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Living Car Free Do you live car free or car light? Do you prefer to use alternative transportation (bicycles, walking, other human-powered or public transportation) for everyday activities whenever possible? Discuss your lifestyle here.

Living Car Free

Old 07-19-18, 10:08 AM
  #26  
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Originally Posted by prj71
Have you ever considered the fact that some people don't want to / like to be stuck on a train/bus with a bunch of other stinky loud people or crying babies?

I am one of those people. I would rather be stuck in a traffic jam in my own car than be stuck on mass transit with a bunch of others. It's too peopley in those things.
Do you go to movie theatres? Concerts? Sports events? Did you go to school?
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Old 07-19-18, 11:15 AM
  #27  
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Originally Posted by tandempower
You could get a Greyhound bus ticket for trip that distance for around $20 per person if you booked far enough in advance, which would add up to $80 each way for four people.
Greyhound and other inter-city buses have very limited stops, usually a terminal... to which one has to travel before even climbing on board a bus. In my neck of the woods, there is no convenient public transit to get to the local bus line, which means either a call to a friend for a ride or a taxi/rideshare service for the 8-10mi ride.

Where my commute is involved, I could do a bike/bus/bike commute, but the problem there is that I am locked into the bus schedule, additional wait time, and additional cycling time.

We just visited Quebec city for a week and they have a marvelous bus system -- from where we stayed in an airbnb rental, there was a choice of at least three bus lines within a 2-block radius which would get us downtown and back, including an express bus. Also within that radius was any number of services, including a grocery store, restaurants, entertainment venues, etc. It would be very easy to LCF there; not so much in the semi-rural area where we live in the USA...
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Old 07-19-18, 11:33 AM
  #28  
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Originally Posted by mconlonx
Greyhound and other inter-city buses have very limited stops, usually a terminal... to which one has to travel before even climbing on board a bus. In my neck of the woods, there is no convenient public transit to get to the local bus line, which means either a call to a friend for a ride or a taxi/rideshare service for the 8-10mi ride.

Where my commute is involved, I could do a bike/bus/bike commute, but the problem there is that I am locked into the bus schedule, additional wait time, and additional cycling time.

We just visited Quebec city for a week and they have a marvelous bus system -- from where we stayed in an airbnb rental, there was a choice of at least three bus lines within a 2-block radius which would get us downtown and back, including an express bus. Also within that radius was any number of services, including a grocery store, restaurants, entertainment venues, etc. It would be very easy to LCF there; not so much in the semi-rural area where we live in the USA...
I have talked with people familiar with rural areas in China who said most people living on farms did not have cars and that roads were so narrow that if two trucks or cars would be approaching head-on, one or both would need to pull off to let the other by.

So I would say that people in the 'semi-rural' areas you mention are a little bit spoiled when it comes to expecting to drive as a form of entitlement. I asked the person who told me about China how farmers transported their produce to market, and the response was that certain people in the area had trucks and they went around picking up crops to bring to market. So it's not like every person living in a (semi)rural area needs a truck or car, though they may want on and have a sense of entitlement/expectation that they will have one.

It seems like what you want to do here is make claims about it being easier to LCF in other places as a justification for people who don't or fail at it, but why do you feel the need to defend the choice to drive. If it is something you can afford, it is a choice you have. You are gambling with your money by spending/wasting it on driving, but that is your choice, is it not? What bothers me is when people start complaining about how hard it is to LCF in certain places as if to imply that driving is a right not a privilege, which I've always heard otherwise. You may not like the limitations that LCF puts on you in certain places, but that doesn't mean it's impossible to live without a car. It just means you might only be able to get to go to certain places every once in a while, and you will spend more time getting there and back. But the bright side of that is you waste less money and appreciate the trip more because it is more special.
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Old 07-19-18, 11:48 AM
  #29  
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Mainly, it was just a comment regarding Greyhound, that it's not just about the big miles done by bus, but also getting to and from the bus terminal on either end of the trip to account for as well.

China is a very different culture and there is a vast difference in wealth and income between those living in rural China and those living in my part of semi-rural USA.

Your inference about what I might or might not be claiming here is completely incorrect. My lifestyle choices are mine to make and I'll not press them on others or make a value judgement about the way I live, compared to what others prefer. Any values regarding entitlement, privilege, limitations, or quality are entirely your own and are not intentionally implied in anything I said.
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Old 07-19-18, 12:40 PM
  #30  
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Originally Posted by mtb_addict
@prj71 You get used to it. You learn to tune them out pretty quickly. Stinky people is quite rare...but you can always move to another seat. When I was in Asia, I luv'ed the public transport. It was clean and quite...and no stinky people.

