reclaimed from my teens after 25 years) was also a source of comfort. The car became the alternative transport, a shuttle for passengers when needed. The last month i owned it, it moved twice, neither time to drive to work. When the engine seized, I junked it and never looked back.

I have two trailers, and will be adding a third next year. I am also thinking of going so far as a gas-powered scooter, moped-style, for times when neither bike nor public transit is feasible. I expect I'll be taking it out for 'maintenance rides' more than anything else, should I buy it....

Being stylish, or "in", has never been a consideration. I do what works for me. I wear what's required for the job, and prefer loose-fit jeans and t-shirts (in my size, not saggy-baggy), and the occasional ballcap, for leisure time. Summer sees me in shorts and tees.

My opinions of style/fashion would lead one to believe I'm sourly defensive about not being able to afford such; in fact, I consider it to be a waste to spend like that. I'd rather spend it on food, treats for the kids and myself, bike parts & accessories, and the eclectic oddities I like to have around me. I'd estimate my monthly expenditure on these things is less than the average urbanite would shell out on a dinner evening with friends.

Of course, there's alway the chance that my opinions or my story are irrelevant to the subject OP has opened; I never considered myself middle class.

I decided over 30 years ago that the 'rat race' wasn't for me; I was more about the experience of the moment, living my life instead of giving it away to pay for the trappings. So that may have given me a different perspective.

Folder,

this is an excellent topic!

First a couple of things. I live 20 miles from work... yes in the suburbs of DC. If I drive a car from Vienna to the Navy Yard, take the Metro for the 18 stops plus one train transfer or ride the bike in on the Trails to the National Mall then only two miles in twenty of road riding… all three options put me at work within 5-10 minutes of each other. So where my view comes from is a little different as we have a crazy great infrastructure for being car free if you get down to brass tacks. Also, I live in the burbs because it was a friends house that he grew up in and needed someone to take care of it as he moved to another city. I have little rent to speak of so it was a no brainer.

To be really really honest. I started riding the bike to work two or three days a week two years ago because I was pissed at the traffic conditions. Then I found that I liked being out in the weather… cold, hot, rain, sun didn’t matter. Just being out. After about 6 months of this I bumped it to four days a week, got sick as a dog and then stopped for another 6 months and started back on metro. I hated it. I hated metro, I hated that it was always breaking down, never was on time and you didn’t know if your train was going to stop three stations from home or not then you would have to wait 20 minutes for another train. Just a silly system. That and the prices kept going up. Something like $10 round trip from Vienna in now during rush hour. Crazy! So what is the next thing to do? Why I sold the car and started cycling again. 4 days a week and one day on metro. It is really far and 2 hours in the saddle a day isn’t always something to look forward to. But I would be sitting in a car or standing those two hours anyway so wth.

My biggest problem being car free has actually been the clothing for work. I wear a suit/tie. I feel strange admitting this but I enjoy it also. I like dressing nice. Now, I have spent NO more than $25 on a suit at Unique or Goodwill and it is a blessing being in DC as people tend to “outgrow” $800+ suits before they wear out. Hence the thrifts are great. All told, I have more money in my panniers than in the suits.

Now though I have no car, I do sometimes use the mother-in-laws car but that is mostly just to shuttle her around when she comes in from NYC. Oh and I have pretty much everything I need within 2 miles of home so supplies and such are not an issue. I am however thinking of being lazy and doing the online shopping thing from safeway but haven’t pulled the trigger on that yet.

In short, finances have nothing to do with the car free living for me.

2005: "A bicycle? A bicycle?? You're nuts!"

2010: "A bicycle? Y'know, I've got one too. Maybe I could get it out and fix it up."

It's the up side of the so called "new normal." I'm seeing a LOT of people out there already and the snow isn't even melted.

I am decidedly middle class. For me, cycling to work is a combination of enjoyment and necessity. I don't bike commute just because it saves me money, though it does save quite a bit. If I didn't enjoy bike commuting, I'd probably trim the budget in another area to pay for additional gas and maintenance for a car.

