i'm sorry if this has been brought up before but how about a car free living thread. maybe a subsection of the commuting board. while the commuting forum is really cool, individuals going car free have different things going on. it seems that a lot of discussion in the commuting forum is still with the car in mind and the arguments that arise are fun but get in the way of communication. anyway, just a suggestion.

I get the idea that the commuting is pretty much car free already. Personally, it seems a bit redundant to me. Anyone else?

Koffee

It seems to me that most people in the commuting section do have cars. There are frequently recommendations like carrying clothes to and fro in a car.

Not that I have a problem with it. Or that it necessarily deserves another forum, but I definitely think most posters in Commuting do own cars. I suppose a poll may be in order.

Actually, a car free section could have some useful hints on how to subsist in this car-centric society. Or it could just be in commuting. I leave it to the discretion of the mods.

a lot of the discussion thats happens in commuting and in the advocacy section keeps the car in mind. for an individual who lives car free or semi car free(doesn't own a car but is a member of a car club) life is different. we have different angles and advice to give that is not always welcome by people who drive as well as bike. living without a car is way different than just commuting by bike. i think it would also cut down on the flaming that happend between carless posters and commuters who also drive. i dont see it as redundant at all.

also, check out the discussion in commuting "My Rant On Cars and This Society" wheres there been some talk about this

I'm for it. Let's have a Car-free section. Thom.

Actually, it could be valuable. I was just wondering how I was going to pick up my new bike. I guess I'll have to take a bus, but it's about an hour vs a 15 minute ride, and much more annoying. A perfect topic for the proposed car free (sub)forum.

Yes, a section for the car free would be great!

Hmmmm... drop Joe a PM. I can see where you're coming from. I'm carfree myself.

Koffee

i've never sent a pm on this board. how do i go about it? and is JOE his user name?

I'm new, but I'm for it. Nearly car free for 3 years and always looking for good tips and advice on getting more so.

A place to discuss utility trailers, bike moves, and more!

Just bike commuting and being completely car-free can be entirely different worlds. I hardly ever drive my car, but it's a completely different existance than the years when I was car-free. (Though we had an excellent bus system in that little town, so being car-free was easy as pie there.)

His username is Joe Gardner.

Just go to your private messages and click on "send new message" and type in Joe's name under the recipient's name. Then after you type in your message, click the send button at the bottom of the text box.

Koffee

<-- thinking about it

<--- feelin' ya.



Koffee

I'm for it too!

I think it would be a good idea, especially if we could keep some of the politics out of it. Seems to me that too many of the car-free threads are overwhelmed by pro-car flamers who just want to make trouble, so it's hard for those committed to car-free living to exchange ideas. A home of thier own might be very useful...

Exactly

I am thinking about going car-free once I am home from college. This forum would probably help me a lot.

Just no discussions about cars or how people who drive SUV's are soldiers of satan. There's enough talk of that.

Koffee

Agreed. Pointless argument. What would be useful is practical discussion of the carfree lifestyle. I think most car-less individuals are sick of arguing about it anyway.

A car free forum to me implies also being free of arguments about them. The car debate already gets plenty of exposure here, but it's hard to have a practical discussion about car free issues without getting into some kind of philosophical ideology war.

I do NOT live Car Free, but I think there could be value to this forum. It's different than advocacy (Share the road, Bike Paths, etc) and different than commuting (to and from work). I would certainly be intrigued by the conversation even though I'm not car free!

exactly. any thread thats been started about this turns into an argument between those who drive and car free people. having a discussion about the issues of living without a car without having to justify anything would be great. although i think politics plays a big role in alot of peoples car free lifestyle. so political/current events discussions from a car free standpoint would be fun and appreciated.

Fun and appreciated observations would be nice, but I would hate to see it turn into a "de-pave the world", critical mass, battle cry" forum.

Well, we'll wait on Joe.

*humming Jeopardy theme*

Koffee