Who has converted into a 1 car family...?
12-10-14, 12:01 AM
#26
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I would love to, but with two kids (one is special needs) to truck around, I need to have the automobile in the garage. On the bright side, I don't drive it more than 1000 miles/ year or so, and my kids like to bike / trike with me when the weather is pleasant!
12-10-14, 12:44 AM
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We ditched our 2nd car in 2008 when I started my new job just outside the downtown core here in Vancouver. My previous job in the 'burbs was not very public transit-accessible, and required me to have my own car for local travel. We didn't have kids back then, but my wife is not a bus person, so her going without a car has never been an option (unless I'm dropping her off and picking her up every day).
When we went down to one car, I wasn't bike commuting (started June 2013). So, for 5 years (2008-2013), I was relying primarily on public transportation, which wasn't horrible given that home & work are within a 10 minute walk of rapid transit (Skytrain). However, we agreed when giving up the 2nd car that it would be ok to use taxis or rental cars on those days when we both REALLY needed a car. You can do a lot of taxiing / car renting in a month for less than what you'd pay for car payments, insurance, gas, and maintenance. It does hurt sometimes to drop $20 on a taxi or $40 on a rental car, but looking at the big picture we've come out way ahead.
Now with the bike commuting, I find it REALLY hard to go back to public transit. The bike is just so liberating.
When we went down to one car, I wasn't bike commuting (started June 2013). So, for 5 years (2008-2013), I was relying primarily on public transportation, which wasn't horrible given that home & work are within a 10 minute walk of rapid transit (Skytrain). However, we agreed when giving up the 2nd car that it would be ok to use taxis or rental cars on those days when we both REALLY needed a car. You can do a lot of taxiing / car renting in a month for less than what you'd pay for car payments, insurance, gas, and maintenance. It does hurt sometimes to drop $20 on a taxi or $40 on a rental car, but looking at the big picture we've come out way ahead.
Now with the bike commuting, I find it REALLY hard to go back to public transit. The bike is just so liberating.
12-10-14, 02:05 AM
#28
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When I was growing up, my family has always had just one car. Parents used public transport in winter time, and bicycles in nice weather. Our car had been used just for shopping, traveling etc. Seldom.
I'm car free now.
I'm car free now.
12-10-14, 04:27 AM
#29
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I recently posted to LCF about my near-perfect situation, for your consideration:
My job requires that I reliably show up for work, sometimes quickly under urgent circumstances, 24/7 when on call, and I live 14 miles away. I don't punch a clock, but 8:30 AM is a reasonable start time, and I can start working earlier as soon as I arrive…
Besides the train, we do have a car and it’s a reverse commute from downtown to the suburbs. There is also (slow, but regular) bus service; cruising taxis are readily available round the clock in my neighborhood ($70 fare to work), plenty of convenient car rental agencies near home and work, Zipcar service in the neighborhood, and I have a place to stay at work comfortably overnight….
Besides the train, we do have a car and it’s a reverse commute from downtown to the suburbs. There is also (slow, but regular) bus service; cruising taxis are readily available round the clock in my neighborhood ($70 fare to work), plenty of convenient car rental agencies near home and work, Zipcar service in the neighborhood, and I have a place to stay at work comfortably overnight….
I think of my commute in terms of satisfaction:
Cycling >>>>>Train>>>>>>>>>>>>>Driving,
But another dimension is time:
Driving>>>>>>>>>Train (scheduling)>>>>Cycling.
Then there’s Focus (concentration):
Cycling>>>>>>>>>Driving>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Train
Sometimes to do my job carefully and well, it becomes convenient to stay overnight, and expend less time and concentration getting home...
Cycling >>>>>Train>>>>>>>>>>>>>Driving,
But another dimension is time:
Driving>>>>>>>>>Train (scheduling)>>>>Cycling.
Then there’s Focus (concentration):
Cycling>>>>>>>>>Driving>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Train
Sometimes to do my job carefully and well, it becomes convenient to stay overnight, and expend less time and concentration getting home...
