Going car-lite

Hi,

I'm interested in creative ways to go car-lite.

For instance, I've heard this rule: "If it's less than 5 miles away, no car." Must use bike, transit, or walk.

What are some other rules or guidelines I could try?

* A ration for how many miles I can drive each month?
* A ratio (e.g. round-trip driving time must take at least 50% less time than the amount of time I'll be at the event - so a 3-hour RT is only worth it for a 6+ hour event)?
* A money figure (event cost + gas + bridge toll = better not to go at all)?
Etc.
(Am I totally geeking out here??)

I already do most of my errands and work commuting by bike. However, I think owning the car allows me to do way too much optional running-around (to see friends, events, go volunteering, help drive someone somewhere, and whatnot). I'd like a life that is less frantic, more environmentally sound, less expensive, and healthier. I think spending time in a car - *any* time - sucks the life energy out of me!

It is the longer trips, not really the shorter trips, that bug me the most. Like driving 2 hours round-trip to a meet-up for a bike ride or hike. I could just do a more local ride/hike, or use transit to get there. Or just give it up sometimes, to have a less crammed schedule :)

I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, so this challenge should not be too difficult, as we have relatively good weather (just rain) and some reasonable transit options to most places.

And yes, I'd consider car-free, or car-sharing (City Car Share), as well as car-lite. Just looking for some more car-lite ideas (with my own car) for now.

Just saw the movie, Low Impact Man. It is extremely thought-provoking!

- Mariposa

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For instance, I've heard this rule: "If it's less than 5 miles away, no car." Must use bike, transit, or walk.

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It's a good rule of thumb to start.
If you live in SF, then opportunities to go multi-modal are greater by combining bike with transit ..if necessary.

Yes, it's true that a car-free life which becomes more cycling, transit and walking-oriented, means:

*less frantic, because you develop a way to combine activities/errands through 1 trip
*spending less money --I can't buy too much or I had better be prepared to make multiple bike trips to carry all that weight/bulk.
*aim to save a certain amount of $$$ monthly by not driving. Damn well, bet: I was able to buy a home on my own and eventually pay off that mortgage. If I had a car, it would have taken a few more yrs. to pay off home.
*oh yea, being healthy. Shouldn't I be mentioning this first? :p

But I don't go on those goals. The weather determines my mode of transport -every day. Right now, I've been walking to and from work. So that's about 50 min. daily round trip. Yes, I could take transit, but that means waiting around in the cold..

I've been car-free for last 30 yrs. of my life, cycling last 18 yrs. so far. :) I'll be 52 next month. I actually have not known the price of gas for several decades.... seriously. :)

I grew up without a car. My dh and I waited many years before buying one, which we could do largely because my in-laws, who live 45 minutes away by bus, have two cars and would lend us one if we needed it. We'd borrow it for vacations or lugging big stuff. My dh finally put his foot down and insisted we buy our own, since he as the only driver at that time was sick of fetching and delivering that car all the time... So now we have our own, but we try to use it as little as possible.

Our main idea is to not rely on it for daily use. That means commuting and all regular errands by bike or bus, and no regular daily or weekly activities that require a car per se. Which means for example that our son does not get to go to activities that demand being driven (by us, every time) - he did play football for quite a while, but we'd always carpool to games. We do have decent public transport here, but you have to be willing to spend a little more time to get where you want to go.

As I feared when we bought it, we do use the car more for "trivial" reasons that we need to. I have no qualms about using the car to go buy a sofa, how often do you need to do that anyway? But we find ourselves using it to go skiing in a different place than our local woods, just for varietys sake. And I use it quite a bit to transport my kayak, which is impossible to move otherwise. But we try to be strict about not using the car just to save 5 minutes and the hassle of waiting at the bus stop, for example for a spontaneous social call. Added bonus - we all get to drink wine for dinner :D

In other words, we use our car for:
- necessary driving: lugging heavy or very large stuff, which can almost always be planned
- skiing or kayaking, occasional weekend trips, not on a regular basis
- vacations
and otherwise try to leave it be.

But I should add that we live close to public transport and the woods, precisely because we planned on daily life without a car.