Originally, I bought a folding bike because I thought I'd be splitting the commute between biking and the subway. Then I realized that it was MUCH faster and easier to bike the whole way home, rather than dealing with finding space for myself and my bike in a crowded subway train. I did the bike/subway combo in the morning and biked all the way home in the afternoon. Last November we had a mass transit strike here in Philly for a full week, and during that time I realized it was not such a big deal to bike the whole way to and from work. I just leave early so I have 20 extra minutes to cool down and change before I clock in. Other than right after the 3 blizzards we had this winter, I've biked to/from every single day.

I'm about to ditch my car entirely, and yes, that is mostly a financial decision. I like the eco-friendly aspect of not owning a car, but honestly, I'm just tired of spending so much money on insurance and maintenance. Again, if I didn't already enjoy the bike lifestyle, I wouldn't be selling the car.

The biggest surprise from those articles is that I am definitely not middle class. After 6 years of college and 30 years in the labor pool, I don't even approach the minimums to be considered middle class. Call me over-qualified poor I guess. :lol:

It's not a simple question to answer. When I first became carfree, the money saved was a nice bonus that I could spend on luxuries. But over the years I've come to budget that money for various things. If I went back to driving, I'd have to give up some of those things that I've grown accustomed to. So, although I could afford a car at one time, I no longer can afford it--even though I make more money than I did back then.

In short, finances have nothing to do with the car free living for me.

The article in the OP makes it sounds like many people are being driven to ride bicycles because of the economy. While this may be a partial driver for many, remember that many also see the bicycle as a way to keep fit (w/o gym fees), stay "green" (w/o buying a Prius), deal with climate change, etc, etc, .... along with being a great way to save money. Remember that we have 10% unemployment nation-wide. That means 90% are working.

What I find interesting is the effective doubling in the house size and the lack of personal savings. I have a feeling that is probably what has done a lot of people in. The larger houses required more spending to buy more crap to fill it up. The lack of savings means no financial cushion.

FWIW I was raised on 80/10/10. You give away 10%, you save 10% then you live on the remaining 80%. I have done that even when I was making minimum wage and it has served me well over the years. Yes savings get depleted, but instead of buying a new car right now, you rebuild the savings, then decide if that is what you really want to spend your money on. Regular savings and leaving it untouched except in the case of a TRUE emergency is the way to go. Unfortunately not too many people have done that and now is the time to pay the piper, I really don't feel bad for the people that made bad financial decisions that are leaving them in foreclosure. No one held a gun to their head and made them sign for that house, or buy the $45,000 car.

FWIW we are well into the middle class income range, but we choose not to live like most middle class people. I hate debt, prefer to pay cash and seldom buy brand new products if used or already have will do the job. We do enjoy a nice vacation every year, typically a cruise, but occasionally fly to a destination. The biggest assache is getting time off from work. Hopefully only a few more years and I can retire from the rat race.

Aaron :)

Other than a brief year or two when I was a teenager I've never owned a car. The reason was that after my first car broke down I carefully considered the situation and realized that a car is an unfathomable waste of resources (including time, money, health, environment, and more).

As a result I've never worked a job that I didn't feel completely free to quit at any moment. Thanks to the choice I made as a teenager my entire adult life I've done what I wanted, when I wanted, where I wanted. Thanks to the choice I made I've always been able to spend my efforts doing what I think is good and worthwhile and not what somebody else has manipulated me into doing by dangling a financial carrot.

Are other car free people who have been pressured into it by the recession "lusting secretively after their middle class ideal way of living"? I'm sure they are and I don't blame them because when you've squandered everything you have (your freedom, your money, your future, your moral dignity, etc) instant gratification is all that remains. As much as I hate to say it, I think this is going to be one of those things that parents will have to ingrain in their children to not make the same mistakes before the benefits of the lesson can be reaped.

If I was car free how would I pull my Boston Whaler boat? If I was shoved in a human pigeon cage, where would put all of my stuff? Why should those of us who like cars be forced into some sort of lesser lifestyle? No thanks.

Seriously, other than a few densely populated cities you guys might as well forget it. This country is too sparsely populated to ever rely upon a bicycle as the primary transportation mode and we have horses, dogs, kids, soccer games, swim meets, boats, trailers, motor homes. Nope, not gonna work shoving us into a "project" with little human cages.

If I was car free how would I pull my Boston Whaler boat? If I was shoved in a human pigeon cage, where would put all of my stuff? Why should those of us who like cars be forced into some sort of lesser lifestyle? No thanks.

