Any other Car-free or Car-light homebrewers out there?

[HandsomeRyan]

Howdy,

I just started rocking the car-free [technically car-light since the wife has a brand new whip] lifestyle. I've experienced mixed emotions about it so far.

Pros:
• It's nice to get exercise riding a bike everywhere.
• Saves money on gas
• "green" is the new black.

Cons:
• somewhat isolating as a lot of the stuff I would like to do is not conveniently doable by bike or bus.
• I arrive sweaty a lot of the time (read: all the time)
• requires better planning for running errands.

Does anyone else rock a car-free or car-light lifestyle? Tell me about it; Why, how long, how do you get around, do you ever feel isolated, etc.

Pedal on,
-HandsomeRyan

 

[homebeerbrewer]

I'm car free, but truck heavy...

That's not what you wanted to hear, huh?

Actually, if I lived in the city (Boston), I'd go car free. But since I live in the "burbs", some form of vehicle is needed. I have a 9500# truck that gets an average of 20 mpg, so I'm not complaining. The wife's truck, much smaller than mine, gets about the same. Mine is diesel, so I can brew my own biodiesel, which saves on fuel costs as well as the environment. Here in New England, 4x4 is the way to go because of the snow, so both mine and my wife's are 4x4.

 

[Baja_Brewer]

I have an '02 SV650 motorcycle. I take it to work rain or shine in the summer. I live in Montreal during the winter where I'm a student, so I'm fairly dependent on others to get me from the bus to home (in VT) and I use my parents spare vehicles when I'm home.

After living as an exchange student for a year, where I hated imposing on my hosts, and a full time student for several years since, I've become accustomed to planning my routes via public transportations and my moving stuff's via hoofing it w/ a hand truck/roommate.

 

[doggage]

I'm almost completely car free, and it's wonderful. I live in a town that I can boogie across in about 15 minutes when I'm pedaling like a madman, so the proximity of destinations is never an issue. It is sometimes tough to bring home drywall on my bike.

 

[elkdog]

My wife and I share one car- I'm a doctoral student, and she drives it to work. I can walk to my school, as well as to the grocery store, bars, restaurants etc. in town. Also can walk to the train station to go to NYC. I don't do it for any political purpose (not that I disagree with those ideals at all), so much as because I can. It's free, and I'm in better shape than before grad school, when I drove to work. It's been 4 years since I used a car on a daily basis.

 

[david_42]

Never lived in an area where it was practical, but in Sunnyvale I worked close enough to bike and had a small shopping center withing walking distance. So the car was used mostly on weekends. Even in San Diego, which is probably one of the best US cities for bicyclists, I lived at the end of Ballast Point and it was many miles to get to anything.

 

[ChshreCat]

We have one car for the family. My wife walks to work and on most days I drive the car about a mile to a park and ride and take the bus the other 25 miles in to work. Even nicer since the bus is free. I haven't quite worked up to biking to the bus, but I've thought about it since they have bike racks on the front so I could take it to work with me.

I drive all the way only when I have something vital to do before or after work that I need my car in town for or if I'm working a shift that takes me outside the hours the bus runs (4 runs in the AM and 4 in the PM and that's it).

 

[ottobrew]

I go car-light from September to May. I'm a student again and I walk back and forth to school. Still have to take a car to my LHBS, but I'm ok with that.

 

[caspio]

During school I lived a few blocks from campus and also worked on campus. Walking or biking was the norm year round. Even did it in pouring rain, because most of the available parking was a longer walk than it was to my house. I often went a week or more without driving my truck.

Now I've moved and I drive almost every day to work. I started biking, but my crappy old bike that I used during school is finally falling apart. I was given a really nice diamondback, but with a small frame it's just not comfortable on the knees to ride. Our local bike shops have some nice offerings, so one of these days I'm going to get a nice bike that actually fits me. Right now 100+ degree weather means motivation is low.

 

[Snyder]

We've been a 1 car family for about 2 years. I live less than a mile from work, so I usually walk. My wife and I work opposite schedules, so I'm stuck in the house Monday through Friday. Now that we have a 3 yr. old and a 2 month old, it's starting to get trickier. Planning on buying a car in November.

 

[homebrewer_99]

I've never been able to go car free.

I live 32 miles from work via interstate. We have NO public transportation system.

My closest towns: east 6 miles, west 8.

 

[dantastic01SS]

No can do. Both my cars are V8s too! Green is the new pink if you ask me! jk

 

[EvilTOJ]

SWMBO has been riding public transportation for the last few years. Although it's great, it was also a 3 hour commute every day. She just bought a 150cc scooter for commuting and errand running, and she's loving the 120 MPG she's getting.

 

[Domminigan]

Ahhh... No. I've got 3 Camaros and an F-150. Nothing under 5.0L.

 

[EoinMag]

Almost 40 years of age, I've never owned a car, living in cities I never really saw the need.
The end of this year is planned for us to own our first car ever.
I cycle 15 minutes to work in the mornings and the same back in the evenings.
We live near everything we need, but having kids has changed things now and hence the need for a car shortly.

 

[Ryan_PA]

Well, if I lived in Ireland, I wouldn't own a car either. You all drive crazy! The roads are too small, and the drivers are too fast.

Living car free is a nice thought, but I almost need a car to get my mail (bit of an exaggeration, but you get the point). On the days I work from home, it is sweet to not have to deal with the daily grind, but when I go to the office, it is a nice 45 mile trek, one way.

 

[no1likesme]

My car is broken right now, does that count?