I’ve always been a car guy. It’s not that I’m mechanically inclined or that I get into the latest makes and models — neither of these is anywhere close to the truth — but that a car has always been my primary mode of transportation.
When I was a boy, my family lived in rural Oregon, six miles from the nearest town. Automobiles were our only real option for getting around. Even when I went away to college, I relied on a car for most of my mobility. And so it’s been for forty years. As I say, I’ve always been a car guy.
This summer, though, I’ve had a sort of epiphany, one prompted by your comments and suggestions. I’ve learned that I can save money and improve my fitness by leaving my car at home — by exploring alternate modes of transportation.
The Bus
After my small adventure riding the bus in April, I’ve begun to view it as a valid means for getting around town. I think it helps that our friends Chris and Jolie are huge bus advocates, and use it to travel to and from our house. If they can use the bus, so can I — right? Now, instead of seeing the bus as something other people use, I know it’s something that I can use as well.
For example, I’m hoping to take a French class at a local college when the fall term starts. (Kris and I are teaching ourselves French in preparation for our planned vacation to Paris next autumn.) If I do this, I intend to take the bus to school three mornings a week.
I still don’t use the bus often, but it’s now in my pool of options, especially if I don’t want to hassle with a car. Portland’s transit system has an awesome website, so it’s easy to find a route that works for me.
The Bike
I love cycling, but I rarely hop on a bike anymore. For a couple of years during the late 1990s, I regularly rode my bike 5.8 miles to-and-from the box factory during the summer. I was biking over 1000 miles a year. I’ve biked occasionally here at our new house, but I’m older and fatter than I used to be, and my bike no longer really fits me.
I spent the better part of this summer avoiding a bike purchase — I just bought a car, for goodness sake — but two weeks ago, I finally realized that I was being foolish. I bought a city bike, one that actually fits, one that I actually use. Even though I could afford it, I felt apprehensive spending the money. (Still haven’t shaken all of the old mindsets.) But after a fortnight using my new vehicle, I’m pleased with the purchase.
A bicycle is handy not only for exercise, but also for handling middle-distance errands. If a destination is within 10-15 miles and it’s not raining (an important consideration here in Oregon), a bike is a viable option. Biking to my friend Andrew’s house takes about 25 minutes, for example; that’s only 10 minutes longer than it takes by car. And biking to the nearest grocery store barely takes any time at all.
Now that I have a bike that fits me — and one specifically designed for city cycling — I’m eager to make frequent use of it. It’s been over a decade since I had a 1000-mile year. It’d be great to ride that far again in 2010!
My Feet
The bus and the bike are great, but the real revelation in alternate transportation this summer has come from my own two feet. I’ve been walking all over the place.
Kris and I don’t live in a very walkable neighborhood. Despite a “somewhat walkable” Walk Score of 68, there’s nothing much close by. (In calculating walkability for us, the Walk Score counts two minimarts as grocery stores and two bars as restaurants — including one with the dubious distinction of being named “the best dive bar in Portland”.)
After I developed another running injury in June, I decided that I’d have to get my exercise by walking. That meant jaunting five or six miles each day to get the same time on my feet that I’d spent running. It also meant learning to see the surrounding communities in new ways.
For example, I’ve always felt that the nearest city was too far to walk to. It’s 2-1/2 miles to the near side of town and three miles to the far side. But I recently made a deal with myself: Once per week, I allow myself to go to the comic book store and to eat at the cheap taco place — but only if I walk. Walking creates a barrier. By setting this requirement, I can’t just indulge myself on a whim.
It’s not just the comic book store and the taco stand, though. I walk three miles to the credit union. I walk a mile-and-a-half to the public library. I walk a mile to the grocery store. And once, I even walked two miles to the lawnmower repair shop, and then pushed my mower home.
I never thought I could make the time to walk five miles per day, but I was wrong.
And here’s something I’ve learned: Once you start walking five miles a day, your world gets bigger. I know this seems counter-intuitive — a car takes you further faster — but it’s true. You begin to realize that things are closer than you thought they were. Walking is a great way to save money, see your neighborhood, and have fun.
Other Options
Although I may be new convert to alternate modes of transportation, many GRS readers have been working to reduce their car use for a long time, and for a variety of reasons. On Twitter last week, I asked people to share their stories:
Here are some of the replies:
@apricotrabbit wrote: “Between the bus & Zipcar, I don’t need a car in the city & I save tons of money. Plus, I can read while someone drives me around.”
@mrawdon wrote: “I’ve been biking to work twice a week this summer, for the exercise. Cuts down on gas consumption significantly, too.”
@grouchyladybug wrote: “i take the train & bus to work b/c it’s cheaper & more relaxing than driving”
@sarahperiwinkle wrote: “I take the commuter rail b/c its free with employer transit pass, w/in walking distance of home and work, and as fast as car.”
@jessemecham wrote: “is a sweet scooter alternate transportation? 70 mpg and I look good. (Yes, it was partially to save gas).”
It’s important to note that not everyone likes biking or taking the bus. I heard from some people who wish they could use a car more often, or who opt not to use other methods because they’re inconvenient.
Conclusion
Not all Americans have the luxury of being able to explore alternate means of transportation. For good or ill, we’re a car-centric nation that has built car-centric cities that encourage us to stay in our automobiles. But I suspect that there are a large number of people who could travel by bus, bike, or feet — if they only realized how easy it is. (That was certainly true in my case, anyhow.)
For some people, time is an issue, but I have intentionally created a lifestyle that allows me an opportunity to explore more leisurely modes of transportation.
All of this is well and good during the warm, dry months. But what happens when the Oregon rain returns in mid-October? I’m not sure. I suspect my bicycle will go into hibernation, I’ll only walk a couple of times each week, and I’ll really get to learn how Portland’s bus system works. And my spending on gas and car maintenance will continue to drop.
In 2006, J.D. founded Get Rich Slowly to document his quest to get out of debt. Over time, he learned how to save and how to invest. Today, he's managed to reach early retirement! He wants to help you master your money — and your life. No scams. No gimmicks. Just smart money advice to help you reach your goals.
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There are 118 comments to "Frugality in practice: Alternate modes of transportation".
Khürt says17 August 2009 at 05:30
I’ve explored all these options but none are practical for me. My office is 8 miles aways along narrow country roads with no sidewalks and lots of car and truck traffic. Unsafe, even on a weekend. Biking is impractical for the same reason. There is no bus or rail service to the office either.
Most of the residents in this area are in the same boat. Employers and the townships in the area have started to take note and are VERY slowly building out sidewalks and bike paths or providing work from home options.
I was offered a work from home option earlier this year but turned it down. I don’t have any space in the house that I could setup a home office. Once the kids get home from school at 3 PM my work day would end.
Charlie@PayLessForFood says17 August 2009 at 05:34
This is a great topic. We have been experimenting with alternate forms of transportation for the last couple of years now.
If you live in a large city you may not even need a car. I recently lived without one for two years. In Chicago you can get a week long transit pass that will allow you to take unlimited amounts of trips on the subway and buses for only $24 week. You take unlimited trips and can literally reach almost anyplace in the city – all for less than a tank of gas.
When you do need to take a trip to the mall, supermarket, or farmers markets we have Zipcars – a car sharing program. These cars are located throughout the city and cost about $7-$9 per hour or $67-$80 a day. May sound expensive to some but it allows you the option of not owning a car (No monthly car note, monthly parking fees, maintenance, city parking sticker, etc).
Best of all with the Zipcar you don’t pay for gas and most are located right near public transportation stops so they are easy to get to.
A few years ago, I attended a conference on sustainable transportation. It was eye-opening. I’ve always used the bus and metro, since Montreal has excellent public transportation, and a car is an expense I’m not willing to take on. I was shocked at the high percentage of people who had never tried taking the bus, or who had all kinds of preconceived notions about it. I love the bus. I get to knit and read, I don’t have to worry about parking or insurance costs, and the subway is faster than driving.
There’s an excellent car-sharing system in Montreal called Communauto, where you pay something like 16 cents a kilometre, *gas and insurance included*. There are lots every few blocks, and the cars are new, clean, and well-maintained. I love this system.
The longer you use the bus, the more you’ll know the routes, and the more comfortable you’ll be using it. Keep it up!
I’ve lived in major cities where I owned a car, but relied on public transit instead. Usually it was because finding parking on the street was such a hassle it wasn’t worth giving up a spot once I found one.
Now I live in a smaller city but work outside it and the transit system here is so infrequent that it’s not reliable for me to use for work. Once home, however, I usually walk most of the time.
J.D. – Once the rains come, just invest in a good golfing umbrella and some decent rain boots and you can still keep walking for your errands! (I have to because I have a dog, but I’ve found that rainy days are actually my favorite for walking now.)
“Alternate” transport has been my primary method of transportation all of my life. I guess I see it from the opposite point of view in terms of effort – I can’t even imagine dealing with the stress, expense and wasted time that is driving in this city (Toronto) every day.
I just work from home, so I don’t have to use any transportation most of the time. But when I do need to travel, public transportation is just far too slow. I hate wasting time waiting for public transport.
Where I live in rural Florida my WalkScore is 0 so I am totally car dependent. Sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, and buses do not exist either.
Car dependence is one reason I think Americans are getting heavier.
This article is good for those who live in a major city and interesting reading for those of us who do not.
My husband and I live in Baltimore, which doesn’t have great public transit. But we are both able to commute to work using public buses and free shuttles (he works for a university, and I am a grad student). We also walk just about everywhere, even if it means a 2-3 mile walk each way. We enjoy getting to see the city that way, and it’s great exercise. We have one car, but only drive it on weekends to run errands or for longer trips. We save a lot of money by only having one car instead of two, and we only have to buy gas about once a month!
I wish we had a walking score of 68 here. I went to check out my score thinking, “We having walking trails in our neighborhood. That’s pretty good, right?” 9 out of 100. I guess that’s what happens when you live in a rural area where everything is spread out.
I live in a Minneapolis suburb and work a little over a mile from my house. I still don’t walk or bike regularly (during the warm months, at least). I looked into the bus, but most my desired destinations are 1+ by bus because the system is geared to get people in and out of the downtown areas. There is a lso a lightrail system that I’ve used when I had to go downtown.
Thank you for mentioning that many of us can’t use public transportation. It is very frustrating to hear public officials constantly talking about how we “refuse to use public transportation”, when there is none in your area. We are not the bad guys, we are the forgotten ones. The closest bus stop is 20 miles from my house- in the wrong direction.
Just a though on taking a French class…My husband and I spent 2 weeks in Paris in May, we only met 2 people that did not speak English. We bought 2 learn french at home sets, each came with a book and a CD. Total cost $25. We would listen to them everywhere we went. We learn basic words and needed pharases. We both have iphone and there are multiple WONDERFUL language applications for free. (Also really great tour guild apps!) We arrived in France prepared. When ever we started to speak french, we would get told “Ah you know french,” and then the person would speak English! We rented an apartment our neighbor state that many french want to practice there english. As long as you greet them in french and know a few sentences you will do wonderfully. Save the $ from the college french class for your trip!!
J.D.–When the Oregon rains reappear this fall, just invest in a large golf umbrella. That way, you can continue walking. I’m fortunate that I live in a big east coast city, built pre-automobile. So, walking is my primary mode of transportation. I walk year-round, in every type of weather. I can get all my needs, and most of my wants met via walking. My car gets used on the weekend only.
I like the idea of using walking to create a barrier. I tried this one when I wanted to buy something at the nearest Walgreens (1 mile from where I live) and I walked there. I ended up getting what I wanted and 2 miles of exercise in the process.
Another good thing about using public transportation, aside from saving money, is you get some time back. When you drive a car you can’t do anything but focus on the road. Take a bus and you could catch up on reading or writing.
J.D. – about what to do in the fall when the weather gets worse: I was talking with someone who was training to hike the Appalachian Trail, and apparently the saying among AT through-hikers is “No rain, no Maine,” meaning that if you take rainy days off on your hike, you’ll never make it to the finish on Mt. Katahdin in Maine.
I try to take this approach in my walk to work, which I make just about every day, rain or shine (although at 3.5 miles round trip each work day, it would take me about three years to hike the AT!). In the rain, I wear a parka and rain pants. In the cold, I wear a warm coat and boots. In the summer, I pack a big iced coffee and still sweat a lot and then I change into work clothes once I arrive at my office.
I just started leaving the car at home on the weekends and riding my bike to run all of my errands and do all my socializing.
It’s amazing how riding a bike and walking can really change your perception and awareness of a city. Each mode of transportation slows you down more and allows you the opportunity to notice all the things that just go by too fast in a car. When I started riding my bike, I realized that there were places very close to my neighborhood that I could walk to, but always drove across town instead because I didn’t realize they were there.
When I was in college, I took a few urban studies classes. In one, we would pick a different neighborhood in Portland each week and write 3 reports: 1 was written after driving through, one after biking through, and one after walking. The shift in awareness was pretty astonishing.
Slowing down can open up just as many opportunities as speeding up.
Gene at www.kitchentablenomics.com says17 August 2009 at 06:38
I like hoofing it too and routinely walk on errands where the one-way trip is maybe 30 minutes or less. But the real eye-opener was canvassing for the Census earlier this year and knocking on neighborhood doors for 35-40 hours a week. New trikes, remodeling permits, utility cutoff notices and other things you notice tell stories on every block.
P.S. : If you need some help in french, don’t be afraid to ask your readers. I’m quite sure that a lot of them are bilingual and can gladly give some help and/or advice!
P.P.S. : In case of doubt between ‘tu’ and ‘vous’ to replace ‘you’, ‘vous’ is more polite and respectful, unless you know the individual.
First of all, I too live in Portland — which is an alternative transportation mecca. I used to live in New Mexico and Colorado where there were no buses to speak of. So I sympathize with people who are like “what bus?”
Anyway, the in 07 and 08, we lived about 4 miles from my office. I rode nearly every day and all year round — rain or shine. The trick is gear (water proof bags, gloves, helmet cover) and a place to change at the office. The only times I couldn’t ride were when it was icy. Of course this past winter that would have been ALL WINTER LONG, but we now live further out and riding every day is more difficult so I take the bus.
When we moved to Portland, we left one of our cars behind and have only rarely missed it. I am considering a moped now, but it’s not exactly a necessity.
My wife and I live just outside the downtown core of Toronto, so we mostly walk or take the TTC (the local transit system). I’ve started riding my old bike to work, since my new employer has a really nice bike rack indoors (i.e. minimal theft concern). When we need to get out of the city, we rent a car, since the methods of getting out of the city otherwise can be rather surprisingly expensive (eg. visting my parents about an hour away from the city costs about $100 for the two of us round-trip).
Is the rain in Oregon really that bad? I thought you had sprinkling all day. That might lead to splatter when you’re bicycling, but walking should still be okay with either a hat and rain coat or an umbrella.
Oh, wait, I vaguely remember that in the fall you guys do have thunderstorms.
I highly recommend taking French, even if everyone you meet in France speaks English. You actually have someone to practice with! And it’s fun! And you’ll be able to read French books (like _The Little Prince_) in the original. And watch French movies (“La Femme Nikita”). And the French are known for greatly appreciating (expecting, really) that you should know French. Make it a goal to get your accent so good that they don’t immediately switch to English on you! (Of course if you hate learning French, then even just learning enough to be able to count to ten, greet and thank people, and pronounce what you’re reading will be a big help. That’s all I was able to do before my trip.)
I live in a medium-sized city. We have buses, but most routes are pretty bad (less than four buses per hour, sometimes less than two). I deliberately moved to a place on a bus route, but it still takes me 45 minutes to get to work, which is only 3.5 miles away. I do this anyway (parking is expensive and far away), and that’s when I get my reading done. And knowing that I get to read is one of the things that helps me get up in the morning, which is the main reason I don’t take a bicycle.
I did live here without a car for four years to save money, and I could do everything I needed to on the bus except get home from parties (had to beg for rides or leave early). I would rent a car when I wanted to visit my parents 200 miles away. I would borrow a friend’s car after taking him to the airport and use that opportunity to buy large things I’d been wanting. Now my friends have moved out into the suburbs, so I couldn’t even get to their parties let alone get home. Plus, since I don’t need my car for work, I sometimes loan it to people whose cars are in the shop, so I do still have one.
It was a little weird dragging my laundry onto the bus, but I learned to put a towel on the top to cover the unmentionables. I used to shop at a grocery store over a mile away, and I considered walking home with my groceries to be my aerobic activity for the day. (I recommend putting the heaviest things in a backpack or knapsack.)
Interestingly, Jacob at Early Retirement Extreme just wrote about running as transportation. This isn’t something you can do right now, but is another thing to think about. I also don’t see anyone mentioning skate boarding or roller blading.
Todd @ Personal Finance Playbook says17 August 2009 at 07:09
I actually just bought a road bike but have used it more for fun riding than as a mode of transportation. I’m lucky that I live close to lots of things. I drive to work, but other than that I tend to walk most of the places I need to go. Where I live (St. Louis) we have a metro system that I haven’t taken in years. This is a good reminder that the Metro (it’s a train) might be a good alternative to get from A to B. I don’t even know how much it cost anymore! I’ll definitely check it out.
