How did folks here get around before they became old enough to drive? Particularly those in places where it is difficult to get around without a car.
Horse?
Bikes, buses and hitchhiking for me.
Feet.
Bicycle.
Bumming rides.
(0-3km) Walking
(3-10km) Bus
(10+ km) Parent’s car or bus
The only place close enough to walk to was the post office, two miles away, and I would walk to that except in winter. Everything else, I had to have my mom drive me. No public transportation and six to ten miles to the nearest civilization.
Mom drove my sister and me to school, and I’d sometimes ride along when somebody went to the store or whatever, but I never had any destinations of my own. I didn’t even bother getting my driver’s license until I was 18.
I didn’t get mine until I was 19, and I barely drive anyway. I live either in a suburban area or a big city.
If I live and worked in the city, I probably wouldn’t even bother having a car.
Yeah, I used to have to walk everywhere.
I had to walk to work (maybe 2-3 miles) when I got my first full-time job. On my first day I got splashed with water by a car driving through a puddle. Yay!
I rode piggyback on Ringo, except when he was hitchhiking which I almost never did.
Plus, I walked a lot and sometimes a neighborhood mom could be convinced to drive us somewhere.
When I was 15, the magic of dating older guys was a good way to get to the movies.
Walked everywhere, subway, and bus. No problem or stigma attached to public transporatation where I’m from–everybody had to take it, none of my friends had cars. No driver’s ed in most schools, parking expensive, insurance through the roof. Walked to school, subway to job and friends, cars only on family trips. Got a lot of reading and homework done on trains and perfected my “don’t fuck with me, buddy” face around the age of 13.
Moved to Boston, same thing only more compact.
Didn’t bother to learn to drive until I was 28, never owned a car.
I lived three-years in college with no car. I took my bicycle everywhere during the day (and I’m hardly an athelete). At night, when visibility was poor, I tried to either have my long-distance stuff finished and I’d walk or I’d try to stick to the sidewalks (illegal but safer) on my bike.
Basically walked & pedaled for three years (there was no public transportation). I had some good friends that would let me know if they were going to the mall (too far) of the grocery store (awkward with a bike) and would offer rides. If I needed something from the store and there was no ride available I’d just get my jumbo backpack and head out.
I’m 26 and have no drivers license.
Bike, walking, public transportation.
When going out of the city I bum rides or take the good old Greyhound.
Im 21 and have no interest in driving or learning how to drive at the moment, I know Il do it eventually. If I want to travel then I can do so by using public transport or walk.
In New Orleans, public transit wasn’t even an option. Well, it WAS, but it was never one I took. For one, the buses ran hours late. That’s right, hours. When they came at all. For another, the nearest stop was about 5 miles from my house. And the buses were not air conditioned.
So it was “Moooooooooooom!”
Light as a feather, she was.
I hate driving. I hate having to have a car and having it be the only way to really get around. I dread having to get into one and am glad to get out of it. I have no interest in waiting for a parking space close to the door and will gladly park way out and walk. I hate car payments and insurance and maintenance. Unfortunately I live in one of the worst cities when it comes to any alternative type of transportation.
I recently received a promotion and was sent to a different location from where I used to work, but unfortunately I can no longer take the bus to work. I am also looking for a town home or condo and the places in my price range are a little further out from town than I would like, and therefore there is no way I can become carfree anytime soon. I do not have a lot of stress in my life, but most of the stress I do have usually involves a car.
I loved being in college in Lubbock because I rode my bicycle everywhere, and everthing I needed was in walking or biking distance.
I rode a bike everywhere till I was about 23. And I live in Houston, one of the largest cities (in area) in the world. There are also no subways here and the buses don’t go everywhere. And we are just now getting into light rail and THAT is controversial. Don’t understand that myself. What’s bad about light rail? Anyway, Generally I ended up riding my bike about 2 hours a day. Boy was I healthy. I took the bus just about everywhere I didn’t want to ride and I walked the rest of the way.
So in order of preference:
Bicycle
Public Transportation
Feet
When I was growing up we had no bus (other than the school bus), and even bicycling wasn’t much of an option because of the hills. We used to walk our bikes up to the top of street and ride down for the fun of it, but they weren’t practical as general transportation. The only thing we had going for us was the semi-wild terrain, making such childhood pursuits as hide-and-seek and ditch more interesting. Come to think of it, we continued those pastimes pretty much until the older kids in our group began to drive.
Neither I nor the mrs drive, we are 27 and 34 respectivly.
Bike, buss, tunnelbana, taxt, lifts from friends, and of course shanks pony. We will be getting a car and a license for herself within the next few months, and that will be real nice, but not having had access to a car has never been any real hardship.