Anyone live car free?

You get wet when you take a shower.

Enjoy all that life offers, wet, dry and wild!

I've been car free for a couple years now, but not by choice. My 1965 Ford Falcon Ranchero has been sitting in the driveway with a bent driveshaft and some other damage that I just haven't been able to afford to fix yet. Car free isn't too bad in spring, summer and fall, but wintertime sucks for getting across town to pay bills or buy groceries. I can't ride the bicycle in cold or wet because it's not good for the guitar. I won't ride a bicycle unless I'm playing guitar at the same time. It's too dangerous otherwise. I'd fall over!

I guess I count as car-free although my wife has a car that I use occasionally. I had cars from the time I was old enough to drive until I was laid off and lost my company car about 6 months ago. I do it more for economical reasons than environmental though. We had just purchased my wife a brand new car (Nissan Rogue) and so there wasn't any money left to buy another car between going to a single income household and moving from low cost-of-living TN to obscenely high cost-of-living MD. I walk, ride a bike, or take the bus to wherever I'm going. Once I get back to work I would like to get a new motorcycle as I sold my last one to pay for an engagement ring.

Haven't driven since the beginning of August. Not really by choice (it's complicated) but it hasn't caused any problems either.

Burr said:

Sounds wonderful, where did you grow-up?

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Sorry for the late reply! I was born in San Antonio, Texas, lived briefly in Houston until about age 7, then moved to north of Atlanta, Georgia. Around 1990 moved to New Hampshire with my folks. In 2000 I did a brief stay in Cortez, Colorado before escaping the growing craziness of the U.S. to Europe, specifically northern Germany. Currently enjoying the wonderful cycling infrastructure of Denmark.

Relatively car-free since 1993, but did drive a few times in 2000 to renew my driving license (just in-case), and move furniture to a new house. License expired in 2004, never bothered to re-new it. With the amount of cycling I do, and the abundance of public transport in Europe, there just is no need.

A folding Brompton plus public transport = win!

Hello digimus,
I'm an expatriot also, enjoying the biking in southern Sweden, Lund to be exact. We take the ferry over to Helsingor sometimes and ride around the area, great biking there as well. I take it you're a little farther south.
Go CSC... Go Saxo!!!

chh55 said:

I take it you're a little farther south.

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Copenhagen actually. I try to do a ride up to Helsingor and back at least (about 100km round-trip) once a month to keep the long-distance muscles in some sort of shape for my 1,000km+ tours in the spring and summer, but actually missed out last month. Must do two rides this month I guess to make up for it!

Maybe I'll see you out on the road some day! If you're in one of these 3 wheeled aero contraptions you'll be pretty hard to miss! There's probably a pretty good slipstream behind you though. Look for me in your rearview mirror!
Have you learned Danish yet? I can read it but listening to it makes me wonder how anyone can understand it! No consonants... only vowels, with a mouth full of marbles... that's what it sounds like to me. I had a Danish professor one term and I had to sit through the lectures and pretend like I understood, knitted brow, occasionally knodding knowingly, but I was petrified that he was going to ask me a question.

Car[-e] free

Eversince I moved from Seattle and got rid of my car, I'm quite comfortable without it in NY.

I had to go without the car for two weeks while I was getting some work done on it and I don't know how you guys do it. The grocery store is what killed me. It was either go every few days, bum a ride, or take the bus. I'm not a fan of any of these. The bus was the worst.

it's possible

I've been without my vehicle since Oct of 2009. I've made due by either carpooling or riding to work. If you have good friends and are willing to chip in for gas most people will happily run errands with you. I think the hardest part is the road trips. I travel medium distances 1-4 hour trips a lot less. I decided I didn't want the car payment and have have a 5 different bikes. It's easy when the weather is nice but I carpool when its too cold or raining. I live in norfolk and we have a decent bus system but I rarely even use that. So all in all. I'd say if you live within 2-3 miles of your workplace and don't mind asking for help you can easily do it.

If I could go without a car I'd be justified in dropping extra cash for a high end commuter because even the higher priced ones are a lot cheaper than a car.

I have several friends that live carless in Austin. I couldn't do it with my daily commute unforutantely or getting the little ones around.

Local guy that moves by bike: Moving by Bicycle