Email from temp. car-bound

[Melalvai]

And my sister's family is unusual in that they decided not to have a second car and so because of where they live, a day can sometimes be a carefully choreographed schedule of pick-ups, drop-offs and drive bys.

This is how I have always lived. I LOVE the freedom the bike gives me. I feel more free with a bike than I ever did even when we had 2 cars. Free from the gas bill, repair, property taxes and insurance, parking permits and fees, speed limits. (Well, I suppose I'm not really free from speed limits, but it is a rare day that I even slightly exceed a speed limit!)

[ginny]

I feel that way when I visit my mom. She lives in So Cal, and I live in Wyoming. Here, I run to the grocery store as infrequently as possible, but it is a whopping 15 blocks from my house and that is about the longest distance one travels in this town. In California, I feel like people spend 80% of their time in the car running around from place to place to get this and do that and it's all so hectic that it's totally exhausting... not fun at all. I would rather have my quiet little bike centric life in the cold northern part of the US

[lph]

Hey, I feel that way if I even have to drive to work one day. I get freaked out by everybody else driving in at the same time, all the stupid stupid stupid time spent stuck in a traffic jam when I could have been whizzing by quietly on the bike path, the hassle of finding a parking spot and parking without hitting something and the realization that I can't choose when to leave unless I want to risk a brain-exploding hour in traffic - I either have to leap from my desk at 2:30 or stay stuck at work until after 5.

And my co-workers consider driving a simple, easy option!

[crazycanuck]

Nice thought but...what does one do if it's 41C outside w very little shade & no wind I plan on biking as much as possible to my new job but since i finish yet again in the middle of the day, i feel it's a wee bit crazy to be riding in that type of heat...

I also would love to be car free but we're mtn bikers & have to drive a good distance to the hills to ride..It's unfair to paint all drivers as bad people. Just because you don't require a car doesn't mean other cyclists might...

[lph]

No-one is saying drivers are bad people? I'm certainly not. Just pointing out some of the incongruities. I probably spelled that wrong. I get told every other day how stressful/dangerous/tiring it must be to bike to work/shopping/around town and how simple it is to use a car instead, while my experience is the exact opposite. Which goes to show how much of it is habit.

[ginny]

we're not bashing drivers. I still have a car. We are merely saying how much more pleasant it is to ride. When I find myself car-bound, I get grumpy. I used to live 37 miles from town and had to commute by car - bummer, but i did it. I just brought my bike with me

BTW, I agree, 41C is WAY too hot to ride through... do your brains turn to scrambled eggs in that heat??

[shootingstar]

CC, methinks the blame is on lack of adequate public transit/rail facilities for more sprawly areas, not on the drivers who may need to drive for certain situations.

I think the original email statement was more a reflection on how difficult it is for many people to leave the comfort of a car or break the routine of being in a car for alot of shorter trips/in good weather ..for even a 2-5 block route to get somewhere.

When I am in a car, which amounts to less than 5-10 different trips annually, I never take it for granted. It feels luxurious and special. And this feeling, should remain so. It IS luxurious and expensive.

By now, I probably sound like I've been living the rainforest jungle, isolated from reality. Or in the Gobi desert with camels.