Oh, I also wanted to add - part of the reason I no longer ride with a club is that they all meet up outside of Oslo, and drive cars there. That seems to me the ultimate insanity, to use a ton of car to transport my 120 pound self and a featherweight road bike, just so I can then go on a training ride using the most green mode of transport ever invented. And I just didn't have the time or fitness to ride the extra 40 minutes it would take me to get to the meetup point, and then back afterwards. So I'm back to just bike commuting, and doing my own haphazard training on the way.

I think one worthy goal is, as lph mentioned, not to drive to club rides and such. If you can't cycle to the start of a ride, just cycle locally instead. I gave up club riding partially for that reason -- I don't want to have to drive my car in order to ride. For big events, you could always make an exception b/c the mileage ridden, charitable cause, and special occasion of it could make it worth driving to.

We too are car-lite. We recently moved from the country to town, sold our second vehicle (a big ole Ford truck we were barely using since moving to town), and we take the bus and walk places a lot now. We were riding a lot more, but then it got really cold. I work from home one day a week. My DH walks and takes the bus to his (volunteer) work with Habitat.

So currently the car is used mostly for my commute to work 4 days a week and the (very) occasional errand or party that we can't walk/bike/bus to. And travel. So we're not purists but are driving MUCH less than when we lived in the boonies.

How do you gals say "No" to visiting friends who live remotely and can only be (realistically) visited by car? (The ones I can visit by bike are a different story...I can make a fun, epic riding day out of that.)

I hate, hate, hate, spending life energy in the car. Visiting a friend for 2 hours, when I have to drive an hour each way (and that's if there is no traffic!), just frustrates the daylights out of me.

I'd like to tell people I'm going car-lite, and that if they live far away I'm simply not going to visit them very often. But it's hard to figure out how to say that without them taking it personally.

- Mariposa

can your friends visit you sometimes? or meet you someplace halfway and do stuff there?

i live an hour away from friends and i rarely have time (or ability to get there since i don't drive) to visit them so they come here but they only visit when they really have time to visit so i only see them a few times a year. i have been trying to get my friends to get into bicycling though and to bring bikes with them when they visit ;) .

Suggest you meet in town, or closer to you so that you can ride your bike there.

Tell them that you would like to visit them but that it's just too far and ends up taking a big chunk of your day. Be honest; they can do the driving if it's important to them to see you.

Send out an email or letter to all your far-flung friends telling them that you are going car-light and that means that visits with them will be less frequent, but that you'd love to visit occasionally, have them visit occasionally, and catch up on the phone regularly. This way, you are being proactive, explaining your reasons, and offering an alternative.

I enjoy going to club rides, and I do have to drive to them. I enjoy seeing people that I only see on club rides, and I enjoy riding in different areas than the area just where I live. I work from home and most of my errands are within the 5-mile radius that is bikeable. I don't always do errands on the bike, but since i don't use my car on a daily basis, I'm not too worried about it. I do my errands by bike when my errands allow me to. No 30-lb bags of dogfood, or a case of office paper, for example. But to the post office for my business mail and to the store for a few groceries and to a cafe to "get out of the office", that works on a bike.

I really like this approach of setting rules or goals to be car lite.

I biked 25 miles once for a group ride that was 20 miles. Then I biked 25 miles home. :D

I've organized a few group rides and that means I get to choose where it starts. My front door!

It's useful for regular rides (several times per wk.), to find routes where you don't have to drive out and then ride. Unless it is a multi-modal work commute ride combined with parking car at a transit stop parking lot, that allows you to build in SOME fitness daily.

Not referring the exceptional, occasional group event rides.

For some people, it can be a totally different way of running one's schedule and lifestyle. Initially it feels like a certain amount of planning when doing alot stuff along the way by bike.

As for visiting friends, my long-time friends I don't see them often (even when I did live in the same city as them. I don't now since I am in a different city.) but we adjust to one another's transportation modes. They genuinely understand my lack of car. I don't have a driver's license. I had problems learning to drive car and never felt comfortable when I did have a license. (So I won't become the senior citizen agonizing over "loss of independence" because I won't be allowed to drive a car. :o )

And all of my friends, by coincidence over the last 25 yrs., have undertaken their own fitness activities, some bike related while others chose other activities. We have such different lives and busy schedules that by default we can't see each other often anyway.


