No Car, No Problem: The Benefits of Car-Free Living

[marmar]

via AlterNet:



YES! Magazine / By Orion Kriegman

No Car, No Problem: The Benefits of Car-Free Living
How one man's choice to live car-free brought him more in touch with his neighbors, his community, and himself.

April 12, 2010 |


On cold rainy days in February, when my shoes are soaked and my legs are damp, I often find myself wondering, “Why did I decide to live without a car?"

Growing up as a teenager in the suburbs, I believed cars were a source of independence. Yet, over the years, I've come to see cars as a symptom of cultural sickness. In college, I decided to save money by not purchasing a car and found that I also escaped worries of shoveling the snow from around its tires, finding parking, and arguing with mechanics. Now, when parents or friends offer me their used vehicles, I turn them down, preferring to avoid the hassle of ownership.

Cecilia Kingman, a minister who convened a Common Security Club in her church, notes that her decision to live with out a car, “always draws curious comments.” Yet she managed to raise two children as a single mother without one.

Kingman's children now say that growing up without a car not only brought their family closer together, but also helped them develop a more relaxed schedule, environmental consciousness, and a strong sense of their own independence and capability. “They learned to take public transportation at an early age, and by middle school could get all over town on their own,” she says. .......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/environment/146422/_no_car%2C_no_problem%3A_the_benefits_of_car-free_living

[hobbit709]

1. Prime requisite: A decent public transportation system.

If you live somewhere where public transportation is pitiful or nonexistent, you're SOL.

[tazkcmo]

3. Certainly does help.

Not living in BFE also helps. I don't use any public transportation because of where I chose to live it's really not needed. But that's my example and I do agree it makes it much easier to let go of that car but it is not a requisite. For Americans especially the "prime requisite" is an understanding that it's a real life style change. We've been brought up to equate "car" with "freedom" so it may be difficult to imagine your life without one.

Without basic public transportation it's not feasible to live 30 miles away from work or food or other essential resources so you may need to move or ride a bicycle. It may not be "easy", it does require change and effort and adaptation. It's a new way of living for most of us so it does take a commitment.

[peace frog]

4. Bingo

I live in what is called a 'rural residential' area, meaning there is no public transportation available to those who want to try living vehicle-free. Plus, my job is more than 30 miles from my home so that pretty much clinches it.

[Berry Cool]

6. I will wager that if you had not had a car to begin with, you would not have accepted that job.

That's another thing you do with car-free living: you rule out taking jobs that will require you to own a car, and you rule out potential homes in your town where there's no public transportation options nearby. This will come as a shock to many, but there are a lot of jobs out there, and a lot of places you can live, that make public commuting possible. It's a matter of choosing those places and those jobs rather than having the whole universe of jobs and living places open to you. So yes, it's limiting in that sense, but the thing is, there are jobs still located on public transportation lines. Good ones, too.

[hobbit709]

9. Sometimes AFFORDABLE living is miles from decent jobs.

Here in Austin, the jobs in my field where at one end of town where the average rent/house payment at the time was $1500+/mo. Where I lived it was lees than half that-our house payment was under $500/mo.

[stray cat]

15. Must have a job that one can get practically anywhere and with lots of vacancies?

[peace frog]

16. Not at all true

My job is highly specialized and confined to postsecondary colleges and universities. Given that in this rural area there is only one public college, and that I have been a public employee for 20+ years, this would be the only job I could expect to find without moving to another region of the state.

[Berry Cool]

27. Is there no public transportation available to your campus?

That's a pity. Most college campuses have public transportation so the students, if no one else, can get around on it.

[peace frog]

33. Nope

Where we live it's drive, pedal, walk or bum a ride.

[One_Life_To_Give]

21. Jobs can depend upon Education and Specialty

A Forensic Accountant, Aerospace Engineer, Tool and Die Maker, Aircraft Mechanic and many others can't find competitive job offers in every community. For some it's a question of which country to live in. Marriage can make matters worse. Where it can mean that one or the other will have to take a significant cut just to live in the same dwelling as their partner.

[Berry Cool]

5. Make that "nonexistent" and you're closer to the truth.

I've lived in places where public transportation was pitiful and still made it without a car. In fact, I wouldn't say it's great where I live now, and it's getting worse, but I still make it. The social pressure on me to get a car is, however, very strong. Generally, if you live in this part of the country and you don't drive or own a car, you're looked upon as a person who has somehow never quite grown up and become self-reliant. Which I think is hilarious, because these same people absolutely go hysterical and dependent when their cars break down.

