Carless? In the suburbs? On purpose?
 

I know there are lots of people who are carless for various reasons. I also know that many people in the city are carless because it just makes sense.

For me, I've been dreaming of a small, fuel efficient car but even the current ones on the market are kind of disappointing to me. I figure if I wait a few years, a lot more options will show up.

I recently got something in the mail though that shows a light rail plan right near my house. I'm very excited about it although I'm sure it'll be a few years before it comes to fruition. Just the plan though made me excited about the thought of being carless while living in the suburbs. Of course we wouldn't totally be carless because we'd have 1 car between my husband and myself.

Of course since my husband and I are both kind of wanderers, I'm doubting we will still be here by the time the light rail is built and functional.

So, I was wondering, who else has dreams of being carless? I can't be the only one, can I?

i would love to shoot the car.

unfortunately it's totally impractical.

for now.

isolde

my DH and I only have the 1 car. He gets around mostly by bike, and one of my mini-goals is to be able to ride my bike to work again. I did it last year, but then gained a whole bunch of weight back and couldn't do it anymore. When I was riding my bike to work, I would even stop at the store on my way home and do grocery shopping via bike. The car would go the whole week without being used and we'd just take it out on weekends for long drives to visit family & friends.

They've been expanding light rail here, but, I'm not seeing much hope of it very close to my area. I've been trying to figure out the bus system lately and would love to be able to use it. In this part of the country everyone is pretty reliant on autos. I don't really see that changing too soon.

I would love to move into one of the walking neighborhoods that have started developing here in a couple of years once the youngest is out of school.

I cannot even imagine my life without a car. People who live in large cities live their lives using public transportation and their feet. How do they shop for a family? It would have to be a meal or a day at a time...

I would love to not have a car. I'm not sure how practical that would be right now, but I have hope for the future. As it is, DH and I only have the one car. We live close enough to his work that he can walk.

We also live in an area that has several zip cars, so that may be an option for us in the future. We both want to start biking more too, but I have to have a car for my current job (I run errands for work a lot.)

DW and I share 1 car. It goes with her to work (I work from home), so during the day, all errands I need to run are on foot or on my bicycle. And I do...go to the grocery store, go to the library, pick up prescriptions, whatever.

It does take some manipulation (for example, my shoulder is out right now, so our groceries were too heavy for me to carry home - had DW stop on her way home to pick me up at the grocery after walking there, which meant no additional gas since it was on her route home...that does take coordination), and it can be inconvenient at times (when the shoulder injury happened, I ended up having to wait for DW to get home with the car before being able to go to urgent care), but I mostly enjoy the extra walking/riding exercise, and I enjoy even more the lack of car payment/insurance for a second car.

I walked to the grocery store quite a bit last year and am starting to again this year. Luckily, I got a pulled behind cart to carry the stuff home. I messed up once and bought too many items in jars. I won't make that mistake again.

Originally Posted by Chelby29:
I cannot even imagine my life without a car. People who live in large cities live their lives using public transportation and their feet. How do they shop for a family? It would have to be a meal or a day at a time...

You can either carry whatever you have or you can get a cart. Also some people have bikes that have storage to hold stuff.

I don't buy a lot when I go grocery shopping, a couple bags although going to Costco is a bit different. I know someone who lives in the city and rented a zipcar for a trip to Ikea.

I also recently bought a trike which has storage and can hold some stuff but if I was to do more shopping, I'd need to get some side panniers.

My sister just got this GREAT cart...can't find a link but it folds into a very small, light totebag for your walk to the store, then becomes a crazy large cart for hauling your groceries back. Amazing!

When I walk to the store, I shop with a handbasket, instead of a cart. That way, if it starts getting too heavy, I'm aware of it and can start considering the weight I'll be walking with. Every time I get a cart, I buy more than I can comfortably carry home.

I used to be carless for about three years, a couple of months before deciding to get pregnant I bought a car because my office was in another neighborhood plus I needed to be on the run some days, making it by public transportation was not an option. Now my office is a couple of blocks from where I live (is closed for now:() but I keep the car because of my son doctos's appointments. My husband doesn't even drive, he always travels by public transportation.

When I used to walk everywhere I was in better shape, I'm trying to use less and less the car. On weekends we have being walking to the beach instead of taking the car.

Shopping for a family without car? My local supermarket is just a couple of blocks away and I have one of those little carts that you can put your groceries in and push it, the supermarket cart is even ready with some hooks so you can hang the little cart there while you shop. Sure I used to make more trips, but I was in better shape and condition.

