I’m without a car this week, since mine is in the shop getting its transmission replaced.
I’ve thought, for a while, about not having a car. It would mean some changes to my lifestyle, but not insurmountable ones. I live within walking distance to work and the grocery store, and I have several bicycles that I can use to go further. There are generally several weeks out of the year that I don’t use my car at all, and many more that I use it only once. The weather in Santa Barbara is very mild, so walking or bicycling is reasonable year-round. Most of my trips out of town are with friends, so I could still go with others and chip in for gas money. And for the few trips I take on my own, I could rent a car. I’d have to get rid of the boat (nothing to tow it with), but I could still rent one a few times a year. It would simplify my life and reduce my expenses. This is how it all went in my mind.
In reality, it didn’t quite go that way.
On Wednesday, I went dancing, but waited around and begged a ride home from a friend going that direction, since I didn’t want to walk the mile home at night. Yesterday, I needed to beg a ride to another dance get-together, and also rope a friend into doing grocery shopping with me for an upcoming ski trip. I had said I’d take care of it, but without his car, I couldn’t carry all the food. Today, my housemate gave me a ride to work, since I couldn’t carry all my baggage with me.
I’m not sure I can deal with feeling like a mooch every time I want to do something. It would be fine if my friends didn’t have cars, but they do, and as a result the events we go to aren’t really designed for people without them. So, not having a car would definitely simplify my life: I’d attend fewer social events, and probably have fewer friends, too.
Just thought I’d share how different things ended up being from my perception.
Nothing to of substance to say, I just popped in to say that at first I thought the thread title was “Being careless did not go how I thought it would”.
I live in the rural suburbs. ( read: zero public transit ). Being carless is not an option. In nice weather I used to ride a bike here and there sometimes, but very frequently leaving the house meant going to purchase something and that was complex with a bike. ( A bag of groceries? Yes. Auto parts? Perhaps not.)
I would LOVE a battery-driven trike to use around town. That’d be splendid but I suspect they’re damned pricey, and not street-legal.
One piece at a time, and it didn’t cost him a dime, you’ll know it’s him when he rolls through your town.
It’s funny how the town you’re in completely controls your need for an auto. In my college town, I could ride my bike to school from door to door in less than a minute, and from school to work in less than 5. I rode my bike to practice, to the gym, and to the bar. I only used my truck to drive out of town a couple times a month. Now, my commute is 45 minutes by car. I haven’t used my bike since I got here Hopefully I’ll take it out this Sunday!
If you get a basket for the front of your bicycle, going to the grocery shouldn’t be a hastle (though you can only buy about three days worth of food.) And if you have the bicycle, why walk to work?
Once you get good, you can hold an umbrella with one hand while you bicycle.
Hopefully I’ll take it out this Sunday!