Just when you got rid of it they are trying to pull you back in. Before I got rid of mine I estimated how much it would cost me to own a car. After that the decision was easy. For some people I maybe belong in a lower social status of life. But oh dear, I have fun...
Chris Baskind
· 1 month ago
Since June, I've *needed* a car three times. Twice, I bummed rides. Once, I just let things fall down. Neither was a great option, but there's very little public transit here.
Next up: the Holidays. I'm guessing I'll have to rent a car at some point to see way-out-of-town family. Even at holiday rates, that's a much better deal than even a single month of car ownership.
The Equinox looks nice. It's reasonably efficient for a gas-burner -- though not as efficient as pedaling. ;-)
bitterend
· 1 month ago
What is good about renting a car is you can pick a car you need. Personally since I joined the car-sharing club I have used the whole scale they offer, from the small one to the "mothership". And I have used them only the time I have needed. For the longer trips I compare different options - bus/train/car.
Jane
· 1 month ago
You've hit the nail on the head Chris, city planners must make a way for this type of lifestyle choice. Another piece to the puzzle are "planned communities." The 'burbs are killing us environmentally. They do not generally have any form of public transportation, most families are multi-care families, it takes more energy to move the building supplies to the area, the list goes on and on. The other effect of these domiciles is that there is little green space. The book "Last Child in the Woods" is clear about the need of children to have green space in which to grow their creativity and intelligence. Two square feet of grass is not going to cut it, and the parks are so manufactured that they feel more like mausoleums than parks. I live in a city wherein one avenue was designed by Frederick Olmsted. This street is full of green space. Over 100 years ago, those who designed and planned cities did so with more forethought than we have today. Planners today don't think past one generation - thus we could end up with areas of no inhabitants, but lots of wasted resources.
I will stop ranting for the day.
Chris Baskind
· 1 month ago
There are bicycle activists who -- in good faith -- oppose bike lanes as a kind of "segregation." I'm not one of them. People ride bicycles when they feel safe doing so. Even the Europeans, who are decades ahead of us on shifting traffic from four to two wheels, know that you *must* create facility for bike transport if you expect people to ride.
We have very little bicycle infrastructure in my county. I am aware of only one local company which makes any provision for secure bicycle parking (ironically, it's Gulf Power -- which runs a coal-fired power plant here). Some major routes have bike lanes, but the markings are inconsistent, and the lanes seem to disappear in exactly the places they're most needed.
Lots of work to do. And please consider More Minimal a safe place to rant. ;-)
solargroupies
· 1 month ago
Amen! Couldn't have said it better myself, Chris!
Max Gladwell
· 1 month ago
A man of principles. Well done. Politely, too.
Tim
· 1 month ago
Well said! Its really too bad more people don't think this way.
All Comments
Before I got rid of mine I estimated how much it would cost me to own a car. After that the decision was easy. For some people I maybe belong in a lower social status of life. But oh dear, I have fun...
Next up: the Holidays. I'm guessing I'll have to rent a car at some point to see way-out-of-town family. Even at holiday rates, that's a much better deal than even a single month of car ownership.
The Equinox looks nice. It's reasonably efficient for a gas-burner -- though not as efficient as pedaling. ;-)
I will stop ranting for the day.
We have very little bicycle infrastructure in my county. I am aware of only one local company which makes any provision for secure bicycle parking (ironically, it's Gulf Power -- which runs a coal-fired power plant here). Some major routes have bike lanes, but the markings are inconsistent, and the lanes seem to disappear in exactly the places they're most needed.
Lots of work to do. And please consider More Minimal a safe place to rant. ;-)