I think the real reason many people don't think their public transportation is a real option is because they imagine it to be teeming with unpleasant people they'd have to ride with: criminals, crazy people, destitute homeless people who don't bathe. But the truth is, although everyone who takes public transportation has a horror story to tell, it's not like that every day. I have taken many utterly uneventful rides in my day.

The worst things about public transportation are waiting for broken-down vehicles that never arrive and waiting in the cold/heat with no shelter or protection. Also, missing connections because of the stupid way the schedules are constructed and thus having to wait an hour just for a transfer, because some idiot never had it occur to him that someone might want to transfer from Point A to Point B in a smooth, timely fashion.

The problem is, as Americans we're too in love with our cars and addicted to the "freedom" of personal transportation. Not every part of the country is suited for it, but many parts of it could be a public transportation paradise if only we were willing as taxpayers to make the infrastructure investment. But no, we'd rather spend enormous amounts of money on cars, insurance, gasoline and highways. IF we allow our government to tax us at all, that is. And teabaggers would certainly rather not be taxed for anything. If they must be taxed, they'd rather be taxed for the right to drive their gas guzzlers than to have to ride "socialist" public transportation.

Edited to add: Supermarket shopping and shopping for large items is also often a pain. But that's in part because of the way we have become a country oriented around the car. Our biggest shopping centers and supermarkets are designed for the comfort of drivers. Even the supermarket cashiers bag your groceries assuming you'll drive them home, meaning they use way more bags than they need to.

[hobbit709]

7. Austin's Capital Metro is allegedly decent.

My last real job involved driving from South Austin to far North Austin to work a 12 hour shift. This involved a 45+ minute drive at 4:30 PM on Mopac to work. At 6AM it was less than 15 minutes back home. I checked into the bus schedule. A minimum of 2 1/2 hours each way, assuming everything was on time with a 3/4 mile walk from my house to the bus stop and a 1/2 mile walk at the other end and two bus changes. so my work day would have been at least 17 hours long. With the complications from my diabetes, that walk would not have been easy.
The bus used to come down my street, then they changed the route. It now comes down a street a half mile from here. Then they changed the stops from every corner to designated stops only. The nearest designated stop was another quarter mile in one direction or the other from where I could walk the shortest distance from my street to that one one.

Needless to say, my attitude at that point was screw it-I'm driving.

[Altoid_Cyclist]

12. "You're looked upon as a person who has somehow never quite grown up and become self-reliant."

That reminds me of an incident that happened to three of us (all in our 40's at the time) out for a ride one day. We were riding single file as far to the right (I hate saying that I am ever to the right!) as possible on a four lane 25 MPH section of road. I looked back and noticed that there was a car within inches of my back wheel. She finally went around us and of course had to lay on the horn and almost brush us with her car.

When we pulled up beside her at the next light we let her know that she was rather rude and that she didn't really gain anything by almost hitting us. Her response echoed what you pointed out....

As she took off when the light turned green she yelled out what was possibly the most inane remark (out of countless examples) that I've heard on my bike.
Why don't you guys grow up and buy a car?
Wow...that really stung us to the core!

We responded that we didn't want to end up looking like her (very overweight). I can see her as a prime Tea Bagger fan.

[Berry Cool]

28. Typical American attitude.

"Bikes are just toys for kids. When you grow up, you drive a car...at least, you do if you're NORMAL."

[Altoid_Cyclist]

35. Just call me Abby Normal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQ_pKqiB5Rg&NR=1


I just hope that I can recover sufficiently from my latest MI and get back on the bike this Summer. If I can, then I'm proud to be considered not normal by the locals.

This town was once voted as the laziest place in America. It was described as the best place to purchase a La-Z-Boy recliner and pork rinds or something like that.

[customerserviceguy]

11. 99.9% of of the land mass of America

is without effective public transportation. This just sounds like another attempt for city dwellers to see if they can lay a guilt trip on everybody else who needs to get around.

[Nihil]

19. 99.9% of the body mass of America ...

... are also "without" public transportation ... hence the "demand" for
such large vehicles over there ...
:P

[Berry Cool]

29. I am not trying to "lay a guilt trip."

I am trying to maybe make a country rethink its priorities.