Sadly I live 26 miles from work and a 15 minute drive to the nearest grocery store. I need to move closer to town some day. I have a convenience store about a 4 mile walk from my house. I hardly go there, and hadn’t considered walking but that may be a possibility.
Usually living in the big City – well, technically we’re right outside of Washington DC, but within the Beltway – is an invitation to higher costs of living. But we’ve been fortunate with transit. I walk a few blocks to work, and my husband walks a few blocks to the Metro. There are also buses and plenty of things within walking distance, including a full-service grocery store, several drug stores, etc.
Our monthly mortgage is expensive, but we own just one, paid-off car which rarely leaves the garage. When we ran the numbers – live farther out in cheaper housing but need two reliable cars versus live close in and rely on alternative means?
The pricier house came out as the far better value.
Enjoyed the article, JD. Do they make a bicycle-attached umbrella? – ha! – that’d be quite an invention. My husband and I share a car. We both live about a mile away from our jobs, so usually during the week we’ll switch off who gets to drive, depending if my husband has to run some work errands, or if I’ll be picking up groceries. The walking isn’t so bad in the spring and fall, but I’m starting to sweat in the summer mornings! The best part about the walking is the few minutes of quiet thinking time.
My dad has been riding the train too and from work for several years now. Sure beats fighting millions of other commuters in Southern California traffic.
I just want to reinforce the idea that good gear will make all the difference to walking and biking in the rain. I spent one winter in Seattle and my (limited) experience with daily rain was that it often was little more than a drizzle. In those circumstances I still walked, usually eschewing an umbrella for a good rain hat and coat. Thanks for sharing that you sometimes learn from us, too, as we learn from you and your other readers.
I’m happy to see that you discovered that you can get quite far just using your feet. I’m from Sweden, and I rely solely on public transportation, my bike and walking wherever I go – which is easy since I have access to good train connections and plenty of buses to choose from, there are sidewalks and designated bike lanes everywhere and our society isn’t as car centric as is the case for you in the US (I did a road trip in the US last summer and it was very frustrating having to use the car wherever we went – i feel a lot freer when i don’t have to rely on a car all the time). How do I deal with the weather (which can be quite horrible in the winter)? As a lot of the commenters already pointed out: good gear. We have a saying here in Sweden, “there is no bad weather, just bad clothes”, and it is true. I’ve noticed that as long as I have proper shoes that keep the wet out and my feet warm + a good rain set or a warm wintercoat I can walk through a blizzard and still feel fine. Gore tex is my best friend 🙂
I read a lot of american PF-blogs and I’ve noticed two things again and again.
The first thing is that you seem to make a project out of using alternate modes of transportation, for example usinging your bike to commute to work. Often there is a list of necessary equipment that is longer than my arm. What happened to just getting up on your bike (no matter what condition it is) and go? (you should ALWAYS where a helmet though)
The other thing is what is considered a long distance to walk, the examples that are given always seem short to me (for example the 2½ miles to your favorite comic book store – I walk that distance to work every day).
Could these two things be caused by inexperience? If you’re not used to walking much at all it’s understandable that 2½ miles (or walking for 30 minutes) looks like quite an undertaking. And if you’re not used to seeing people going to work on whatever wreck of a bike they could find, it’s easy to think that you have to have a brand new one with tons of equipment.
What do you think?
When I lived in Phoenix, I rode the bus or biked everywhere.
Where I live now, the bus service is questionable at best. I live about a mile from the nearest major grocery store and will regularly walk there when I need just a couple of items. The bank, bakery outlet and bowling alley are all easy walks.
As for commute, I work as a field service technician and my work truck is sitting in my driveway. I could end up anywhere in seven counties on any given day.
Luckily, my workplace is a 15 min walk from my apartment. Sucks in the cold Canadian winters, but even if I did own a car (I always took the bus/train to university and never even got my license yet), it would be foolish to pay the huge downtown parking fees, my building parking fees, and driving what is walkable in 15 min. Not saying everyone can do what I do, but it’s nice to not have a car payment and to get 30 min exercise 5 days a week without even trying. If I need to transport some heavy things or go somewhere that’s difficult to get to, my mom or boyfriend can always take me 🙂
I’m sure I will end up buying a car eventually, but for now this works for me. I was born in Europe but lived in Canada most of my life, and my parents have always remarked that North America is such a “car culture”. I might be moving back to Europe in a couple of years and I am happy that I might not have to get a car if I move since the public transport is much better developed there (I’d probably be going back to England – perhaps London) than it is in my city.
You’ve pointed out some often overlooked options, including walking five miles a day. Some cities and situations, in the Northwest and Western Europe, support both public transportation and walking options.
Alas, I live in Los Angeles.
Yet while I have only started commuting to work 16 miles away, I have already found it a satisfying experiment. So far, I’m having more, better conversations and losing fewer hours listening to morose NPR news reports. Now I just need to get out that bike more!
I would love to walk more. In fact, there is a grocery about 2 miles from my house that I drive to all of the time. The reason I drive is because I have 3 small children and I have to cross a 5 lane road – I just don’t feel safe doing it. But I guess when you have kids, it makes everything more difficult. (oh, I am a stay at home mom, so they are always with me)
I live in downtown Toronto, and walk everywhere. My husband needs his car for work (he does client visits in their homes all over the city), but I sold my car about 6 years ago and never looked back.
I love walking to and from work everyday. It is such a great way to clear your mind from all work-related stress.
I work in a medium sized city so it’s easy to walk to lunch and the local CVS from my work. However, I live 10 miles from work, and there isn’t a bus stop near my home (parking is only $10/month). But your comment about the grocery store got me thinking.
I live only 1.75 miles from a grocery store. However, I can’t fathom trying to get all of my grocies home by walking. I’d have to break up my weekly/bi-weekly trips into about 10 trips to carry everything. How do you haul it all?
Plus the stretch of road to the store is a two-lane highway that’s 50 mph with no sidewalk and includes an overpass/exit to an interstate. I can’t exactly see myself walking in the ditch, loaded with bags or trying to navigate the busy roads. Did I mention I’m also 5 months pregnant? 🙂 One last thing that tips the scales in favor of driving is walking past the strip club on the way.
But I did think about the possibilities for a few minutes. However, despite the relative close distance, I don’t think it’s the best option for me.
As a student, I was fortunate to live directly off the bus line. Taking the bus (for free with my student ID) saved me the $500 annual campus parking pass, car maintenance/gas etc for the trip, and the aggravation of stop-and-go traffic (mostly due to all the traffic lights). As a side perk, I was able to do a good portion of my reading for class on the bus!
Now that I’m working a real job, I’m again fortunate to live a mile off the bike path, so I can ride my bike to work and back (18 mile round trip) with a minimum of car-dodging. I have to get up a bit earlier in the morning, but overall my commute isn’t much longer and riding our city’s bike trial (along the river and through the woods, to my office I go!) is very peaceful! I ride my bike 3-4 times per week to work; the other days I drive so I can do my errands on the way home.
Rollerblading is another travel option – I am able to skate to my local library, so I strap on my blades and backpack quite often.
I’d love to see more people taking advantage of public and/or self-propelled transportation. Thanks for writing about the topic!
I just moved from a neighborhood with a walk score of 95 (major city – 1M+ population). Everything I could need on a daily basis was within a 10 minute walk or a few minutes bike ride. In December we moved to a neighborhood with a walk score in the 30s (small city – 250k population). The only thing I can walk to is a convenience store, a deli, and a few other shops like a cleaners that I don’t really use. And those stores are up a major hill that I’m not walking up in 90 degree heat.
Public transportation is the same deal – by the time I walked to the bus, I’d be rolling in sweat. So I’m reliant on my car. It is a major transition from where I used to live, but I’ve learned to plan my trips and do everything in one car ride instead of in and out like I did when I lived in the city.
What happens when the Oregon rain returns in mid-October? You get to enjoy it! I have found that as I commute by bike 6+ miles every day in northeast Iowa the change of seasons is really enjoyable because I’m a part of it every day. I’ve ridden my early 90’s mountain bike in all sorts of weather and once I accepted the weather as something to just prepare for it made all the difference. Rain? Fenders and a rain suit put a smile on my face. Snow and ice? Studded bicycle tires allow me to look for icy patches so I can lock up the brakes & make cool marks on the ice. Spinning is fun too! I have found I can confidently ride with studded bike tires across glazed pavement that would be very difficult to walk on. For the price of a tank of gas I’ve been able to use those tires for the past two winters and I plan to use them again this year. I no longer watch the weather forecast because it really doesn’t matter what it’s going to do – I’m prepared for anything.
@Anna (#29)
Great points, Anna. I do think that my view of a 2-1/2 miles as “long” is based on inexperience. I didn’t have room to share all of my walking adventures in this article, but here’s one more to add to give some perspective:
Last Thursday, Kris and I were scheduled to meet her cousin for dinner. He was visiting from California, and we had picked one of our favorite restaurants. About 70 minutes before we were supposed to meet, I realized that I could possibly walk to the restaurant. It’s five or six miles away. This never would have occurred to me before. I looked up the restaurant on Google Maps, and sure enough, it was walkable. I quickly said good-bye to Kris, ducked out the door, and walked to dinner. I arrived 10 minutes late (it was an 80-minute walk) and a little sweaty, but I felt great. In retrospect, I could have walked home. (Instead, I rode in Kris’ car.)
So I guess what I’m saying is: Yes, our perceptions of distance are distorted by inexperience. Before I started my daily jaunts, I had no conception of what it was like to walk five or six miles. Now I do. Now I realize that I could conceivably walk the nine miles to downtown Portland on weekend mornings, enjoy a few hours in the city, and then catch the bus home. That would be a full and fulfilling day.
I went carless last September and it works great for me. A few caveats..
1.) I live in Portland, home of the fabulous public transportation system.
2.) No kids.
3.) Work pays for my monthly transit pass.
4.) About once a month, I rent a car for the day to get in all my driving errands or go to the coast.
It’s been almost year, and it’s amazing how much extra money I’ve been able to save because of not having a car. I’d realized that despite the car being paid-off, there was insurance, gas, parking and the incidentals of me being bored and driving somewhere to occupy my time.
I *really* do need my car, no kidding… I live a bit further from the city than a bus would ever drive, as I’ve never seen a public transit bus on the highway.
However, I get *plenty* of walking into my days. My husband and I go on walks very frequently in the evenings, and many days if I don’t have to leave base I’ll walk to where I have to go. (My usual choice when having to go to the BX or something, but the commissary is car territory for sure.)
During the school-year, I actually use a scooter to get around campus. It cuts down the time it takes to cross campus, and it’s amazing exercise. A bike does the same really, but my scooter is much smaller, can be taken into the classroom and folds up neatly to fit in my itty bitty car. 🙂
Otherwise, my cars are more than my transportation. They’re my hobby! So even while I like cities, I won’t live in one because I want to keep my cars.
Thanks for the link to the “Walk Score” site. Entertaining! It rates my neighborhood as “somewhat walkable.” If you don’t care what sort of area you walk through (i.e., how likely you are to be mugged), that may be true. Problem is, it can’t evaluate the relative safety or the degree to which you’re blasted by traffic noise and fumes along any of the routes to the various sites the system sees as within walking distance.
The bus system here, despite the city’s many stalwart efforts to improve it, is pretty impractical: takes 2 hours and 10 minutes to get to my office, a 20-minute drive from my house.
They installed a lightrail system, which is truly neat…except it won’t take your money. Last time I tried to ride, it once again declined to take my credit card. That’s become routine: this was the third time in a row. But then when I tried to chuff in seven quarters to buy a ticket, the coin slot was jammed! So…put in a bill? It will accept only PERFECT, unwrinkled, clean dollar bills. I don’t carry cash with me, and I’m not about to start when I have a car that doesn’t cost all that much more to drive to work.
And now I will walk one mile to the grocery store, buy two donuts and milk, then walk three-quarters of a mile back to my office, from which I will write tomorrow’s entry! 🙂
I live south of Boston, MA and work north of the city. My employer subsidizes half of my commuter rail pass and so I take the train, subway, and then walk to work. I grew up in San Diego, CA, where the bus and trolley don’t go to many places, so I really appreciate having the convenience of taking decent public transportation and not having to drive everywhere. However, I do prefer taking the car when I can as sometimes the subway is really packed and I’m not terribly fond of the smells one encounters during the summer (and the delays during the winter)!
I ride my bike in the winter in Portland. A good goretex jacket is enough for most PDX days. If it’s really coming down I take the car, mostly because I’m worried that cars won’t see me.
But 80% of the rainy days in Portland are definitely bikable, it’s usually just a light mist, or just overcast.
But since this is a money site, I have to ask … what about the time associated with walking, biking and public transportation? For example, if it takes an hour to walk to the bank and back, is that costing you?
I work from home, but spend a lot of time in the car ferrying the kids to school and activities, plus errands. I live in a suburb with no public transportation available.
There is no possible way I could walk to the bank or the grocery store. It would add hours to my errands (especially if I brought the kids along). Since I bill by the hour, the amount I spend on gas/car maintenance/insurance/depreciation pales in comparison to the amount of revenue I would lose by biking or walking to these errands.
Just an alternate view from an uber-busy mom who is trying to bill max hours this month.
“Do they make a bicycle-attached umbrella?” Some bikes have fenders, which protect you from having a line of mud deposited along a line down the front of you. Add a hat and rain poncho, and that’s pretty good.
You Know JD,
I think walking is one of the most forgotten modes of transportation in our 21st century. I suppose with the advent of cars and public transport most people wouldn’t want to be caught dead using the same type of transportation our forefathers did, but heck, it works! If you reside in an area in which things could be obtained within a few mile’s walk, not only does it reduce your expenses but it REALLY helps keep you fit! When I first began my frugal journey under two years ago, I realized walking was one way to cut down drastically on transportation expenses. (Note: When you really want to cut down on your expenditures, you must be willing to look at ALL of them, and cut where it is realistic)
By the time I got to the nearest transportation station (about two miles away) I felt like I was going to have a heart-attack! I was 22! For shame! Fast forward two years and now that I’ve gotten used to walking, I’m 60lbs thinner — and like you mentioned earlier — my perception of “distance” has certainly changed, both in regards to where I’m comfortable walking to and where would *actually* require transportation. With all of the sights and sounds that we easily dismiss when we drive by — walking truly helps re-invigorate our sense of pleasure and satisfaction in our everyday-living experience.
“Not all Americans have the luxury of being able to explore alternate means of transportation.”
I think you have it backwards J.D. Not every American has the luxury of being able to afford an automobile. The AAA has stated that car ownership costs an average of ~$8,000 a year.
If one doesn’t have the money to own a car, one will realize very quickly how much of a luxury an automobile is. People without cars in the world far outnumbers those with on.
My husband and I have been car free during the course of our entire relationship (about 9 years). I’ve never bother to buy into the car lifestyle. Every city we’ve lived in, in our circle of friends, we’ve often been the only ones who live without an automobile. San Diego is supposedly some sort nightmare for car-free individuals. I say that it isn’t. It has year round perfect weather (I am still waiting for the so called “summer” temperatures to hit). And some neighborhoods should have a 100 walkscore but don’t.
Besides the saving of money, we are also in excellent shape. Although we do occasionally use public transit, we primarily use bicycles to get around. When calculating our bare bones minimum budget, transportation is always $0.
We’re becoming a one car family due to too expensive repairs on our older car.
That means I’ll be walking every day to pick up my daughter from Kindergarten and for any errands we have locally.
Fortunately we live in an extremely walkable neighborhood with plenty of stuff to walk to.
I’m starting with walking, but may get a bike and a trailer for my little ones if things work out.
We can walk to several grocery stores, Target, goodwill, the park, a discount grocer, schools, restaurants, and so much more.
I’m ashamed to admit how often I’ve been using the car instead for convenience. Now that that’s not an option I’m really looking forward to finding ways to get places without our car.
Another advantage of walking that I forgot to mention in the article:
I am constantly complaining that I don’t have enough time to read. Reading used to be my primary hobby, but since GRS took off, I just haven’t had time to do it.
Now, though, I read when I walk. As I mentioned a few comments ago, I just walked to the grocery store. The round-trip took 36 minutes. I took the latest issues of Smart Money and Consumer Reports Money Adviser. I read them both. Previously, I could not have justified spending time on this.
@Lesley (#46)
I admit that not everyone has the time to walk for errands. But for those of us who have chosen lifestyles that allow this, it’s a great way to get exercise while doing the things we need to do. Using the example I just mention, I’m able to do three things at once: run an errand, get some exercise, and do research for the blog. Oh — I’m also saving money. To me, this is a huge win.
If you’re worried about the rain, invest in good waterproofs. But don’t forget to get waterproof over-trousers too! Especially when you’re cycling, they are essential. They needn’t be the highest tech ones. I use lightweight waterproofs that roll up in my backpack (in the UK it can and does rain at any time of year, so I need to know I have head-to-toe waterproofing on me at all times), and I think they cost me about £25 total about 3 years ago, and still going strong. They’re not goretex or anything, just single skin thin waterproof, so they go over whatever I’m wearing at the time.
Also, good waterproof shoes/boots. Cold wet feet are no fun at all.