I remember meeting a lady in Rock Springs, WY, who was from San Fransisco and she was just learning how to drive at the age of 28. I couldn't believe it. She said she had been using public trans her whole life. I can't think of any cities, even Casper or Cheyenne, in WY that you could get by in w/o a car.

Originally Posted by nelie:
So, I was wondering, who else has dreams of being carless? I can't be the only one, can I?

Me! I do!

Can't do it yet, but boy do I dream about it.

I think most likely I'd have a little fuel efficient car, so I could visit my parents and siblings easily (who live about 45-60 miles from me, in different directions, or course). But I'd love to do all my daily living on foot, bicycle or public transportation.

I went with my sister the other day to a sporting good store because she was buying a double stroller. They had a bright red bicycle with wooden basket and I was drooling over it. I don't even think it would actually be what I'd need, but it was so cute and quaint.

Right now at least I can walk to work.

I should also say that I actually didn't start driving until I was 23. I didn't feel I needed one until I got out of college and it worked out pretty well. Although I think I gained 30 lbs as soon as I got the car.

My husband came here 14 years ago from Ireland, he was 21 back then he doesn't drive. I came here 5 years ago, back in my country you are driving before 16 because there's no other way...I spent 3 of those 5 without a car and working in different places. I think we are pretty good about not using the car, it's a 2006 and no even 12K miles in two years (bought it in 07').

Had to google Zipcar. That is a neat idea. My grocery store is 15 miles away from home. My office is 10 miles away. When Auston goes to school in the fall, school will be almost 2 miles from home. My mailbox is 1/2 mile from my front door, all downhill. (Down isn't bad, but the trip up is mean!) Carless wouldn't be feasible. If I lived in a small town, or a metro area, I might appreciate being able to walk or use public transportation. The exercise would be great!

I'm carless - never owned a car and haven't driven since I was diagnosed with epilepsy at 18. It takes a bit of organising at times - my office has moved to the other side of the city, which means 2 buses or one bus and a 30 minute walk. And as part of my contract, my employers are responsible for getting me home safely - so if I'm on a shift where I'm working after dark, they'll pay for a taxi home.

Apart from that, I manage. I get groceries online and they're delivered - $12 delivery against a $15 taxi fare. On the odd times I need something to buy something big, my sister is happy to be the taxi driver. We've got an arrangement where I buy her lunch any time she plays taxi driver.

I've thought about getting a bike, but the drivers in this city are all idiots and I'm not that suicidal...

I can't deny that being able to drive would be far more convenient, but I cope. It's amazing what you learn to cope with. And I pay $21 per week for my bus - I'd pay that for parking if I drove and then there's the cost of petrol, maintenence, insurance etc...

I don't think I'd drive, even if I was able to get my licence again.

Carless by choice
 

i thought I was the only odd ball, you've made me feel so good with this thread. I have a few other major financial goals right now so my $20 bus pass is my best friend. The bus/light rail system is average and I live in the burbs. It does take some planning but it isn't too inconvenient. I like walking to the store too, there are a lot of apts and condos in neighborhood so there are lots of other people walking to the store. Next year when i have accomplished my goals I will research a buying a hybrid or move to town where I don't need a car. I am thinking of getting a motor scooter, it would be the best of both worlds, a form a transportation and economical.

I'm carless but I live in the city.. and in Asia. Being without a car is so much more common. I heard that to get your DL here costs about $1000. That's encouragement to utilize the public transit (which is awesome and cheap... 95 cents for the bus and $1-1.25 for the subway).

I always grocery shop with my boyfriend. We can walk to the grocery store and take the bus home. Rarely do we ever have more than two bags each for the week. There's a corner store that we can buy essentials like milk, eggs, bread and fruit throughout the week.

My favorite reasons to not have a car:
- No more car maintenance! I never again have to say "Oh ---, what's that noise?" nor "Do my brakes actually need replacing? And is this a fair price?"
- No road rage! I wasn't really an angry driver but a lot of others were.
- My commute is stress-free... I read, listen to music, relax. Or I walk.
- I could care less about gas prices! No effect on me. Bus fare stays the same and everyone else around me complains.
- Cars the biggest contributor to greenhouse gasses. I can't change others' use but I can for myself.
- I get a lot more exercise. When I had a car, I tried to walk, bike or bus to work but I was just too lazy many days. Without the car, it's just natural to make it to the bus stop or even walk home 2 miles on a nice day.
- I never have to worry if I drank too much or if my friend drank too much. None of my friends here have cars.

