
Originally, I was going to just blog about how, now that I have a car - similar to the Dodge Caliber SXT that you see above - after over five years without, I feel incredibly free. (Prior to this car-free period, I had access to a car for most of my life since become a legal driver.) But Alison at Drawing Out the Color, wrote a post about living car-free, pointing out the good and the bad that she’s experienced. I’ve taken her six points and rephrased them to suit my list, then added my own. So I suggest you read her article first. My general premise is that while there are many cars to lust after, you can go for affordable and functional and not feel guilty.
1. Biking is not always a healthy way to commute. In the small city I currently live in, cycling is extremely dangerous. It’s considered one of the more dangerous places in N. America because working commuters returning from Toronto traffic jams everyday don’t shift mental gears and still drive aggressively upon entering city limits. I’ve even seen police officers in their cruisers cut off children at crosswalks, and other drivers intentionally splash pedestrians. Sometimes, biking or being a pedestrian is not healthy.
2. Getting groceries can be a problem. You can say that again. For me, I either accept a ride with a family member once a week or I have to walk to a grocery store and return by bus. But transit in this city stinks and it’s actually faster to walk, provided you’re not weighed down by a lot of groceries. Except since it’s a university town with a special “ride free” pass to all students (as of a few years back), don’t expect anyone to give up their seat.
You’re then limited as to how many bags of groceries you should safely buy, since you might have to stand. A backpack sometimes helps, but you’d need a hardshell case, which annoys other riders. Now that’s just groceries. I’m lucky to have had close access to laundry facilities in that time.
3. Options: zipcar. Zipcar is one option if it’s available, but not here that I’m aware of. However, there are car sharing programs, though they require a $300-600 deposit, which I didn’t have available until more recently.
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