Originally Posted by Wavshrdr
This is sort of a simplistic viewpoint.[snip - (see above)]
You confirm that viewpoint, however simplistic, by offering a defense of your decision to live in a low-density area with harsh climate and poor transit, and in a job which effectively requires ownership of a car. I'm glad you enjoy biking whenever you can, but I'm not here to judge the decisions you've made. Likewise, I do not seek your applause. I am not proud to be car-free. I am grateful to be car-free. I think there are a lot of people who would enjoy a lifestyle similar to ours, who simply don't see how the logistics could work. That's why I'm on the forum. But I can conceive of circumstances that would make us choose to get a car. I wouldn't offer apologies in that case, but from where I stand now, I would regard myself and my family as unfortunate to be stuck in those compelling circumstances.
Sort of a tangent, but regarding crime and density, I think you will find that nearly 50% of reported property crimes in most dense urban areas are car break-ins, car theft, car vandalism. Car-owner=victim. That was the case in San Francisco when we lived there; if you ignored the car-specific crimes, the adjusted per capita crime rate resembled that of the quieter suburbs.