If it is well managed and funded, public transport can be wonderful experience.
YOU may get used to it. I won't

I spent some time on public transit in the Washington DC area, Boston and Chicago. Hated every bit of it. I like the freedom of going places on my time...not the scheduled time of public transit. Sweaty stinky people were annoying, strangers talking to me that I didn't want to talk to were annoying, peoples kids that were screaming and crying were annoying...no thanks. Get in my own car, pick my own tunes and go.
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Old 07-19-18, 12:42 PM
  #31  
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Originally Posted by cooker
Do you go to movie theatres?
No. To expensive. I use Netflix or Amazon video.

Concerts?
Occasionally...but it's with like minded people in a small venue.

Sports events?
I have been to a few NFL games.

Did you go to school?
Of course.

But if you are trying to compare all of that to public transit...apples and oranges.
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Old 07-19-18, 01:35 PM
  #32  
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Originally Posted by prj71
YOU may get used to it. I won't

I spent some time on public transit in the Washington DC area, Boston and Chicago. Hated every bit of it..
Presumably you did it because in that setting at that moment it was the best option.
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Old 07-19-18, 02:55 PM
  #33  
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I wonder about rural China as an example of collectively using trucks to get around. Maybe not?

In rural China, a bumper crop of new car owners - latimes

i know the article was from 2009.

so here is a later one.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...-ministry-says

i wonder who talked to more people?

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Old 07-20-18, 08:01 AM
  #34  
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Originally Posted by cooker
Presumably you did it because in that setting at that moment it was the best option.
DC I did it just to try it out. Then proceeded to run back to my car when I got off that thing.

Chicago and Boston were work related...so got off the plane and had to use public transit...not by choice.
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Old 07-20-18, 09:34 AM
  #35  
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Originally Posted by prj71
Chicago and Boston were work related...so got off the plane and had to use public transit...not by choice.
Of course it was a choice - you could have rented a car, taken an airport limo or called Uber, but in this particular case, the public transit was the better option.

And aren't regular planes kind of "peopley"? Why didn't you drive or take a private jet? Did you at least go first class?

Last edited by cooker; 07-20-18 at 09:39 AM.
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Old 07-20-18, 12:33 PM
  #36  
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Lol. You need to work on your comprehension. I said it was "work related" so that means the company I work for decides my mode of transportation. They paid for the plane ticket to get me there and then paid for my public transit. I didn't have a choice in the matter. They weren't paying for a rental car, limo or uber.
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Old 07-20-18, 12:57 PM
  #37  
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Originally Posted by cooker
Do you go to movie theatres? Concerts? Sports events? Did you go to school?
I have to get a ride from my family or a friend to go to many events like that because they are 40-60 miles away on the interstate.

We have a community college and a multiplex cinema, which I haven't visited since Guardians Of The Galaxy, the food was eh.

We have a guy I've known since I was a kid who is in charge of the local cultural center and he tries to bring some things to the auditorium as he can, a couple of really good country concerts, others and that makes us a little different here in a town of 10,000, there are more things to actually do in town of note. There is a Saturday Market all summer as well and it's not dullsville, three towns nearby,

But I'm sure that even Illinois has the Boonies.
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Old 07-20-18, 12:58 PM
  #38  
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Originally Posted by prj71
Lol. You need to work on your comprehension. I said it was "work related" so that means the company I work for decides my mode of transportation. They paid for the plane ticket to get me there and then paid for my public transit. I didn't have a choice in the matter. They weren't paying for a rental car, limo or uber.
Hey, paid for works.
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Old 07-21-18, 04:18 PM
  #39  
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Originally Posted by prj71
Lol. You need to work on your comprehension. I said it was "work related" so that means the company I work for decides my mode of transportation. They paid for the plane ticket to get me there and then paid for my public transit. I didn't have a choice in the matter. They weren't paying for a rental car, limo or uber.
No, I got that but I'm sure they wouldn't have objected to you hiring your own cab, if it's that big a deal.
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Old 07-21-18, 04:27 PM
  #40  
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Originally Posted by Rollfast
I have to get a ride from my family or a friend to go to many events like that because they are 40-60 miles away on the interstate.

We have a community college and a multiplex cinema, which I haven't visited since Guardians Of The Galaxy, the food was eh.