My question I suppose would be more along the lines of logistically how do you guys deal with those days where both people "need" the car, or how was the transition from a fair/ dry weather commuter to a "anything goes" one? … I live in South Jersey (The densely populated part), have a 11-mile commute, and sometimes need my vehicle for work (Infrequent and can be planned ahead of time)….
...For the first few years, I occasionally had a dream about riding my bike and being far away, or lost, and trying to get there for a crucial task. One other promise I made to myself was never to borrow a car from a co-worker (vs friend or family), but I do bum rides if I the driver is going my way.
I'm well known to be always in early, even in the worst weather, and when I'm in at, or past the usual start time, people worry about me.
I'm well known to be always in early, even in the worst weather, and when I'm in at, or past the usual start time, people worry about me.
Last edited by Jim from Boston; 12-10-14 at 05:15 AM.
12-10-14, 08:00 AM
#30
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We have been a one car family for about 2 years. I have a 8 - 5 job, but my wife home schools our 3 children (oldest is 13), so her schedule is flexible. All 3 kids are in activities each evening which start before I get home, so she needs the car to shuttle them. But if the weather turns bad or whatever she can usually take me in or pick me up ("rain rescue" as we call it). We have a minivan and I can fold one of the back seats down and easily put the bike in.
So far the kids' activities have been such that one car works out. But that could change and we'd have to figure out carpooling with a friend or something else.
We have discussed a second car but I would still want to bike commute as much as possible leaving the car to sit and cost us money. If I had a car I would probably drive to work on days I just didn't feel like riding. Right now that requires me to wake up my wife and ask her to take me (she always says it would be okay). I don't like doing that unless the weather is really bad.
So far the kids' activities have been such that one car works out. But that could change and we'd have to figure out carpooling with a friend or something else.
We have discussed a second car but I would still want to bike commute as much as possible leaving the car to sit and cost us money. If I had a car I would probably drive to work on days I just didn't feel like riding. Right now that requires me to wake up my wife and ask her to take me (she always says it would be okay). I don't like doing that unless the weather is really bad.
12-10-14, 08:26 AM
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We are actually a NO car family. But.....we live in a very big city (8 million) with amazing public transportation (busses, cabs, subway). My kids are both teenagers so they get around on their own as well so no need to run them about anymore.
We prefer to be without a car because honestly, in a big city, a car is more trouble than its worth.
We prefer to be without a car because honestly, in a big city, a car is more trouble than its worth.
12-10-14, 08:46 AM
#32
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I tried it for a year. My truck never left the driveway unless my wife's van was there. I only drove it just to keep it running. Then I sold it.
I pretty much went car free, so it had minimal impact on my wife. That being said, your situation may be different.
After 3 winters, I'm contemplating getting a car again. The novelty of riding year round has kind of worn off. Additionally, both kids are getting involved in activities so it would be convenient to have 2 cars again. Our public transportation is pretty bad around here, without paying a lot for taxis. Plus, my son will be driving in a few years and there's no way he's going to be borrowing our only vehicle. And I want him to learn how to drive a manual transmission, which our mini van isn't.
I pretty much went car free, so it had minimal impact on my wife. That being said, your situation may be different.
After 3 winters, I'm contemplating getting a car again. The novelty of riding year round has kind of worn off. Additionally, both kids are getting involved in activities so it would be convenient to have 2 cars again. Our public transportation is pretty bad around here, without paying a lot for taxis. Plus, my son will be driving in a few years and there's no way he's going to be borrowing our only vehicle. And I want him to learn how to drive a manual transmission, which our mini van isn't.
12-10-14, 11:28 AM
#33
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My wife and I have fluctuated between 0 and 2 cars over our marriage, with most of the time (including currently) at 1 car. In my experience, there are a couple things help make it work.
1) Willingness (and maybe an odd excitement) to occasionally go out in crazy weather.
2) Ability to slightly rearrange your day (both partners) based on the weather; this can mean waiting out a thunderstorm, then biking in to work, or one partner getting into work a few minutes late because they dropped the other off at work
3) Both partners can get into work without a car. Even if one of you bikes 99% of the time and the other drives the same proportion, occasionally the biker will need some way to get to a meeting 50 miles away or will be rather sick (so biking just isn't an option), but unable to call in sick because of a major deadline or...