Seriously, other than a few densely populated cities you guys might as well forget it. This country is too sparsely populated to ever rely upon a bicycle as the primary transportation mode and we have horses, dogs, kids, soccer games, swim meets, boats, trailers, motor homes. Nope, not gonna work shoving us into a "project" with little human cages.

Before the advent of the car this country was even more sparsely populated and relied on horses. Bicycles were invented to replace horses. Ergo if giving up the car enhanced people's lives rather than worsened them (and I believe it could for most) then it could and would be a practical and desirable possibility for most people in this country including you.

Just something to consider of course. I have no idea why you would think anyone is trying to shove anyone else into a cage.

People were dirt farmers too and largely dirt poor.

Did they have a Boston Whaler boat?

Some of us have advanced our lifestyles beyond dirt farming and living harvest to harvest and we have no intention of giving up all of that, for what? A cramped apartment and sweating though the summer and freezing through a snowy winter--why?

We wouldn't make it if we weren't car free. My partner works for the University, and if you're not a professor the salary is small. Even if you *are* a professor, often the salaries are small. It takes tenure to really make a living sort of commensurate with your education and experience... and tenured profs who leave for private sector jobs will often have their salaries double.

We've done a lot of trimming on our electricity bill... not because coal is evil, but because a $100/mo bill is something we can't afford. We can't directly trim our heating bill, since this is an old building with good exterior insulation, but no interior insulation. So even if we want a temperature of 67F in here, heat leaks in from the other apartments. The building also warms up pretty well off of the sun, so if it's 30F outside, the sun will quickly heat us up to 75F inside. So I do my best to make sure we don't waste heat.

So yes, we're definitely pressured to move this way due to finances. But I don't think it is an entirely oppressive thing.

I hate mowing. Hate it a lot. He likes it, but he likes lots of other things better. He's not very mechanically inclined... especially for an Eagle Scout. I'm more mechanical, but I'm better on stuff that moves than house mechanicals. We're not the kind of people who'd make great homeowners. We could learn to do a lot of sweat equity stuff, but it's not what we like best. So owning a freestanding house is probably not a good bet. We'd be better off owning an apartment in a building with a regular maintenance staff... and in a lot of the US, that's treated as weird and exotic. It's often flat out illegal to build the kind of place we'd want to live in.

So we rent. And we walk or ride bicycles. A car wouldn't fix any of our problems, and realistically given that we don't want the suburban McMansion... it never will.

If I was car free how would I pull my Boston Whaler boat? If I was shoved in a human pigeon cage, where would put all of my stuff? Why should those of us who like cars be forced into some sort of lesser lifestyle? No thanks.

Seriously, other than a few densely populated cities you guys might as well forget it. This country is too sparsely populated to ever rely upon a bicycle as the primary transportation mode and we have horses, dogs, kids, soccer games, swim meets, boats, trailers, motor homes. Nope, not gonna work shoving us into a "project" with little human cages.

I am glad you can afford your lifestyle. However if you get bit in the ass by being upside down on your mortgage because you tapped your home equity to buy your toys, don't come crying to me, the US taxpayer to bail your ass out. If you happen to lose your job and unemployment runs out I won't be crying tears for you either.

Aaron :)

Didn't everyone get the memo? The Great Recession is over. Finished, done, last year's news. The Great Recovery is in full bloom! Don't fight the thoughtplan. Just keep up the goodthink and all will be doubleplusgood.

Didn't everyone get the memo? The Great Recession is over. Finished, done, last year's news. The Great Recovery is in full bloom! Don't fight the thoughtplan. Just keep up the goodthink and all will be doubleplusgood.

I think ole George Orwell got it right, just a few decades too late...shoulda named the book 2014 :D

Aaron :)

I don’t know if we as a society are being driven to car free or car light or how many are deciding to do it freely. I only know how and why we do what we do. I don’t know that I could ever be totally car free in the area that we live in. It might be possible if mini busses are available for medical appointments and if we gave up traveling when we are older. But that may or may not be considered freely moving to car free. But even with the bad economy I haven’t seen a mass migration towards car free life. And for those that have chosen the car free life with public transportation it looks like they are about to receive a double hit because the economy is effecting mass transit with state and county budget cuts so many areas are cutting service. The question will best be answered when and if we see a recovery in the economy. Will car free continue to be viable or will people go back to the way it used to be? For me it will matter little because I became car light by choice and I like it. Unless my health fails and then I will be looking for an affordable EV.