We have a guy I've known since I was a kid who is in charge of the local cultural center and he tries to bring some things to the auditorium as he can, a couple of really good country concerts, others and that makes us a little different here in a town of 10,000, there are more things to actually do in town of note. There is a Saturday Market all summer as well and it's not dullsville, three towns nearby,

But I'm sure that even Illinois has the Boonies.
My point was that prj71 has selective antipathy to "peopley" public transit, yet no difficulty with being crammed in with people in other settings.
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Old 07-21-18, 06:47 PM
  #41  
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Originally Posted by cooker
My point was that prj71 has selective antipathy to "peopley" public transit, yet no difficulty with being crammed in with people in other settings.
But criticizing those other settings doesn't promote the automotive culture on an LCF forum
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Old 07-21-18, 07:39 PM
  #42  
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Living Car Free
Do you live car free or car light? Do you prefer to use alternative transportation (bicycles, walking, other human-powered or public transportation) for everyday activities whenever possible? Discuss your lifestyle here.
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Old 07-22-18, 02:18 PM
  #43  
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Originally Posted by Machka
Living Car Free (posted 07-10-18, 11:47 PM)
Do you live car free or car light? Do you prefer to use alternative transportation (bicycles, walking, other human-powered or public transportation) for everyday activities whenever possible? Discuss your lifestyle here.
Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
Boston is probably one of the most Car-free cities in the world, and having a car is often detrimental. We live near the transportation hub of Kenmore Square…
Originally Posted by Machka
Living Car Free (posted 07-21-18, 08:39 PM)
Do you live car free or car light? Do you prefer to use alternative transportation (bicycles, walking, other human-powered or public transportation) for everyday activities whenever possible? Discuss your lifestyle here.
Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
Boston is probably one of the most Car-free cities in the world, and having a car is often detrimental. We live near the transportation hub of Kenmore Square….
Hi @Machka,

I note that your Custom User Title identifies you as “
In Real Life / Thread Starter.”

My best wishes, and dittoes to all the previous posts to you and Rowan; his last post on the Fifty-Plus Forum was certainly in his usual classy style.

Jim from "D'uh"

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Old 07-22-18, 06:55 PM
  #44  
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Originally Posted by tandempower
But criticizing those other settings doesn't promote the automotive culture on an LCF forum
They are free to wear knee-high argyle socks and combat boots at McDonalds to get a Happy Meal I suppose, and we have moderators. Works for me.
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Old 07-23-18, 07:20 AM
  #45  
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I live car free, very rewarding.
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Old 07-23-18, 08:09 AM
  #46  
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Originally Posted by cooker
No, I got that but I'm sure they wouldn't have objected to you hiring your own cab, if it's that big a deal.
That's not how they operate. When they send an employee out of town for work they decide your method of transpiration, which hotel you will stay at and what your daily stipend is for meals.
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Old 07-23-18, 08:10 AM
  #47  
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Originally Posted by cooker
My point was that prj71 has selective antipathy to "peopley" public transit, yet no difficulty with being crammed in with people in other settings.
I think you are being obtuse here...
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Old 07-23-18, 09:20 AM
  #48  
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Originally Posted by prj71
That's not how they operate. When they send an employee out of town for work they decide your method of transpiration, which hotel you will stay at and what your daily stipend is for meals.
I seriously doubt they would object to you getting your own Uber if you pay for it.
Originally Posted by prj71
I think you are being obtuse here...
Just trying to help. Clearly you have a strong interest in living more car-free or -light as evinced by your frequent presence here, so I'm just trying to help you get over your phobia of public transit as it is a significant barrier to these implicit lifestyle goals.
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Old 07-23-18, 09:45 AM
  #49  
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Why would I pay for my own Uber? The company is footing the cost for all the bills.
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Old 07-23-18, 09:57 AM
  #50  
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Originally Posted by cooker
Just trying to help. Clearly you have a strong interest in living more car-free or -light as evinced by your frequent presence here, so I'm just trying to help you get over your phobia of public transit as it is a significant barrier to these implicit lifestyle goals.
Just trying to help? Sure, yeah, that's the ticket.

Maybe you can help those who seem to have a phobia of pavement,or a phobia about anything they think is "sprawl, or a phobia about accepting that most people try to adjust their lifestyle to current reality, rather than someone else's dreamy vision.

Such phobias may present a serious hindrance to living any kind of lifestyle. Perhaps you should "help" any poster displaying such characteristics.
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