My bf and I shared one car for two years in the US and I sold it before moving to Asia last year. In a few months we're moving to Australia for almost a year (no car) and we'll be back in the US sometime in 2010, hopefully in a bike-/pedestrian-friendly city. I know somewhere down the line we might have to get a car but we're going to keep holding off and get something that is super-green and fuel-efficient... maybe the electric car will finally be available in 5 years? Here's hoping.

We used to have two cars, but got rid of one when we moved to Ithaca, NY since the public transportation is incredible. I got unlimited bus use for my first year for FREE from school, and from now on it's $200. Sure, it means we always have to live near a really good bus line, because I don't want the bus schedule limiting my hours in the lab... which does limit our options and we end up paying a bit more for rent... but it's worth it. Even when my husband and I are both home, I'll try to use the bus or walk somewhere if it's fairly convenient.

My husband works 30 miles away in a nearby town, so obviously he needs a vehicle, but we're happy enough with the fuel efficiency of our tiny pick-up truck. We take it to visit our home town ~125 miles away about once a month, too.

It is relatively easy to live here without a car, plenty of people do it, and not just college students. There's a carshare program you can sign up for, which some people use for grocery shopping. I see others with armfuls of heavy groceries taking the bus, often with one or more transfers, to get home... it's a lot of work! Ithaca is a liberal, progressive, highly-educated, hippie town, so OF COURSE it's going to be easier to live carless here than other places.

Originally Posted by joyra:
I know somewhere down the line we might have to get a car but we're going to keep holding off and get something that is super-green and fuel-efficient... maybe the electric car will finally be available in 5 years? Here's hoping.

The Chevy Volt (that mostly-electric hybrid that runs for 40 miles before using gas) is supposedly going to be released as a 2011 model (so it would probably be out in late 2010). We're considering getting one of the early ones. The only problem with an electric car in a city is where to charge it... it's tricky when you live in an apartment! We're hoping to rig up some system to charge it from solar. My husband thinks he has it all planned out, let's hope it works. :)

Hi all!
Due to employment reasons (or lack thereof :lol:) my DH and I decided to sell my cute little sportscar and run one vehicle instead -- a 1999 Honda CRV AND we had to make the choice to not use it unless we absolutely HAVE to, because of the costs involved in running it (gas, insurance, maintenance, parking add up to 20 cents a km!).

The reality of our situation is this: we are about 1 km from public transport, and the public transport in my town (a small town!) really, really bites. It takes 90 minutes and 3 buses for my DH to get to work. It takes 2 buses and over an hour to get downtown. It takes 2 buses and 45 minutes to get to the nearest shopping mall.
I am 5 km (or 3 miles) away from the nearest grocery store (all uphill) and pharmacy and mail office. I am 8 km (5 miles) from the nearest shopping centre and library. I am 10 km (6 miles) away from the (only) Costco. I am 15 km (10 miles) from downtown. My DH is 20 km (14 miles) from work.
So what to do?

My DH and I have bicycles. He bikes to and from work every day. He has a trailer for his bike so we can bike the 6 miles to the local Costco and we can load up to 50 lbs of groceries and get them home. And we splurged and bought me a eBike!

You guys should really, really look into eBikes. They are around $1500 to purchase and they run on rechargable batteries. You get around 50 km (30 miles) on a charge. They are really slow -- limited to 35 kph (20 miles an hour) so they qualify as a bicycle even though they look like a scooter. You can put saddlebags on it and lug groceries around. But the best thing is that there is no licensure, registration, insurance or parking costs associated. So I can get downtown and back and do my daily grocery shopping on 4 cents a DAY!!! I started driving this in March, and intend to put it away at the end of November. And I live in a northern climate. Here is a link to Veloteq, a company out of Texas that makes ebikes:
http://www.veloteq.com/
This is my ebike:
http://veloteq.com/veloteqgallery.com/services.htm
and I love love LOVE it!!!

In the winter, we have found that catching a cab to and from Costco is more cost-effective that taking our car (but, yes, less convenient).
And for those of you in larger cities, there are car sharing options available -- see this link for availability in your area:
http://www.carsharing.net/where.html
where you can join a group for a minimal one-time cost, and then reserve a car and pay for it by the hour or day. And there are pick-up and drop-off options in most cities, so you don't have to pick up and drop off in the same place (i.e. drive from a to b and leave it at b!). Here is a link to zipcar:
http://www.zipcar.com/is-it/
So you can get a car when you need it, but it is cheaper than renting from, say, Budget or Enterprise.

When we travel to the larger cities near us, we take Greyhound or the train, or we often rent a car. If we are driving, we would rather put the wear and tear on a rental than on our own vehicle. You'll pay either way, either in rental costs or in maintenance and repairs on your own car!!!