I am glad you can afford your lifestyle. However if you get bit in the ass by being upside down on your mortgage because you tapped your home equity to buy your toys, don't come crying to me, the US taxpayer to bail your ass out. If you happen to lose your job and unemployment runs out I won't be crying tears for you either.

Aaron :)

Don't worry, we pay cash, we live within our means, I have no debts other than the homestead which is not underwater and which we have no seconds on. You will be happy, our old home in NO had a Jeep left there pre-Katrina, now there are just bikes.

I can see the appeal for car free but it is not realistic to be without a car/truck in most of the nations interior where we have snow, heat, rain, wind and huge distances to cover. The burbs could be made much more bike friendly with dedicated paths and lanes, bicycle education and light rail to connect them to job centers rather than trying to move us all into a high density, dirty, scary, crime ridden urban people units.

It may be hard to discern any trend concerning pure car free living because it's still such a fringe lifestyle. But in my area there's recently been greater acceptance and public support of cycling infrastructure, also some excitement about urban passenger rail.

Plus in the last year in my local area there's been a sharp reversal of a longstanding trend of neighborhood supermarkets closing and being superseded by huge hyper-supermarkets accessible mainly by car. New ethnic and "natural" or "local" neighborhood food markets (and "dollar stores" with groceries) are springing up here in vacated retail spaces. So that's an example of something in my local neighborhood changing in a direction favorable for car free and car light living.

If I was car free how would I pull my Boston Whaler boat? If I was shoved in a human pigeon cage, where would put all of my stuff? Why should those of us who like cars be forced into some sort of lesser lifestyle? No thanks.

Seriously, other than a few densely populated cities you guys might as well forget it. This country is too sparsely populated to ever rely upon a bicycle as the primary transportation mode and we have horses, dogs, kids, soccer games, swim meets, boats, trailers, motor homes. Nope, not gonna work shoving us into a "project" with little human cages.

You go whaling? :eek:

Don't worry, we pay cash, we live within our means, I have no debts other than the homestead which is not underwater and which we have no seconds on. You will be happy, our old home in NO had a Jeep left there pre-Katrina, now there are just bikes.

I can see the appeal for car free but it is not realistic to be without a car/truck in most of the nations interior where we have snow, heat, rain, wind and huge distances to cover. The burbs could be made much more bike friendly with dedicated paths and lanes, bicycle education and light rail to connect them to job centers rather than trying to move us all into a high density, dirty, scary, crime ridden urban people units.

Congratulations...you are a 2 percent'r.

FWIW I agree that car free is not feasible in many locations nor for most people. Car light is very doable in most situations. I live on 40 acres, we are 8 miles out of a small town, but fast becoming a suburban/golf course community wasteland. The only good thing to come out of it has been a grocery store 1.5 miles down the road.

Riding is feasible in all but the most extreme weather. In many cases short distance trips can be accomplished in weather where it is nearly impossible to drive.

Short trips by car are the most polluting and the most expensive in terms of wear and tear on a vehicle. If more thought was put into subdivision and development planning it would be very easy to include pedestrian and cycling infrastructure and cut down on the constant requirement of car use. However I doubt too many zoning boards have the balls to do it. Most roll over and play dead at the mention of any big box store/strip mall wanting to come to town and they hand out tax incentives as if they were candy, quite often cutting off all forms of access except for motorized vehicles. I have also discovered that most zoning boards are controlled by developers especially in areas where the land being developed is agricultural.

Aaron :)

You go whaling? :eek:

The Boston Whaler is a very fine boat, the brand has many fans including myself. When I was a student assistant at that oceanography field station I took one up & down the Patuxent River every work day.

You go whaling? :eek:

Very good quality boat.

Aaron :)

People were dirt farmers too and largely dirt poor.

Did they have a Boston Whaler boat?

Some of us have advanced our lifestyles beyond dirt farming and living harvest to harvest and we have no intention of giving up all of that, for what? A cramped apartment and sweating though the summer and freezing through a snowy winter--why?

