Just wondering, im not trying to be rude. Im scared to drive and i dont live near buses, nor do i want to pay someone to drive me? maybe i should save up for a bike?
I stumbled across this community and now im curious…
anyways how do you all get places?
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You have to be deliberate about where you live. If you don’t want to be car dependent, you have to move somewhere that isn’t car dependent or you’re gonna have a Bad Time™.
I grew up in a car-dependent suburban shithole called Langley, and moved to Vancouver at the earliest opportunity where I could commute via transit, scooter, or bike. Every time I moved after that (7 different cities so far) it’s been to places where I can safely walk, cycle, and/or take transit because not being car-dependent was a high priority for me.
I should also point out that this decision, while resulting in higher rent & mortgages than if I’d chosen suburban life, has meant I’ve not spent the roughly $10k annually to maintain a car, which meant that I could afford a to buy a good-sized home in a bike-friendly city. We expect to pay off the mortgage this year.
Car-free really is what it says on the tin: freedom.
please tell ishmael I said hi.
You know, I read that book as a kid 'cause my grandmother came to visit annoyed that I’d published a book and not told her. I think was 17 at the time.
It was one of those books that really got to me though. It changed my entire worldview and I still think of it from time to time. I’m now 46.
found it in a cabin we rented in 1998? maybe 99? profoundly changed the way I look at the world.
makes me wonder how the real quinn deals with the impact he had…
Walk, transit, bike, ebike. Not in that order, but I was deliberate about where I live, so I can get groceries or go out to do stuff without driving.
Living in the right spot is crucial. We cant all live in a proper walkable neighborhood becase well mostly because north america won’t build that at the scale its desired, but even ensuring you’re close to the right strip mall or shopping center is better than nothing.
If your local area is conducive to bikes, that’s a great option. Really, though, sometimes driving is the only option. I don’t think anyone’s really advocating for ditching cars everywhere, but rather, promoting walkable cities and bike infrastructure and less of a reliance on cars where it’s not (or shouldn’t be) actually necessary.
I walk, ride my bike, or drive. I hate the necessity of my car. I do actually need it, tho.
Its a catch 22, I had a car for a year and it was the most “free” I felt to do things like grocery shopping and hanging out with friends at other people’s houses.
Deliberately lived car free for 4 yeaes here in Australia, choose to live somewhere with better public transport and walking distance to shopping/services. Had a large shopping centre with doctors, dentist, chemist, groceries and a bazillion speciality shops across the road. Walking, PT, an e-scooter and bicycle were all we needed. I worked from home, my parter used her e-scooter for her 4km round trip to work. Busses really suck, they’re what cities use when thy have run out of ideas, we used the light and heavy rail often.
Fuck cars :)
Bicycling, walking. Sometimes bus/train.
Usually I do:
Walking: ≤1 km, occassionally up to 5 km.
Bicycling: 1-15 km*
Bus: 5-25 km
Train: ≥25-1,000 km (if it takes more than 4 hours total, I prefer a night train).* You can take a bike on the train here, usually a foldable one. I’ve never done it, but you could then take the train range plus 5 km - foldables aren’t handy for loong distances. Great for within the city, though. Alternatively, you park a bike near the station, and at the end stop, rent a bike from the station.
I don’t usually use a ferry for larger distances, but if it’s for the night, I love it.
I only fly if the distance is further than 1,000 km.
I live in a metro area with transit and bike lanes and I like to walk. My preference generally is walk, then bike, then transit.
By foot and by bike.
Walking and biking are great. I highly recommend trying one out and there are adult classes if you’d like help learning how to ride and operate a bicycle. A good, used bike with a bike rack can do wonders carrying things around. As a bonus they’re cheap to maintain and safe to work on, completely unlike wrenching underneath a heavy car.
Depending on your situation, you may want to consider a moped. They’re generally easy to get licensed for, often don’t require insurance, and costs about the same as a good e-bike. They require the same skills as riding a bike (knowing the road laws, understanding how to stop effectively, counter-leaning, etc). The bonus is you’ll be able to get up to speed on frontage and other roads that may not be safe to ride a pedal bike on (e.g. roads without any shoulder). Of course you can always do both, like starting with a pedal bike to get a feeling of how to ride a two-wheeled device.
Personally I really enjoy walking, think nothing of walking 3 miles / 5km or so to get somewhere and back, further sometimes, it’s not a waste of time to me, it’s the time where I do my best thinking. For this a good backpack is a good idea for shopping. I am fortunate to live somewhere where everything I need is within that radius and there are decent buses and trains for further trips so I’ve never had to drive, in some places a car is essential though, unfortunately, there’s nothing I can say to help there, other than to move but that’s not always possible either.
Preferably a train, then bus, then I drive a car. I at least text the group of people who live nearby if anyone wants a ride.
I live in NYC. I live here in large part because I don’t need a car to live here.
I walk for most daily needs. There’s also abundant bus and subway options. I would bike more, but one bad accident has me scared to ride with traffic again)
Maybe housing is more expensive, but sometimes you get what you pay for.
For most local trips (up to 5 km), I will either walk or bike as my default option. For longer local trips (up to 50 km), I use the public transit we have in my city, which is world-class. A third option I use from time to time for local trips is taxis, but this is a very rare occurrence. Finally, for longer-distance trips, I take the train.
In rare circumstances, I will rent a car, but this is an almost never-occurrence for me.
Your ability to do the same will be highly dependent on what kind of infrastructure is available where you live. A large part of the message in this community is pointing out the need for this type of infrastructure, such that more people can enjoy living life with less cars for transportation.
Bikes and train
I’m so grateful that I rarely need any means of transportation except for my pair of legs. When I have to go to the city center I take the train
