Bikes 29 Jan 2007 09:23 pm
Car-free anniversary
If my notes are correct, tomorrow will be our 6-month anniversary of being car-free. Hooray!
I knew that January would be the test of my resolve, and this January was one fine test. But I’m still happy with our decision not to keep a car around.
There was one day, one icy slippery-sidewalk day, when I thought twice about it as I flailed my way to the bus stop. (And then kept on thinking twice as I flailed my way back from the bus stop, having forgotten about holiday schedule changes. That day stunk.) But one grouchy day in six months is not worth having a car for. I thought the rain and cold might do me in, but in fact, I kind of like short bike rides in the rain, and I have yet to meet a cold day that my balaclava can’t handle just fine.
By and large, life’s been more fun without a car.
on 29 Jan 2007 at 10:21 pm 1.Savannah said …
That’s fascinating (and heartening) to me, since I’ve never owned a car. At times I give in to envy (even though I’d have no money and more stress if I did have one) but it has occurred to me lately that I could buy the most luxurious bus pass possible and take taxis home every time I went for a night out and it’d still be scads cheaper.
on 30 Jan 2007 at 2:47 am 2.Kitty said …
Congrats! I hope you enjoy the bike-heavy lifestyle as much as I do.
As of now, I live in a convuluted downtown/University area. I pay a monthly fee here at my student cooperative for parking. I’ve found my car largely useless here in the city - If I were to try to drive to my classes or work, I would merely find a parking space FARTHER than my leased outdoor space.
So, I ride my bike “heavily” as well.
And here in the Minnesota winters, I paticularily enjoy my lightweight mountain bike. I’ve gotten paticularily good at putting my legs out to each side when turning on icy patches.
Some of the things I enjoy about riding my bike year round -
Flying past both pedestrians and cars most of the time. (Bike traffic is actually lower on campus than both autos and pedestrians)
Seeing other breathless, fresh-faced riders around.
Low-impact and rewarding exercise.
The knowledge that I am not contributing to the heavy air pollution or dependence on oil and car insurance.
I’ve been thinking about wearing a mask to lower the amount of exhaust I breathe in. Usually it is not too noticeable, but sometimes there are up to 4 large trucks parked in the streets delivering supplies to the stores, leaving their trucks on as they unload.
on 30 Jan 2007 at 2:37 pm 3.Communications From Elsewhere » Blog Archive » Bike progress said …
[...] On July 30, exactly six months ago (as Cam points out), our remaining car died, rendering us effectively car-free a little ahead of schedule. (We finally got rid of the car entirely on November 10.) [...]
on 30 Jan 2007 at 4:34 pm 4.Rechercher said …
Ooh, can I get a pic of you in your balaclava? For some reason I find them funny.
I think it’s the eyes forlornly looking out from an otherwise absent face.
on 30 Jan 2007 at 6:20 pm 5.Cam Sculpin said …
I’m pretty sure that’d be blackmail material.
on 20 Jul 2007 at 4:40 am 6.Alevoor Rajagopal said …
Yes, bikes not just saves a little money but they also help keep you fit. I did quite some amount of biking myself when in university. And I owe at least a good sum of it to that enthusiastic biking that I am still finding it easier to walk around at 80 than most people 2/3rds my age.
Thanks and good luck