FBinNY 

I see what you mean, and there are valid points. Maybe I set my personal bar too high (it's just mine), and maybe it has to do with the reasons people go carless. Some people make an active decision to "give up" the car as a matter of social conscience, and they might rightfully be proud of their willingness to do so. Others might have made a great effort to go carless, or at least ride a bike to lose weight or be healthier. Still others, might do it to reduce the drain on the budget and save the dough towards their kids' education. There are probably many reasons that people might go carless which would be prideworthy.

I don't fit those profiles. I'm a long time cyclist, and when I came home from Cozumel on July 4th 6 or 7 years ago oil prices were up again. Also, I had strong objections about where our oil dollars were going, so in a small fit of pique I declared independence from OPEC. The plan was to celebrate for all of July. Then it went so well I extended it through the summer, then to Halloween and finally decided to continue until weather made it prohibitive. That was a mild winter so I never stopped, and once a year rolled around, it was a done deal. I might not have given up the car, but insurance is costly here, so I decided to turn in my plates and rent if I ever needed to, which I do from time to time, especially to go to airports.

Riding has also made me feel better physically, improved my condition so I no longer lose half the Spring getting back into shape, and overall works well for me, despite some inconvenience. So all in all I consider it a rational choice, and not something to be proud of per se.

Of course I could take credit for the drop in oil demand and the resultant cut in OPEC revenues, but I'm not sure that my 1,000 gallons per year was the key to that.

BTW - I'm a bit proud of my decision to boycott OPEC, but I also know that I have an alpine stubborn, contrary streak that runs deep within, and I'm not proud of that.