Downtown Berkeley BART Station.
Photo credit: hortulus
For a variety of reasons, we will be selling one of our cars in the next few months. Many of you have probably already taken this step eons ago for a variety of reasons, but in ‘09, I am ready to take the plunge. I have been reluctant to do this in the past because I’m so in love with my 15 minute commute to work by car as opposed to the 1+ hour commute on three different modes of public transportation just to go seven miles across town.
We will still have one car between the two of us so we will have to get used to planning our trips more. Thankfully he works entirely from home, so the car will reside there most of the time. The good news is, we will be relocating in the next several months, hopefully to a neighborhood with a decent transportation system and certain amenities within walking distance (local grocery stores, cafe’s etc). Though we live in the San Francisco Bay Area which offers some of the best public transportation around (at least in California) we happen to live in an neighborhood where its not that great.
For the time being while we are still here, we will share the one car so that I can get to and from work in a reasonable amount of time – at least some of the time, make it to doctor’s appointments so that I wont use all of my PTO (personal time off) at work from using public transit, and still be able to combine trips on occasion (grocery shopping + work, etc).
I wish biking was an option, but my paralyzing fear of traffic even crossing the street, the killer Berkeley hills with narrow winding roads, and limited vision in my left eye that mostly occurs when my body tempeture rises (long story) makes it unsafe for me. There are some serious weekend warriors that take over the streets up here during the weekends and I hope to be one of them some day.
Keeping with the theme of Green and Chic, I will say that one of the reasons why we are giving up one car is to help reduce pollution and waste. Though we will still have the one car, it will be driven much less. Once we move, the usage will continue to go down.
Over time, I will blog my progress here if I can keep these posts interesting! If I don’t have much to say, I will just Tweet the updates.
I discovered this great blog from Kim Woodbridge of Antisocial Developement through one of her weekly blogrolls entitled Green LA Girl – Car Free Monday’s . This series showcases women who decided to be car free in Los Angeles of all places. Thought I’m not quite ready to start biking again, this blog is still very
I will be putting my car up for sale in the next month or two. Wish me luck in this economy!
Loading ...
grechen
on Jan 13th, 2009
@ 9:59 am:
omg, we are doing that too! we both have leases, and when SO’s lease is up in July, we’ll go down to my car only, until my lease is up in October. we’re thinking of either paying cash for a 10-year old acura or leasing a new one, depending on how our financial situation is looking. right now, our cars stay in the garage most of the time – we hardly use them unless we go “out of town” to visit family.
although we live in Atlanta, we live in a location close to my dr’s offices, a few grocery stores, restaurants, and other service businesses we use. we walk to most (public trans. here is abysmal). our primary motivation is financial – this will allow us to save nearly $800 in parking fees, car payments, insurance, etc., but we know we’ll be doing our part to reduce pollution and use less fuel too
[Reply]
Kim Woodbridge
on Jan 13th, 2009
@ 10:02 am:
Going car free – one of my favorite topics. I think this is a great start – It’s well thought out so you will be successful.
I’ve only owned a car for 6 months. I bought an old Volvo in Tucson, drove it to Philly when I moved here, and then sold it for the price I paid for it.
I’m fortunate in that I live 1.5 miles from work so I can walk or bike and Philly has decent public transportation, although it should be better considering we are the 4th largest city in the country.
I’m so excited for you – a car often causes as many problems as it solves.
[Reply]
Dave Munger
on Jan 13th, 2009
@ 10:03 am:
We are basically doing that now — we have an old junker which we keep because our teenage son’s insurance is cheaper if we put him on that car. Our other car is a Prius which we do put quite a few miles on driving the kids around. I work from home and Greta walks to work so we really don’t need two cars. Not sure we could do car-free though, living as we do in the suburbs.
[Reply]
Richly Chheuy
on Jan 13th, 2009
@ 10:39 am:
I’ve always wanted to go car-free in LA, but for me it isn’t practical, since I live about 22 miles away from work. I haven’t found a doable route yet, but I’d much prefer driving once in a while (maybe 2-3 times during the work week) and saving miles on my car. I just need to find a viable route…
Besides, commuting by public transportation once in a while can be relaxing. Get to read, listen to music, catch up on some light work while riding, etc. Good luck on your endeavor!
I’ll check out that blog. See how those LA women are doing it.
[Reply]
Lance
on Jan 13th, 2009
@ 5:23 pm:
Hi Carla,
I love this idea! While I haven’t given up my car – and where I’m at there is no public transportation – I do bike to work when I can – in the spring through fall. Winter is just too cold and snowy here. During the rest of the year, I average about 2-3 days/week biking. And I love it. Not only for the fuel savings and being good for the environment – it’s also been so good for my health (both mental and physical). Half of my 9 mile ride is on a bike path – and the early morning hours mean usually no one but me on the bike path – it ends up being a great time just to connect with myself. I miss itnow that it’s winter!! Anyway, I really applaud you for going about selling your car – that’s a big step toward helping the environment – and one I’m not ready to make yet…
I wish you well Carla, in all of this – selling the car, moving, using public transportation, and adjusting to all the changes. And I do think this is very exciting for you! And…I do hope that, if you really want to, that someday you are able to bike the streets and paths near you…
[Reply]
Marelisa
on Jan 13th, 2009
@ 5:28 pm:
Hi Carla: It sounds like it’s going to get some getting used to at first, but I’m sure you’ll do fine with just one car. I’ve heard you say before that you want to live in an area where you can walk to shops that are nearby, so I’m happy for you that you’re planning to do so in the near future. Good luck
[Reply]
Carla
on Jan 13th, 2009
@ 9:46 pm:
@Grechen – Money is definitely a motivation for us too!
