What the car free guys miss out on

[gerv]

Well I bought a $200 saddle. That seems like a lot, though the 'repair' I'm hoping for is regarding my arse. Does that count?

You could have bought a new arse for that amount.

[Roody]

You could have bought a new arse for that amount.

but it wouldn't be a Brooks.

[wahoonc]

I find it interesting to watch some of these forums. I amazes me at the length some will go to defend their positions, including hatred and name calling. I would love to be car free, however, working 600 miles from home eliminates that possibility for now.

There is no doubt that driving a car is expensive, but so is home ownership, boat ownership, drinking good wines, etc. We all make personal choices of how we spend our money. Without the automobile, we would not have the infrastructure, the freedom of travel nor the standard of living we currently have. Crude oil was simply the least expensive, most energy rich form of fuel available at the time. If Horses could carry 6 people at 60 mph all day long with little "visible" residue and you only had to feed him occasionally, we would all be riding horses.

Does that mean we should not try to make changes, however small, that positively impact our future, no. Mass transit makes sense and saves a large amount of resources, but only in urban areas. Bicycling make sense in most areas but suburban areas are not designed for bicycle traffic for the most part and not all people are capable of traveling great distances by bicycle.

I commend those who are car free / car light. You are making a personal choice either fiscal or philosophical. If it makes you happy, then I'm happy.
But taking sides and throwing stones at each other is not going to get anything accomplished.

(I'll take off my Dad hat now)

Ken

If we had not had the automobile or it's equivalent the suburbs would not have been built the way they were...what came first the chicken or the egg?

Aaron

[Commodus]

but it wouldn't be a Brooks.

I went with a Gilles Berthoud actually. I hope it works...

[mustang1]

£2600 for service, tires, brakes. Other car is zero tho. /myRant.

[mustang1]

Great idea for a thread!

I've just had some serious work done on one of my bikes: €70.00, a drop in the bucket compared to the kind of money you're talking about. I'm so glad I'm car free!

I too had some work done on my bike. £115. But for that I have new chain/cassette/cables/headset/rear brake caliper+pads/some external cables. But needs bottom bracket and new chain rings which they cant get off because the thread is screwed so they said have to cut the crank off which is time consuming/labour intensive/pricey.

[Dahon.Steve]

If we had not had the automobile or it's equivalent the suburbs would not have been built the way they were...what came first the chicken or the egg?

Aaron

The surburbs were started by railroads and then spread to other locations by the trolley.

My town when it was settled back in the 1860's and required a boat to live here! People only lived by the waterfront because the dirt roads were so poor that it took the stage coach an estimated 4 hours to travel 12 miles. The "Trolley towns" were the first surburbs and were quite functional with their own town centers and shopping district. To be honest, I would not want to live in any other type of city. I want to be able to walk to the corner grocery store, supermarket, and center of town without having to take a bus, ride a bike or heaven forbid, drive a car!

[wahoonc]

The surburbs were started by railroads and then spread to other locations by the trolley.

My town when it was settled back in the 1860's and required a boat to live here! People only lived by the waterfront because the dirt roads were so poor that it took the stage coach an estimated 4 hours to travel 12 miles. The "Trolley towns" were the first surburbs and were quite functional with their own town centers and shopping district. To be honest, I would not want to live in any other type of city. I want to be able to walk to the corner grocery store, supermarket, and center of town without having to take a bus, ride a bike or heaven forbid, drive a car!

I have lived in the ring suburbs that were started by trolleys and railroads, they are still much better and more pedestrian friendly than ANY suburb built for car only access. I live near a town where over 3/4 of the population lives in neighborhoods that were built in the past 50 years, most of them are lollipop design, no sidewalks, no through streets, the only way to get to a store for groceries is drive, most areas are not served by any form of mass transit.

Aaron

[bragi]

I have lived in the ring suburbs that were started by trolleys and railroads, they are still much better and more pedestrian friendly than ANY suburb built for car only access. I live near a town where over 3/4 of the population lives in neighborhoods that were built in the past 50 years, most of them are lollipop design, no sidewalks, no through streets, the only way to get to a store for groceries is drive, most areas are not served by any form of mass transit.

Aaron

This sounds like hell on Earth. It's no wonder that people who can afford it are returning to more central areas, and the far-out suburbs are turning into either ghost towns or slums. I wonder if urban planners are paying attention to this trend.

Personally, I could live in either a fully urban or a fully rural setting, but not suburbs. Suburbs as they are currently arranged seem to have all the disadvantages of urban life, with a few more thrown in for good measure, and none of the advantages.

[wahoonc]

This sounds like hell on Earth. It's no wonder that people who can afford it are returning to more central areas, and the far-out suburbs are turning into either ghost towns or slums. I wonder if urban planners are paying attention to this trend.

Personally, I could live in either a fully urban or a fully rural setting, but not suburbs. Suburbs as they are currently arranged seem to have all the disadvantages of urban life, with a few more thrown in for good measure, and none of the advantages.

