xscoutx

....about being car free / car lite?

Of course we've saved heaps of money by being car free, but I think my favorite thing is that by not having a car, I get a workout every time I want to go anywhere.

How often do we hear folks saying, "oh damn, no workout today! too busy!" buwahahaha

lee kenney

i think its the subtle aftertaste of enjoying your favorite beverage,ahh car free! Enjoy, la buena vida! Happy New Year wishes,stay safe.

gerv 

I started riding in 2005 and quickly started using the bicycle for transportation. There were two main reasons: 1) I was looking for a solution to counter the squandering lifestyle I was trapped in... but 2)the real clincher was that I thoroughly enjoyed any time I could spend on two wheels. I took my first bike ride in many years in Sept 2005. I was hooked right away. Now I travel everywhere on bicycle and my lifestyle is somewhat less squandering.

Roody

Not many people who drive can say that the trip there was better than the arrival.

DX-MAN

I heard it expressed once that, in Japan, it's not the destination, but the path that matters; maybe that was the 'old days', though.........

How you get there matters as much or more than getting there; that's one BIG advantage of pedaling. I feel more ALIVE on the bike than I EVER did behind the wheel.

It's the money, too, of course; I smile every time I look at a gas station price sign.

My RANGE is limited, I can't ride as far as I could drive, but there's nothing over 12-15 miles away that interest me enough to travel to.

My favorite part of being car-free is the constant awareness that I'm NOT SHACKLED to the damned CAR, in any way, shape, or form. Hell, at today's prices, a car would take more to support than my kids, and I can't claim a Chevy as a dependent on my taxes!

wphamilton

Maybe not my favorite thing, but I got a kick out of some of the drivers on my way back from Walmart today. The back-story is that I ride with a home-built fairing, mostly the same routes so I forget that it's unusual for some people.

So I was in the lane, two lanes each way, a little slower than traffic and hear a honk which I ignored as usual. But then I spy in my sunglasses spy mirror a big SUV on my left. They were pacing me - people see a rig like mine and are curious about how fast you can go. So I oblige and kick it up to about 63 KPH for a bit (I'm not bragging, let's say downhill). After a bit of that they finally pass me with some shouted Hell Yeah's and so I guess they were impressed Then after the light and downhill coasting still at a good speed I got a series of cell-phone 'paparazzi's' and believe it or not more cheers. All this in the space of about 2 miles I could only bear it and wish I'd shaved and at least put on a clean shirt before taking a casual trip to wallyworld ... but people are funny. I'll say it's a darn sight better than getting buzzed and "get off the road" though!

Caretaker

Not having to find a parking space and paying for it when I've found it.

Cycling home after a night out and not worrying whether I'm over the limit.

Overtaking cars that are stuck in traffic.

Artkansas 

Riding a bike to get somewhere just feels right.

Scottswnsn

I've been car lite. I don't own a car but often get rides from people when going somewhere further away, etc..

But 90% of my travel time is on my bike and I love it. I feel as if I enjoy the journey, and when I arrive some where that much more. The feeling of a good work out. It's great!

Dahon.Steve

The reason there's nothing interesting out there is due to the fact we have become a society of same. The same stores and resturants are everywhere.

I remember old timers saying 50 years ago people used to come into our town from 30 miles away by train to do shopping. Not anymore. Our town has become just like every other town with a McDonalds or fast food chain in the center of town. The women and mens clothing stores are the same ones you can find at the malls or online. There's absolutely no reason at all to visit my town or anywhere for that matter.

ReinderDijkhuis

The journey being better than the destination is an idea that has sustained me on many bad days at work these last few months. Then again, I've always disliked cars and never owned a car or had a driver's license. I know that the joy of not being in a small metal cage is a big attraction, but I don't think about it much as it's the default state for me.

Compared to my train commute earlier in the year, though, the quality of the journey is so much better, even on rainy or windy days, and I save a lot of money commuting by bike, which is good for my standard of living as well as my health.

tony_merlino

I travel a fair amount for work, and in order to minimize the impact on the kids, etc, I usually make the trips as short as possible. That often means flying in the night before the meeting, taxi to the hotel, bum a ride to the meeting (if it's not at the hotel), and fly out as soon as its done. Meals are almost always at some chain - an upscale chain if there are customers involved, a more pedestrian one if not.

Other than differences in the weather, there is no way for me to tell where I am anymore. The airports are all the same. The roads from the airports to the suburban office-ghettos where the hotels and meetings are held are all the same. The hotels and office campuses are all the same. Even the chains where we eat are all the same.

There is no reason to go anywhere anymore, other than that the people I need to talk to are somewhere else, and the particular meeting needs to be face-to-face.

Cyclepup

My favorite part of being car-lite, in addition to the calorie burn of cycling all over town, is that a simple run to the post office is an endorphin-producing event. How many people can say they feel elated and rejuvenated by a short trip to the post office? Then, I get the fun of feeling that same high on the way home.