@Kim- 1.5 miles from work is a DREAM – though I had so many jobs over the years that I cant really chose where I love based on where I’m working. I used the commute to San Francisco and that’s not the cheapest place in the wold to live though I had the advantage of our “casual carpool” program here and BART.
@Dave – We will still have one car between the two of us so we’re not exactly car free either. Baby steps.
@Marelisa – Thanks for the encouragement!
@Lance – It wouldnt be so bad for me if we had true bike paths – NO cars. We have one, but it doesnt really go to and from work. We do have bike lands but for someone like me, its not any better than the streets.
@Richly – I can see with a 22 mile commute it would be difficult!
[Reply]
Wilson Pon
on Jan 13th, 2009
@ 10:48 pm:
Carla, since my workplace is only 4 km from my living place, thus I rides bicycle to office every morning…
[Reply]
Mark Salinas
on Jan 14th, 2009
@ 9:02 am:
Good for you! I would love to add you to my journey page…check it out!
[Reply]
livingmyrichlife
on Jan 14th, 2009
@ 12:25 pm:
Good luck! I’m sure that once you are in the new routine you’ll be more at peace with the decision. I love having one car that we rarely drive. It helps that Hubby is at home most of the time and I have an easy 10 minute cycle to work.
[Reply]
Richly Chheuy
on Jan 14th, 2009
@ 5:13 pm:
Good luck Carla! It shouldn’t be too bad, as long as you have a car for backup.
My commute makes it difficult to find any form of public transportation, but I wish I could find some way to get to work without having to drive everyday. I bought a Prius last September to help offset some of my fuel costs (I was driving a Jeep Liberty and that was guzzling gas like frat boys guzzle beer).
Do you know of any web-based tools out there to help plan out public transportation routes?
[Reply]
Sagan
on Jan 14th, 2009
@ 8:17 pm:
Hurray! Good luck:) Life is much easier without having a car (or an extra one) anyways.
[Reply]
Natural
on Jan 15th, 2009
@ 10:22 am:
if i lived in NYC, i would give up my car, but where I am now, in NJ, that’s just not going to happen. there is public transportation, but where i work, it doesn’t come often. oh yeah, i would die in the winter.
wish you the best!
[Reply]
Carla
on Jan 15th, 2009
@ 10:27 am:
@Natural – I don’t know what I would do in harsh winters. We are just going up to PDX so it’s not as bad as the northeast (though they came pretty close this winter!). We will still have one car between the two of us. We LOVE getting out of town too much to give that up.
@Sagan – I certainly hope so!
@Richly – The only website I know about is http://511.org/ for the Bay Area. I’m sure there are others around for different areas – I hope!
@living my rich life – 10 minute cycle to work sounds great! Do you have hills where you live?
@Mark – Great blog!
@Wilson – 4km is pretty ideal!
[Reply]
Gennaro
on Jan 15th, 2009
@ 12:10 pm:
Great move, Carla. It’s definately easier to cut down on car use in certain cities. In New York City, for example, it’s very easy. Depending on the borough, of course. This action of cutting down on the autos fits into Gandhi’s “Be the change you want to see in the world.”
[Reply]
Squawkfox
on Jan 16th, 2009
@ 5:17 pm:
I have been living car free for about 12 years. It’s not the easiest path, but with a little planning it’s very doable. In the summer I ride my bike everywhere…I even have a trailer I use for groceries. In the winter I take transit or carpool.
I’ve saved countless dollars not owning a vehicle too. Plus I get fitness to boot.
[Reply]
Daphne
on Jan 18th, 2009
@ 9:00 pm:
Hi Carla,
I sold my last car 3 years ago and never looked back. What I love about not having a car – no worries about refuelling, servicing, washing, and looking for parking! Maybe one or two days a year I wish I had a car, but otherwise I’m happier without. Hope you enjoy the experience!
[Reply]
LisaNewton
on Jan 20th, 2009
@ 7:35 pm:
I understand where you’re coming from with the biking. I recently started biking here in Los Angeles, and the streets are more than a little scary. Whenever possible I do stick to the sidewalks, but even these have their own set of problems.
Right now, I watch as much as possible, keep an eye on the traffic, and follow all the correct signals.
Of course, I also wear a helmet. It might look geeky, but I don’t give a damn.
I wish you luck as a one car family. It takes a little effort, but I’ve discovered that it is also very rewarding…………………..:)
[Reply]