Car Free!
My 2007 resolutions included selling my car and living car-free in San Francisco, where the weather makes biking pleasant and public transportation and cabs are abundant. Last month I finally bit the bullet; I'm officially car-free and I haven't regretted it for a moment. No more car or insurance payments, parking tickets or unexpected towing (twice, ouch!). No waking up early for street cleaning day, no anxiety when I hear a car getting crunched by a drunk driver in the middle of the night. Seeing the DPT still causes me a moment of panic until I remember I'm no longer on the top ten list for unpaid tickets.
I recall the sentiment that the biggest hurdle about becoming car-free is the decision itself. It was easy to believe not having a car was going to be a tremendous hassle, but after making the leap I'm finding the ease of not having to worry about my car far outweighs any additional hassle and lack of spontaneity.
Getting to work has been the easiest part of the transition. It takes me about 15 minutes to ride my bike over mostly flat roads. Once I established my method of transportation to and from work,
the rest fell in to place; I stay within walking distance of my house for
my daily shopping and eating needs, and most of my entertainment is
within reach of my bike or MUNI. No more impromptu Ikea trips, no shopping sprees at Bed, Bath
and Beyond, and no buying items in bulk. Basically, I can no longer
accumulate Stuff at the ridiculous rate I was at prior to selling the
car.
To make myself feel better about the decision, I told myself I'd sign up for Zip car to handle any trip that absolutely requires more than I can haul in a backpack on a bike. So far, that day hasn't come yet.
On my bike I'm facing the daily possibility of being hurt. I'm dealing with cars that don't respect bike lanes or traffic lights, and the possibility of getting hurt is higher on my bike than in my built-like-a-tank BMW wagon. However, just like driving a car, being smart means avoiding stupid drivers, and "riding defensively" helps with a bit of daily adrenaline rush. Unlike the majority of riders I encounter between the Mission and SOMA, I also wear a helmet.
I'm a bit more "green" by not consuming fuel in the car. However, I'm fairly certain any savings in my carbon footprint from not driving are outweighed by the amount of travel in airplanes I do. I'm still waiting on transporter technology to help with that one. I also hear I can plant some trees.
Comments
This is great inspiration. I don't think I'd miss my car once it was gone (see my post about how little I drive), but actually giving it up is going to be hard.
It's amazing how much you can carry if you have a good backpack.
First time I drove zipcar I got a parking ticket (first of my life, I never got a parking ticket in france, can you believe it?).
But I cannot grock public transportations. In comparison to what I've been used to in Paris, it sucks, I find bike more convenient and faster than muni most of the time. But I believe SF does well in comparison to other US cities.
And about ride safety and crazy car drivers, I'm holding a ton of posts on the subject... But I agree with you, being on a bike give you a lot more visibility and flexibility "riding defensively", is the way to go.
Anyway, congrats for your new lifestyle :)
I'm still uncomfortable with the big traffic, but get more confident with the hills ;-) What a nice quality of life... impossible to imagine for us in Paris.
Wholeheartedly agreed on the topic. I haven't ridden a bike around in SF, and have envied you having bike lanes at least on the road. There merely are any bike lanes and shoulders on roads in Tokyo, at least on the way to the SAKK office and from home. Crazy car drivers are everywhere of course.
I wish I could bike around SF and the bay area someday.
"However, I'm fairly certain any savings in my carbon footprint from not driving are outweighed by the amount of travel in airplanes I do."
That's where I get screwed, too. I fly a *lot* and usually try to buy carbon offsets as much as possible, but it's hard to claim to be green when I'm on a plane every day.
Regarding defensive driving: when you're in a car, defensive driving means driving like you're invisible. When you're on two wheels it means riding like they can see you and they're actively out to get you. At least I heard it put like that once. You can't actually get anywhere that way though.