Over the decades, I have actively chosen to live in places that minimally, are accessible to public transit. (7 different places in 4 different cities) It must be a highly consicous choice.

I've never regretted the choices I've made re: home locations, not having a car.

When I am offered a car ride, I genuinely appreciate it. And enjoy it for what it is. :rolleyes:

Another great thing for me has been deciding to support local businesses. I live South of town and there are a lot of chains this way. But I work at the university (smack dab in town). I have learned to do a lot of stuff when I am there. I buy local stuff if I can, visit the international food market on my way home, use the pharmacy on campus, pick up something on my way home (lots of places on the way). It has actually made life simpler and easier.

Unfortunately I am not yet "car lite" and not as hard core as you girls due to the need to drive when I get ill and for when I need to go to and from home - a 450 mile drive. I would love to bike home sometime, but I don't think that is something that is realistic haha.

Good on you girls for going the extra mile!

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I have learned to do a lot of stuff when I am there. I buy local stuff if I can, visit the international food market on my way home, use the pharmacy on campus, pick up something on my way home (lots of places on the way). It has actually made life simpler and easier.

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Revel in it, since you may not live in such convenient place to combine cycling all the time in life.

I have been doing the above for years. And in the summer, I do a lot of those errands on my bike, especially getting fresh produce from the local farms.
I have a 2003 car that has 64,000 miles on it. At this rate, it is going to last forever. Granted, we use DH's car for trips, but still. My friends don't think twice about driving all over the place.
My friends in my grad program make fun of me because I don't drive into the city. I drive to the terminus of the train, park in the garage, and go 2 stops, where the university is half a block away. The university reimburses me for my parking fees.
My goal now is to find a job when I graduate where I can commute, or at the least maintain the type of riding/driving I do now, while doing my internship. Where I am at now is probably at the edge of commutability for me (16 miles). The main issue is the last mile is through a very sketchy part of the city and on the way back there's a traffic situation, involving a one way thing (round a bout, sort of, with a large dash of horrible drivers who don't obey the law).
I do what I can, and am OK with the knowledge that I drive a whole lot less than most of the people I know. But, I do miss commuting.

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Originally Posted by mariposa

How do you gals say "No" to visiting friends who live remotely and can only be (realistically) visited by car? (The ones I can visit by bike are a different story...I can make a fun, epic riding day out of that.)

I hate, hate, hate, spending life energy in the car. Visiting a friend for 2 hours, when I have to drive an hour each way (and that's if there is no traffic!), just frustrates the daylights out of me.

I'd like to tell people I'm going car-lite, and that if they live far away I'm simply not going to visit them very often. But it's hard to figure out how to say that without them taking it personally.

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In response to an invitation, you could try, "I'm sorry, I'm not up for the trip."

In 2002, when the price of gas first went up to $1.50, I was a student and couldn't find room in my budget for the more expensive gasoline. I made a rule that I would take the car out 1 day a week and drive anywhere and everywhere I needed to that day. It worked well and I saved a ton of money.

Although I was very disciplined for many years after that about how much I drove, I found that my way of thinking about transportation still did not really change until I sold my car. When I had my car sitting in the driveway, I still thought of the car as the default way to get where I needed to go, with my bike or the bus as an alternative or back-up plan. These days, when I consider going anywhere, I start by thinking about how far it is, what I need to carry, and what the weather is doing. Then I pick the transportation plan that fits my needs. (Note that my husband still has a car that he commutes to work in. So I have a car available sometimes, with pre-planning around his long work hours.)

After I got away from driving for a few months, driving suddenly became a hassle. Rush hour! Parking! How much gas is in the tank? Construction! Accidents! Did I mention parking? Parking is such a hassle! Someone already mentioned that driving felt draining. I agree. Life is so much simpler when you don't have to plan your trips around finding a parking spot.

I agree with the sentiment which was posted upthread, that if you really want to cut out driving, you need to live in the right spot. Living within walking distance of a grocery store can will out an amazing number of trips.