For further advancement. There are problems in the world other than the dearth of Boston Whalers and the toil of manual labor. There's the:
sustainability of our environment (and thus our race)
epidemic of obesity (and the limitations on both quality and duration of life it creates)
indirect support of terrorist groups in the middle east via our dependence on middle eastern oil (not to mention the subsequent wars waged to "remedy" the problem).
divide between rich and poor
lack of financial independence (ie the necessity of working to support oneself)


These are all things that can probably be tackled by further advancement, although it might require the sacrifice of at least a few Boston Whalers. Maybe you think having a Boston Whaler is more advanced than solving those problems, but I personally think such a perspective is rather primitive and shortsighted.

If I was car free how would I pull my Boston Whaler boat? If I was shoved in a human pigeon cage, where would put all of my stuff? Why should those of us who like cars be forced into some sort of lesser lifestyle? No thanks.

Seriously, other than a few densely populated cities you guys might as well forget it. This country is too sparsely populated to ever rely upon a bicycle as the primary transportation mode and we have horses, dogs, kids, soccer games, swim meets, boats, trailers, motor homes. Nope, not gonna work shoving us into a "project" with little human cages.

You're just making this stuff up.

The article in the OP makes it sounds like many people are being driven to ride bicycles because of the economy. While this may be a partial driver for many, remember that many also see the bicycle as a way to keep fit (w/o gym fees), stay "green" (w/o buying a Prius), deal with climate change, etc, etc, .... along with being a great way to save money. Remember that we have 10% unemployment nation-wide. That means 90% are working.

Absolutely correct. Maybe I took what the OP was saying incorrectly but I was thinking the topic was (more or less) Are you care free because of the economy?

As with another poster here that was the devils advocate, I was in NOLA until 2 days before Katrina. I lived in Lakefront and would have never dreamed of being car free. Now I am in DC and I think I have it made in the shade as it is. It really isn't anyone elses business what each of us make or our economics overall. We are here because we share something in common. I just wanted to answer the question and say firmly that it is absolutely nothing do do with money for me and I am sure there are many here that share that. Though agreed, it most likely is not the majority. Now stop me if this makes too much sense. LOL

Oh and Gerv, though I quoted you for the response please don't think I am responding only to your statement. I find myself agreeing with you more often than not over the last few years.

Andy

Didn't everyone get the memo? The Great Recession is over. Finished, done, last year's news. The Great Recovery is in full bloom! Don't fight the thoughtplan. Just keep up the goodthink and all will be doubleplusgood.

Denial is something that can no longer be practiced by the formerly mighty Middle Class (now more or less just poor) along with the regular eternal poor (i.e. underpaid or completely unemployed physically sick whites, mentally ill, women, minorities, homeless, slum dwellers, and couch crashers on friends & family couches). Periodically I go out into the world of transit Southern California at large and gauge businesses & people's attitudes. I just completely did a casual observation yesterday. I think not.

2005: "A bicycle? A bicycle?? You're nuts!"

2010: "A bicycle? Y'know, I've got one too. Maybe I could get it out and fix it up."

All too funny, since I've heard those same very lines being repeated several times over the last 40 years.

When I first got back into cycling I had an interesting little semi recumbent that I rode around and did some small shopping with. Got a trailer and did more shopping with it. People would come up and ask me about it and say they were thinking of getting a bike to save gas. It was a strange little bike, a Giant Revive LX and I guess people thought it was cute. Two and a half years later I am riding 8000 miles a year and I just got a new Road bike. But something has changed because now people are talking about getting electric scooters and even Lightweight EVs and golf carts. Most of the cities in my area allow them on the streets and they have a 20-40 mile range. In many cases they cost about as much as my Revive and in some cases less than my new road bike. But I am seeing a lot more scooters than I ever did.

Sometimes, I really think a lot of people are allergic to sweating....

Of course, nothing says you HAVE to bust a heavy sweat while riding; I do, but my job doesn't matter, as I get sweaty on the job, too. But self-powered transport just has this "EEEEEEEEEWWW!" mystique about it, to the ignorant masses. Unfortunately, it's a longtime HUMAN problem of thinking that the higher your status, the less you have to exert yourself.