Personally, I’m a fan of a good hat or hood instead of an umbrella. They are more durable and less likely to poke out the eyes of fellow pedestrians or turn inside out in a heavy gust of wind. And you can cycle in them. But I know I’m wierd like that.
I really need to do a better job of this, once it gets a little cooler. I’d be afraid to walk or bike to work, because there are two major highways in the way which are difficult to get across for pedestrians (“free rights” on the frontage roads, underpasses and bridges very far apart) and it’s a bad neighborhood, but I do have a grocery store within walking distance and another on a bus route. I just let myself get too overscheduled to have time to run my errands other than by car.
I hope to never give up the MTA for my main mode of transport. Its less than $90/month (PRE-tax), runs 24 hours, requires no maintenance (from me), and allows me to read, listen to music, etc. Love it!
It would be great if we could use public transportation more, but if you live in the suburbs, where most people do these days, it just doesn’t go everywhere.
It might help to set up some loose rules. You can decide to walk to and from anywhere within one mile, 2-5 miles use a bike, longer than that, car pool if you can.
Even doing this on a when-you-can basis will save some money and add some exercise, but it does have to be admitted that it’s hard to beat a car, all things considered.
Might also help to look for less expensive car options then, ie a less expensive car, 2nd hand, etc.
@Anna – I lived in Sweden in 1983 and the public transportation was really impressive. Just as impressive, and maybe more so, was how helpful the people were on the buses. Passengers would help complete strangers bring their baby strollers and shopping onto the bus. There was a section in the middle where one could leave the strollers, set up, or groceries. In contrast, my sister in California (also in 1983) endured complaints from passengers and drivers alike when she struggled to load her stroller and baby onto the bus and certainly no one helped. This attitude of polite, common helpfulness made the experience a good one just as much as the convenient routes.
Where I live, the bus system isn’t great (every half hour during morning and afternoon “rush” hours and only once an hour during non-rush hours), but it still works for me. But a lot of people (including my dear husband) are prejudiced against public transportation — whether they know it or not! — and see it as something only the old, the poor or the disabled do. I think this is particularly true of a lot of men, for whom getting that driver’s licence was a huge deal, and who continue to connect driving a car (especially whatever they think of as a flashy car) as some sort of direct reflection on their self-worth.
My husband and two sons (17 and 20 years old) rode their bicycles from Seattle to New York two summers ago. When they got back, the younger son said that he felt the US seemed smaller, since he was able to ride his bike across it.
Your comment about things being closer than you thought reminded me of this.
When I lived in San Francisco I *loved* riding my bike. I rode it everywhere. There were some definite advantages there. It took about 25 minutes to drive across town to work, or about 25 minutes to ride my bike. However, parking downtown next to my office was $19/day. That was a no-brainer. After work I’d go out and meet friends at restaurants or bars occasionally. I’d race them in taxis or on the bus, and me on my bike, and I’d always win. It was the healthiest, cleanest, fastest, and cheapest way to get around the city. It was fantastic.
Now that I no longer live in San Francisco, the bike’s not such a clear-cut winner. It’s still the cleanest and healthiest way to get around, but notably slower than a car, and now that I’m not living in a huge city, parking is free pretty much everywhere, and easy to come by. Since biking to work is no longer an option (my commute is too long now), and therefore I have to own a car anyway, much of the financial advantage is gone too, since I don’t save on parking anymore by riding a bike.
I should get back into riding my bike though, even if just recreationally for fitness, it really keeps you in shape. I *do* still ride my bike down to the beach to go surfing, though. I don’t have to worry about getting the inside of my car wet and sandy with surfboards and wetsuits, I just ride home in my wetsuit and change in the backyard.
Sadly, I’m one of those people who would love the option to use public transit to my workplace, but can’t. Actually, this issue has been a huge pet peeve of mine for years. I live in suburban Pittsburgh, PA and while the buses are great within the downtown/city limits, they are very spotty out here in the suburbs. I am continually mystified as to why the transit authority cannot coordinate their schedules better with the realities of both the location and what time most people work; not everyone works 9 to 5 downtown. Frequently, there isn’t much option but to wait an hour for the next bus to show up, or to somehow persuade your boss that you have to leave an hour early because that’s when your bus comes.
Not only that, but the transit authority has been crying poor for decades, and the mantra of cutting routes/raising fares is forever on its lips. Maybe, just maybe, if they’d put the buses on regular schedules in the suburbs as they do in the city, they would have more riders and more income. But I have yet to see that they’ve been able to come to that basic conclusion.
Every five years or so, the idea of commuter rail lines comes up. While it seems to be a good idea and a viable alternative to our sorry excuse of a measly three-stop (soon to be four-stop) subway system, I will believe it (and ride it) when I see it.
And biking? Well, that’s pretty much recreation for me, as I would be taking my life in my hands if I even tried to bike to the grocery store a couple blocks away. Forget the main roads; they are hazardous enough to negotiate in a car. I have walked to the aforementioned grocery store, and to the library on occasion, but the time factor is sometimes a deterrent; I’d have to have at least an hour total to accomplish that.
While alternate transportation is a great idea, it simply is not viable for all commuters. One thing that was not mentioned was car-pooling. Though it seems people value their freedom to come and go as they want, it can be a great way to save money. Instead of four people driving four cars 17 miles into the city every day, those same people could cut down on their gas spending significantly.
Again, it really depends on the person. Currently with my schedule, there is no way I could make use of the bus or other means of transportation other than my car. That is simply the reality of my situation. Maybe in the future there will be more flexibility.
I drive 18 miles one way to work. That’s 36 miles round trip including interstates and two lane highways with speed limits ranging from 65-75.
Biking is out, as I would like to live and the volume of time would be counter productive to the time spent at work.
Bus is out because their is no bus that comes into my town.
That said, I do walk to the post office – about one mile from my house.
And I would bike to the grocery store – also about one mile from my house – but there is no way I could carry an entire shopping carts full worth of groceries on my bike.
The small cities that do have buses around here, if you are lucky, maybe 20 minutes to your destination. Unfortunately, that same route home will take an hour to go 6 miles. Not very pratical.
Perhaps not an entire shopping carts full, but they do make pretty impressive saddle bags…which you could use to bring home groceries in. Or, get one of those stroller things for babies that attaches to the back of the bike and fill it with groceries instead of children. 🙂
Yay! I love this post! Thank you! My life is so much better since I stopped driving everywhere and adopted a more people-powered lifestyle. I bike, I walk, I occasionally ride the bus, but I rarely drive. I’m happier, healthier and richer for it!
Despite having lived most of my life in the car-centric Chicago suburbs (walk score of 34 at my parents’ current address), I never got the hang of it — I would always misjudge the amount of time I needed to get somewhere and traffic always surprised me. Now that I live in Seattle with a walk score 94, the only downside is getting out the door in time to catch the bus. I even take the bus to job interviews, despite that lengthening the trip to about an hour. It gives me time to relax and prepare instead of trying to follow driving directions and becoming more stressed.
Also, having traveled within many cities/countries in Europe using only public transportation and walking, I’m always impressed at how far ahead of the curve they are and I wish we had it that great over here (even Seattle could use major improvements).
Golfing Girl @ 35 (or anyone else wondering how to get groceries without a car): I have outfitted my bike with a rear rack and panniers. Panniers are essentially saddle bags like you’d have had on a horse in the olden days; one bag hangs on each side and can hold items (like groceries!). Panniers comes in all shapes and sizes; mine are fairly sizable, and can hold anything I manage to fit in one of those grocery baskets.
My panniers also come in handy for my commute to work; I stash my lunch, purse, and fresh change of clothes in there. Also work for trips to the library, carrying books to and fro … etc. Personally I prefer the panniers over a backpack so my back doesn’t get sweaty over longer rides. I think panniers are a very worthy investment if you plan to use your bike for practical reasons instead of or in addition to recreational ones.
However, Golfing Girl, for your particular situation, you would have to check whether bicycles are allowed on your highway (also look into how much room you have to ride and how motorists treat cyclists), and also consider whether your pregnancy would affect your balance/comfort on the bike. You definitely have some safety considerations to think about. But if you give it a shot, happy biking!
J.D., I live down the road from you in Eugene (that’s in Oregon, for the rest of you), and I bike to work all winter (rainy season) long. I don’t have any special gear except one of those huge rain ponchos with a hood large enough to fit over the helmet. It’s also a fluorescent orange, and thus easily spottable by cars. I arrive dry under the poncho every time. Like the commenter above said, Americans tend to get tangled up in thinking they need all kinds of equipment for various things. But you don’t even need lots of equipment for the rainy season: just a big rainproof poncho. Try it for one winter and see if you don’t agree.
Bummer.. My walk score is 14 when I get my house. There will be a Food Lion less than a mile away though, which I plan on walking and biking to. I have considered riding my bike to work, which is about 20 miles distance. I don’t know if that would be pushing it. I used to be a cross country runner though, and I’m still young (22), so I might be able to handle this.
J.D. having a walk score of 68 must be insane! I can’t even imagine how many things must be near you!
I think the whole question of “does public transit make sense” depends on an individual’s perspective.
I am about to move into a neighborhood where two of my co-workers live. I have relied on public transit for my commute from my current location, and plan to continue from my new home. It will take me about an hour (including waiting at the bus stop) to get to work. My co-workers both looked at that same transit commute previously and concluded “it would take too long” compared to their 25-30 minute drives.
For them, the added commute time is too painful of a change to make. For me, driving in rush hour traffic would be too painful of a change (so I stay with transit). It just depends on context.
One option I have been using for the last couple of years is a motorcycle. Although a lot of people use a motorcycle just to cruise, I don’t. So far this year I have only “cruised” on my motorcycle once for about 10 miles. Everything else has had a purpose. Even though my daily commute is 10-15 miles, and probably another 15 miles a day for errands, the gas milease on a motorcycle is much better than my Grand Cherokee.
Even better is the way I bought my motorcycle. I sold a bunch of stuff on Ebay! So not only am I saving gas, but the motorcycle purchase had no additional cash outlay. Even though I live in Ohio, and can only motorcycle about 7 months out of the year, I figure I am still saving about $1000 yearly on gas.
I went for about 7 years without a car, living in three different cities in that time. My car-free life was never as good as when I lived in Los Angeles with a bike – it’s pretty rare that the weather is inclimate, and biking was a sure way to get a lot of places faster than walking, driving, or riding public transporation. I was able to bypass gridlocked traffic and be on my way – it was really wonderful.
Yes, yes, it all sounds wonderful to walk everywhere. But as others have noted, let’s get real. I’ve lived in Manhattan, and did not own a car. Very walkable/public transpo-able city, that New York. Fortunately, I was a poor young renter back in those days, so didn’t need vehicles to haul around all the STUFF you end up with as you buy a home, remodel it, furnish it, etc.
These days…I’m in Los Angeles. Own a home. Lots of animals. LOTS of heavy stuff to cart around. So I drive. Walking, only to schlep home a bunch of heavy stuff, is not an option.
I’ve embraced “alternative” transportation for most of the last 15 years, even living in LA without a car for a couple years. Public transit in LA is waaay better than people think.
Until….
For the last couple of years I’ve had to endure a 70-mile round trip each day by car, and it has been awful. My weight has been hard to control, my energy level and attention span is shot. I hate it. I can’t wait until we move to PDX next spring!
I’ll ditto the fact about how walking broadens your horizons. I never feel like I know a city until I’ve walked it. You see, hear, smell, experience so much more.
Finally, I also give major props to car sharing. I’ve used City Car Share in SF and they are awesome. I especially like that you get itemized billing, making it easy to chart how much you drive and makes writing it off for business a snap.
I’m lucky enough to live less than a mile from work, so I walk there everyday. In fact, I chose the location of my new apartment for that reason. I also walk to the gym and to Trader Joes as well.
We moved to Portland at the beginning of this year partially because we wanted to be close enough to walk and bike to things, and we’ve definitely been taking advantage of it. We’re in the close-in NW, so we’re only a mile from a grocery store, public library, several great bars and restaurants, and a dog park. About a half mile past that is another pocket of great bars and restaurants, plus a friend’s house. 3 miles from our house takes us across the river, like yesterday when we walked the 6 miles round trip to check out the tasting room at a new brewery, and 6 miles from our house is my office, which I can reach by a very pleasant bike ride in about 40 minutes.
Previously we lived in Dallas, TX, and there was just nothing like this. Sure there were sidewalks, but the streets were so huge and so car-focused that we found ourselves driving half a mile to go to our gym, just because we didn’t feel safe crossing the street twice. I rode my bike to the light rail station and then to work from the train, but it was a stressful and dangerous ride, and I was the only one in my 300 person company who did it.
Walking everywhere here has become so natural to us that we’re surprised when visitors aren’t as enthusiastic about it as we are. We’ve found we have to warn them before we go out that the place we’re going for dinner is 2 miles away, and often times they’ll say they can’t possibly walk that far. We don’t even notice the distance, since we’re having such a good time talking and enjoying the scenery. It’d be great to see more people leaving their cars in the garage and discovering that, yes, you actually can walk 2 miles, very easily! 🙂
I live 15 miles from work and have to take the highway. The motorcycle is ideal for my daily commute, gives 55-60 mpg, is cheap on insurance (compared to owning another car). We bought that used with about 2000 miles on it for about $4,500.
my wife takes the scooter to school (4-5 miles of city – 35mph driving). We bought that one used for $1,500 with a couple of hundred miles on it. The scooter gives more than 100 mpg! and is easy to park. my wife doesnt have to go around the blocks trying to find parking for her car when she goes to school.
For groceries and the times we need to go somewhere together, we use the car (that too all paid for).
I guess what we have tried to do here is minimize our expenditure on transportation but at the same time we have the convenience of a car when we want it. the $6000 we spent on the 2 two wheelers is about what a domestic used car would have cost. For that price we get two separate vehicles, excellent gas mileage, cheap insurance and loads of fun.
Oh btw for people thinking about what we do when it rains or when its cold…we have invested in good rain suits and riding jackets/gloves. It doesnt get too cold in Richmond, Virginia anyways.
Thank you for linking to the Walk Score website! I live in a very walkable neighborhood, and thought I had taken full advantage of all it had to offer. But with the listings on the side of the Walk Score website, I realize that I’ve barely scratched the surface! I’ll be moving in a few months, and I’m definitely using this website to evaluate potential neighborhoods so I can minimize my car travel in the future. Thanks again!
You’d be better off if you could go back to your childhood in Oregon…in a simpler day and time. Unfortunately, You’re here in the NOW and the NOW does not bode well for you or anybody else on the planet earth.
Beany @ comment #50:
You stated that “The AAA has stated that car ownership costs an average of ~$8,000 a year.”
While some people might spend that much on their vehicle in initial cost, maintenance, gas, etc, not all of us do. Many of us spend far far less. Even if I were to add up the entire cost of my truck, all the oil changes, new tires, maintenance, and weekly gas, and divide that total by the number of years I’ve been driving it (18), my yearly costs would be nowhere near that much! In fact, my total yearly cost each year for the last 4 or 5 years (including gas!) would probably only be around $2,200/yr, TOPS (and that is also including the initial vehicle cost yearly average!).
Alternative transportation is unfortunately not available in my area of rural FL. My WalkScore would be the same as Andrew’s in Comment #7. We also get rain that comes down so hard and fast in the summer that biking or walking would be miserable! You’d be soaked to the skin in minutes, even with an umbrella. So I guess I’ll be keeping my “clunker” for now 🙂
I grew up in Paris, France, where using a car within the city is foolish. It’s small and very populated (I’ve been told the density rivals Japan), the streets where meant for horses and many are narrow and one-way, and there is fantastic public transit (it’s also very small, I once walked from the very south where I lived to the very north where my university was, it only took me 3 hours and I was taking my time and getting lost).
So, when people told me “It’s easy for you. It would be impossible in North America” I tended to believe them.
Then I moved to Canada. My husband (32) has never used a car (just like me, he doesn’t even have a license). And the thing is, he lived in a small town, not even a city. AND he’s got inner ear damage, which means he can’t ride a bike (no balance. He could ride a trike, though).
But here, where we live now, everything is walking distance. His work, the stores… and the greyhound station. Because if we want to go to the city, we use the bus. (We actually have a trip planned from Alberta to Vancouver, by bus. Although you know, even without a car we could take a plane, too.)
In the city (where we lived for a year), we use public transit, mostly the bus (there are only two subway lines). But we also do a fair bit of walking. We both like walking and I’m easily sick in transportation, meaning that we rarely take the bus for ALL of the way.
Our biggest transportation-related expense is shoes. And we are in North America. And people in this small town where we live in Alberta (including my in-laws) use their cars to go to the store, to get their mail, you name it. Even though the town in small enough that walking is sometimes FASTER.
So, I can believe that it’s completely impractical in some places and for some people to use anything but a car. I can believe it, but it’s overused as an excuse. Too many people don’t even try because they think it won’t be possible.
But I can tell you, I’ve lived in a small town in Canada, and in a hugely spread city, and I didn’t find it harder to live without a car than it was in Paris, France.
The only difference is that instead of just going to the bus station, knowing that there will be a bus in a couple of minutes, you need to actually get familiar with a schedule (as buses only come every 15, 30, 60 minutes depending on the line, day and time).