Is public transportation that inexpensive where you all live? I'm only 7miles from work, and commute by bike (weather permitting). The bus doesn't really stop near my office, so I would have to walk or ride a distance anyhow.
I fortunately live literally across the street from the grocery store, and unless I'm getting a whole load of stuff (including dog food, cat food/litter) I walk or ride - my panniers carry more than my arms :)
We also live within walking or riding distance of our favorite restaurants/coffee shops/train. But the train can cost more than driving. It's $14 round trip for DH and I to go downtown; its only 15 miles one way and doesn't cost that much in gas to drive that far. We usually use the train for convenience like when parking will be a hassle (sporting events, festivals, or concerts). And even at 15 miles one way, we'll take the bikes to an event depending on what it is - Coors Field has secured bike parking for Rockies Games, and B-cycle offers secured bike parking at festivals - so if the weather is nice, and it's okay for us to show up looking like we're riding bikes, we do that.
I've never taken the bus here, but the train is just too expensive to use on a routine basis for the trips we take.

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Originally Posted by soprano

I agree with the sentiment which was posted upthread, that if you really want to cut out driving, you need to live in the right spot. Living within walking distance of a grocery store can will out an amazing number of trips.

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Tis true - we live almost within eyeshot of a very nice grocery store and walk there all the time. We can also cycle (weather permitting) or take public transportation (free buses!) to a farmer's market, to our food co-op, to Trader Joe's, or Whole Foods. Makes a big difference in our ability to be car-lite. The car is mostly just used for trips and for my work commute. Pretty much everywhere else we prefer to go without it for all the reasons you mentioned (traffic, parking, gas, etc!) I love letting someone else do the driving while we ride the bus as I can completely relax instead of stressing out as I do when driving in traffic!

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Originally Posted by JennK13

Is public transportation that inexpensive where you all live? I'm only 7miles from work, and commute by bike (weather permitting). The bus doesn't really stop near my office, so I would have to walk or ride a distance anyhow.
I fortunately live literally across the street from the grocery store, and unless I'm getting a whole load of stuff (including dog food, cat food/litter) I walk or ride - my panniers carry more than my arms :)
We also live within walking or riding distance of our favorite restaurants/coffee shops/train. But the train can cost more than driving. It's $14 round trip for DH and I to go downtown; its only 15 miles one way and doesn't cost that much in gas to drive that far. We usually use the train for convenience like when parking will be a hassle (sporting events, festivals, or concerts). And even at 15 miles one way, we'll take the bikes to an event depending on what it is - Coors Field has secured bike parking for Rockies Games, and B-cycle offers secured bike parking at festivals - so if the weather is nice, and it's okay for us to show up looking like we're riding bikes, we do that.
I've never taken the bus here, but the train is just too expensive to use on a routine basis for the trips we take.

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A year's pass for our bus system is $60.

No kidding !

NOw, shampoo-banana is not that *big,* but it meant that I didn't even think of hopping on the bike today in teh snow. (I've got a studded-tyre bike, but cars slide, too.)

When I read on the Xtracycle site that it would "change your life," I figured "not me!" because i already rode a *lot.* However, within a month it was talking to me... that day after the tornado warnings when the winds were going at 35 mph still, and it said 'yes, so if there's stuff in the road you can get around it betteR!" was a bit of a benchmark. The question of the morning shifted from "ride or drive?" to "do I *have* to drive?" to "What do I wear for riding?" So... when my brother needed a newer car to do his taxi driving from, I sold it to him. That was May 2008 and I put the money in the bank and figured I could buy something come winter if I wanted... but there are only a couple times a year when I sort of wish I had a car and an awful lot of times (like, every time I see an "are you paying too much for car insurance?" ad) when I don't.
I rent a car to drive to my sister's -- the weekend usually ends up being about $150, including the extra for insurance; I would love to find a way to get good ol' State Farm or Geico to insure my rental driving.
I'm also signed up for ZipCar -- but have only used it once. It's, I think, $8/hour (gas and all expenses included). They don't have trucks but it came in handy for buying a 32 gallon trash can :)
My recommendation is to figure out the "drill" for riding the way you figured it out without knowing it for driving. YOu know, "Helmet, gloves, water bottle, wallet and keys, bike lock, lights, CHECK!" ... Then, when you've figured out how to streamline that (generator lights, lock on the bike all the time) ... you find yourself trying to remember how to do the car thing and it feels (if you're a helmet person) extremely odd to walk outside without a helmet on your head, as I did this morning for the bus.
Oh, okay, the other cognitive angle is whenever you're confronted with "I'd ride the bike BUT..." go on to think "and how could I *solve* that problem?" (Hence, my Xtracycle.)