4) A method to transport your child(ren) without the car
5) Movement toward organizing your life to minimize "necessary" driving. This can be moving closer to work (or finding work closer to you), finding daycare near to work or home, shopping and socializing nearer to home, etc. Of course, this doesn't happen overnight. We selected our neighborhood based on a number of these factors, and daycare in part based on the ability for either my wife or I to pick up our son by bike.
In short, it takes commitment, compromise, and a bit of gear helps. It also helps to have a job that generally doesn't have a hard start time, which is a luxury, I realized, that not everyone has; it just makes the morning transition a bit less harrowing if one single thing goes wrong (especially if you have a child to get off to school or daycare).
As a frame of reference, I have a ~3 mile commute each way, a bit more if I drop off our son at daycare, and I bike commute basically no matter what; barring the "I have a meeting I can't miss," if I feel too sick to bike, I am likely going to stay home. I usually drop my son off (he rides in a bike cart) and my wife picks him up; daycare is less than a mile from my work, and on the way home from my wife's work, which really helps. My wife rides a few times a week in the summer (she has a 20 mile rt commute), and maybe twice the whole winter, but one of her coworkers that lives a few miles away has a sufficiently similar schedule that my wife can catch a ride if needed, and she has taken public transportation a couple times as well (which is a significant time commitment).
Sorry for the book, but hopefully thinking through some of those logistics helps!
1) Willingness (and maybe an odd excitement) to occasionally go out in crazy weather.
2) Ability to slightly rearrange your day (both partners) based on the weather; this can mean waiting out a thunderstorm, then biking in to work, or one partner getting into work a few minutes late because they dropped the other off at work
3) Both partners can get into work without a car. Even if one of you bikes 99% of the time and the other drives the same proportion, occasionally the biker will need some way to get to a meeting 50 miles away or will be rather sick (so biking just isn't an option), but unable to call in sick because of a major deadline or...
4) A method to transport your child(ren) without the car
5) Movement toward organizing your life to minimize "necessary" driving. This can be moving closer to work (or finding work closer to you), finding daycare near to work or home, shopping and socializing nearer to home, etc. Of course, this doesn't happen overnight. We selected our neighborhood based on a number of these factors, and daycare in part based on the ability for either my wife or I to pick up our son by bike.
In short, it takes commitment, compromise, and a bit of gear helps. It also helps to have a job that generally doesn't have a hard start time, which is a luxury, I realized, that not everyone has; it just makes the morning transition a bit less harrowing if one single thing goes wrong (especially if you have a child to get off to school or daycare).
As a frame of reference, I have a ~3 mile commute each way, a bit more if I drop off our son at daycare, and I bike commute basically no matter what; barring the "I have a meeting I can't miss," if I feel too sick to bike, I am likely going to stay home. I usually drop my son off (he rides in a bike cart) and my wife picks him up; daycare is less than a mile from my work, and on the way home from my wife's work, which really helps. My wife rides a few times a week in the summer (she has a 20 mile rt commute), and maybe twice the whole winter, but one of her coworkers that lives a few miles away has a sufficiently similar schedule that my wife can catch a ride if needed, and she has taken public transportation a couple times as well (which is a significant time commitment).
Sorry for the book, but hopefully thinking through some of those logistics helps!
12-10-14, 11:54 AM
#34
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We sold our second car 4 years ago when my son moved to Seattle. He had been keeping it at the college he was attending (and living), so I hadn't used it much in the year prior. If I don't feel like riding, my wife can drop me off and pick me up on her way back and forth to work. I'm only about 10 minutes out of her normal route, so it isn't a big deal. She has to have the car all day, so I try to schedule appointments on the government holidays she gets. Last week I needed to go to the doctor and she needed the car. I bummed a ride off my other son and gave hime $20. It was a win-win for both of us. If he couldn't have taken me, I would have rented a car for the day. With gas, it would have been about $40. That is still a lot cheaper than maintenance and insurance. I don't want to go back to two cars if at all possible. It just isn't worth it to me.