I’m not saying everybody should live without a car at all, of course. But quite often, there will be other options, that can be more practical (no need to find a spot to park), better for your health (as they make your exercice) and even faster (over smaller distances).
(By the way, if you need some help with your French, I’d be delighted to give you some help)
Seriously, my main concern about walking is that I only want to do it when I wear comfortable shoes. But 90% of women’s shoes are not comfortable (and then take out the ones like flip-flops that are comfortable, but not for walking.)
I would walk much more if I didn’t have to try to look nice… and yes, you can carry shoes with you, but they take up half your backpack.
My solution is biking- you can do that in ANY shoes with no discomfort! I bike every day that it isn’t rainy or REALLY snowy; then I take the bus. I refuse to pay 75 cents an hour for parking- that one thing changes my behavior more than 20 environmental/health/finance arguments.
When I was in college, I used to take the bus and then walk 1 mile to my apartment. Whenever I go anywhere, I take the bus and then walk. I don’t drive (partially blind) so that was the only way to get around. Bus service was also limited so my choices on where I go was limited too. I live in the suburbs now but can’t take the bus because I have to walk really far to get to the street where the bus stop is and there’s no sidewalk so my hubby drives me around. I don’t ride a bike because I don’t know how too. I tried to learn when I was young but I just can’t get it LOL
I’d be interested in knowing if there is correlation between weather and non-automobile transportation. Does anybody if there are any studies on this? It seems intuitively obvious to me that fewer folks would be willing to bicycle, or wait for the bus, in regions where it is rainy and/or cold for much of the year, and in these regions people have increased desire to own their own automobile. Thus the best developed public transportation systems should be in the regions with the most agreeable weather. However, this does not really seem to be the case in practice (c.f. Los Angeles which has nice weather but horrible public transport; or Europe vs. USA where the weather is the same, but Europe has much better public transport). I’m curious why.
I’ve been walking to work since 1999. Last month, I started a new project with my current client, and the project is located in a suburb of Vancouver. So now I walk to the Skytrain (subway) station, then skytrain for 20 minutes to the satellite office. I have a car that I use on weekends for hiking and camping trips, but otherwise I walk to Costco, walk to the grocery store, walk to the headquarters of the client company.
By walking I get a better ‘feel’ for my neighborhood (downtown Vancouver), and feel more connected to the people that I live near. I also feel more in tune with the elements. I hope to never have to commute by car again.
#77 comment from @ Corey: Indeed !! Grocery shopping (or any other shopping for that matter) on foot is great! I limit the number of things I put in my basket because I will have to carry them home. Costco is about 8 blocks from my home, and two competing grocery stores are two or three blocks from home. I only buy what I can afford AND what I can carry.
#85 comment from @ Karen: I walk in flats. They are fashionable, comfortable. I get mine from Talbot’s or from Macy’s. I don’t want to ruin my nice heels when walking to work – so I keep a few pair under my desk for in-office use.
#87 comment from @ Frugal Bachelor: Vancouver BC is notoriously rainy. I keep an umbrella at home, in the car and at the office. And when it rains, I put on a raincoat, rain boots and use the umbrella. It’s as simple as that.
About your running injury, of course I don’t know the specifics, but it is typically problems with form that cause an injury. I would suggest the book/video called Chi Running that can be found on Amazon.com, as well as many major bookstores. It helped me out with hip pain that I used to get when running longer distances.
I like to bike to work, but I live in Buffalo, NY where it gets quite snowy and cold, so this only works for 5-6 months of the year. I’ve never tried the bus despite the fact that it literally makes a stop a hundred feet from my house. I think it’s because I’m nervous that I would pick the wrong one getting me back home. Just ignorant of the process I guess, and that’s after reading the public transportation website and maps.
In past years, I’ve even jogged to work a few times. It’s about six miles away, not too bad. And I can grab a shower at the gym a few hundred yards away.
My problem is, this year I’ve completely fallen off the wagon, am thirty pounds heavier than last year and in rather pathetic shape. I’m making some changes in my life now that will address that, and many of those changes are just making small substitutions, just like you suggest, of walking or biking to small errands that you may have typically used a car for.
And here’s something I’ve learned: Once you start walking five miles a day, your world gets bigger. I know this seems counter-intuitive – a car takes you further faster – but it’s true. You begin to realize that things are closer than you thought they were.
This is very true. Whenever I try walking some place I’d usually travel to by bus, the first time is quite an adventure because I’m comparing bus time with walking time and assuming it will take ages on foot. One time after a few drinks (I was just tipsy enough for it to seem a fun adventure) I walked from my place to my friends’ place, 2 suburbs over. It took me 45 minutes which is not a big deal but I was expecting it to be much longer. Considering the bus ride would have been about 15/20 minutes of stop start traffic and would have required planning in advance or a wait at the bus stop (the buses came about every 20 minutes), his house suddenly seemed a lot closer than I’d thought. When I ended up moving in with him I walked to work and back every day (also 45 minutes). And I really noticed the difference in my weight when I moved house and could not longer walk a hour and a half each day without making a special effort.
I now work at home which has cut my car usage substantially, but when I did have a commute (70 miles a day), I looked into public transport. It would have taken me 2.5 hours (one way!) to get to work via train/bus. Unfortunately, Dallas is a metro area, but doesn’t have good public transport, at least for the suburban areas. Biking would be possible and I’ve been considering it lately. Good point about getting a bike that fits you! The biggest drawback is the same as for walking. It’s hard to contemplate biking in July/Aug/Sept when it’s 95-102 degrees outside. It just makes the A/C in my car too appealing! Also, things are very spread out here. I do have a grocery store about a mile away, but everything else is 3 or 4 miles or more. Too far to walk in the heat, to be sure. It’s good that more “walkable urban” type of centers are popping up here. I hope that’s a trend that continues, but for now they are still few and far between and if you want to live in a house vs. an apartment, affordable options for neighborhoods with shopping/dining/etc. close by are limited.
I just did the walk score test for my neighborhood in Boulder, Colorado, and got a score of 32 – “car dependent.” How can this be? Within a lovely 1-mile walk of my home are two elementary schools, a middle school, a high school, a major grocery store, a branch of the public library, my church, several good restaurants and cafes, and some of the most stunningly beuutiful hiking trails in America. It’s just a three mile walk to the university, where I walk. If this isn’t walking paradise, what is?
Once the snow and ice are gone, I try to avoid driving when I can: walking and cycling, usually. My post-parental homes have always been in “very walkable” communities, convenient to whatever local transit is available. I drive when I need to or just don’t want to deal with too much inconvenience: cold, icy weather, long distances, no good transit options, and heavy loads.
My approach: keep the human-powered and public-transit options at the top of my list of choices, and choose them when I can make them work. I get more exercise and spend less on my car that way.
It makes me cranky that so many of the “I can’t!” comments sound like the writer mysteriously found him- or herself in a situation where they don’t feel comfortable doing anything but driving. I’m skeptical — DH and I prioritize location and proximity to work and transit and we find ways to live close to places we need to be. Your priorities might be different, but they are still your choices. If this is you, please, at least acknowledge that you had some hand in the matter!
As usual, many comments are from the extremes: some are militantly car-free, while others defensively insist that they can’t think of a single way they could choose to walk, bike, take a bus, or take a train when they would normally drive. Many, if not most of us are in the middle somewhere, doing the best we can. It’s more complicated and individual to discuss how we balance everything we need to with a desire to avoid driving: commitments, schedules, stuff to carry, physical issues, distance, transit availability and schedules, safety, etc. Even though I choose situations where I could almost never drive, I still drive, sometimes. It depends!
When I lived in the city, 5500 pop, I rode a bike quite a bit, 3000miles/year, now I’m 15miles out on roads that have no sholder. We have no bus, not train, they have been working on getting Amtrack in for 25 years might get it in 10-15 more. The last two months, 61 days we had rain 49 of them, From December to April we have snow banks on the side of the roads, April to june it’s soup mud, then June to October we have so many tourusts on the roads it’s barely safe to be on them in a car,
Most of this Country is not set up for mass transit, cities can be.
I really miss living somewhere that I can take advantage of public transportation. I used to use it daily to get to work & school.
Now I am in rural NH, and I checked the Walk Score…it was 0, not surprisingly.
The only place we walk to regularly is the beach, but I can live with that 😉
I have a feeling the car vs. walk/bike/public transportation dilemma might work itself out.
With the economy being what it is, especially the job market, plus the rising cost of owning a car (repairs and insurance–up 20% in our state on an administrative change), the cost of owning two or more cars per household is becoming harder to juggle. If you’re looking for a way to make a major reduction in expenses, this is certainly one place to do it.
Eventually, we may go back to the days of a one car household plus a set of good, solid bikes, and residence locations again favoring proximity to bus stops, train stations and walkable shopping centers.
Since I’m local, I can offer this advice: PCC and PSU have shuttles between campuses that are free to students. All you need is to show your student ID and you can take a shuttle from one campus to another.
I live in NE and on days when I’m not staying late in the theatre at Sylvania, I can walk or ride my bike to Cascade and take the shuttle to school and back.
I’ve been trying to figure a safe and convenient way to bike straight there, but thus far I haven’t been able to map out the path between SW and Sylvania’s campus.
We chose where we live based on the transit options. I would never again live somewhere that driving was required. I find driving to be very stressful, and cars to be more trouble than they’re worth. Transit takes longer, but is very relaxing and I can read. I also walk and bike and that saves me gym membership. I would love to be able to run places but I haven’t figured out how to do that and carry stuff. (I am an expert at carrying stuff on my bike and on the bus.)
JD please don’t let weather stop you this fall! Our winters are really very mild, you just need a few items of clothing to keep you dry; the exercise will keep you warm enough. I will only leave the bike at home if it’s raining really really hard or if it’s icy; it’s not icy often enough for me to want to invest in studded tires. I found this winter that my mountain bike is really very good on snow. 🙂 And I will walk to the bus in ANY weather; I would much rather walk in it than DRIVE in it!!!
@ Frugal Bachelor, #87:
You think places with good weather should have better public transit? No way!
I felt like you made a typo or something. To me, it’s the opposite. Bad weather means more public transit, because you’ll walk or ride a bike less. Buses and subways both protect you from the rain as much as a car would.
Europe vs US is fairly easy to understand, though. 1) places are smaller, which means less bus/subway lines needed (this being said, Paris has 20 subway lines and New York has, well, a lot less than that).
2) taxes are higher. Public transit is paid with by taxes. The US has that big thing with hating taxes which I can never comprehend. Low taxes means bad public transit, and you end up spending more on your car than you would on taxes + public transit. It’s a lose-lose situation.
@ Karen, #85:
There are also dress shoes that don’t have heels that would be (slightly) more comfortable to walk in, which still being elegant. Walking shoes are usually the best for walking, though (you know, the one they sell for hiking and stuff), and running shoes are pretty good too. Some types of boots can be nice if they’re comfortable enough.
I guess these wouldn’t go well with a dress so I guess I can see why you would prefer riding a bike.
The main problem about riding a bike, for me, is that I don’t like carrying the helmet around (and I wouldn’t ride a bike without a helmet).
@ JD, about reading while walking: That’s true, I forgot to talk about that, too. As long as you still pay attention for crossing streets and such, there are many things you can do while walking.
You can listen to audiobooks for instance, or to the radio, and at the same time use your hands for reading, for instance (or, an example from my own experience, making origami or playing the GBA or the DS. Although these last two can require sound as well, limiting your multitasking).
You can’t do everything you would be able to do on a bus, though (although I can do LESS on a bus due to my motion sickness).
Sorry about the double post, but I just took my walk score.
“Somewhat walkable”. Excuse me? Everything is 10 minutes away, tops. The grocery store is 5 minutes away. And it’s only “Somewhat walkable”?
I was confused so I took the test for my address in Paris.
I lived over a grocery store, had another 5 minutes away, 3 bakeries within 5 minutes, a theatre with 10 screens 5 minutes away, a huge store that sells electronics, books, DVDs, CDs, videogames, etc about 20 minutes away, without mentioning the smaller store in between. And, of course about 10 restaurants within 5 minutes, all different (Italian, Chinese, Korean, Turkish, Greek…)
Their result? “Somewhat walkable”.
Where do you have to live to get “why on Earth aren’t you walking” as your score? Inside a mall?
I can’t imagine a place being more walkable than Paris. “Somewhat walkable?” I don’t think so.
JD…good for you!
I have been trying to ride more myself, recreationally – but working on building up the speed and endurance I need to commute to work perhaps 2 to 3 times per month.
I am also in the Dallas area (live in Plano and work in Richardson near UTD), and some times it can be trying to find a decent bike route that doesn’t make me feel like I am going to get run over. I say this because I am not a great road biker – most of my riding is recreational and on the bike paths. However, I used to bike every where or walk when I was a child and young adult when living in NH. Heck – I would walk 2.5 miles after 10 PM from the bus stop to my house in the middle of the winter. That was just the way it was.
Down here we do have the DART. It isn’t too bad – depending on where you are going. They have buses with bike racks on the front as well, which I may explore as an option if I cannot find a non scary way all the way to work on my bike.
Avistew @ 84, I agree that it’s probably overused as an excuse. My parents’ neighborhood is in a fairly car-centric suburb, but they have grocery and drug stores within a somewhat reasonable walking distance.
But the sad truth is, it really is impractical many places. Come to the Southeast U.S. and you’ll see. I would love to live in a walkable neighborhood, but anything walkable is way out of my current price range. Yes, even if I were able to completely sell my car and recoup its costs (which is not a reality here — there are places where you can use it less, but we just don’t have the transit infrastructure to go totally carless).
Near my house, there is a large shopping center with apartments and townhouses built as part of the development. It’s still not built to be pedestrian friendly. Pedestrians have to cross a four-lane road, speed limit 45 MPH, with lights and crosswalks a mile apart, to get from the apartments to the shopping center. If they want to get to the other half of the development, they have to cross a six-lane highway, speed limit 55 MPH (and most go 65 MPH), somehow — there’s a light, but no crosswalk, and of course the light is timed for cars. It’s just a stupid design. And most development here is planned just like this.
I’m in grad school right now. When I graduate and get a job, I plan to prioritize moving to a walkable location. But in this economy, the reality may be that I have to take what I can get, at whatever location.
My husband & I became a one-car couple 10 months ago. We both work outside of the small city where we live. Our workplaces are about 5 miles apart. We commute together on the four days that I work. On the two days that he has the car, I stay at work late or go to the library. My work day ends at 3:30; his at 5:00. On the other two days I go home at 3:30 & pick him up at the train station at 6:00. Its some compromise & getting use to, but we find the commute time is a great time to deal with household business & just to talk. I’m 55 & remember carpooling back in the 70s. (I know people who could carpool but just can’t consider it. Its too bad because besides saving $, its a good way to build community) Also, I’m home on Fridays and if I want to leave my neighborhood, then I take the bus for $1.00. Occasionally I splurge on a cab. We also rent a car about once a month when we can’t commute together. Our transportation costs are down about 35-40% and our driving is down about 30%. I do walk more & that has helped me lose weight & improve my knees. I switched hairdressers so I could walk to one in my neighborhood. I can also work to church, the beach, the pizza parlor and the post office. The nearest grocery store is 3 miles away but I won’t ride a bike there due to crazy traffic. I have a bike at work to run errands. These changes have been made gradually over the past 10 months and I’ve gained a lot more than I’ve given up.
“Thank you for mentioning that many of us can’t use public transportation. It is very frustrating to hear public officials constantly talking about how we “refuse to use public transportation”, when there is none in your area. We are not the bad guys, we are the forgotten ones. The closest bus stop is 20 miles from my house- in the wrong direction.”
Exactly this. Oklahoma City HAS public transit, but it’s effectively useless. Apparently when the city was being founded and expanded, there was so much wide open space that putting a second story on or basement in ANYTHING was seen as pointless, so we have quite a low population density, and the associated sprawl is absolutely incredible. (OKC’s pop. density is 3% of NYC’s — now THOSE people have some public transit!). It’s a car-only town, plain and simple (and there are way more drivers with giant pickup trucks than there are people who legitimately need them, but I digress), and I really hate it. I go to school in the college town 40 minutes south of my house, and I figured out one semester that if I took the “express” bus, it’d take 3.5 hours longer, per day, than driving it. That’s 17.5 hours a week in ADDITIONAL commute time. If I had nothing else to do, maybe, but I can’t go to school, work, AND have commuting to school as a second job — and I don’t know anybody who could. I have all the desire in the world to reduce my impact by mega-carpooling, but in this town, it just does. not. work.
So yeah. I’m a staunch environmentalist, and these “take public transit!” articles sadden me so, because I really, really wish I could.
I entered my information and came up with a score of 0. Depressing. I still manage to commute the 10 miles to work by bicycle for six months out of the year (think snow & ice for the other six). I’m jealous of those who have a score over 50 as I’d love to not own any car at all.
If you live in a city you have very little excuse to ever need a car. As mentioned – everyday tasks and trips are walkable, and if not, public transport does us all very well.
I wonder whether my attitude will change again when the winter arrives and the weather turns…!
@Phileas #107: what city do you live in? How do YOU know what the public transit situation is in every city in America? Your blanket statement is massively flawed.