But, we still use our car when we are lazy :o or when it makes more sense to use the car (taking the cats to the vet, for example, or for those journeys out of town when there isn't an advantage to using a rental, or when we are going to Ikea or Home Depot and need to bring large objects home such as patio furniture, etc.) and in the winter for DH to get to and from work as 90 minutes each way isn't feasible, and the taxi costs are far too high. And since he works as a consultant, he may or may not have employment at any given time, so we save there too!!!

So, since we went to one car, bicycles and my ebike, we use one tank of gas a month. We put on less than 5000 miles on our vehicle every year since we switched things up. And that is good for the environment! I would prefer to ditch the car completely, and we are definitely working towards this. We will run this vehicle into the ground (especially since it is paid off!) and take it from there.

Anyways, if there is a will, there is usually a way...you just have to find it!

Kira

I looked into getting a scooter but they scare me especially since the roads around here have peeps going 60mph on them. With my bike, I can ride on the bike paths but they only go to certain areas which is why I want our city to build more.

I already don't use a lot of gas, less than 1 tank a month, my husband uses a little more because we use his car for weekend excursions. I usually fill up my tank half way to save gas.

We hope to downsize to one car and our two electric scooters. We love to travel and living in RURAL northern MI, we do need a car to get to major airports and rail centers. Our winters also make it difficult to scoot or even walk sometimes, so a car is necessary.

But, we do try to use our cars as little as possible. DH walks to work all year long. I walk when I don't need my car for work. We both walk to town to run errands, and walk to church.

Once the weather gets warm enough to scoot, we park our cars in the garage and use the scooters whenever we can't walk.

We have backpacks and storage space on the scooters. We can each carry 3 grocery bags and have even brought home dry pet food and kitty litter on them - so it can be done. We try to do one big staple run a month using the car.

Originally Posted by mayness:
It is relatively easy to live here without a car, plenty of people do it, and not just college students. There's a carshare program you can sign up for, which some people use for grocery shopping. I see others with armfuls of heavy groceries taking the bus, often with one or more transfers, to get home... it's a lot of work! Ithaca is a liberal, progressive, highly-educated, hippie town, so OF COURSE it's going to be easier to live carless here than other places.

Humm, Ithaca sounds like a good place to live. You got me interested, I'm getting tired of the city.

Nelie, check on your local laws concerning e-bikes. You can ride them on the road, on the shoulder, and you can ride them on the bike paths in most jurisdications. If a bike can go there, so you can you. So if you have a paved shoulder, which you will have on a fast road, you'll be just fine...as they say in Italy, "Couragio..."
Kira

You all may find it interesting to determine the "walkability" score for your neighborhood.

http://www.walkscore.com/

My current apartment ranks at 72.

The neighborhood where I'm trying to buy a co-op apartment ranks at 92.

Because 1) I'm on the Harlem Line for the train to Manhattan, which is about a 25-minute commute, and 2) I work from home on my laptop two to three days a week, I could theoretically spend half the week without using my car at all.

That's why I want to grow old here, if my health will permit. Some day I'm going to be an older lady who can't drive & I still want to be able to get around & have a fairly "rich" life, even if it is within a much smaller, more circumscribed area.

Originally Posted by kiramira:
Nelie, check on your local laws concerning e-bikes. You can ride them on the road, on the shoulder, and you can ride them on the bike paths in most jurisdications. If a bike can go there, so you can you. So if you have a paved shoulder, which you will have on a fast road, you'll be just fine...as they say in Italy, "Couragio..."
Kira

Actually there are no bike lines/paved shoulders on the roads as in other places. Its basically a multi purpose path that doubles as a side walk and bikes can use and generally have signs for no motorized vehicles.

I also lack courage :)

Hi there!
Here is a link about ebikes -- Federal law says that an ebike is treated exactly as a bike, and it WILL be allowed wherever bikes are. Even if it has an electric motor!
http://www.e-bikekit.com/e-bikelaw.html
As for the courage, well...:) You can do this? Rah rah rah??? :lol:
Some things just are what they are...
:hug:
Kira

Its interesting but I am working over scaredy cat tendancies. I basically tried to learn how to ride a bike for 6 months but then gave up because I hated it. I then went to a tricycle which is low to the ground and makes me feel more secure :) I've heard of people motorizing their tricycles which may be an option at some point but mostly because of some of the crazy hills. Otherwise I love riding my trike more and more :)

The multi-use paths around here are fine but a lot of people do use the bus around here and usually stand in the path because there is no separate side walk so it usually involves a lot of weaving.