Originally Posted by
erbfarm
I really tried to make a go of living car free in my rural area last summer/fall......but w/ close to 3 feet of snow on the ground, ice covered roads, and sub zero wind chills, I just had to give up for the winter. The other thing factor, besides climate, that I'm struggling w/ is surface area....meaning, how far apart everything is in your daily/weekly round. In my little town, I can get to the grocery store, hardware store, pharmacy, church, library etc. within 5-6 miles easily. But it's anything else but the basics that presents a problem. I play ice hockey and the rinks are at least 17-25 miles away. The nearest wholefoods grocer is 43 miles away. Work is 35 miles away. Our nearest family members are 45 miles away. I'm wondering if there is a minimum "city size" that would make more of these things available in a smaller radius? A city of 500k would do it for sure, but would 250k work? Or even without a larger population, a real college town would probably do it also. Just wondering what the location is of most cyclists who are car free.
I honestly can't see folks in rural communities---at least in areas that get snow---being entirely car-free. I live in a big city (4.5m) with four grocery stores anywhere from 1-5 miles away. Every possible convenience and service is available within a 20-30 minute ride for me and, if the weather really sucks, I can take buses or subways and even take my bike on them too (tho my semi-recumbent doesn't fit on the outside bike rack carriers on buses). If I lived outside the city, I know I'd need a winter car, but as soon as the weather cleared, the car would be parked and the bikes would replace it.