I've long held the philosophy that if you don't break a good, work-induced sweat every day, you're not helping yourself.

Sometimes, I really think a lot of people are allergic to sweating....

Of course, nothing says you HAVE to bust a heavy sweat while riding; I do, but my job doesn't matter, as I get sweaty on the job, too. But self-powered transport just has this "EEEEEEEEEWWW!" mystique about it, to the ignorant masses. Unfortunately, it's a longtime HUMAN problem of thinking that the higher your status, the less you have to exert yourself.

I've long held the philosophy that if you don't break a good, work-induced sweat every day, you're not helping yourself.

What's amazing to me is that these same people who react to sweat this way, then jump in their cars and spew out carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and of course hydrocarbons, including ozone (which is pretty bad if you have asthma).

No one stops to think about what really stinks, unless you are on a bicycle stopped at a light with 30 cars and they all hit the gas at the same time.

Sometimes, I really think a lot of people are allergic to sweating...
It is so puzzling to me that we have become averse to sweating and moving about under our own power.

In the animal kingdom, humans have been specially gifted with a handful of exceptional physical capabilities. We don't have the musculature and cardio capability of the horse, but we do have a unique ability to rove long distances more efficiently than any other animal (I think), and moreover we can do it in daytime heat that few other mammals can tolerate. That's because of our upright walking gait and the ability to sweat. I think the only other common animals with such massive ability to dissipate heat through sweating are horses and pigs.

The puzzle to me is how bicycling is generally perceived as vaguely disreputable, when it is essentially a mechanical multiplication of our unique and exceptional physical capabilities. I mean, if birds could strap on a cheap little self powered arrangement of wheels and levers that would let them easily fly at 10,000 feet and 100 mph, wouldn't they do so eagerly and joyfully?

DX does have a valid point. (right or wrong) My wife and I took a few anthropology classes together and they contended that humans started advancing much faster once they domesticated horses. Moving by a power other than your own has been a sign of status for some time. But the other thing is social mores that feel that body order is offensive and a sign of low breeding in public other than sporting events. So I guess with the influx of Chinese electric and small gas scooters I see on the road I shouldn’t be surprised. In fact some of them don’t require a driver’s license because they are under 49cc for gas and Electric ones don’t require it as they are considered MO-peds. There must be five or six small shops selling these little scooters within ten miles of me not counting Pep Boys.
In one of the towns not far from me they have passed an ordinance that allows Golf carts on almost all of their public streets.

"I think the only other common animals with such massive ability to dissipate heat through sweating are horses and pigs."

You cannot sweat like a pig...

Pigs thermo-regulate by wallowing in mud as although they have sweat glands their ability to disipate heat in this manner is limited and insufficient.

I guess this means that there are a few people who sweat like a pig in that they don't do too much of it , through choice.

Moving by a power other than your own has been a sign of status for some time.
Yeah, sure, but in spite of prevailing cultural attitudes, as bike riders I think we probably appreciate that our bodies were physically designed for efficient self propulsion over long distances. And we can do it over an exceptionally wide range of temperatures, in part because of our ability to sweat massively. Those are the physiological facts.

I too have noticed an increase in the number of mopeds and small scooters. There is one town that I pass through on my way home from my current out of town job site, where the increase is very noticeable. I suspect we will see more and more of them as the economic squeeze hits the lower paid people first. With price in the ~$1500 range for new and less for used, no insurance or licensing fees they are an attractive option to a cheap used car. However I wonder what the gas powered ones will be doing to the air quality if they start to hit the road in high numbers? I know there are some regulations concerning that but suspect they are not nearly as clean burning as some of the newer small cars.

I will point out that I have considered getting a scooter (250cc) for commuting to the office, however I only spend maybe a month a year there, so there is no real need at this point. The office is 43 miles from the house one way, currently the company allows us to use our company trucks, but we get tagged at the end of the year for mileage use. However in the cost cutting measures I can see that perk going away quite easily and we being required to use a personal vehicle. And for those of you that advocate moving closer to work...not feasible.