[Tesha]

18. That's not all that true.

Background: Mr. Tesha and I live at the border of
suburbia and exurbia. Literally. Draw a line from
Southwest to Northeast through our house, and
on one side of that line, you're in the BosWash
megalopolis. But walk out of our house the other
way, and starting at our backyard, you're in forests
and fields for hundreds of miles if you wish.

We used to consider a car essential. Then, Mr. Tesha
was laid-off and found himself with time on his hands,
so he started walking. Everywhere. Now, he routinely
walks the four mile roundtrip to the grocery store and
returns with 30 pounds of groceries in the pack on his
back. Or he walks the eight mile roundtrip to our
favorite farm stand. He walks to his doctors and to
either of several Post Office branches. He does this in
the winter when it's fifteen degrees outside and in the
summer when it's eighty-five.

And remember, we live in the outermost fringes of
suburbia-trending-to-exurbia.

Oh sure, some trips to the homegoods store still must
be made in a vehicle; it's hard to carry 2x4s or sheets
of drywall on your back, but it's getting to the point where
we could rent a vehicle for those few occasions and still
be way ahead expense-wise.

Our great car sin is that his new job forces him to commute
62 miles round-trip every day. If his bosses let him tele-
commute (which is entirely feasible for the work that he
does), we'd certainly jettison at least one of our cars.

Bottom line: even in American suburbia, walking is a lot
more practical than we give it credit for being.

Tesha

P.S.: Since he was laid-off, Mr. Tesha has lost about
forty-five pounds! Carrying home all those groceries on
his back has had another very-tangible benefit!

[tazkcmo]

2. That's me.

I sold my car about a year ago. No gas. No Insurance payments. No property taxes. No maintenance. No inspection stickers. No DMV waiting lines. I do not regret the decision.

Certainly not a life style that suits everyone but it fits me just fine. I live close to work as well as a grocery store and entertainment venues. I enjoy the freedom of not being burdened with the expense of the vehicle or worrying about it's security from theft or a safe place to park it. If you can swing it, go for it.

[exboyfil]

8. Not doable for my family but

I sure would like to go down to one car. My car sits in the parking lot all day at work anyway. When I retire I will definitely go down to one car (I actually could survive without one but not my wife).

[Nihil]

20. It's a good start for sure ...

> I sure would like to go down to one car. My car sits in the parking lot
> all day at work anyway. When I retire I will definitely go down to one car
> (I actually could survive without one but not my wife).

We went down to one car a few years ago (when I got my current job) as there
was absolutely no point in paying for a second that would just sit in a car park
at the station for most of the time (and outside the house for most of the
rest of it).

I commute ~54 miles each way (door to door) but 50 of them are by train.
It is only the 3-4 between the station and the house that is a pain - a pleasant
enough walk home in good weather (even in the snow FWIW) but the British weather
does not encourage one to do that first thing in the morning for most of the
year and - like you - my wife still requires a car most days so a single
efficient car is definitely our best option.

Do I expect everyone to do it? No.
Do I recommend it to those who can? Yes.
:shrug:

[mikehiggins]

10. I live in NYC.

That should say it all. Now, if I want to piss away a couple of grand a month, I'll find a convenient hole to drop it in. Having a car is great for the few minutes/hours per day you are behind the wheel. The rest of the time it is so expensive that it is little more than a millstone around the neck.

[NNadir]

38. One of the greatest transit systems in the world. Hopefully Republicans won't destroy it.

I took a minivacation in New York last week with my wife and boys, and we all loved the subways and NJ transit.

Our Repuke governor here in New Jersey however is doing his best to destroy mass transit.

Typical.

[ixion]

13. I lived without a car for more than a decade...

it was a much simpler life in many ways, although at times it became very complicated, logistically speaking.

[stray cat]

14. Easy to do in Manhattan - a little more difficult many places - the 17 mile walk to work is rough

Also if you work long hours and late hours - that 3 AM walk gets even harder - especially if you need to get back in the next morning. its easier to be self-righteous in some parts of the country than others

[zipplewrath]

17. Chicken and egg

Many public transportation systems are inadequate predominately because the potential base of users "needlessly" owns a car. Even more specific, many areas develop around the presumption of large vehicle ownership. I live in such an area where the population distribution makes no sense, unless of course you're a housing developer. Manhattan is absurdly dense, but the larger DC metro area also has fairly decent public transport at much lower population densities.

[Berry Cool]

30. I am not being "self-righteous."

I am trying to get a country to rethink its addiction to private transportation. I would like to see more public transportation at least as a viable alternative.