I live in the suburbs, in a very pretty New England town with poor public transportation options. However, i can walk to the bank, library, CVS, local movie theater, and Chinese restaurant and grocery store (but not the one i like to shop at) in 20 minutes. I rarely do becus i usually have lots of errands i try to consolidate in 1 big car drive. My 1-way commute is 24 miles, so getting there other than by car is not feasible.I’ve looked into carpooling with not much luck.
I live in a small town called Newport, RI. Pretty much anything is within walking distance and if I ever needed to go further I could take a trolley or bus or borrow a car from a friend. Many students get around in this area without a car. I use my bike quite often. It’s so great to live in an area like this.
I love walking for transportation. When I lived in Ann Arbor, MI, I walked *everywhere*. I lived within two miles of pretty much everywhere I needed to go. I only drove to play ultimate frisbee on the opposite side of town, and I often combined that trip with grocery shopping.
I now live in a much smaller town, and I’m sad to say that I don’t walk as much as I used to. It’s just not quite as friendly of a place to walkers. But I am making the effort to bike/walk more.
Sure, you can’t bike/walk/etc in every single neighborhood. But often places that people think aren’t right for it are not as bad as people think. At the least, in areas that aren’t super walkable, I try to find a good place to park and then walk to do all my errands. How often do you see someone driving between stores at a strip mall?
The area I live in has no public transportation options. I checked the WalkScore website and my neighborhood only rates a 12. 🙁 There are often news reports of hit-and-runs with pedestrians and bicyclists. I would NEVER consider trying to walk or bike anywhere, which is a shame, because I love to walk and bike and would definitely use those options if they were safely available to me. I would use the bus or subway too if I had the choice, but we don’t have that either.
There is nothing extreme about biking with a baby. Look at Bo Bike Seats, there some of the best designs out there.
Talk to the folks at Clever Cycles in Portland, they do mail order. Likely all kinds of different options.
I would look into an Xtra Cycle…will continue to be useful for all ages when the seat becomes too small.
Cheers,
DJ Kenny
We spent more than we wanted to to buy a house that turns out to have a walkability score of 98. Instead of going further in debt at the time, we sold a car (and eliminated a car payment and a big insurance bill) to make up the additional in mortgage payment.
Our walk score at college is only 63, but my husband and I choose not to own a car – we can’t really justify buying one when we can walk and bike for (almost) free to class and work and the nearest grocery store. It doesn’t help that I am the only one with my license and I hate to drive…and the only time I do wish we had a car is when it is pouring rain or snowing like crazy and I didn’t bring my boots or coat or whatever with me to class – because when I left it was nice out. Honestly, the rain isn’t so bad to walk in if you have boots and a rain coat (and perhaps a spare pair of pants in your bag?).
There are 118 comments to "Frugality in practice: Alternate modes of transportation".
I’ve explored all these options but none are practical for me. My office is 8 miles aways along narrow country roads with no sidewalks and lots of car and truck traffic. Unsafe, even on a weekend. Biking is impractical for the same reason. There is no bus or rail service to the office either.
Most of the residents in this area are in the same boat. Employers and the townships in the area have started to take note and are VERY slowly building out sidewalks and bike paths or providing work from home options.
I was offered a work from home option earlier this year but turned it down. I don’t have any space in the house that I could setup a home office. Once the kids get home from school at 3 PM my work day would end.
This is a great topic. We have been experimenting with alternate forms of transportation for the last couple of years now.
If you live in a large city you may not even need a car. I recently lived without one for two years. In Chicago you can get a week long transit pass that will allow you to take unlimited amounts of trips on the subway and buses for only $24 week. You take unlimited trips and can literally reach almost anyplace in the city – all for less than a tank of gas.
When you do need to take a trip to the mall, supermarket, or farmers markets we have Zipcars – a car sharing program. These cars are located throughout the city and cost about $7-$9 per hour or $67-$80 a day. May sound expensive to some but it allows you the option of not owning a car (No monthly car note, monthly parking fees, maintenance, city parking sticker, etc).
Best of all with the Zipcar you don’t pay for gas and most are located right near public transportation stops so they are easy to get to.
A few years ago, I attended a conference on sustainable transportation. It was eye-opening. I’ve always used the bus and metro, since Montreal has excellent public transportation, and a car is an expense I’m not willing to take on. I was shocked at the high percentage of people who had never tried taking the bus, or who had all kinds of preconceived notions about it. I love the bus. I get to knit and read, I don’t have to worry about parking or insurance costs, and the subway is faster than driving.
There’s an excellent car-sharing system in Montreal called Communauto, where you pay something like 16 cents a kilometre, *gas and insurance included*. There are lots every few blocks, and the cars are new, clean, and well-maintained. I love this system.
The longer you use the bus, the more you’ll know the routes, and the more comfortable you’ll be using it. Keep it up!
I’ve lived in major cities where I owned a car, but relied on public transit instead. Usually it was because finding parking on the street was such a hassle it wasn’t worth giving up a spot once I found one.
Now I live in a smaller city but work outside it and the transit system here is so infrequent that it’s not reliable for me to use for work. Once home, however, I usually walk most of the time.
J.D. – Once the rains come, just invest in a good golfing umbrella and some decent rain boots and you can still keep walking for your errands! (I have to because I have a dog, but I’ve found that rainy days are actually my favorite for walking now.)
“Alternate” transport has been my primary method of transportation all of my life. I guess I see it from the opposite point of view in terms of effort – I can’t even imagine dealing with the stress, expense and wasted time that is driving in this city (Toronto) every day.
I just work from home, so I don’t have to use any transportation most of the time. But when I do need to travel, public transportation is just far too slow. I hate wasting time waiting for public transport.
Where I live in rural Florida my WalkScore is 0 so I am totally car dependent. Sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, and buses do not exist either.
Car dependence is one reason I think Americans are getting heavier.
This article is good for those who live in a major city and interesting reading for those of us who do not.
My husband and I live in Baltimore, which doesn’t have great public transit. But we are both able to commute to work using public buses and free shuttles (he works for a university, and I am a grad student). We also walk just about everywhere, even if it means a 2-3 mile walk each way. We enjoy getting to see the city that way, and it’s great exercise. We have one car, but only drive it on weekends to run errands or for longer trips. We save a lot of money by only having one car instead of two, and we only have to buy gas about once a month!
I wish we had a walking score of 68 here. I went to check out my score thinking, “We having walking trails in our neighborhood. That’s pretty good, right?” 9 out of 100. I guess that’s what happens when you live in a rural area where everything is spread out.
I live in a Minneapolis suburb and work a little over a mile from my house. I still don’t walk or bike regularly (during the warm months, at least). I looked into the bus, but most my desired destinations are 1+ by bus because the system is geared to get people in and out of the downtown areas. There is a lso a lightrail system that I’ve used when I had to go downtown.
Thank you for mentioning that many of us can’t use public transportation. It is very frustrating to hear public officials constantly talking about how we “refuse to use public transportation”, when there is none in your area. We are not the bad guys, we are the forgotten ones. The closest bus stop is 20 miles from my house- in the wrong direction.
Just a though on taking a French class…My husband and I spent 2 weeks in Paris in May, we only met 2 people that did not speak English. We bought 2 learn french at home sets, each came with a book and a CD. Total cost $25. We would listen to them everywhere we went. We learn basic words and needed pharases. We both have iphone and there are multiple WONDERFUL language applications for free. (Also really great tour guild apps!) We arrived in France prepared. When ever we started to speak french, we would get told “Ah you know french,” and then the person would speak English! We rented an apartment our neighbor state that many french want to practice there english. As long as you greet them in french and know a few sentences you will do wonderfully. Save the $ from the college french class for your trip!!
J.D.–When the Oregon rains reappear this fall, just invest in a large golf umbrella. That way, you can continue walking. I’m fortunate that I live in a big east coast city, built pre-automobile. So, walking is my primary mode of transportation. I walk year-round, in every type of weather. I can get all my needs, and most of my wants met via walking. My car gets used on the weekend only.
I like the idea of using walking to create a barrier. I tried this one when I wanted to buy something at the nearest Walgreens (1 mile from where I live) and I walked there. I ended up getting what I wanted and 2 miles of exercise in the process.
Another good thing about using public transportation, aside from saving money, is you get some time back. When you drive a car you can’t do anything but focus on the road. Take a bus and you could catch up on reading or writing.
J.D. – about what to do in the fall when the weather gets worse: I was talking with someone who was training to hike the Appalachian Trail, and apparently the saying among AT through-hikers is “No rain, no Maine,” meaning that if you take rainy days off on your hike, you’ll never make it to the finish on Mt. Katahdin in Maine.
I try to take this approach in my walk to work, which I make just about every day, rain or shine (although at 3.5 miles round trip each work day, it would take me about three years to hike the AT!). In the rain, I wear a parka and rain pants. In the cold, I wear a warm coat and boots. In the summer, I pack a big iced coffee and still sweat a lot and then I change into work clothes once I arrive at my office.
I just started leaving the car at home on the weekends and riding my bike to run all of my errands and do all my socializing.
It’s amazing how riding a bike and walking can really change your perception and awareness of a city. Each mode of transportation slows you down more and allows you the opportunity to notice all the things that just go by too fast in a car. When I started riding my bike, I realized that there were places very close to my neighborhood that I could walk to, but always drove across town instead because I didn’t realize they were there.
When I was in college, I took a few urban studies classes. In one, we would pick a different neighborhood in Portland each week and write 3 reports: 1 was written after driving through, one after biking through, and one after walking. The shift in awareness was pretty astonishing.
Slowing down can open up just as many opportunities as speeding up.
I like hoofing it too and routinely walk on errands where the one-way trip is maybe 30 minutes or less. But the real eye-opener was canvassing for the Census earlier this year and knocking on neighborhood doors for 35-40 hours a week. New trikes, remodeling permits, utility cutoff notices and other things you notice tell stories on every block.
Toutes mes félicitations pour ton initiative de prendre des cours de français. Paris est vraiment une ville magnifique. Profitez-en pour découvrir le Vélib’, les bicyclettes en locations disponible partout à travers la ville.
Mais, pourquoi traverser l’océan? Si vous le voulez, Montréal est beaucoup plus proche et vous pouvez pratiquer votre français. Au pire, si vous vous sentez trop intimidé, la majorité des gens parlent aussi très bien anglais. Montréal est beaucoup moins cher que Paris et certains endroits sont très européens.
Bonnes vacances!
P.S. : If you need some help in french, don’t be afraid to ask your readers. I’m quite sure that a lot of them are bilingual and can gladly give some help and/or advice!
P.P.S. : In case of doubt between ‘tu’ and ‘vous’ to replace ‘you’, ‘vous’ is more polite and respectful, unless you know the individual.
First of all, I too live in Portland — which is an alternative transportation mecca. I used to live in New Mexico and Colorado where there were no buses to speak of. So I sympathize with people who are like “what bus?”
Anyway, the in 07 and 08, we lived about 4 miles from my office. I rode nearly every day and all year round — rain or shine. The trick is gear (water proof bags, gloves, helmet cover) and a place to change at the office. The only times I couldn’t ride were when it was icy. Of course this past winter that would have been ALL WINTER LONG, but we now live further out and riding every day is more difficult so I take the bus.
When we moved to Portland, we left one of our cars behind and have only rarely missed it. I am considering a moped now, but it’s not exactly a necessity.
My wife and I live just outside the downtown core of Toronto, so we mostly walk or take the TTC (the local transit system). I’ve started riding my old bike to work, since my new employer has a really nice bike rack indoors (i.e. minimal theft concern). When we need to get out of the city, we rent a car, since the methods of getting out of the city otherwise can be rather surprisingly expensive (eg. visting my parents about an hour away from the city costs about $100 for the two of us round-trip).
Is the rain in Oregon really that bad? I thought you had sprinkling all day. That might lead to splatter when you’re bicycling, but walking should still be okay with either a hat and rain coat or an umbrella.
Oh, wait, I vaguely remember that in the fall you guys do have thunderstorms.
I highly recommend taking French, even if everyone you meet in France speaks English. You actually have someone to practice with! And it’s fun! And you’ll be able to read French books (like _The Little Prince_) in the original. And watch French movies (“La Femme Nikita”). And the French are known for greatly appreciating (expecting, really) that you should know French. Make it a goal to get your accent so good that they don’t immediately switch to English on you! (Of course if you hate learning French, then even just learning enough to be able to count to ten, greet and thank people, and pronounce what you’re reading will be a big help. That’s all I was able to do before my trip.)
I live in a medium-sized city. We have buses, but most routes are pretty bad (less than four buses per hour, sometimes less than two). I deliberately moved to a place on a bus route, but it still takes me 45 minutes to get to work, which is only 3.5 miles away. I do this anyway (parking is expensive and far away), and that’s when I get my reading done. And knowing that I get to read is one of the things that helps me get up in the morning, which is the main reason I don’t take a bicycle.
I did live here without a car for four years to save money, and I could do everything I needed to on the bus except get home from parties (had to beg for rides or leave early). I would rent a car when I wanted to visit my parents 200 miles away. I would borrow a friend’s car after taking him to the airport and use that opportunity to buy large things I’d been wanting. Now my friends have moved out into the suburbs, so I couldn’t even get to their parties let alone get home. Plus, since I don’t need my car for work, I sometimes loan it to people whose cars are in the shop, so I do still have one.
It was a little weird dragging my laundry onto the bus, but I learned to put a towel on the top to cover the unmentionables. I used to shop at a grocery store over a mile away, and I considered walking home with my groceries to be my aerobic activity for the day. (I recommend putting the heaviest things in a backpack or knapsack.)
Interestingly, Jacob at Early Retirement Extreme just wrote about running as transportation. This isn’t something you can do right now, but is another thing to think about. I also don’t see anyone mentioning skate boarding or roller blading.
I actually just bought a road bike but have used it more for fun riding than as a mode of transportation. I’m lucky that I live close to lots of things. I drive to work, but other than that I tend to walk most of the places I need to go. Where I live (St. Louis) we have a metro system that I haven’t taken in years. This is a good reminder that the Metro (it’s a train) might be a good alternative to get from A to B. I don’t even know how much it cost anymore! I’ll definitely check it out.
Sadly I live 26 miles from work and a 15 minute drive to the nearest grocery store. I need to move closer to town some day. I have a convenience store about a 4 mile walk from my house. I hardly go there, and hadn’t considered walking but that may be a possibility.
Being a 29 year old who never learned how to drive, I’m a big fan of using my own 2 feet as well.
I control my weight and manage to maintain my health baseline by doing most of my daily stuff on foot, some by bike, only some by car.
Usually living in the big City – well, technically we’re right outside of Washington DC, but within the Beltway – is an invitation to higher costs of living. But we’ve been fortunate with transit. I walk a few blocks to work, and my husband walks a few blocks to the Metro. There are also buses and plenty of things within walking distance, including a full-service grocery store, several drug stores, etc.
Our monthly mortgage is expensive, but we own just one, paid-off car which rarely leaves the garage. When we ran the numbers – live farther out in cheaper housing but need two reliable cars versus live close in and rely on alternative means?
The pricier house came out as the far better value.
Enjoyed the article, JD. Do they make a bicycle-attached umbrella? – ha! – that’d be quite an invention. My husband and I share a car. We both live about a mile away from our jobs, so usually during the week we’ll switch off who gets to drive, depending if my husband has to run some work errands, or if I’ll be picking up groceries. The walking isn’t so bad in the spring and fall, but I’m starting to sweat in the summer mornings! The best part about the walking is the few minutes of quiet thinking time.
My dad has been riding the train too and from work for several years now. Sure beats fighting millions of other commuters in Southern California traffic.
I just want to reinforce the idea that good gear will make all the difference to walking and biking in the rain. I spent one winter in Seattle and my (limited) experience with daily rain was that it often was little more than a drizzle. In those circumstances I still walked, usually eschewing an umbrella for a good rain hat and coat. Thanks for sharing that you sometimes learn from us, too, as we learn from you and your other readers.
I read a lot of american PF-blogs and I’ve noticed two things again and again.
The first thing is that you seem to make a project out of using alternate modes of transportation, for example usinging your bike to commute to work. Often there is a list of necessary equipment that is longer than my arm. What happened to just getting up on your bike (no matter what condition it is) and go? (you should ALWAYS where a helmet though)
The other thing is what is considered a long distance to walk, the examples that are given always seem short to me (for example the 2½ miles to your favorite comic book store – I walk that distance to work every day).
Could these two things be caused by inexperience? If you’re not used to walking much at all it’s understandable that 2½ miles (or walking for 30 minutes) looks like quite an undertaking. And if you’re not used to seeing people going to work on whatever wreck of a bike they could find, it’s easy to think that you have to have a brand new one with tons of equipment.
What do you think?
When I lived in Phoenix, I rode the bus or biked everywhere.
Where I live now, the bus service is questionable at best. I live about a mile from the nearest major grocery store and will regularly walk there when I need just a couple of items. The bank, bakery outlet and bowling alley are all easy walks.
As for commute, I work as a field service technician and my work truck is sitting in my driveway. I could end up anywhere in seven counties on any given day.
