Originally Posted by
Roody
I think the best way to transition is to establish goals that result in using your car less. Then figure out action plans that will accomplish your goals. I would do this on paper (or use a work flow app) and set up specific target dates.
Every little bit helps, but you won't really be carlight as long as you are spending 90 minutes a day in your car commuting. Maybe you will want to doo something about that eventually?
The 5 years before I started this I worked from home or took transit to work daily. I work from home about once a week, and I am thinking about working on biking to work one day a week too. But going completely car-free doesn't work now. Moving isn't a good idea either. My office location is less transit and bike friendly than where I currently live. Frankly, in most of the city biking is pretty scary. The route to work is on a quiet street, but any other errands would be on dangerous major thoroughfares. There are few people on bikes and most ride on the sidewalk. There also isn't car-share, and my rent would more than double. So there wouldn't be any net savings at all (besides the social networks I have where I live now.)
At this moment a job switch isn't in the cards. I am approaching the car problem from the other angle: the infrastructure side. I am volunteering at a non-profit that works on improving transit and creating walkable communities.
From my perspective, changing work locations is the most difficult part. But we can build communities where driving isn't required for the other trips. As they say, I believe half of all car trips are less than 3 miles. Converting each of those would do wonders, from a health and planet perspective. 3-5 days a week of driving is better than 7.