App4that

My truck got hit by a drunk driver, while it was parked. That was almost a decade ago, last 4 wheeled vehicle I owned. Ride my motorcycle for 2-3 years, then decide it wasn’t worth it anymore and just walk. Now I have a bicycle which makes getting further away a lot easier.

GhenghisKahn

Spent from 87 to 92 car free. Then 92 to 02 riding recreational not car free. 02 to 06 car free. 06 to 2013 car lite, but left my vehicle unused so long the battery died. lol From 06 to 11 car lite, but averaged 12,000+ per year as my commute was 42 mi rt. Car free 13-18. Car lite 18 to present. Tank of gas lasts 3 months. Spotty track record, but only drive when having no other option. Cheers

rybin

Been car free my whole life. Parents didn't get me a car at 16 or any of that, and I never was able to afford it after that. Maybe in a couple years or so, but I'd rather just keep car free. I survived without a bike even until a month ago (I do have an SO with a car but it's rare I use it), so with a bike I now don't even want a car. They're expensive and bad for the environment, and I can always fit another bike with a motor for longer trips.

foothillbilly

Car free is one thing, but doing it without a bike has to be tough. I've never done that for more than about a month. If you get an e-bike, think about range as a primary concern.

rossiny

I agree, when you factor in the cost of taxes spent on road building and the infrastructure needed to build roads for cars and have everything in our world cater to cars, its mind boggling!

rybin

It was very tough. Didn't even realize how tough it was until recently when the pandemic screwed up the bus schedule in my city. I'm so much more mobile with a bike compared to before, it's honestly a little life changing

Ilikebikez

We’re car lite. We have one vehicle and I don’t drive. It’s for Costco and stuff like that. I have starts riding to appointments when I can. I used to ride all over the place years ago. I try to have a dentist, doctor, hair place, groceries, banking etc all within walking distance or a quick bike ride.

fujimontar

I have been car free by necessity (where I live, cars are fantastically expensive), but also live in a city that has great public transportation and is becoming friendlier to bicycles. However, I am moving to a city that neither has great public transportation nor is friendly to bicycles (though they seem to be working on it). I really want to at least live a car lite lifestyle, but I can imagine that the temptation and convenience of a car would be very difficult to avoid, especially when a bicycle commute in this case would significantly increase my commute time... Do any of you live in places like that? How have you managed?

fofinet855

Keep in mind that you have to factor not only the time you "save" when commuting by car*, but also the higher costs of having and using a car (about €5000 per year in Italy, for a cheap car). That money costs time: if working hours were completely flexible you could work less, commute by bike, and save time and/or money. Depending on your car and your job, from my calculations and for Italy, you work about two months a year just to pay for the car.

*Assuming you can even call it "saving time": when you're driving there isn't much else you can do, you have to be extremely focused and the most you can do is talk on the phone or listen to music (without paying much attention in either case), whereas when you're biking you're training, improving your heath, having fun, relaxing and so on, and when you're using public transport - depending on various factors - you can read, work, sleep, etc. In other words, when you're not driving a car (or even just using one, AFAIC), you're taking possession of your time. And our time is limited

fofinet855

Even better way to put it: since daily physical activity is recommended by the WHO, the time you spend commuting by bike is actually time saved, not wasted, because you're doing two things at the same time (exercising and going to work). If you used private transport, besides what I wrote in the previous post, you'd have to find the time (and the money) to train anyway, if you're interested in staying healthy.

(I got this idea from the YT channel "Not just bikes", which is awesome and which I'm sure many people here know already)

harrier6

About two years ago my first car, a 90's Honda, started falling apart through the suspension. Boston potholes were taking their toll. After trying to save some money by doing mechanical work myself, I threw in the towel and started riding to work, then about 4-5 miles away. I still have something to wrench on now, and I'd much rather spend my hard-earned money on bike parts than ball joints or whatever.

4130NewJersey

Like most people in New Jersey I've had a car since I was 17, but for the last almost eight years my wife and I have lived in a town that was very walkable and bikeable and is on the train line that runs 24/7 from South Jersey into Philly. Earlier this year we traded in her SUV for a Subaru and then just a few days ago I sold my SUV outright so now we're a one car family. Honestly, I don't notice much of a difference in our lives as I was walking or riding most places already, and I take the train to work. She does drive to work as her company's building is not accessible any other way. On the weekends we basically go everywhere together, and if one of us needs the car alone than the other person just makes due. My truck had barely moved in the last year or so anyway....transitioning to only owning a single car for the two of us just seems so freeing.

vahtreb

wish I could but a 350km commute is a bit too much, love the idea though !

foothillbilly

I had a mini-truck for a couple of months in 2017. Other than that, since 2012. My views haven't changed much. A car/truck/SUV is very convenient for longer trips, but I can't afford it, don't enjoy it, and I've acquired a bit of fear about driving by watching traffic from a bus seat. Also, I don't get much exercise when I own a car.

Tommygunxs

In europe and in the larger cities it is commen that people dont have cars, I use my bike everwhere but I have a car, i will allways have a car, and I live in a large swedish town but own my parkinlot (in europens towns there is oftan a big problem to find a parkinglot, the politician dont want people to have cars so by remove all parkinglots they make it really hard to have a car.) The funny fact is I live in gothenburg who is depending on the volvo factories to sell cars, but the politician in gothenburg dont want to have cars in gothenburg.

rossiny

Yeah like Japan sell millions of cars, but has the bullit trains and transit ..

Alan K

If I was living and working in Manhattan, I’d be car free but in many other places, it is not practically possible to be completely free of cars.
Personally, I see no problem in owning and using cars responsibility. Every year we go camping somewhere, often in places where we cannot go by any other means than cars. Of course, the hardcore bicyclists might argue that I could reach there in a month if I ride 80-100 miles a day. But that would be far more than what I’m willing to do.
On the other hand, I have commuted on a bicycle for many decades. The only time, I stopped using a bicycle when the temp went below -10F. Even when there was more than 12-15 inches of snow that came early in the morning and the city didn’t quite get around to shovel the snow, I could ride my bike to work, albeit very slowly. Majority of the rest of the people didn’t show up until much later than I.

In a family of four, we have had as many as six cars for different purposes. Now there are two of us and have 3 vehicles - again, for very specific reasons, and far too many bicycles, of which at least one gets used every day! 😉

RavenBiker86

I haven’t got a drivers license and I haven’t even learned to drive and I am not really that interested as I prefer to get about either on two wheels or two feet and get fit at the same told. I pity those car driver, the expense they pay for the car, its mot, insurance, road tax and the fuel. Hell No! I paid something like £300 for my bike and it’s doing its job. all I have to worry about are the flat tyres and minor adjustments. Plus I wanna get some mods eventually such as a safe place a mobile phone.