Luckily, my workplace is a 15 min walk from my apartment. Sucks in the cold Canadian winters, but even if I did own a car (I always took the bus/train to university and never even got my license yet), it would be foolish to pay the huge downtown parking fees, my building parking fees, and driving what is walkable in 15 min. Not saying everyone can do what I do, but it’s nice to not have a car payment and to get 30 min exercise 5 days a week without even trying. If I need to transport some heavy things or go somewhere that’s difficult to get to, my mom or boyfriend can always take me 🙂
I’m sure I will end up buying a car eventually, but for now this works for me. I was born in Europe but lived in Canada most of my life, and my parents have always remarked that North America is such a “car culture”. I might be moving back to Europe in a couple of years and I am happy that I might not have to get a car if I move since the public transport is much better developed there (I’d probably be going back to England – perhaps London) than it is in my city.
You’ve pointed out some often overlooked options, including walking five miles a day. Some cities and situations, in the Northwest and Western Europe, support both public transportation and walking options.
Alas, I live in Los Angeles.
Yet while I have only started commuting to work 16 miles away, I have already found it a satisfying experiment. So far, I’m having more, better conversations and losing fewer hours listening to morose NPR news reports. Now I just need to get out that bike more!
Thanks for sharing and inspiring!
I would love to walk more. In fact, there is a grocery about 2 miles from my house that I drive to all of the time. The reason I drive is because I have 3 small children and I have to cross a 5 lane road – I just don’t feel safe doing it. But I guess when you have kids, it makes everything more difficult. (oh, I am a stay at home mom, so they are always with me)
I live in downtown Toronto, and walk everywhere. My husband needs his car for work (he does client visits in their homes all over the city), but I sold my car about 6 years ago and never looked back.
I love walking to and from work everyday. It is such a great way to clear your mind from all work-related stress.
I work in a medium sized city so it’s easy to walk to lunch and the local CVS from my work. However, I live 10 miles from work, and there isn’t a bus stop near my home (parking is only $10/month). But your comment about the grocery store got me thinking.
I live only 1.75 miles from a grocery store. However, I can’t fathom trying to get all of my grocies home by walking. I’d have to break up my weekly/bi-weekly trips into about 10 trips to carry everything. How do you haul it all?
Plus the stretch of road to the store is a two-lane highway that’s 50 mph with no sidewalk and includes an overpass/exit to an interstate. I can’t exactly see myself walking in the ditch, loaded with bags or trying to navigate the busy roads. Did I mention I’m also 5 months pregnant? 🙂 One last thing that tips the scales in favor of driving is walking past the strip club on the way.
But I did think about the possibilities for a few minutes. However, despite the relative close distance, I don’t think it’s the best option for me.
As a student, I was fortunate to live directly off the bus line. Taking the bus (for free with my student ID) saved me the $500 annual campus parking pass, car maintenance/gas etc for the trip, and the aggravation of stop-and-go traffic (mostly due to all the traffic lights). As a side perk, I was able to do a good portion of my reading for class on the bus!
Now that I’m working a real job, I’m again fortunate to live a mile off the bike path, so I can ride my bike to work and back (18 mile round trip) with a minimum of car-dodging. I have to get up a bit earlier in the morning, but overall my commute isn’t much longer and riding our city’s bike trial (along the river and through the woods, to my office I go!) is very peaceful! I ride my bike 3-4 times per week to work; the other days I drive so I can do my errands on the way home.
Rollerblading is another travel option – I am able to skate to my local library, so I strap on my blades and backpack quite often.
I’d love to see more people taking advantage of public and/or self-propelled transportation. Thanks for writing about the topic!
I just moved from a neighborhood with a walk score of 95 (major city – 1M+ population). Everything I could need on a daily basis was within a 10 minute walk or a few minutes bike ride. In December we moved to a neighborhood with a walk score in the 30s (small city – 250k population). The only thing I can walk to is a convenience store, a deli, and a few other shops like a cleaners that I don’t really use. And those stores are up a major hill that I’m not walking up in 90 degree heat.
Public transportation is the same deal – by the time I walked to the bus, I’d be rolling in sweat. So I’m reliant on my car. It is a major transition from where I used to live, but I’ve learned to plan my trips and do everything in one car ride instead of in and out like I did when I lived in the city.
What happens when the Oregon rain returns in mid-October? You get to enjoy it! I have found that as I commute by bike 6+ miles every day in northeast Iowa the change of seasons is really enjoyable because I’m a part of it every day. I’ve ridden my early 90’s mountain bike in all sorts of weather and once I accepted the weather as something to just prepare for it made all the difference. Rain? Fenders and a rain suit put a smile on my face. Snow and ice? Studded bicycle tires allow me to look for icy patches so I can lock up the brakes & make cool marks on the ice. Spinning is fun too! I have found I can confidently ride with studded bike tires across glazed pavement that would be very difficult to walk on. For the price of a tank of gas I’ve been able to use those tires for the past two winters and I plan to use them again this year. I no longer watch the weather forecast because it really doesn’t matter what it’s going to do – I’m prepared for anything.
@Anna (#29)
Great points, Anna. I do think that my view of a 2-1/2 miles as “long” is based on inexperience. I didn’t have room to share all of my walking adventures in this article, but here’s one more to add to give some perspective:
Last Thursday, Kris and I were scheduled to meet her cousin for dinner. He was visiting from California, and we had picked one of our favorite restaurants. About 70 minutes before we were supposed to meet, I realized that I could possibly walk to the restaurant. It’s five or six miles away. This never would have occurred to me before. I looked up the restaurant on Google Maps, and sure enough, it was walkable. I quickly said good-bye to Kris, ducked out the door, and walked to dinner. I arrived 10 minutes late (it was an 80-minute walk) and a little sweaty, but I felt great. In retrospect, I could have walked home. (Instead, I rode in Kris’ car.)
So I guess what I’m saying is: Yes, our perceptions of distance are distorted by inexperience. Before I started my daily jaunts, I had no conception of what it was like to walk five or six miles. Now I do. Now I realize that I could conceivably walk the nine miles to downtown Portland on weekend mornings, enjoy a few hours in the city, and then catch the bus home. That would be a full and fulfilling day.
I went carless last September and it works great for me. A few caveats..
1.) I live in Portland, home of the fabulous public transportation system.
2.) No kids.
3.) Work pays for my monthly transit pass.
4.) About once a month, I rent a car for the day to get in all my driving errands or go to the coast.
It’s been almost year, and it’s amazing how much extra money I’ve been able to save because of not having a car. I’d realized that despite the car being paid-off, there was insurance, gas, parking and the incidentals of me being bored and driving somewhere to occupy my time.
I *really* do need my car, no kidding… I live a bit further from the city than a bus would ever drive, as I’ve never seen a public transit bus on the highway.
However, I get *plenty* of walking into my days. My husband and I go on walks very frequently in the evenings, and many days if I don’t have to leave base I’ll walk to where I have to go. (My usual choice when having to go to the BX or something, but the commissary is car territory for sure.)
During the school-year, I actually use a scooter to get around campus. It cuts down the time it takes to cross campus, and it’s amazing exercise. A bike does the same really, but my scooter is much smaller, can be taken into the classroom and folds up neatly to fit in my itty bitty car. 🙂
Otherwise, my cars are more than my transportation. They’re my hobby! So even while I like cities, I won’t live in one because I want to keep my cars.
Thanks for the link to the “Walk Score” site. Entertaining! It rates my neighborhood as “somewhat walkable.” If you don’t care what sort of area you walk through (i.e., how likely you are to be mugged), that may be true. Problem is, it can’t evaluate the relative safety or the degree to which you’re blasted by traffic noise and fumes along any of the routes to the various sites the system sees as within walking distance.
The bus system here, despite the city’s many stalwart efforts to improve it, is pretty impractical: takes 2 hours and 10 minutes to get to my office, a 20-minute drive from my house.
They installed a lightrail system, which is truly neat…except it won’t take your money. Last time I tried to ride, it once again declined to take my credit card. That’s become routine: this was the third time in a row. But then when I tried to chuff in seven quarters to buy a ticket, the coin slot was jammed! So…put in a bill? It will accept only PERFECT, unwrinkled, clean dollar bills. I don’t carry cash with me, and I’m not about to start when I have a car that doesn’t cost all that much more to drive to work.
And now I will walk one mile to the grocery store, buy two donuts and milk, then walk three-quarters of a mile back to my office, from which I will write tomorrow’s entry! 🙂
I live south of Boston, MA and work north of the city. My employer subsidizes half of my commuter rail pass and so I take the train, subway, and then walk to work. I grew up in San Diego, CA, where the bus and trolley don’t go to many places, so I really appreciate having the convenience of taking decent public transportation and not having to drive everywhere. However, I do prefer taking the car when I can as sometimes the subway is really packed and I’m not terribly fond of the smells one encounters during the summer (and the delays during the winter)!
I ride my bike in the winter in Portland. A good goretex jacket is enough for most PDX days. If it’s really coming down I take the car, mostly because I’m worried that cars won’t see me.
But 80% of the rainy days in Portland are definitely bikable, it’s usually just a light mist, or just overcast.
Some interesting thoughts in this piece.
But since this is a money site, I have to ask … what about the time associated with walking, biking and public transportation? For example, if it takes an hour to walk to the bank and back, is that costing you?
I work from home, but spend a lot of time in the car ferrying the kids to school and activities, plus errands. I live in a suburb with no public transportation available.
There is no possible way I could walk to the bank or the grocery store. It would add hours to my errands (especially if I brought the kids along). Since I bill by the hour, the amount I spend on gas/car maintenance/insurance/depreciation pales in comparison to the amount of revenue I would lose by biking or walking to these errands.
Just an alternate view from an uber-busy mom who is trying to bill max hours this month.
yikkes Aron won’t walk a mile??? ! a mile of walking slowly is 20 mins – yes 20 mins…
“Do they make a bicycle-attached umbrella?” Some bikes have fenders, which protect you from having a line of mud deposited along a line down the front of you. Add a hat and rain poncho, and that’s pretty good.
You Know JD,
I think walking is one of the most forgotten modes of transportation in our 21st century. I suppose with the advent of cars and public transport most people wouldn’t want to be caught dead using the same type of transportation our forefathers did, but heck, it works! If you reside in an area in which things could be obtained within a few mile’s walk, not only does it reduce your expenses but it REALLY helps keep you fit! When I first began my frugal journey under two years ago, I realized walking was one way to cut down drastically on transportation expenses. (Note: When you really want to cut down on your expenditures, you must be willing to look at ALL of them, and cut where it is realistic)
By the time I got to the nearest transportation station (about two miles away) I felt like I was going to have a heart-attack! I was 22! For shame! Fast forward two years and now that I’ve gotten used to walking, I’m 60lbs thinner — and like you mentioned earlier — my perception of “distance” has certainly changed, both in regards to where I’m comfortable walking to and where would *actually* require transportation. With all of the sights and sounds that we easily dismiss when we drive by — walking truly helps re-invigorate our sense of pleasure and satisfaction in our everyday-living experience.
“Not all Americans have the luxury of being able to explore alternate means of transportation.”
I think you have it backwards J.D. Not every American has the luxury of being able to afford an automobile. The AAA has stated that car ownership costs an average of ~$8,000 a year.
If one doesn’t have the money to own a car, one will realize very quickly how much of a luxury an automobile is. People without cars in the world far outnumbers those with on.
My husband and I have been car free during the course of our entire relationship (about 9 years). I’ve never bother to buy into the car lifestyle. Every city we’ve lived in, in our circle of friends, we’ve often been the only ones who live without an automobile. San Diego is supposedly some sort nightmare for car-free individuals. I say that it isn’t. It has year round perfect weather (I am still waiting for the so called “summer” temperatures to hit). And some neighborhoods should have a 100 walkscore but don’t.
Besides the saving of money, we are also in excellent shape. Although we do occasionally use public transit, we primarily use bicycles to get around. When calculating our bare bones minimum budget, transportation is always $0.
We’re becoming a one car family due to too expensive repairs on our older car.
That means I’ll be walking every day to pick up my daughter from Kindergarten and for any errands we have locally.
Fortunately we live in an extremely walkable neighborhood with plenty of stuff to walk to.
I’m starting with walking, but may get a bike and a trailer for my little ones if things work out.
We can walk to several grocery stores, Target, goodwill, the park, a discount grocer, schools, restaurants, and so much more.
I’m ashamed to admit how often I’ve been using the car instead for convenience. Now that that’s not an option I’m really looking forward to finding ways to get places without our car.
Another advantage of walking that I forgot to mention in the article:
I am constantly complaining that I don’t have enough time to read. Reading used to be my primary hobby, but since GRS took off, I just haven’t had time to do it.
Now, though, I read when I walk. As I mentioned a few comments ago, I just walked to the grocery store. The round-trip took 36 minutes. I took the latest issues of Smart Money and Consumer Reports Money Adviser. I read them both. Previously, I could not have justified spending time on this.
@Lesley (#46)
I admit that not everyone has the time to walk for errands. But for those of us who have chosen lifestyles that allow this, it’s a great way to get exercise while doing the things we need to do. Using the example I just mention, I’m able to do three things at once: run an errand, get some exercise, and do research for the blog. Oh — I’m also saving money. To me, this is a huge win.
If you’re worried about the rain, invest in good waterproofs. But don’t forget to get waterproof over-trousers too! Especially when you’re cycling, they are essential. They needn’t be the highest tech ones. I use lightweight waterproofs that roll up in my backpack (in the UK it can and does rain at any time of year, so I need to know I have head-to-toe waterproofing on me at all times), and I think they cost me about £25 total about 3 years ago, and still going strong. They’re not goretex or anything, just single skin thin waterproof, so they go over whatever I’m wearing at the time.
Also, good waterproof shoes/boots. Cold wet feet are no fun at all.
Personally, I’m a fan of a good hat or hood instead of an umbrella. They are more durable and less likely to poke out the eyes of fellow pedestrians or turn inside out in a heavy gust of wind. And you can cycle in them. But I know I’m wierd like that.
I really need to do a better job of this, once it gets a little cooler. I’d be afraid to walk or bike to work, because there are two major highways in the way which are difficult to get across for pedestrians (“free rights” on the frontage roads, underpasses and bridges very far apart) and it’s a bad neighborhood, but I do have a grocery store within walking distance and another on a bus route. I just let myself get too overscheduled to have time to run my errands other than by car.
I hope to never give up the MTA for my main mode of transport. Its less than $90/month (PRE-tax), runs 24 hours, requires no maintenance (from me), and allows me to read, listen to music, etc. Love it!
It would be great if we could use public transportation more, but if you live in the suburbs, where most people do these days, it just doesn’t go everywhere.
It might help to set up some loose rules. You can decide to walk to and from anywhere within one mile, 2-5 miles use a bike, longer than that, car pool if you can.
Even doing this on a when-you-can basis will save some money and add some exercise, but it does have to be admitted that it’s hard to beat a car, all things considered.
Might also help to look for less expensive car options then, ie a less expensive car, 2nd hand, etc.
@Anna – I lived in Sweden in 1983 and the public transportation was really impressive. Just as impressive, and maybe more so, was how helpful the people were on the buses. Passengers would help complete strangers bring their baby strollers and shopping onto the bus. There was a section in the middle where one could leave the strollers, set up, or groceries. In contrast, my sister in California (also in 1983) endured complaints from passengers and drivers alike when she struggled to load her stroller and baby onto the bus and certainly no one helped. This attitude of polite, common helpfulness made the experience a good one just as much as the convenient routes.
Where I live, the bus system isn’t great (every half hour during morning and afternoon “rush” hours and only once an hour during non-rush hours), but it still works for me. But a lot of people (including my dear husband) are prejudiced against public transportation — whether they know it or not! — and see it as something only the old, the poor or the disabled do. I think this is particularly true of a lot of men, for whom getting that driver’s licence was a huge deal, and who continue to connect driving a car (especially whatever they think of as a flashy car) as some sort of direct reflection on their self-worth.
My husband and two sons (17 and 20 years old) rode their bicycles from Seattle to New York two summers ago. When they got back, the younger son said that he felt the US seemed smaller, since he was able to ride his bike across it.
Your comment about things being closer than you thought reminded me of this.
When I lived in San Francisco I *loved* riding my bike. I rode it everywhere. There were some definite advantages there. It took about 25 minutes to drive across town to work, or about 25 minutes to ride my bike. However, parking downtown next to my office was $19/day. That was a no-brainer. After work I’d go out and meet friends at restaurants or bars occasionally. I’d race them in taxis or on the bus, and me on my bike, and I’d always win. It was the healthiest, cleanest, fastest, and cheapest way to get around the city. It was fantastic.
Now that I no longer live in San Francisco, the bike’s not such a clear-cut winner. It’s still the cleanest and healthiest way to get around, but notably slower than a car, and now that I’m not living in a huge city, parking is free pretty much everywhere, and easy to come by. Since biking to work is no longer an option (my commute is too long now), and therefore I have to own a car anyway, much of the financial advantage is gone too, since I don’t save on parking anymore by riding a bike.
I should get back into riding my bike though, even if just recreationally for fitness, it really keeps you in shape. I *do* still ride my bike down to the beach to go surfing, though. I don’t have to worry about getting the inside of my car wet and sandy with surfboards and wetsuits, I just ride home in my wetsuit and change in the backyard.