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Originally Posted by Geonz

A year's pass for our bus system is $60.

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Ooo, nice. Here in Austin, TX, a 31-day pass for the commuter rail/express bus system is $64. Definitely cheaper than paying for gas, tolls, and parking every day downtown, but I'm certainly jealous of $60/year! (For anyone interested, a "regular" bus pass that does not include the train or express busses is $30 for 31 days.) I'm lucky because I'm a student at our community college and ride for free :):):)

I *think* that you can get a liability insurance policy as a non-car owner. It's worth calling around to a few agents to ask. Don't rule out independent agents - I love my independent agent. A good credit card will pick up collision/comprehensive.

My husband and I downgraded to one car in July 09. He drives our car to work everyday, and I primarily commute by bike. I've reached a point where I feel like driving is a nuisance. I took a carshare car to Costco today and was so glad when it was over. Traffic and parking are such a pain.

Wow Jenn - that seems super expensive for the train.... even the Sounder train up here only costs at most $4.75 per person - and that is to go all the way to the next city (either to Tacoma or Everett).

If you get a full fare regional pass up here (its good in 5 different counties and on the inter-county Sounder system) it can cost up to $171 a month (that's if you have a max fare commute) - *but* local governments give huge incentives to employers to lower SOV commuting around here, so I get a permanent (well, as long as I work there) one totally free through my work (and that's on top of incentives given to cyclists :D). A fair number of the big companies up here give free or reduced passes of some sort.

If I take the commuter rail into Cambridge or Boston, it's 12.50 round trip. A monthly pass is 200.00. If I worked in the city, I would do it, although I wonder if it's less than driving. Right now I drive to the terminus of the train line, about 20 minutes from my house to get to class, where I take the train 2 or 3 stops. The commuter rail does not mesh up with the times I need to get there or home. I have a Charlie Card, so a one way trip is 1.70. I load it up with money about once a month. I don't get a monthly pass, since I only use the train twice a week. It's worth it to me. When the other students are worrying that the money is running out in the parking meter, I don't. I won't drive in the city; the drivers are nuts. The university reimburses me for the parking garage fee ($7.00) as they don't want people clogging up the streets in Cambridge. Even with driving to the train line parking garage 2x a week and driving to my internship 3x a week (about 30 miles rt), I only fill my car up about every 10 days or 2 weeks. My car gets average gas mileage, nothing special. I just am very careful about where I drive. I don't mind driving, but it's on my own terms; nothing that stresses me out.

I have been so bad about this lately...number one, because it's winter so we have ice/snow to deal with (and I just don't find it pleasant to ride when it's cold, can't seem to get around the numb fingers/toes issue on the bike and do much better running/walking), number two, because of the odd hours I work right now (very early mornings some days, late nights others, and the early mornings are in a place that would be really sketchy to walk through at that time) and number three, because some of the places I get sent to work are just too far away to ride (currently doing agency nursing). I agree with the people who have said driving just drains the energy out of you...it's stressful with traffic and it just isn't fun to be confined like that. Hopefully I will have a permanent job soon and be able to live close enough to work that I can walk or bike, weather permitting. That would cut out a ton of driving, and I'm sure I could find ways to do a lot of my errands by bike too (if I can do it here in Worcester...). Then the car would be mostly for the longer trips or if there's a lot of stuff to be hauled.

I try to limit my driving to one day per week. I just try to make the most of it when I do take my car. I run as many errands as I can, and will try to meet a friend for lunch that day as well. It's a new system, but it seems to be working well so far.

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Originally Posted by Eden

Wow Jenn - that seems super expensive for the train.... even the Sounder train up here only costs at most $4.75 per person - and that is to go all the way to the next city (either to Tacoma or Everett).