Roody

I could never live like that, but I'm glad it works for you. My environment is different from any other place in the world. I live in an older neighborhood, where every house looks different from the other ones on the block. I almost never go to a chain anything or big box store. I seek out places with "character" and avoid places that have that sickening feeling of sameness.

tony_merlino

I was talking about where I travel for work, not where I live. I LIVE in an old town with tons of character - in what's called the "Pizza Triangle", aka "Soprano's Country". A lot of the houses are more than 100 years old, and pretty much every house is different from all the others. We boasted one of the more famous velodromes back in the day, and were still hosting a yearly road race until a few years ago. We have lots of small family restaurants and food stores, (mostly Italian) right here in town, and the best Italian bread and pastries in the United States (Frank Sinatra used to have it shipped to him from here, though the place he bought from went out of business a couple of years ago - but there are others...).

Within a 10 minute drive, there are great Middle Eastern, Turkish, Thai, Vietnamese, Indian and even a fantastic Ethiopian restaurant - in addition to the obligatory Chinese and (non-chain) Mexican places. There are small boutiques, antique stores, local hardware stores, ethnic food stores, even an independent book exchange with a huge selection of used and new books - pretty much you name it, and you'll find it within 10 miles of here. (Of course, if you go 10 miles east of here, you'd be in Manhattan. But I'm talking about stuff right here on the Jersey side. We've got a good jazz club within 10 minutes of here, and lots of clubs that do various types of music from blues to folk to rock to whatever. Lately, I've been playing for belly dancers - we have a dozen places that feature bellydancing within about 20 minutes.

I don't think I could live in the places I travel to for work.

xscoutx

So true! I love it!!

Roody

That does sound nice. I love reading about peoples' towns and neighborhoods. For me, one of the best things about being carfree is how much you learn about your local geography, scenery and history. You see things more slowly, and if you're riding or walking you can stop o look closely or talk with somebody who looks interesting. That's a lot harder to do when you'reriding in a car.

SuperDave

The *best* part about being car-free? Well, this is gonna sound egotistical as all get-out, but....

I've been car-free for almost twenty years. I'm 52, and when I disrobe to the appropriate level and walk to the edge of the pool, heads swivel towards me. From the neck up, I'm ugly as sin, but underneath that remains the body of a 25-year-old athlete and I have my lifestyle to thank for it. At my age, there's only one way to still carry 5% bodyfat, and my female peers recognize it.

I had a dream of what this would be like when I was 33 and abandoned my car-centric lifestyle, and you know what? I was right.

gerv 

Holy cow! Good for you. I'm 58 and when I go to a pool, it's swivel and wretch.

CarFreeFam4

For me, I enjoy not having to hassle with a car. Sure, on the money front, but also just with the unreliability. Now, my perception is slightly skewed because I work for a major roadside assistance provider/automobile advocacy member organization (oh, the irony). I spend all day talking to people who are having problems with their cars. My bicycle has never left me stranded, but I have been stranded more than once due to a vehicle problem. My bicycle always starts in the morning.

Roody

But you're right. One thing I hated about owning a car was the responsibility. When you possess something that large and expensive, it's an albatross around your neck. Just looking at that little sticker on the windshield telling me when I HAD to change the oil! Ilube my bike chain when I feel like it, and if I don't lube it, there will be no explosions or anything.

And gosh, that sinking feeling when I went down to drive my car and it had a flat tire. I knew that by the time I put on the spare, showered and changed clothes, I would for sure be late for work. Also I would probably have to spend my next day off getting a replacement tire--or two tires really, since they say you should replace them in pairs.

Even worse was a major mechanical problem. One time my transmission went out 20 miles into a long-planned road trip to Nova Scotia. I remember that my whole vacation was ruined. and I had to spend the vacation money on the repair bill. It took the only tranny shop in town two weeks (the length of my vacation) to repair that car. I felt LOST for that whole time. I just didn't know how to survive without a car. I really couldn't think of how to spend my time without it.

What a horrible thing--when you're not owning the car as much as it's owning you!

DX-MAN

Roody, that's IT -- a wiser person than me once said, "the more things you own, the more you are owned by things." It especially applies to cars.

B. Carfree

Roody, I had a trip like that with the last car I owned. It was the last straw for us in terms of car ownership; we didn't drive enough to even keep the battery charged, so any hassle outweighed the "advantages". In our case, a failed water pump led to a broken serpentine belt which eventually caused the engine to shut down which caused the power steering and power brakes to cease to operate. My wife was able to get us pulled over and stopped on the shoulder just before a five mile descent that would have likely killed us (Canyon Creek Pass on I-5 in OR; around mp 90). Fun times! Now, if we want to drive somewhere the train doesn't go we just rent a car. In fact, we finished that trip in a rental car.

gerv 

Chain reaction! If it had kept going there would have been a mushroom cloud over Eugene

Ekdog

There are a lot of things I like about being car free, but when I consider that Exxon-Mobile made $19 billion in profits in 2009 and received a $156 million dollar rebate from the IRS, it warms the cockles of my heart to know that I'm not--at least directly--buying their products.