Unfortunately there isn't any planning to amount to anything around here, money aka developers are in charge. I live in what used to be a rural area 20 years ago. We have had 10,000 homes built in this end of the county in the past 5 years and there are another 15,000 under construction in neighborhoods just like the ones I described above. I live near a very large military base that is getting a huge influx of people, so suburgatory continues to thrive.

Aaron

[Roody]

Unfortunately there isn't any planning to amount to anything around here, money aka developers are in charge. I live in what used to be a rural area 20 years ago. We have had 10,000 homes built in this end of the county in the past 5 years and there are another 15,000 under construction in neighborhoods just like the ones I described above. I live near a very large military base that is getting a huge influx of people, so suburgatory continues to thrive.

Aaron

It's so much different in the so-called Rust Belt. New development here is pretty much planned. Not because we're smarter than y'all, but because we have to plan special incentives and tax abatements to get developers to invest here, so new projects are sometimes more of a collaboration between the local planners and the developers.

[AsanaCycles]

I don't own a car.
but sometimes I'll use a car.
i.e. maui, rental car. the only thing I do is put gas in it on the way back to the airport.

on another note;
I read a cool quote out of "hobo" by eddy joe cotton.

"If a man chooses to live a life of experience, he'll know the purpose of every object that he passes on the road. He'll know the process of that object goes through to produce the fruits of its labor. He'll know these things because he will have worked them with his own two hands, and after all this, if he does find a home, he'll appreciate home all the more.

If a man chooses a practical life he will suffer less hardships along the way. His stories will have the sweetness of unripe tomatoes but his home will be without the heartache of so many uncertain days. Everything he chooses to place around him will become a permanent fixture. His life's attention will be put to the task of nurturing his homestead, watering his lawn, building waterfalls in his backyard, and shingling his roof. His life will become permanent and the people who pass through will become his inspiration."

[Newspaperguy]

Why not post the cost of apt rental or mortgage payments too? It might be "fun" for the homeless and they could appreciate how much money they are saving every month.

Seriously, exercises like these assume that a bicycle is a suitable substitute for an automobile, only far cheaper and without the costs. A foolish and bogus exercise for most people with family obligations and/or desire not to spend all their free time in a dense urban area tethered to the demands of public transport and or weather conditions.

If you're saying car-free isn't for everyone, I'll agree with you. But it's often possible to cut down one's driving. This in turn cuts down on fuel and repair costs. And there are some who have made the switch from driving to car-free or car-light living. It can be done.

[gerv]

suburgatory

[wahoonc]

Can't claim the originality...there is a television show by that name, I have only watched it a couple of times.

Aaron

[gerv]

Can't claim the originality...there is a television show by that name, I have only watched it a couple of times.

Aaron

Really? I don't watch regular television much. Have been watching a lot of X-Files re-runs on Netflix and opera youtubes (ps... youtube is a great medium for mustic... just great!). I'll probably have to wait a while before that show hits either of those venues.

[JimCanuck]

Fluids, and basic maintenance (brake pads/shoes, wiper blades, fuses, lights, etc) are not covered under any warranty I have ever heard of, and neither is fuel.. am I missing something here?

Well you can always add a "maintenance/service" package to your car, along with the extended warranty, typically means the entire time your paying your lease (or outright buying loan payments), the car will not cost you a additional penny then what you paid for it. Costs anywhere from $800 to $2000 depending on the car/truck in question, but dealers have been known to give discounts on it if you ask nicely when its combined with the extended warranty. All in all its a mere $10 to $25 a month more for peace of mind.

It can be cost savings beneficial, especially for company cars, as you don't worry about the maintenance just bring it in when its required, and your increase in lease/loan costs is eaten up as a business expense anyways.

Jim

[wahoonc]

Really? I don't watch regular television much. Have been watching a lot of X-Files re-runs on Netflix and opera youtubes (ps... youtube is a great medium for mustic... just great!). I'll probably have to wait a while before that show hits either of those venues.

I use Youtube for music all the time. Suburgatory is on NBC on Wednesday nights. I don't typically watch much television but for some reason caught the show one night. Not a whole lot of socially redeeming value in my opinion, but I do have to admit that the name is catchy.

Aaron

[dynodonn]

Let me see, today I just repaired the window bracket on my daughter's car, cost her $15.... a few weeks ago I repaired my son's car, replaced a fuel injector and a sensor, his bill came to $120. I bought a bottle of car wash for my car, $8.(it gets dusty from all that sitting.)

[benda18]

I had a unicorn in my airbox one time.

My '98 Accord has close to 294,000 miles. at 300k i'll have to make a decision on whether it's worth it to do the timing belt and water pump on a car that probably has bad compression, faulty injector, in need of a brake job and new tires, and possibly other unknown issues. and on top of that all the knobs are falling off and the cabin lights are burning out.