If you get a full fare regional pass up here (its good in 5 different counties and on the inter-county Sounder system) it can cost up to $171 a month (that's if you have a max fare commute) - *but* local governments give huge incentives to employers to lower SOV commuting around here, so I get a permanent (well, as long as I work there) one totally free through my work (and that's on top of incentives given to cyclists :D). A fair number of the big companies up here give free or reduced passes of some sort.

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Our train also has a pass that employers can buy for their employees, but I imagine the ones who do that are probably the big companies downtown. I would think others in the Tech Center might do it, too, but my work doesn't. Wish it was cheaper for your average Jane to get a pass! Students also ride free here.

While $7 a person is "expensive" it certainly beats $20 for parking at a Broncos game :p Like I said, events are usually the only time we take the train as we don't really live all that far from downtown.

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Originally Posted by JennK13

Is public transportation that inexpensive where you all live? I'm only 7miles from work, and commute by bike (weather permitting). The bus doesn't really stop near my office, so I would have to walk or ride a distance anyhow.
I fortunately live literally across the street from the grocery store, and unless I'm getting a whole load of stuff (including dog food, cat food/litter) I walk or ride - my panniers carry more than my arms :).

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The local transit train is free in the downtown core not far for me. I hop onto it only 5% of the time, because most times I walk for winter exercise. But it is handy for cutting down a walk when it gets very cold..meaning colder than -20 degrees C and more in winter. There are all sorts of bus stops not far, but I haven't figured out where they all go...because my need is pretty rare to go get something by bus far out in winter.

Of course in warm weather, I would bike..if knew where I was going. Still a newbie.

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Originally Posted by JennK13

Is public transportation that inexpensive where you all live?

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Here the bus is free due to the university. The route I live off of the bus comes by every 7 minutes. My thing is that you get so crammed as in like the style you see video's about. Me being a little bit claustrophobic doesn't help though either so I try to avoid it.

I think I'm going to make an effort to go car lite though too. I finally got a good set of tires today on my bike after hitting a little dirt in the road and eating pavement litterally before and messing up my face. Rode around Austin like all day today and that was really liberating and fun so I want to try a little harder now. Maybe I could get car-free as I'm not enjoying my car payments. I'm not lucky enough to have a grocery store right here but Target and the grociery store is about a mile away so it's definately doable and my commute is about 3 miles. My thing is I tend to wimp out if it gets cold or too hot/rainy. I guess to put it simple is that I find an excuse lol.

Our bus system within Chapel Hill-Carrboro city limits is also free thanks to UNC. :)

The regional transit bus is $2 per ticket, with various passes available that get it down to $1.60. I am planning to start riding the transit bus to work a couple of days a week come springtime. I will still drive a couple of days since the bus ride will add time to my commute, and I want to get home early enough to cycle after work a couple of days a week. I also work at home one day a week. If I could get down to driving to work just two days a week, I'd be very pleased indeed. Especially since we have only the one car and rarely drive anywhere on the weekends -- last night's Super Bowl party excepted. :D

Will still be car-free when I move...3 blocks away.:rolleyes: I mentioned this earlier. http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=41463 Plus a new separated bike lane will be installed nearby. I don't think this city's cyclists will be prepared for the furor it will cause among drivers since I am familiar with this street.

But now, new home will put me 1 block away from the bike-pedestrian riverside path..it's a really popular route with cyclists and joggers. Thankfully in early morning, won't be as many enthusiasts. I still have some side quiet streets of choice, to breeze along.

It is remarkably easy to be car-free (or at least car-light) here.

Of course, I'm lucky enough to live in an area where I can walk to the grocery store (you'd be amazed what you can fit in a backpack), there's a post office, the bank, and most other things you need on a daily basis that are also within walking distance. This area's also (relatively) bike-friendly. I say relatively, because I mean mostly that the drivers are used to seeing cyclists.

If we need to go to Target/Whole Foods or (heaven forbid) the mall, that's a little more challenging. Bus fare is $2.25 one-way, so if there are transfers involved, it gets quite expensive. You can get a monthly pass for $85, so if you use the bus every day, it's worth it. Problem is, there have been a lot of cutbacks recently. It's usually easier for us to call a friend with a car and say "When are you going to X? Mind if we tag along?"