The "Active" Part of Our Transportation

As my daughter and I began our experiment to be car-free, a friend asked if I would be keeping track of the walking and bicycling that ensued. I indicated that I would.

Full disclosure: I am a trip-tracking geek.

There are a number of tools and apps out there to measure steps, miles, speed, elevation gained -- you name it, it can probably be tracked.  My personal favorite is Endomondo, and I use it regularly.  (I promise not to go crazy with product placements.)

So, the more appropriate response to my friend would have been that I will probably be able to write a book -- or at the very least, a blog post -- on how our activity levels have changed as a result of living car-free.

I think it is universally well-known that people who live in urban, transit-friendly cities and communities experience higher levels of physical activity. This is no great revelation, right? If it's easy to walk to a destination -- store, restaurant, work -- people will be more inclined to do so. And if you rely on transit, you're inevitably walking or bicycling to and from stops.

The CDC has recommended physical activity guidelines for both adults and children for "healthy" living. A very small percentage of Americans attain those recommendations, but I can very easily claim that living car-free makes it very easy to not only attain, but surpass, them.

We have been sans car for a little more than six weeks now, so I have enough data to see how our lifestyle change has impacted my physical activity.  In summary, when we still had a car, I averaged 60 minutes/day of walking, hiking or bicycling. That average has doubled to two hours/day, and I have eliminated the hiking or mountain biking that used to factor in to my daily average. That two hours/day simply reflects "active transportation."

In terms of mileage, I used to average 3 miles/day, mostly walking, with a long recreational bike ride on the weekends.  As time goes on, I'm watching the average daily mileage increase, and right now it's about 10 miles/day. The long recreational rides on the weekend no longer occur, but I'm on the bike daily. Sometimes it's just a roundtrip to school, but on weekends, errands can easily rack up 10 miles or more.

These increases have occurred organically as a result of just walking to bus stops, from bus stops, or bicycling to school, stores or meetings.

The result: I am definitely feeling stronger, getting more muscle definition and slowly losing weight. I'm eager to see what the longer-term effects will be.

It's Getting Real

My resolve has been sorely tested this week. And my daughter has been the rock.

As her extracurricular schedule ramped up, our ability to easily access destinations hit a few obstacles. On Monday, she had volleyball practice, and we desperately needed a trip to the grocery store, but the Zipcars were booked, and she wasn't quite ready for the bicycle ride to volleyball practice. We opted for the transit/bicycle combo, only to find that my 30-day transit pass malfunctioned two weeks in, and we were informed that the only solutions were to buy another ticket, and then, trek back to the Williamsburg Outlet Mall -- which is on the way to absolutely nowhere -- to figure out what was wrong. This really wasn't the answer I wanted to hear.

Simultaneously, my workload for my actual job was ever increasing. Fall is always busy for us, and this season looks to be even more so.

I felt myself begin to buckle, but my daughter held fast, convinced that we can make this work. (I just need to state for the record that I think my kid is pretty amazing.)

Tuesday arrived, and I had a morning free of calls, so after school dropoff, I lingered downtown, working on a bench, fully capitalizing on Williamsburg's wifi access.  At the appointed time, I caught the bus that travels to the upper part of James City County. My resolve was buoyed by my fellow

A full bus.

transit riders -- standing room only, representing a wide variety of colors, ages and languages.  I found myself thinking that even in our small community, transit breaks down barriers like few things can. I firmly believe that is a good thing.

I am fortunate to be able to work virtually anywhere, and so far this week, I have found myself working on benches outside, benches inside, buses and even curbs. I've actually been quite productive.

To make a long story short, even after spending a total of three hours roundtrip, I was unable to resolve my transit pass issue at the transit office. However, I learned that the transit board of directors was meeting on Wednesday, and I decided it was time to introduce myself to the board and share with them our experiences--both positive and well ... constructive--thus far.

I've testified before many boards of electeds and decisionmakers, but never has it been so personal. The reception by the board and attending staff was encouraging.  I spoke about our direct experiences, but in the end, I hope that any resulting change enhances the experience for all transit users, and that the changes will be a catalyst to encourage more Williamsburg residents to experience transit. It is a pretty unique way to experience this place that is our collective home. Between this and the strength and enthusiasm of my kid, I'll continue to hang on when this experiment seems much harder than it should be.

I Didn't Participate

The Newly Adopted Regional Bicycle Facilities Plan

There was a semi-important vote by the James City County Board of Supervisors this week. Their meeting included review and approval of the updated regional bicycle facilities plan. This plan is part of the county's overall comprehensive plan -- its vision for its future.

Supporting active transportation at local meetings is always a good thing, but it is an increasingly important task in this particular county. While I may feel that active transportation is not a partisan issue, unfortunately, not everyone agrees with me.

This region has a particularly vocal segment of the population who routinely shows up at many meetings, voicing displeasure at the government's role in most matters, but they seem take it to a whole new level when it comes to bicycling.  I still don't completely understand what it is they have against bicycles. But they are a force to be reckoned with.

I knew I should be at this meeting. And yet I didn't go.

I didn't go because I couldn't easily get there. Yes, I could have ridden my bicycle. I have done it before. It's only 4.5 miles. The route includes a segment that is very lightly traveled ... but it's also unpaved, dark and isolated. In the daylight, it's fun. When it's dark, it's treacherous.

I looked into the other obvious option -- transit. But surprisingly, our transit system does not travel to (or even near) our county government complex. I was surprised, but as I have continued to think about that, I am angry. The complex is adjacent to Kingsmill, a renowned gated community that often hosts PGA and LPGA tournaments. It was proffered to the county long ago for the government complex. And it's not served by transit.

Essentially, the message I hear is that if you must rely on transit, you are not welcome. I don't think they really intend that message. I think they simply don't realize that there are people for whom transit is their only means of transportation. I will be letting them know.

In the end, I submitted a letter to the Supervisors, and I watched the meeting online.  The regional bicycle plan was ultimately adopted, and there were a number of friends who spoke in support of the plan. They were countered by plenty who were against any forward progress on active transportation.

There is more work to be done.

Beyond Expectations

We're a month into our grand experiment to be car-free. Summarizing in two words: beyond expectations.

Active transportation is nothing new for me. But to actually shed the car has put everything into a completely different perspective. I totally get that not everyone can do what we're doing, and even if they could, they probably wouldn't want to. That's ok. I make no judgements. I am simply reflecting our experience.

The month has been atypical due to my travel schedule and wrapping up the summer schedule. I had two trips to California, and I only had my daughter for one week.  I admit to being skeptical about how feasible being car-free with my daughter would be. Suffice to say she totally embraced the concept.

We are utilizing each of the alternatives available to us: walking, bicycling, transit and even a couple of Zipcar trips. This past week was the first week of school, and our route takes us along one of the main arterials in Williamsburg. It's served by transit, and it's also heavily traveled by W&M students. With the routine, we see the same people regularly, and by the end of the week, we were waving at transit drivers and greeting passers-by like friends, rather than just strangers. The sense of community is flourishing.

We are learning to navigate the transit system, and this is no small feat. We're lucky to have a transit system in our community, but it lacks the sophistication and convenience that you find in a metropolitan region. The popular lines run on the 1/2 hour, the lesser lines on the hour. The routes are not that efficient. It takes some creative planning to arrange errands so it doesn't take all day.  The process is greatly enhanced by bringing our bikes along with us. My love for bike racks on buses has deepened to a whole new level.

The shining moment thus far in the process has been when my daughter declared that our town feels much more accessible to her now that she knows she can navigate it by bus instead of relying on adults with cars. I think that's a significant realization for an adolescent.