Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Uptown Joe on January 21, 2013 at 8:13am

Michael, very nice. You have not owned a car since I was 6 years old. Cheers to you, my friend!

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Permalink Reply by Bill Savage on January 21, 2013 at 8:27am

I don't own a car, but I rent one occasionally, cab once or twice a week, and my girlfriend (not a cyclist) drives to and from PT and occasionally ferries me places.  I take shuttle buses or the El to work when the weather is too much for me or I have to be all spiffy to lecture or something.  And remember: however car-free any of us might be, most of the goods we buy arrive where we buy them via internal-combustion-engine-using trucks.  No one who lives in the city is free of dependence on fossil fuels.

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Permalink Reply by lauren eg on January 21, 2013 at 9:25am

I am 24, have never owned a car and likely never will (unless I have children at some point in the future, which looks unlikely anyway). I am a social worker in the city, so sometimes I use a Zipcar provided by my work, if I don't want to ride to (or the commute time is vastly different) certain parts of the far west or far south side, but I also commute to client visits by bike.

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Permalink Reply by Nick W on January 21, 2013 at 9:38am

Car free for 2 years now. 

I rent a few times a year for vacation or work. Like Sarah D., I'm a Zipcar member for when I need one—and the Zipvan is particularly nice, such as when I moved within the city last summer. Occasionally take a cab in a pinch. I also compete (road, crit, cross), which may require me to get a ride out of the city.

And I, too, like driving every now and then. It definitely makes you a better rider and driver to step into the other's shoes once in a while. But personally owning a car is too much of a financial burden.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss my car sometimes. Grass is greener. I'd miss my bikes a lot more.

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Permalink Reply by Gina Godalia on January 21, 2013 at 9:50am

Car free except for iGo. and cabs. so shoot me. i live in a city by choice, which makes it easier to not own a vehicle. but some of us are older, have arthritis, etc - it isn't always realistic to haul everything by bike, esp when it's freezing cold out. and there are those relatives who insist on living in the burbs. must perforce visit a few times a year. 

I think it's great to go car free - but, as with all things, it's a balance. if i walk around judging people i'll get frown wrinkles. think i'll stick with crow's feet from smiling. Does this comment add anything? Eh, sorry if not.  

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Permalink Reply by Nick W on January 21, 2013 at 9:51am

It's all about balance. Well put.

Gina Godalia said:

Car free except for iGo. and cabs. so shoot me. i live in a city by choice, which makes it easier to not own a vehicle. but some of us are older, have arthritis, etc - it isn't always realistic to haul everything by bike, esp when it's freezing cold out. and there are those relatives who insist on living in the burbs. must perforce visit a few times a year. 

I think it's great to go car free - but, as with all things, it's a balance. if i walk around judging people i'll get frown wrinkles. think i'll stick with crow's feet from smiling. Does this comment add anything? Eh, sorry if not.  

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Permalink Reply by Nançois on January 21, 2013 at 10:15am

I have lived in Chicago since 1987 and have never owned a car. Although it never occurred to me to bike year-round until a few years ago. Was always a walk/public trans girl on the North side and don't have family in the burbs. Didn't rent cars very often, either.

These days, ironically, I bike year-round but live with my fiancé, who has a car! Smugness factor at an all-time low! But as others have already pointed out, you cannot totally predict the directions your life will take. My hat goes off to those of you who have ditched your cars, along with those of you who have them and overcome the inertia factor enough to bike anyway.

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Permalink Reply by Gort 12-mile Pinklegneep on January 21, 2013 at 10:51am

I've been entirely carless for I don't know how long, it was kind of gradual. I had a car that broke down, and then some months later I had it towed off, and never really felt any need to replace it. 

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Permalink Reply by Gort 12-mile Pinklegneep on January 21, 2013 at 10:52am

There's a lot of ambient potential animosity basically everywhere ready to be deployed against anyone who does things on purpose. 

h' 1.0 said:

There is absolutely nothing smug about anything Uptown Joe wrote.  He laid out what this thread was going to be about, and for some reason it seems to have gotten stuck in someone's craw.

I see nothing wrong with congratulating someone for making life without a car work.

Until you've actually gone car-free you don't entirely understand what it entails-- it's nice to have opportunity to connect with others who have similar experience without someone crapping all over it.

I find it particularly bizarre that the folks who jumped in and went all "divisive" on this discussion are the ones claiming Joe started a "divisive" thread.

This thread is about not owning a car.  It's not that hard to figure out. If you own a car, new discussions are free-- I'm sure we can always use more about being "car light."

I will afford you the courtesy of not posting to it, as it will clearly not have been intended for me.

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Permalink Reply by Gort 12-mile Pinklegneep on January 21, 2013 at 10:55am

I do think it's a bit amusing that there's this notion that if you have a family, you will need a car, mainly because I've got one and I don't. 

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Permalink Reply by Uptown Joe on January 21, 2013 at 11:33am

+1

Peenworm Grubologist said:

I do think it's a bit amusing that there's this notion that if you have a family, you will need a car, mainly because I've got one and I don't. 

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Permalink Reply by yai danche on January 21, 2013 at 11:42am

i live less than 10 miles from work and grocery stores.  i'm lucky that when visiting friends in the suburbs, they're willing to pick me up and drop me off at the metra station.  when i go on vacation, i take that city's public transportation (not sure how it would go visiting somewhere remote like a national park).  

i've never owned a car, but not by choice.  i never got my driver's license.  i foolishly never took advantage of driving range in high school and private driving lessons are $150-$300.  although to be fair, fear is really what is keeping me from learning to drive.  if i ever got my driver's license, i could stop cycling.  not owning a car has stopped me from doing things i want such as visiting sick friends and going stag to people's weddings (suburban weddings are cheaper i guess).  i will say that i would have to make a lot more money than i do now to justify paying $900 in parking by work and $2000 for car insurance.  judging from most of the posters on this thread, driving a car 3x a year, insurance costs alone is $666/ride.  

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