Originally Posted by
Alligator
*SIGH*
I want to be car free so bad, but my commute is 22 miles (one way). There is only one bus line that runs near my house, and taking a bus (even with biking portions of my commute) would be longer than just biking the entire 22 miles. Unfortunately, I tried it, and my body can't take that distance (44 miles) every day.
Unfortunately, many parts of America are poorly suited for LCF.
You might be able to work up to a daily 44 mile ride. Remember, you don't have to go real fast. The real problem might be time constraints rather than physical stamina, for many people.
But I think if you badly want to be carfree, a relocation might be necessary. I've heard that some parts of Minneapolis are ideal for carfree living. You might need a location that's not only more walkable, but also has better transit, and/or is a lot closer to work.
Sometimes, the best areas for LCF don't even show up on these websites. For example, one of my old houses had bad walk scores, but I found it ideal for LCF because it was close to work (4 miles) and groceries (0.5 miles), and had good cycling as long as I was willing to ride on some streets without bike facilities. (I think the bike scores only reflect nearby bike lanes and such, not street riding--which is very safe and easy in some locations.)
Good Luck!
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(Before I get a lot of flames--I realize that relocating is not a good alternative for everybody. I'm sure that Alligator can use his own brain to figure out what will work best for him!)