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.