Becoming Car-Free

I am an active transportation advocate. What does that mean? The really short answer is that I promote walking and bicycling. The longer answer is that I believe that people should have a choice in how they choose to move around their community, their city, their region... you get the picture.  I might even admit that it's downright libertarian of me to resent the fact that we have made this country so dependent upon cars. There are options. And I take great joy in seeing how that sentiment is gripping growing segments of the American population.

As a result there are growing options to automobile ownership. I won't get too technical in this blog, but many researchers believe that, as a country, the number of miles driven annually--the VMT--may have peaked several years ago. And I love the fact that our current generation of teens and young adults are taking longer to get their drivers licenses and are choosing other ways to navigate their world than by car.  (I personally think it's a backlash to being schlepped around in a car or minivan constantly as children, but the research bears out a myriad of reasons at this point. Time will tell.)

I'm not anti-car. My daughter and I just took a 5,000 road trip in 14 days this summer, and I had no problem sitting behind the wheel of my car, ticking away miles on the Interstate.  I clearly don't eschew cars.  I just don't want to HAVE to have one to go anywhere. And I am fully cognizant that not everyone can have a car -- amazing as that may seem to many.

So what?

Well, as of yesterday, I decided that I am in the process of becoming car-free. Yes, it will be a process. I'm not going cold turkey.

I love my car. It's 17 years-old, and it has fulfilled every synonym I can think of for dependable. When I think of all the miles that car has traveled--and it's closing in on 200k--I am amazed at how flawless it has been.  But it is broken, and the cost to repair it to safe working condition far exceeds its value at this point. And so, I am facing the fact that I have to say goodbye soon.  Not only am I not anti-car, I'm ridiculously anthropomorphic about mine.

And, so I have been faced with figuring out the next step.  A number of friends have just purchased brand new cars, and I'll admit that it's tempting to want to follow suit. Irrational, illogical, but tempting nonetheless.  When I actually think about it, I abhor the idea of purchasing a car and having car payments.

What's my option? With the tepid support of my daughter, we will be embarking on a car-free existence. I am banking on my car lasting at least through August, giving me a chance to fully assess how this will work, but I'm optimistic that by the time fall arrives in earnest, I will no longer own an automobile. And I will record my journey--and all that it entails--here.