It has nothing to do with self-righteousness. On the contrary, it has to do with me being sick of being regarded as a child because I don't have a car.

[Terry in Austin]

22. The comment thread on that article is interesting

The comments showed a lot of fear and hostility about the prospect of arranging your life so you don't "need" a car. Gotta wonder what's up with that.

Apparently, if you pick a place to live where going without a car is inconvenient, that choice is a given -- end of discussion.

My suggestion to the contrary got roundly pounced!

We're in a bad way, with this all-consuming car jones. Makes even the "cold dead fingers" gun crowd seem wishy-washy.

[Ratty]

23. I've never owned a car but I don't gloat about it

I'm lucky enough to live within bicycle-riding distance to work and lots of places to shop. I'm healthy, have no kids and live in a region with excellent public transportation. I don't particularly like to drive and parking around here is nigh impossible anyway. I know most others legitimately need cars, I happen not to need one. Grocery shopping usually isn't a problem, I can hang a lot of groceries on my handlebars. I love watermelon in the summer but really can't swing something that big and heavy on my bike so usually do without until I can hitch a ride with somebody else who does have a car (another reason I don't gloat: I'm perfectly happy to leech off other people who DO have cars). I live alone and worry about what might happen if I needed to go to the hospital. I'm in the process of looking for a new place to live and that's really been a pain without a car.

When people learn I've never owned a car they usually say something like good for you, you're helping the environment. But really, it's just a whole lot simpler and cheaper to do without one around here and I hate driving anyway.

[Berry Cool]

31. Who's gloating?

All anyone is doing here is saying that contrary to popular belief, it can be done. And we get accused of "gloating." Sheesh.

[Ratty]

36. I never accused anybody of gloating.

You're taking offense where none was given.

[XemaSab]

24. When I didn't have a car I spend a lot of time cadging rides from friends

I really, really like having a car. :)

[hunter]

25. It's always interesting when I here people "need" their car to go to work...

... when it seems they actually need the work to support their car.

Subtract out all the hours spent commuting, and all the costs of the car -- gasoline, maintenance, insurance, everything -- and you'll often find the jobs you can reach without a car are better than the jobs you must drive too.

I've personally never experienced the "freedom" of a car. Cars are very limited in the places they can go and the places you can leave them. Sealed inside a car, driving down the highway, people are oblivious to their fellow travelers and the reality of their surroundings.

Worse in some ways, whenever you drive you are forced by law to wear a license and carry your "papers." Your drivers license is the de facto internal passport of the USA.

If I'm walking down the street in a city, or across the desert, or along the beach, if I'm walking anywhere, I am who I say I am and I am free to come and go as I please. I fully experience the world around me. I can interact with my fellow travelers and the people who live in the places I am traveling through. That's a kind of freedom many people attached to cars have never enjoyed. Cars disconnect us from our humanity and enslave us.

[bemildred]

26. It is kind of stunning the amount of money you can save when you don't have a car. nt

[kestrel91316]

32. I'm car-free in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. It started out

when my elderly car got stolen, but now it is more like a social experiment and point of pride with me that I can get along fine without one.

Is it inconvenient? Yes, at times. But I have lost 18 lb and look great, and feel great. And I made it through the winter rains just fine, even though in the middle of our worst weather I also had a really awful respiratory infection.

I will replace the car one of these days, but I have already determined that for everyday I will still walk/bike/use mass transit, and only use the car for shopping hauls and going places I can't get to on transit.

[bhikkhu]

34. Such as a higher standard of living, I've found

I don't take public transport, as we don't have much of a transit system here, but I commute and run my errands by bicycle. It was a bit of a forced financial decision (two years ago), but once done it has been fantastic - I'm in great shape, we save enough money to actually balance our budget, and I enjoy doing things and going out much more than before.

Funny how much better life can be when do tthe things you have to do to adjust to circumstances.

[One_Life_To_Give]

37. Take the Bus to get the Fire Truck?

I grew up in a smallish, 20,000 person town in central Connecticut. Still many of those towns rely on Volunteer fire and ambulance service. Provided frequently by the dependents of previous volunteers. Now I am getting an image of 40 people running to catch a bus because somebodies Thanksgiving turkey caught fire in the oven. Numerically volunteer firefighters outnumber their career counterparts by 10 to 1. In terms of square miles covered it's far higher.


For some people in some places public transportation works. In others it means fundamental changes on a scale that is almost unimaginable.