Aaron :)

Now be completely & brutally honest with yourself. It is better that way as perhaps you will really choose to cycle because you are consciously aware of the whys and hows of living the car free lifestyle and benefiting yourself and your loved ones, rather than just trying to impress others or be "in".From your post I understand you are particularly interested in hearing opinions from people living in the US. There's nothing I can contribute to that, but looking from where I live, I'll post a couple of comments. I'll leave it up to you to decide if they are of any interest. :)

You ask the question in terms of there being the default, main branch of car ownership, and then a side branch for no car ownership. Taking the side branch either means you're pushed into it, or have strong individual preference, or both. It may work that way in the US, but not where I live.

Looking from here, it seems weird to consider and call being car-free a "lifestyle". I can only offer anecdotal evidence, but amongst people I know the decision of buying and maintaining a car is just another household question to think about. If they live somewhere where services are close at hand and public transportation works, car is just another expense they don't need. Similarly I know people who have chosen not to buy a washing machine. They have laundry close by, or their condo has industrial grade shared laundromat, or... Same thing, no reason to put money in your own machine.

To some people car means more than just a practical item, but same can be said about bikes, boats, the living room sofa or pretty much any other material possession. I believe we all have our "blind spots" where wants exceed needs. Around here, it's not a general rule that car is one of those spots for everyone.

Another thing, I'm not car free and I suspect not many actually are. I rent, I'm a car pool member, I take the taxi etc. I choose not to own a car, because in my case it makes economical sense and I happen to like biking. I'd call that car light, but it seems many people in the Forums understand that as 1 car per family. Where I live, 1 car per family is still the norm among those households that choose to own a car.

--J

If I was car free how would I pull my Boston Whaler boat? If I was shoved in a human pigeon cage, where would put all of my stuff? Why should those of us who like cars be forced into some sort of lesser lifestyle? No thanks.
.

get rid of the powerboat & buy a Sunfish...which is easily trailerable via bike......I do it!!!

What I find interesting is the effective doubling in the house size and the lack of personal savings. I have a feeling that is probably what has done a lot of people in. The larger houses required more spending to buy more crap to fill it up. The lack of savings means no financial cushion.

FWIW I was raised on 80/10/10. You give away 10%, you save 10% then you live on the remaining 80%. I have done that even when I was making minimum wage and it has served me well over the years. Yes savings get depleted, but instead of buying a new car right now, you rebuild the savings, then decide if that is what you really want to spend your money on. Regular savings and leaving it untouched except in the case of a TRUE emergency is the way to go. Unfortunately not too many people have done that and now is the time to pay the piper, I really don't feel bad for the people that made bad financial decisions that are leaving them in foreclosure. No one held a gun to their head and made them sign for that house, or buy the $45,000 car.

FWIW we are well into the middle class income range, but we choose not to live like most middle class people. I hate debt, prefer to pay cash and seldom buy brand new products if used or already have will do the job. We do enjoy a nice vacation every year, typically a cruise, but occasionally fly to a destination. The biggest assache is getting time off from work. Hopefully only a few more years and I can retire from the rat race.

Aaron :)

I agree. I too was brought up by the 80/10/10 rule. I could have written this myself. All decisions including whether or not to be car free become a choice as opposed to a necessity.

[QUOTE=chucky;10584129]Before the advent of the car this country was even more sparsely populated and relied on horses. Bicycles were invented to replace horses. Ergo if giving up the car enhanced people's lives rather than worsened them (and I believe it could for most) then it could and would be a practical and desirable possibility for most people in this country including you."



The average person also rarely traveled more than 40 miles from their home in their lifetimes. Travel was limited to the wealthy or the very adventurous. I don't think bicycles were invented to replace horses. Horses did far more than a bicycle could ever do. I would argue that it was a means for the wealthy (bicycles were not cheap) to replace walking typically in parks and in towns. Roads suitable for cycling were mainly available in cities and were almost nonexistent beyond them. For awhile bicycle racing became sport (sort of a pre-auto form of NASCAR or Formula 1) and once autos were available to the masses, cycling dropped in popularity among the upper class. The automobile in all its various guises (trucks, tractors, cars, buses etc.) replaced the horse. Ironically, the automobile provided us the millions of miles of paved roads that allow bicycles to be as practical as they are today.

This just made me realize I'm lower middle class, or maybe upper lower, depending on the exact measurement. I always thought I was middle middle, but I guess my wife not working bumps us our of that. I'll never be upper middle as long as she's at home with the kids. I think some of my neighbors strive to be lower upper though. Good thing I don't try to keep up with the Jones'.