Sadly, I’m one of those people who would love the option to use public transit to my workplace, but can’t. Actually, this issue has been a huge pet peeve of mine for years. I live in suburban Pittsburgh, PA and while the buses are great within the downtown/city limits, they are very spotty out here in the suburbs. I am continually mystified as to why the transit authority cannot coordinate their schedules better with the realities of both the location and what time most people work; not everyone works 9 to 5 downtown. Frequently, there isn’t much option but to wait an hour for the next bus to show up, or to somehow persuade your boss that you have to leave an hour early because that’s when your bus comes.
Not only that, but the transit authority has been crying poor for decades, and the mantra of cutting routes/raising fares is forever on its lips. Maybe, just maybe, if they’d put the buses on regular schedules in the suburbs as they do in the city, they would have more riders and more income. But I have yet to see that they’ve been able to come to that basic conclusion.
Every five years or so, the idea of commuter rail lines comes up. While it seems to be a good idea and a viable alternative to our sorry excuse of a measly three-stop (soon to be four-stop) subway system, I will believe it (and ride it) when I see it.
And biking? Well, that’s pretty much recreation for me, as I would be taking my life in my hands if I even tried to bike to the grocery store a couple blocks away. Forget the main roads; they are hazardous enough to negotiate in a car. I have walked to the aforementioned grocery store, and to the library on occasion, but the time factor is sometimes a deterrent; I’d have to have at least an hour total to accomplish that.
Nice post! My vote is for walking . . .
While alternate transportation is a great idea, it simply is not viable for all commuters. One thing that was not mentioned was car-pooling. Though it seems people value their freedom to come and go as they want, it can be a great way to save money. Instead of four people driving four cars 17 miles into the city every day, those same people could cut down on their gas spending significantly.
Again, it really depends on the person. Currently with my schedule, there is no way I could make use of the bus or other means of transportation other than my car. That is simply the reality of my situation. Maybe in the future there will be more flexibility.
-DC
I drive 18 miles one way to work. That’s 36 miles round trip including interstates and two lane highways with speed limits ranging from 65-75.
Biking is out, as I would like to live and the volume of time would be counter productive to the time spent at work.
Bus is out because their is no bus that comes into my town.
That said, I do walk to the post office – about one mile from my house.
And I would bike to the grocery store – also about one mile from my house – but there is no way I could carry an entire shopping carts full worth of groceries on my bike.
The small cities that do have buses around here, if you are lucky, maybe 20 minutes to your destination. Unfortunately, that same route home will take an hour to go 6 miles. Not very pratical.
Perhaps not an entire shopping carts full, but they do make pretty impressive saddle bags…which you could use to bring home groceries in. Or, get one of those stroller things for babies that attaches to the back of the bike and fill it with groceries instead of children. 🙂
Yay! I love this post! Thank you! My life is so much better since I stopped driving everywhere and adopted a more people-powered lifestyle. I bike, I walk, I occasionally ride the bus, but I rarely drive. I’m happier, healthier and richer for it!
Despite having lived most of my life in the car-centric Chicago suburbs (walk score of 34 at my parents’ current address), I never got the hang of it — I would always misjudge the amount of time I needed to get somewhere and traffic always surprised me. Now that I live in Seattle with a walk score 94, the only downside is getting out the door in time to catch the bus. I even take the bus to job interviews, despite that lengthening the trip to about an hour. It gives me time to relax and prepare instead of trying to follow driving directions and becoming more stressed.
Also, having traveled within many cities/countries in Europe using only public transportation and walking, I’m always impressed at how far ahead of the curve they are and I wish we had it that great over here (even Seattle could use major improvements).
I try to take the metro whenever possible to save on gas and parking fees. It helps and you don’t have the hassle of the car.
Golfing Girl @ 35 (or anyone else wondering how to get groceries without a car): I have outfitted my bike with a rear rack and panniers. Panniers are essentially saddle bags like you’d have had on a horse in the olden days; one bag hangs on each side and can hold items (like groceries!). Panniers comes in all shapes and sizes; mine are fairly sizable, and can hold anything I manage to fit in one of those grocery baskets.
My panniers also come in handy for my commute to work; I stash my lunch, purse, and fresh change of clothes in there. Also work for trips to the library, carrying books to and fro … etc. Personally I prefer the panniers over a backpack so my back doesn’t get sweaty over longer rides. I think panniers are a very worthy investment if you plan to use your bike for practical reasons instead of or in addition to recreational ones.
However, Golfing Girl, for your particular situation, you would have to check whether bicycles are allowed on your highway (also look into how much room you have to ride and how motorists treat cyclists), and also consider whether your pregnancy would affect your balance/comfort on the bike. You definitely have some safety considerations to think about. But if you give it a shot, happy biking!
J.D., I live down the road from you in Eugene (that’s in Oregon, for the rest of you), and I bike to work all winter (rainy season) long. I don’t have any special gear except one of those huge rain ponchos with a hood large enough to fit over the helmet. It’s also a fluorescent orange, and thus easily spottable by cars. I arrive dry under the poncho every time. Like the commenter above said, Americans tend to get tangled up in thinking they need all kinds of equipment for various things. But you don’t even need lots of equipment for the rainy season: just a big rainproof poncho. Try it for one winter and see if you don’t agree.
Bummer.. My walk score is 14 when I get my house. There will be a Food Lion less than a mile away though, which I plan on walking and biking to. I have considered riding my bike to work, which is about 20 miles distance. I don’t know if that would be pushing it. I used to be a cross country runner though, and I’m still young (22), so I might be able to handle this.
J.D. having a walk score of 68 must be insane! I can’t even imagine how many things must be near you!
I think the whole question of “does public transit make sense” depends on an individual’s perspective.
I am about to move into a neighborhood where two of my co-workers live. I have relied on public transit for my commute from my current location, and plan to continue from my new home. It will take me about an hour (including waiting at the bus stop) to get to work. My co-workers both looked at that same transit commute previously and concluded “it would take too long” compared to their 25-30 minute drives.
For them, the added commute time is too painful of a change to make. For me, driving in rush hour traffic would be too painful of a change (so I stay with transit). It just depends on context.
One option I have been using for the last couple of years is a motorcycle. Although a lot of people use a motorcycle just to cruise, I don’t. So far this year I have only “cruised” on my motorcycle once for about 10 miles. Everything else has had a purpose. Even though my daily commute is 10-15 miles, and probably another 15 miles a day for errands, the gas milease on a motorcycle is much better than my Grand Cherokee.
Even better is the way I bought my motorcycle. I sold a bunch of stuff on Ebay! So not only am I saving gas, but the motorcycle purchase had no additional cash outlay. Even though I live in Ohio, and can only motorcycle about 7 months out of the year, I figure I am still saving about $1000 yearly on gas.
I went for about 7 years without a car, living in three different cities in that time. My car-free life was never as good as when I lived in Los Angeles with a bike – it’s pretty rare that the weather is inclimate, and biking was a sure way to get a lot of places faster than walking, driving, or riding public transporation. I was able to bypass gridlocked traffic and be on my way – it was really wonderful.
Yes, yes, it all sounds wonderful to walk everywhere. But as others have noted, let’s get real. I’ve lived in Manhattan, and did not own a car. Very walkable/public transpo-able city, that New York. Fortunately, I was a poor young renter back in those days, so didn’t need vehicles to haul around all the STUFF you end up with as you buy a home, remodel it, furnish it, etc.
These days…I’m in Los Angeles. Own a home. Lots of animals. LOTS of heavy stuff to cart around. So I drive. Walking, only to schlep home a bunch of heavy stuff, is not an option.
I wished I lived in an area where things aren’t so spread out. In Northern CT, the public transportation is pretty poor for local travel.
Since I work from home, I plan my trips so I go out as little as possible with the car and try to get all my errands done in one sweep.
I’ve embraced “alternative” transportation for most of the last 15 years, even living in LA without a car for a couple years. Public transit in LA is waaay better than people think.
Until….
For the last couple of years I’ve had to endure a 70-mile round trip each day by car, and it has been awful. My weight has been hard to control, my energy level and attention span is shot. I hate it. I can’t wait until we move to PDX next spring!
I’ll ditto the fact about how walking broadens your horizons. I never feel like I know a city until I’ve walked it. You see, hear, smell, experience so much more.
Finally, I also give major props to car sharing. I’ve used City Car Share in SF and they are awesome. I especially like that you get itemized billing, making it easy to chart how much you drive and makes writing it off for business a snap.
Forgot to add:
Walking also makes you rethink the amount of stuff you purchase and bring home…so also a very sensible personal finance tactic for me.
I’m lucky enough to live less than a mile from work, so I walk there everyday. In fact, I chose the location of my new apartment for that reason. I also walk to the gym and to Trader Joes as well.
We moved to Portland at the beginning of this year partially because we wanted to be close enough to walk and bike to things, and we’ve definitely been taking advantage of it. We’re in the close-in NW, so we’re only a mile from a grocery store, public library, several great bars and restaurants, and a dog park. About a half mile past that is another pocket of great bars and restaurants, plus a friend’s house. 3 miles from our house takes us across the river, like yesterday when we walked the 6 miles round trip to check out the tasting room at a new brewery, and 6 miles from our house is my office, which I can reach by a very pleasant bike ride in about 40 minutes.
Previously we lived in Dallas, TX, and there was just nothing like this. Sure there were sidewalks, but the streets were so huge and so car-focused that we found ourselves driving half a mile to go to our gym, just because we didn’t feel safe crossing the street twice. I rode my bike to the light rail station and then to work from the train, but it was a stressful and dangerous ride, and I was the only one in my 300 person company who did it.
Walking everywhere here has become so natural to us that we’re surprised when visitors aren’t as enthusiastic about it as we are. We’ve found we have to warn them before we go out that the place we’re going for dinner is 2 miles away, and often times they’ll say they can’t possibly walk that far. We don’t even notice the distance, since we’re having such a good time talking and enjoying the scenery. It’d be great to see more people leaving their cars in the garage and discovering that, yes, you actually can walk 2 miles, very easily! 🙂
we own a car, a scooter and a motorcycle.
I live 15 miles from work and have to take the highway. The motorcycle is ideal for my daily commute, gives 55-60 mpg, is cheap on insurance (compared to owning another car). We bought that used with about 2000 miles on it for about $4,500.
my wife takes the scooter to school (4-5 miles of city – 35mph driving). We bought that one used for $1,500 with a couple of hundred miles on it. The scooter gives more than 100 mpg! and is easy to park. my wife doesnt have to go around the blocks trying to find parking for her car when she goes to school.
For groceries and the times we need to go somewhere together, we use the car (that too all paid for).
I guess what we have tried to do here is minimize our expenditure on transportation but at the same time we have the convenience of a car when we want it. the $6000 we spent on the 2 two wheelers is about what a domestic used car would have cost. For that price we get two separate vehicles, excellent gas mileage, cheap insurance and loads of fun.
Oh btw for people thinking about what we do when it rains or when its cold…we have invested in good rain suits and riding jackets/gloves. It doesnt get too cold in Richmond, Virginia anyways.
Thank you for linking to the Walk Score website! I live in a very walkable neighborhood, and thought I had taken full advantage of all it had to offer. But with the listings on the side of the Walk Score website, I realize that I’ve barely scratched the surface! I’ll be moving in a few months, and I’m definitely using this website to evaluate potential neighborhoods so I can minimize my car travel in the future. Thanks again!
You’d be better off if you could go back to your childhood in Oregon…in a simpler day and time. Unfortunately, You’re here in the NOW and the NOW does not bode well for you or anybody else on the planet earth.
Love your spirit though.
Beany @ comment #50:
You stated that “The AAA has stated that car ownership costs an average of ~$8,000 a year.”
While some people might spend that much on their vehicle in initial cost, maintenance, gas, etc, not all of us do. Many of us spend far far less. Even if I were to add up the entire cost of my truck, all the oil changes, new tires, maintenance, and weekly gas, and divide that total by the number of years I’ve been driving it (18), my yearly costs would be nowhere near that much! In fact, my total yearly cost each year for the last 4 or 5 years (including gas!) would probably only be around $2,200/yr, TOPS (and that is also including the initial vehicle cost yearly average!).
Alternative transportation is unfortunately not available in my area of rural FL. My WalkScore would be the same as Andrew’s in Comment #7. We also get rain that comes down so hard and fast in the summer that biking or walking would be miserable! You’d be soaked to the skin in minutes, even with an umbrella. So I guess I’ll be keeping my “clunker” for now 🙂
I LOVE this post.
I grew up in Paris, France, where using a car within the city is foolish. It’s small and very populated (I’ve been told the density rivals Japan), the streets where meant for horses and many are narrow and one-way, and there is fantastic public transit (it’s also very small, I once walked from the very south where I lived to the very north where my university was, it only took me 3 hours and I was taking my time and getting lost).
So, when people told me “It’s easy for you. It would be impossible in North America” I tended to believe them.
Then I moved to Canada. My husband (32) has never used a car (just like me, he doesn’t even have a license). And the thing is, he lived in a small town, not even a city. AND he’s got inner ear damage, which means he can’t ride a bike (no balance. He could ride a trike, though).
But here, where we live now, everything is walking distance. His work, the stores… and the greyhound station. Because if we want to go to the city, we use the bus. (We actually have a trip planned from Alberta to Vancouver, by bus. Although you know, even without a car we could take a plane, too.)
In the city (where we lived for a year), we use public transit, mostly the bus (there are only two subway lines). But we also do a fair bit of walking. We both like walking and I’m easily sick in transportation, meaning that we rarely take the bus for ALL of the way.
Our biggest transportation-related expense is shoes. And we are in North America. And people in this small town where we live in Alberta (including my in-laws) use their cars to go to the store, to get their mail, you name it. Even though the town in small enough that walking is sometimes FASTER.
So, I can believe that it’s completely impractical in some places and for some people to use anything but a car. I can believe it, but it’s overused as an excuse. Too many people don’t even try because they think it won’t be possible.
But I can tell you, I’ve lived in a small town in Canada, and in a hugely spread city, and I didn’t find it harder to live without a car than it was in Paris, France.
The only difference is that instead of just going to the bus station, knowing that there will be a bus in a couple of minutes, you need to actually get familiar with a schedule (as buses only come every 15, 30, 60 minutes depending on the line, day and time).
I’m not saying everybody should live without a car at all, of course. But quite often, there will be other options, that can be more practical (no need to find a spot to park), better for your health (as they make your exercice) and even faster (over smaller distances).
(By the way, if you need some help with your French, I’d be delighted to give you some help)
What about shoes?
Seriously, my main concern about walking is that I only want to do it when I wear comfortable shoes. But 90% of women’s shoes are not comfortable (and then take out the ones like flip-flops that are comfortable, but not for walking.)
I would walk much more if I didn’t have to try to look nice… and yes, you can carry shoes with you, but they take up half your backpack.
My solution is biking- you can do that in ANY shoes with no discomfort! I bike every day that it isn’t rainy or REALLY snowy; then I take the bus. I refuse to pay 75 cents an hour for parking- that one thing changes my behavior more than 20 environmental/health/finance arguments.
When I was in college, I used to take the bus and then walk 1 mile to my apartment. Whenever I go anywhere, I take the bus and then walk. I don’t drive (partially blind) so that was the only way to get around. Bus service was also limited so my choices on where I go was limited too. I live in the suburbs now but can’t take the bus because I have to walk really far to get to the street where the bus stop is and there’s no sidewalk so my hubby drives me around. I don’t ride a bike because I don’t know how too. I tried to learn when I was young but I just can’t get it LOL
I’d be interested in knowing if there is correlation between weather and non-automobile transportation. Does anybody if there are any studies on this? It seems intuitively obvious to me that fewer folks would be willing to bicycle, or wait for the bus, in regions where it is rainy and/or cold for much of the year, and in these regions people have increased desire to own their own automobile. Thus the best developed public transportation systems should be in the regions with the most agreeable weather. However, this does not really seem to be the case in practice (c.f. Los Angeles which has nice weather but horrible public transport; or Europe vs. USA where the weather is the same, but Europe has much better public transport). I’m curious why.
I’ve been walking to work since 1999. Last month, I started a new project with my current client, and the project is located in a suburb of Vancouver. So now I walk to the Skytrain (subway) station, then skytrain for 20 minutes to the satellite office. I have a car that I use on weekends for hiking and camping trips, but otherwise I walk to Costco, walk to the grocery store, walk to the headquarters of the client company.
By walking I get a better ‘feel’ for my neighborhood (downtown Vancouver), and feel more connected to the people that I live near. I also feel more in tune with the elements. I hope to never have to commute by car again.
#77 comment from @ Corey: Indeed !! Grocery shopping (or any other shopping for that matter) on foot is great! I limit the number of things I put in my basket because I will have to carry them home. Costco is about 8 blocks from my home, and two competing grocery stores are two or three blocks from home. I only buy what I can afford AND what I can carry.
#85 comment from @ Karen: I walk in flats. They are fashionable, comfortable. I get mine from Talbot’s or from Macy’s. I don’t want to ruin my nice heels when walking to work – so I keep a few pair under my desk for in-office use.
#87 comment from @ Frugal Bachelor: Vancouver BC is notoriously rainy. I keep an umbrella at home, in the car and at the office. And when it rains, I put on a raincoat, rain boots and use the umbrella. It’s as simple as that.
