Finally found a solution
So I had to start driving again six months ago when my infant daughter started daycare, because of needing to be able to pick her up and just because of schedule as my work commute is about twenty miles. My truck just broke down and I managed to find a bike and bus and train route that gets me to the train station close to her daycare in reasonable time where I can grab my wifes car from the parking lot, pick her up, then get back to the station and pick my wife up.
It's not exactly car free but at least I managed to find a way to avoid having to be tethered to my gas guzzling ford f150 on a daily basis. I guess sometimes you have to be forced into finding creative solutions. |
Originally Posted by benajah
(Post 12059179)
So I had to start driving again six months ago when my infant daughter started daycare, because of needing to be able to pick her up and just because of schedule as my work commute is about twenty miles. My truck just broke down and I managed to find a bike and bus and train route that gets me to the train station close to her daycare in reasonable time where I can grab my wifes car from the parking lot, pick her up, then get back to the station and pick my wife up.
It's not exactly car free but at least I managed to find a way to avoid having to be tethered to my gas guzzling ford f150 on a daily basis. I guess sometimes you have to be forced into finding creative solutions. |
They might have to use more than two bikes. It seems as if bike theft is pretty high in China so a locked bike may or may not be there when someone gets back for it. To their credit they have put together a task force to curb some of the 4 million bikes that are stolen every year.
http://www.china.org.cn/english/China/201124.htm If I were still commuting I think a folder would be a good idea as well. Where I go it goes. |
Ive never actually ridden a folder. I know a lot of people who are very happy with theirs though.
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Originally Posted by benajah
(Post 12059179)
So I had to start driving again six months ago when my infant daughter started daycare, because of needing to be able to pick her up and just because of schedule as my work commute is about twenty miles. My truck just broke down and I managed to find a bike and bus and train route that gets me to the train station close to her daycare in reasonable time where I can grab my wifes car from the parking lot, pick her up, then get back to the station and pick my wife up.
It's not exactly car free but at least I managed to find a way to avoid having to be tethered to my gas guzzling ford f150 on a daily basis. I guess sometimes you have to be forced into finding creative solutions. Aaron :) |
Originally Posted by benajah
(Post 12059179)
It's not exactly car free but at least I managed to find a way to avoid having to be tethered to my gas guzzling ford f150 on a daily basis. I guess sometimes you have to be forced into finding creative solutions.
:) |
It all sounds like a multi-level video game. Nice job on the ingenuity. I wonder what will be thrown at you for the next level?
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Originally Posted by wahoonc
(Post 12059955)
Looks like to me you found an equitable solution. Unfortunately in the US mass transit is a poor to non available option, and with the car centric sprawl being able to get about with minimal car use is a huge challenge but is great when you figure out a way to do it.
Aaron :) For me, a bike commute is 2 hours each way after factoring in changing clothes, traffic, etc and tacking that onto a 10 or 11 hour workday doesn't leave a lot of time to be a dad. You have to be a two income family because it is just too expensive, and to top it off, most places where the economy is in good shape are much the same, Which right now seems to be just DC and SF. My dad is a baby boomer, Vietnam vet draftee, working class guy, growing up we owned our home and always had plenty money on just his salary and when we were visiting for Christmas he straight up told me he thinks my generation has it harder and actually feels sorry for my kids generation. We are just never going to have it as good as they did. |
Most Americans couldn't imagine life without driving everywhere.
Congrats on finding a cool solution. |
Thanks. I hate driving, truly hate it.
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Originally Posted by benajah
(Post 12064849)
My dad is a baby boomer... We are just never going to have it as good as they did.
Boomer retirements are going to be a lot more frugal than most people expect. Going car free is part of my own retirement solution but unfortunately I don't think many other Boomers are ready to do that. |
Originally Posted by benajah
(Post 12064849)
I have to be honest, I used to bad mouth it but having a kid and a demanding career and living out in the suburbs I see why so many people end up the huge SUV crowd. In the SF Bay Area for a even decent public school education you have to live out in the suburbs where you just don't have a three mile bike commute or a subway tunnel right out the door.
For me, a bike commute is 2 hours each way after factoring in changing clothes, traffic, etc and tacking that onto a 10 or 11 hour workday doesn't leave a lot of time to be a dad. You have to be a two income family because it is just too expensive, and to top it off, most places where the economy is in good shape are much the same, Which right now seems to be just DC and SF. My dad is a baby boomer, Vietnam vet draftee, working class guy, growing up we owned our home and always had plenty money on just his salary and when we were visiting for Christmas he straight up told me he thinks my generation has it harder and actually feels sorry for my kids generation. We are just never going to have it as good as they did. With the loss of wealth in the US many of the Baby Boomers that had planned to retire and move somewhere comfortable, probably aren't going to be able to. So now they are stuck in a car centric hell. Aaron :) |
Originally Posted by wahoonc
(Post 12065199)
...I am wonder what is going to happen when the baby boomers start hitting into their 70's and can no longer get a license?...So what happens when Ma and Pa that live in NW Suburbia can no longer drive and the nearest store is 15 miles away?...With the loss of wealth in the US many of the Baby Boomers that had planned to retire and move somewhere comfortable, probably aren't going to be able to. So now they are stuck in a car centric hell.
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No figures to back this up, but my observation is that more boomers are carfree than Generation X folks.
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Originally Posted by Roody
(Post 12067253)
No figures to back this up, but my observation is that more boomers are carfree than Generation X folks.