The average person also rarely traveled more than 40 miles from their home in their lifetimes. Travel was limited to the wealthy or the very adventurous. I don't think bicycles were invented to replace horses. Horses did far more than a bicycle could ever do. I would argue that it was a means for the wealthy (bicycles were not cheap) to replace walking typically in parks and in towns. Roads suitable for cycling were mainly available in cities and were almost nonexistent beyond them. For awhile bicycle racing became sport (sort of a pre-auto form of NASCAR or Formula 1) and once autos were available to the masses, cycling dropped in popularity among the upper class. The automobile in all its various guises (trucks, tractors, cars, buses etc.) replaced the horse. Ironically, the automobile provided us the millions of miles of paved roads that allow bicycles to be as practical as they are today.

I think there are a couple inaccuracies here. First, people, at least in America, did travel a great deal prior to the car. The entire continent (3,000 miles by 2,000 miles) was settled within a couple generations, implying a hell of a lot of personal travel.

Second, horse ownership was never very practical for most people in the cities. City dwellers mostly walked everywhere, and wealthy people did take carriages sometimes. Most city residences were not large enough to house horses.

Third, you totally ignore trains, which were the major mode of travel for most of the 19th century and almost half of the 20th.

Fourth, paved roads were originally lobbied for by bicyclists, in the period from about 1880 to 1910.

I am pretty car light. Always have been. Hope I always will be. It has nothing to do with finances as I earn a comfortable living and have no debt other than a mortgage on a house that is way above water. And no, my father didn't invent scotch tape or something similar. I am one of those (rare, some would say) people who sacrificed many material possessions and instead saved money for a good down payment and bought within his means.

The car I own is a beater '95 that has abput 101,000 miles on it. Until about 4 years ago, I shared that car with my mother. She put many of the miles on it. I mostly use it to drive to club rides outside the city. For 12 years no one in my immediate family even owned a car.

I live mostly car free because I like the freedom it affords. Cars are often a pain. When I need to transport myself, I always think "Car last." I am confident that I have ridden a bikle more miles than I have driven a car. Too often in this country people associate means of transporation other than the private automobile with poverty or some other substandard way of life.

First of all, I am car free in the UK and car light in the US. Car free is actually the norm, and far more convenient, where I live in the UK. Stateside, a car really comes in handy, just because the infrastructure is so vast. In a town designed for walking, six, seven centuries ago, everything is so close I rarely ever need to ride a bike even. Coming back to the US is always a shock. Why is everything so... FAR?!!!

Secondly, for those interested in the physiology of endurance, two great books. The first is my favorite running book of all time, *Why We Run*, by Bernd Heinrich. The second is "Born to Run", a bestseller, I think. Check 'em out.

[QUOTE=chucky;10584129]
Horses did far more than a bicycle could ever do.

I believe that may have been one of the attractions of the bicycle... no free organic output. Indeed, it may be part of the attraction of bicycles in our age, if you disregard the "organic" element. :)

I think there are a couple inaccuracies here. First, people, at least in America, did travel a great deal prior to the car. The entire continent (3,000 miles by 2,000 miles) was settled within a couple generations, implying a hell of a lot of personal travel.

Second, horse ownership was never very practical for most people in the cities. City dwellers mostly walked everywhere, and wealthy people did take carriages sometimes. Most city residences were not large enough to house horses.

Third, you totally ignore trains, which were the major mode of travel for most of the 19th century and almost half of the 20th.

Fourth, paved roads were originally lobbied for by bicyclists, in the period from about 1880 to 1910.

Yes, there was a lot of migration at the turn of the century (mostly from the country to the cities) and yes train travel spawned and facilitated that migration, however, the country was still mostly rural and both those in the country and the cities did little travel beyond their localities. Train travel was too expensive for most to take pleasure trips. There was a burgeoning middle class that was beginning to use train travel for pleasure but for the vast majority of people once you moved you stayed. I am sure bicyclists were petitioning for better roads to be built, just as they are petitioning now for bike lanes and MUP. However, until people had a means of conveyance that could transport them quickly and independently between cities their was little incentive to build roads that were better than those needed by a horse and carriage.