How in the world do you read while you are walking?
Hi JD,
About your running injury, of course I don’t know the specifics, but it is typically problems with form that cause an injury. I would suggest the book/video called Chi Running that can be found on Amazon.com, as well as many major bookstores. It helped me out with hip pain that I used to get when running longer distances.
I like to bike to work, but I live in Buffalo, NY where it gets quite snowy and cold, so this only works for 5-6 months of the year. I’ve never tried the bus despite the fact that it literally makes a stop a hundred feet from my house. I think it’s because I’m nervous that I would pick the wrong one getting me back home. Just ignorant of the process I guess, and that’s after reading the public transportation website and maps.
In past years, I’ve even jogged to work a few times. It’s about six miles away, not too bad. And I can grab a shower at the gym a few hundred yards away.
My problem is, this year I’ve completely fallen off the wagon, am thirty pounds heavier than last year and in rather pathetic shape. I’m making some changes in my life now that will address that, and many of those changes are just making small substitutions, just like you suggest, of walking or biking to small errands that you may have typically used a car for.
Regards,
-Charley
And here’s something I’ve learned: Once you start walking five miles a day, your world gets bigger. I know this seems counter-intuitive – a car takes you further faster – but it’s true. You begin to realize that things are closer than you thought they were.
This is very true. Whenever I try walking some place I’d usually travel to by bus, the first time is quite an adventure because I’m comparing bus time with walking time and assuming it will take ages on foot. One time after a few drinks (I was just tipsy enough for it to seem a fun adventure) I walked from my place to my friends’ place, 2 suburbs over. It took me 45 minutes which is not a big deal but I was expecting it to be much longer. Considering the bus ride would have been about 15/20 minutes of stop start traffic and would have required planning in advance or a wait at the bus stop (the buses came about every 20 minutes), his house suddenly seemed a lot closer than I’d thought. When I ended up moving in with him I walked to work and back every day (also 45 minutes). And I really noticed the difference in my weight when I moved house and could not longer walk a hour and a half each day without making a special effort.
I now work at home which has cut my car usage substantially, but when I did have a commute (70 miles a day), I looked into public transport. It would have taken me 2.5 hours (one way!) to get to work via train/bus. Unfortunately, Dallas is a metro area, but doesn’t have good public transport, at least for the suburban areas. Biking would be possible and I’ve been considering it lately. Good point about getting a bike that fits you! The biggest drawback is the same as for walking. It’s hard to contemplate biking in July/Aug/Sept when it’s 95-102 degrees outside. It just makes the A/C in my car too appealing! Also, things are very spread out here. I do have a grocery store about a mile away, but everything else is 3 or 4 miles or more. Too far to walk in the heat, to be sure. It’s good that more “walkable urban” type of centers are popping up here. I hope that’s a trend that continues, but for now they are still few and far between and if you want to live in a house vs. an apartment, affordable options for neighborhoods with shopping/dining/etc. close by are limited.
I just did the walk score test for my neighborhood in Boulder, Colorado, and got a score of 32 – “car dependent.” How can this be? Within a lovely 1-mile walk of my home are two elementary schools, a middle school, a high school, a major grocery store, a branch of the public library, my church, several good restaurants and cafes, and some of the most stunningly beuutiful hiking trails in America. It’s just a three mile walk to the university, where I walk. If this isn’t walking paradise, what is?
Once the snow and ice are gone, I try to avoid driving when I can: walking and cycling, usually. My post-parental homes have always been in “very walkable” communities, convenient to whatever local transit is available. I drive when I need to or just don’t want to deal with too much inconvenience: cold, icy weather, long distances, no good transit options, and heavy loads.
My approach: keep the human-powered and public-transit options at the top of my list of choices, and choose them when I can make them work. I get more exercise and spend less on my car that way.
It makes me cranky that so many of the “I can’t!” comments sound like the writer mysteriously found him- or herself in a situation where they don’t feel comfortable doing anything but driving. I’m skeptical — DH and I prioritize location and proximity to work and transit and we find ways to live close to places we need to be. Your priorities might be different, but they are still your choices. If this is you, please, at least acknowledge that you had some hand in the matter!
As usual, many comments are from the extremes: some are militantly car-free, while others defensively insist that they can’t think of a single way they could choose to walk, bike, take a bus, or take a train when they would normally drive. Many, if not most of us are in the middle somewhere, doing the best we can. It’s more complicated and individual to discuss how we balance everything we need to with a desire to avoid driving: commitments, schedules, stuff to carry, physical issues, distance, transit availability and schedules, safety, etc. Even though I choose situations where I could almost never drive, I still drive, sometimes. It depends!
When I lived in the city, 5500 pop, I rode a bike quite a bit, 3000miles/year, now I’m 15miles out on roads that have no sholder. We have no bus, not train, they have been working on getting Amtrack in for 25 years might get it in 10-15 more. The last two months, 61 days we had rain 49 of them, From December to April we have snow banks on the side of the roads, April to june it’s soup mud, then June to October we have so many tourusts on the roads it’s barely safe to be on them in a car,
Most of this Country is not set up for mass transit, cities can be.
I really miss living somewhere that I can take advantage of public transportation. I used to use it daily to get to work & school.
Now I am in rural NH, and I checked the Walk Score…it was 0, not surprisingly.
The only place we walk to regularly is the beach, but I can live with that 😉
I have a feeling the car vs. walk/bike/public transportation dilemma might work itself out.
With the economy being what it is, especially the job market, plus the rising cost of owning a car (repairs and insurance–up 20% in our state on an administrative change), the cost of owning two or more cars per household is becoming harder to juggle. If you’re looking for a way to make a major reduction in expenses, this is certainly one place to do it.
Eventually, we may go back to the days of a one car household plus a set of good, solid bikes, and residence locations again favoring proximity to bus stops, train stations and walkable shopping centers.
Since I’m local, I can offer this advice: PCC and PSU have shuttles between campuses that are free to students. All you need is to show your student ID and you can take a shuttle from one campus to another.
I live in NE and on days when I’m not staying late in the theatre at Sylvania, I can walk or ride my bike to Cascade and take the shuttle to school and back.
I’ve been trying to figure a safe and convenient way to bike straight there, but thus far I haven’t been able to map out the path between SW and Sylvania’s campus.
We chose where we live based on the transit options. I would never again live somewhere that driving was required. I find driving to be very stressful, and cars to be more trouble than they’re worth. Transit takes longer, but is very relaxing and I can read. I also walk and bike and that saves me gym membership. I would love to be able to run places but I haven’t figured out how to do that and carry stuff. (I am an expert at carrying stuff on my bike and on the bus.)
JD please don’t let weather stop you this fall! Our winters are really very mild, you just need a few items of clothing to keep you dry; the exercise will keep you warm enough. I will only leave the bike at home if it’s raining really really hard or if it’s icy; it’s not icy often enough for me to want to invest in studded tires. I found this winter that my mountain bike is really very good on snow. 🙂 And I will walk to the bus in ANY weather; I would much rather walk in it than DRIVE in it!!!
@ Frugal Bachelor, #87:
You think places with good weather should have better public transit? No way!
I felt like you made a typo or something. To me, it’s the opposite. Bad weather means more public transit, because you’ll walk or ride a bike less. Buses and subways both protect you from the rain as much as a car would.
Europe vs US is fairly easy to understand, though. 1) places are smaller, which means less bus/subway lines needed (this being said, Paris has 20 subway lines and New York has, well, a lot less than that).
2) taxes are higher. Public transit is paid with by taxes. The US has that big thing with hating taxes which I can never comprehend. Low taxes means bad public transit, and you end up spending more on your car than you would on taxes + public transit. It’s a lose-lose situation.
@ Karen, #85:
There are also dress shoes that don’t have heels that would be (slightly) more comfortable to walk in, which still being elegant. Walking shoes are usually the best for walking, though (you know, the one they sell for hiking and stuff), and running shoes are pretty good too. Some types of boots can be nice if they’re comfortable enough.
I guess these wouldn’t go well with a dress so I guess I can see why you would prefer riding a bike.
The main problem about riding a bike, for me, is that I don’t like carrying the helmet around (and I wouldn’t ride a bike without a helmet).
@ JD, about reading while walking: That’s true, I forgot to talk about that, too. As long as you still pay attention for crossing streets and such, there are many things you can do while walking.
You can listen to audiobooks for instance, or to the radio, and at the same time use your hands for reading, for instance (or, an example from my own experience, making origami or playing the GBA or the DS. Although these last two can require sound as well, limiting your multitasking).
You can’t do everything you would be able to do on a bus, though (although I can do LESS on a bus due to my motion sickness).
Sorry about the double post, but I just took my walk score.
“Somewhat walkable”. Excuse me? Everything is 10 minutes away, tops. The grocery store is 5 minutes away. And it’s only “Somewhat walkable”?
I was confused so I took the test for my address in Paris.
I lived over a grocery store, had another 5 minutes away, 3 bakeries within 5 minutes, a theatre with 10 screens 5 minutes away, a huge store that sells electronics, books, DVDs, CDs, videogames, etc about 20 minutes away, without mentioning the smaller store in between. And, of course about 10 restaurants within 5 minutes, all different (Italian, Chinese, Korean, Turkish, Greek…)
Their result? “Somewhat walkable”.
Where do you have to live to get “why on Earth aren’t you walking” as your score? Inside a mall?
I can’t imagine a place being more walkable than Paris. “Somewhat walkable?” I don’t think so.
JD…good for you!
I have been trying to ride more myself, recreationally – but working on building up the speed and endurance I need to commute to work perhaps 2 to 3 times per month.
I am also in the Dallas area (live in Plano and work in Richardson near UTD), and some times it can be trying to find a decent bike route that doesn’t make me feel like I am going to get run over. I say this because I am not a great road biker – most of my riding is recreational and on the bike paths. However, I used to bike every where or walk when I was a child and young adult when living in NH. Heck – I would walk 2.5 miles after 10 PM from the bus stop to my house in the middle of the winter. That was just the way it was.
Down here we do have the DART. It isn’t too bad – depending on where you are going. They have buses with bike racks on the front as well, which I may explore as an option if I cannot find a non scary way all the way to work on my bike.
Avistew @ 84, I agree that it’s probably overused as an excuse. My parents’ neighborhood is in a fairly car-centric suburb, but they have grocery and drug stores within a somewhat reasonable walking distance.
But the sad truth is, it really is impractical many places. Come to the Southeast U.S. and you’ll see. I would love to live in a walkable neighborhood, but anything walkable is way out of my current price range. Yes, even if I were able to completely sell my car and recoup its costs (which is not a reality here — there are places where you can use it less, but we just don’t have the transit infrastructure to go totally carless).
Near my house, there is a large shopping center with apartments and townhouses built as part of the development. It’s still not built to be pedestrian friendly. Pedestrians have to cross a four-lane road, speed limit 45 MPH, with lights and crosswalks a mile apart, to get from the apartments to the shopping center. If they want to get to the other half of the development, they have to cross a six-lane highway, speed limit 55 MPH (and most go 65 MPH), somehow — there’s a light, but no crosswalk, and of course the light is timed for cars. It’s just a stupid design. And most development here is planned just like this.
I’m in grad school right now. When I graduate and get a job, I plan to prioritize moving to a walkable location. But in this economy, the reality may be that I have to take what I can get, at whatever location.
My husband & I became a one-car couple 10 months ago. We both work outside of the small city where we live. Our workplaces are about 5 miles apart. We commute together on the four days that I work. On the two days that he has the car, I stay at work late or go to the library. My work day ends at 3:30; his at 5:00. On the other two days I go home at 3:30 & pick him up at the train station at 6:00. Its some compromise & getting use to, but we find the commute time is a great time to deal with household business & just to talk. I’m 55 & remember carpooling back in the 70s. (I know people who could carpool but just can’t consider it. Its too bad because besides saving $, its a good way to build community) Also, I’m home on Fridays and if I want to leave my neighborhood, then I take the bus for $1.00. Occasionally I splurge on a cab. We also rent a car about once a month when we can’t commute together. Our transportation costs are down about 35-40% and our driving is down about 30%. I do walk more & that has helped me lose weight & improve my knees. I switched hairdressers so I could walk to one in my neighborhood. I can also work to church, the beach, the pizza parlor and the post office. The nearest grocery store is 3 miles away but I won’t ride a bike there due to crazy traffic. I have a bike at work to run errands. These changes have been made gradually over the past 10 months and I’ve gained a lot more than I’ve given up.
“Thank you for mentioning that many of us can’t use public transportation. It is very frustrating to hear public officials constantly talking about how we “refuse to use public transportation”, when there is none in your area. We are not the bad guys, we are the forgotten ones. The closest bus stop is 20 miles from my house- in the wrong direction.”
Exactly this. Oklahoma City HAS public transit, but it’s effectively useless. Apparently when the city was being founded and expanded, there was so much wide open space that putting a second story on or basement in ANYTHING was seen as pointless, so we have quite a low population density, and the associated sprawl is absolutely incredible. (OKC’s pop. density is 3% of NYC’s — now THOSE people have some public transit!). It’s a car-only town, plain and simple (and there are way more drivers with giant pickup trucks than there are people who legitimately need them, but I digress), and I really hate it. I go to school in the college town 40 minutes south of my house, and I figured out one semester that if I took the “express” bus, it’d take 3.5 hours longer, per day, than driving it. That’s 17.5 hours a week in ADDITIONAL commute time. If I had nothing else to do, maybe, but I can’t go to school, work, AND have commuting to school as a second job — and I don’t know anybody who could. I have all the desire in the world to reduce my impact by mega-carpooling, but in this town, it just does. not. work.
So yeah. I’m a staunch environmentalist, and these “take public transit!” articles sadden me so, because I really, really wish I could.
I entered my information and came up with a score of 0. Depressing. I still manage to commute the 10 miles to work by bicycle for six months out of the year (think snow & ice for the other six). I’m jealous of those who have a score over 50 as I’d love to not own any car at all.
If you live in a city you have very little excuse to ever need a car. As mentioned – everyday tasks and trips are walkable, and if not, public transport does us all very well.
I wonder whether my attitude will change again when the winter arrives and the weather turns…!
@Phileas #107: what city do you live in? How do YOU know what the public transit situation is in every city in America? Your blanket statement is massively flawed.
I live in the suburbs, in a very pretty New England town with poor public transportation options. However, i can walk to the bank, library, CVS, local movie theater, and Chinese restaurant and grocery store (but not the one i like to shop at) in 20 minutes. I rarely do becus i usually have lots of errands i try to consolidate in 1 big car drive. My 1-way commute is 24 miles, so getting there other than by car is not feasible.I’ve looked into carpooling with not much luck.
I live in a small town called Newport, RI. Pretty much anything is within walking distance and if I ever needed to go further I could take a trolley or bus or borrow a car from a friend. Many students get around in this area without a car. I use my bike quite often. It’s so great to live in an area like this.
Good for you! Walking saves you money, limits carbon dioxide emissions, and keeps you healthy! Well done!
I love walking for transportation. When I lived in Ann Arbor, MI, I walked *everywhere*. I lived within two miles of pretty much everywhere I needed to go. I only drove to play ultimate frisbee on the opposite side of town, and I often combined that trip with grocery shopping.
I now live in a much smaller town, and I’m sad to say that I don’t walk as much as I used to. It’s just not quite as friendly of a place to walkers. But I am making the effort to bike/walk more.
Sure, you can’t bike/walk/etc in every single neighborhood. But often places that people think aren’t right for it are not as bad as people think. At the least, in areas that aren’t super walkable, I try to find a good place to park and then walk to do all my errands. How often do you see someone driving between stores at a strip mall?
The area I live in has no public transportation options. I checked the WalkScore website and my neighborhood only rates a 12. 🙁 There are often news reports of hit-and-runs with pedestrians and bicyclists. I would NEVER consider trying to walk or bike anywhere, which is a shame, because I love to walk and bike and would definitely use those options if they were safely available to me. I would use the bus or subway too if I had the choice, but we don’t have that either.
Any ideas on alternative transportation for a mom with a baby (besides the obvious…walking, which we do daily)?
I have a friend who rides her bike with her baby on her back. Not sure if I want to get that extreme.
Cori
There is nothing extreme about biking with a baby. Look at Bo Bike Seats, there some of the best designs out there.
Talk to the folks at Clever Cycles in Portland, they do mail order. Likely all kinds of different options.
I would look into an Xtra Cycle…will continue to be useful for all ages when the seat becomes too small.
Cheers,
DJ Kenny
We spent more than we wanted to to buy a house that turns out to have a walkability score of 98. Instead of going further in debt at the time, we sold a car (and eliminated a car payment and a big insurance bill) to make up the additional in mortgage payment.
Our walk score at college is only 63, but my husband and I choose not to own a car – we can’t really justify buying one when we can walk and bike for (almost) free to class and work and the nearest grocery store. It doesn’t help that I am the only one with my license and I hate to drive…and the only time I do wish we had a car is when it is pouring rain or snowing like crazy and I didn’t bring my boots or coat or whatever with me to class – because when I left it was nice out. Honestly, the rain isn’t so bad to walk in if you have boots and a rain coat (and perhaps a spare pair of pants in your bag?).