Life mellows a bit later on when the kids grow up, you are more established in your career, maybe not as tight a routine schedule, where it is easier to be car free. |
Originally Posted by Platy
(Post 12066333)
In the year 2025 ... young people afraid to ride their bikes into the far suburban Boomer infested ghettos ... scary old folks cruising slowly around the neighborhood in their banged up antique hi-riders, knocking over garbage cans and playing oldies rock tunes at max volume ... pooling their gas money and remaining peripheral vision to drive around running errands ... McMansions going for about a dollar but no one can afford the taxes and maintenance ... medicare basically reduced to a choice between hospice and medicinal marijuana ... mom and dad out in the backyard growing their medicines ... Social Security now basically a big bag of munchies left on the doorstep every week ... no riots as long as the Internet stays up...Just kidding, of course.
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Originally Posted by benajah
(Post 12064849)
My dad is a baby boomer, Vietnam vet draftee, working class guy, growing up we owned our home and always had plenty money on just his salary and when we were visiting for Christmas he straight up told me he thinks my generation has it harder and actually feels sorry for my kids generation. We are just never going to have it as good as they did.
In my case, there was plenty of money for vacations, clothing, food etc once the car was taken away by the junker. |
Originally Posted by Dahon.Steve
(Post 12074171)
The reasons Americans can't save today is because they are spending it on transportation. Motorized transport. If you're on the edge of survival, not having a car can be the difference between having food on the table or not.
In my case, there was plenty of money for vacations, clothing, food etc once the car was taken away by the junker. Funny thing is, back in the early 20th century, nearly every city of any size had a good robust trolley or streetcar system, but the car companies bought out the systems to make room for car culture. |
Originally Posted by Roody
(Post 12067253)
No figures to back this up, but my observation is that more boomers are carfree than Generation X folks.
We're working on it. The DMV is not helping the situation, though. They have a more "hands off" approach. There's plenty of family support to revoke his license. |
^ Maybe he's a little old to be called a boomer? Semantics. My grandmother just got her license renewed at 90, just had to do an eye exam. She passed, but she's always complaining about her cataracts, so I wonder how well she can really see.
My wife's granfather is 94 and lives alone in the middle of Lyon, France and he can walk out his door and go to the market, grocery store, doctor, and have just about anything he needs. I'd venture to guess that he rarely leaves his little 10-block radius world. If he lived in the burbs in the US he would not be able to live alone, plain and simple. I disagree that only people in SF or NYC are car free and in their mid 30s. Sure there are not a lot, but they're out there, how many of us on this forum are under 30? Wasn't there a poll sometime back? |
Originally Posted by zoltani
(Post 12075970)
^ Maybe he's a little old to be called a boomer? Semantics. My grandmother just got her license renewed at 90, just had to do an eye exam. She passed, but she's always complaining about her cataracts, so I wonder how well she can really see.
My wife's granfather is 94 and lives alone in the middle of Lyon, France and he can walk out his door and go to the market, grocery store, doctor, and have just about anything he needs. I'd venture to guess that he rarely leaves his little 10-block radius world. If he lived in the burbs in the US he would not be able to live alone, plain and simple. I disagree that only people in SF or NYC are car free and in their mid 30s. Sure there are not a lot, but they're out there, how many of us on this forum are under 30? Wasn't there a poll sometime back? What does his housing cost to live in Lyon? In Paris if you can't afford to buy and have to rent you have to make 4 times your rent a month just to rent. At least that is what they have been telling us on a home buying realestate program my wife watches almost every night. |
He bought his flat a long time ago....I'm sure he owns it outright now, but probably pays some HOA fees of some kind. Also remember he happened to have retired during the glory days of french retirement, plus he was a teacher, and they have great pensions typically.
They don't have the same kind of credit report system as the USA so you usually have to show up with your last 3 months of bills from your old place. Oh, and have a cosigner, even if you are 30+ your mommy and daddy will have to cosign for you. You can imagine what a PITA that is. Not sure about making 4 times your rent, wasn't the case for us. Maybe that changes if you don't have a cosigner. BTW after living at home for the past two months I can say that I absolutely hate HGTV and everything house hunter/virgin owner/whatever show, what a load of ****. Unfortunately my mom loves that crap. |
Originally Posted by zoltani
(Post 12080183)
He bought his flat a long time ago....I'm sure he owns it outright now, but probably pays some HOA fees of some kind. Also remember he happened to have retired during the glory days of french retirement, plus he was a teacher, and they have great pensions typically.
They don't have the same kind of credit report system as the USA so you usually have to show up with your last 3 months of bills from your old place. Oh, and have a cosigner, even if you are 30+ your mommy and daddy will have to cosign for you. You can imagine what a PITA that is. Not sure about making 4 times your rent, wasn't the case for us. Maybe that changes if you don't have a cosigner. BTW after living at home for the past two months I can say that I absolutely hate HGTV and everything house hunter/virgin owner/whatever show, what a load of ****. Unfortunately my mom loves that crap. Never been found of HGTV myself though I used to love Ground force where they came in and redid peoples yards. Still they have a program about foreign real-estate and I have noticed that buying a home in much of Europe is a PITA if you can even afford to do so. Prices are as high as or higher than NYC and most times people make far less per capita than we do. The difference was the people moving tonight were moving from Canada to France because the husband had taken a position in Paris. The downtown prices were outrageous and there was simply no way convenience could make up the difference between living in Paris and moving out to one of the Suburbs. At least they have light rail for commuting into town. But they did say that if you decided to rent you would have to prove you made 4 times more than the rent. At $1700 a month that would be $6800 a month wages. That’s more than 81K a year. Way above the average French wages. I guess I could look it up but I am not interested in moving to France. |
Originally Posted by Robert Foster
(Post 12080334)
But they did say that if you decided to rent you would have to prove you made 4 times more than the rent. At $1700 a month that would be $6800 a month wages. That’s more than 81K a year. Way above the average French wages. I guess I could look it up but I am not interested in moving to France. [/SIZE]
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