having trouble
 

I am having trouble wanting to drive sometimes to run errands. Does the living car free/lite lifestyle get easier over time?

I had the same problem of wanting to use the car for ridiculous purposes. My solution was to get rid of the car totally.

If you're the type of person who has a tendency to prefer to drive over ride a bike, but really wishes that you would just feel like riding all the time, it might be a good idea to set some rules for yourself.

For example, you could only give yourself permission to drive if....

It's raining hard,
Temperatures drop below 5degrees Celcius,
it's over 25 km, etc.

For me, I hardly ever drive. I ride my bike everywhere. However, my hubby drives us places on the weekend at times so that is my out;)

I've never really gone car free/lite without other major changes (leaving the state/country, change of jobs, leaving behind a social network and building a new one). I've always found car free/lite to be much easier to adjust to than going the other way. I've been living where I am now for almost two years and I'm still not used to driving everywhere. When you're walking/biking you are constantly discovering things that you just pass by when driving. I was always making mental notes to check this or that out when I had a chance. It's very seldom I do that any longer. Part of it does come down to this being the first genuinely boring place I've ever lived. I'm sure there are interesting things out there, but they are so far and few between it isn't worth it. It's also a pain in the butt to go north/south because the thoroughfares are all narrow and full of zombie drivers moving along at 45-55 mph. I can get to the grocery store (2 miles) and the nearest mega strip mall (5 miles). Anywhere else (movie theater, downtown, malls aka Barnes & Nobles, etc) I have to go way out of my way and through crack head central or be run over by zombie drivers. The weather sucks. Six months out of the year its over 90 which relegates you to snail pace if you don't want to show up drenched in sweat. Where you live matters. My hats off to anyone that could pull off car-lite here.

Even in Marysville, WA (suburb 40 miles north of Seattle) where I lived for the first few months it wasn't terribly difficult. Getting around in Marysville was a pain, but I didn't really have errands as I was living with family friends until I got my own apartment. Once I found a job and an apartment in Seattle I really had no need for a car. I barely used the car from the time when I drove it up from California (loaded down with stuff) until I sold it around two months later. Davis, CA, was the same way. Basically I used the car to drive home a few weekends a month and sometimes to get groceries although I usually pick those up on the way home from school. I hated moving the car because it meant losing my parking space which would mean running groceries up while double parking and hoping the University parking zealots didn't ticket you. And then driving around for 15 minutes looking for a parking spot less than a mile away.

Everytime you think of driving, picture yourself pulling up to the gas pump. That should make cycling much more apealing.

Driving is an addiction. It's really no different than tobacco or alcohol. It's going to be tough to get it under control. Some people can have a car available and use it quite sparingly. Others will be so intent on their next "fix" that they will invent excuses to sit on the motorized couch. I guess you just have to figure out who's in charge, you or the car.

I was car-free for the first 27 years of my life. When I first got a car I gained weight rather quickly because I rode less. I caught on to that quickly and became more car-lite. Now I'm more car-lite than ever. All I have to do is think about how much weight I've lost over the past 10 months from riding (especially uphill), the money I'm saving in maintenance, insurance, and gas, and the fact that I don't have to deal with panhandlers at the gas station as often. That keeps me out of the truck unless I want to haul my road bike up to the foothills or mountains to do some climbing. If I lived in the Bay Area or another area with hills really close, I'd be car-free.

Get a safe deposit box at a local bank. Put your car keys in there.

Or freeze them in a big block of ice in your freezer. (also works with credit cards)

Are you doing the bicycle thing because you think you should be doing it? If so, it'll never work. If, at the bottom of your heart, you'd rather be driving a car, then drive. There are times when I drive, but it's never my preference; in fact, when I do need to drive, I kind of resent it.

I remember one time I was driving, I saw some bicyclists and I was so jealous.

But then I have a long history of owning motor vehicles and letting them sit on some small pretense while I ride my bicycle.

I disagree with this somewhat. You could really enjoy driving a car, but decide not to use it on short ( or any) trips for ethical reasons.

{Edit** We don't talk a lot about this here, but, if you stop to think about it, there is a strong moral side to not driving. Although, morality seems to be a taboo subject these days. :)

Here lately I have been extremely tired. I am attributing it to me not wanting to ride. I am not sure why I've been so tired but it seems like I cannot catch up on sleep. Also my legs have been sore but I have laid off training hoping they would quit hurting. Not sure what's going on with my body right now but it's not cool. I'm hoping this quits soon so I can get back to my regular self.

Think it has anything to do with the recent change to daylight saving? It always takes me a few days to adjust.

It'll get easier, usually, but like Roody, the best way for me was to get rid of the car.