12-10-14, 12:04 PM
#35
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Just this week we sold our second car, the main reasons being due to costs and lack of usage, and a new baby! Before we got rid of the car we had a few months just going about our business as if we only had the one car. The only exception to this is that I took the second car for a drive every two weeks to keep it running well for when we sold it. I am 10 miles from my job and my wife 16 miles from hers, so we have to be quite regimented and plan ahead. With my wife on maternity leave until April, we will have no problems, when she goes back to work she should be working a three day week. In order to facilitate the change, I have invested in a little bit more cycling gear and some better lights etc just so small issues cannot prevent me commuting by bike. Also, I am lucky that my cycling club has a club room for races and meetings so no issues riding to events and having somewhere safe to store the bike if required (compared to meeting at a local pub for example). My pros and cons are listed below:
Pros:
1. Save approx £2300 per year (I guess around $3600)
2. Only one service and M.O.T to consider (from a logistical point of view)
3. I can demonstrate a healthy lifestyle to my wife and daughter rather than just preach one!
4. It goes to prove that it is us which dictates our needs rather than society.
Cons:
1. Have to spend a little more on gear as UK commuting can be a little 'damp' at times!
2. Having to buy a set of clincher wheels for my TT bike so I can ride to my midweek events (as opposed to tubs)
3. Having to ensure our planning for the following day/week is spot on' no bail out option without a second car!
4. If I am Ill and recovery takes a little time (for example I had flu 3 years ago and although I was back to work after a week, riding a bike took me another 2 weeks - I seriously wouldn't wish that illness on anyone) I would be relying on public transport which isn't necessarily a problem but takes a lot longer to get to work.
I am lucky that my wife suggested the single car idea, even though she doesn't cycle, as she saw how much I was riding and couldn't see the economic sense in having two cars. I was all for it. No 'convincing' required!
Pros:
1. Save approx £2300 per year (I guess around $3600)
2. Only one service and M.O.T to consider (from a logistical point of view)
3. I can demonstrate a healthy lifestyle to my wife and daughter rather than just preach one!
4. It goes to prove that it is us which dictates our needs rather than society.
Cons:
1. Have to spend a little more on gear as UK commuting can be a little 'damp' at times!
2. Having to buy a set of clincher wheels for my TT bike so I can ride to my midweek events (as opposed to tubs)
3. Having to ensure our planning for the following day/week is spot on' no bail out option without a second car!
4. If I am Ill and recovery takes a little time (for example I had flu 3 years ago and although I was back to work after a week, riding a bike took me another 2 weeks - I seriously wouldn't wish that illness on anyone) I would be relying on public transport which isn't necessarily a problem but takes a lot longer to get to work.
I am lucky that my wife suggested the single car idea, even though she doesn't cycle, as she saw how much I was riding and couldn't see the economic sense in having two cars. I was all for it. No 'convincing' required!
12-10-14, 12:27 PM
#36
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Before our daughter was born 6 years ago, we went from a two-car household to a one-car household. Both cars were two-seater convertibles (I had a Miata, he had a Del Sol). We kept the Del Sol because it's got a much bigger trunk and the passenger area is more comfortable. It's enough that when one of us needs to go somewhere with kiddo for errands or has to go somewhere solo, we have the option. When we all need to go in the car together, we use Zipcar. All that said, we live in San Francisco and mostly rely on public transit to get around! But Zipcar is a nice option if it's in your area.
12-10-14, 12:40 PM
#37
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It seems that many of you who've gone to a single vehicle live relatively close to your work. That, IMO, is the single most important factor making it work long term. Having options like walking or public transit is a nice safety net for days when you don't want to ride.
12-10-14, 12:45 PM
#38
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With three kids we had to go with a minivan, which I hate driving.
12-10-14, 01:29 PM
#39
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We were a 1-car family (with 2 kids) for about a year and a half. On crazy snow days I would take the car and she would just stay home with the kids. Or I would run the 5 miles to work and she would pick me up in the afternoon. I probably only drove 10 times that winter, and we were both on board, so it worked well. It saved us at least $50/month.
The only real pain was when we needed to get the car into the shop--we'd borrow a car from my in-laws. That was kind of an issue.
We bought a newer car this spring and I hold on to the old one because it's not worth anything to sell it, so I keep it around for emergencies or short trips. Shamefully, I ride much less often.
The only real pain was when we needed to get the car into the shop--we'd borrow a car from my in-laws. That was kind of an issue.
We bought a newer car this spring and I hold on to the old one because it's not worth anything to sell it, so I keep it around for emergencies or short trips. Shamefully, I ride much less often.
12-10-14, 02:02 PM
#40
born again cyclist
i was a car-free bachelor for 11 years. then i fell in love. when i moved in with my then fiance (now wife), she had a car, so we became a one-car family. we now have one child and have remained a one-car family.
we live in a dense, walkable neighborhood on the northside of chicago with good transit access. my wife works from home most of the time. my job is an easy 5 miles away by either bike or train and i'm totally good getting anywhere i need to around town by walking or bike or transit.
i've fantasized about becoming a no-car family, but my wife really does like the convenience of having it for when she has to go into her office (only several times a month) and for running other errands like taking our daughter to doctor's appointments and such. also, my wife's family all lives up in milwaukee, and we're up there at least once a month, if not more, for weekend visits, so the car is a nice luxury for that. and i have a lot of family spread all across the unfathomably VAST wasteland that is suburban chicago, and a great deal of that territory is most easily accessed via car. all of our car use could be replaced by transit, cabs, car-share and car rentals, but my wife likes the security of knowing that a car is available at any moment she might need/want one. and our condo unit came with a deeded garage space, so we have our own parking spot (street parking can be a pain in the ass in our neighborhood) and i guess we might as well take advantage of that. and i imagine that as our child grows, our lives will be made much simpler on numerous occasions by having a car, so we'll probably always be a one-car family.
we hope to add another child to our young family in the coming years, but i remain determined to hold the line at one car, and one car only, for our family. if nothing else, holding the line at one car will help me convince my wife not to move out to the burbs in the ensuing years. i like living in the city where i can walk, bike, or take transit to everything i need.
we live in a dense, walkable neighborhood on the northside of chicago with good transit access. my wife works from home most of the time. my job is an easy 5 miles away by either bike or train and i'm totally good getting anywhere i need to around town by walking or bike or transit.
i've fantasized about becoming a no-car family, but my wife really does like the convenience of having it for when she has to go into her office (only several times a month) and for running other errands like taking our daughter to doctor's appointments and such. also, my wife's family all lives up in milwaukee, and we're up there at least once a month, if not more, for weekend visits, so the car is a nice luxury for that. and i have a lot of family spread all across the unfathomably VAST wasteland that is suburban chicago, and a great deal of that territory is most easily accessed via car. all of our car use could be replaced by transit, cabs, car-share and car rentals, but my wife likes the security of knowing that a car is available at any moment she might need/want one. and our condo unit came with a deeded garage space, so we have our own parking spot (street parking can be a pain in the ass in our neighborhood) and i guess we might as well take advantage of that. and i imagine that as our child grows, our lives will be made much simpler on numerous occasions by having a car, so we'll probably always be a one-car family.
we hope to add another child to our young family in the coming years, but i remain determined to hold the line at one car, and one car only, for our family. if nothing else, holding the line at one car will help me convince my wife not to move out to the burbs in the ensuing years. i like living in the city where i can walk, bike, or take transit to everything i need.
12-10-14, 02:18 PM
#41
always rides with luggage
We did in 2007, before kids, in the Bay Area. I dumped my Tacoma and we kept her Civic about a year after we got married.
I figured we'd go back to two cars once we had one child... didn't happen.
I figured we'd go back to two cars once we had our second child... didn't happen.
I figured we might go back to two cars once we left the Bay Area and ended up in NC. We got a house 3 miles from the office, on a bus route. So it didn't happen and has not yet happened.
I figured we'd go back to two cars once we had one child... didn't happen.
I figured we'd go back to two cars once we had our second child... didn't happen.
I figured we might go back to two cars once we left the Bay Area and ended up in NC. We got a house 3 miles from the office, on a bus route. So it didn't happen and has not yet happened.
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2006 Trek SU100, 2009 Motobecane Fantom CX, 2011 Motobecane Fantom Cross Uno, and a Bakfiets
Previously: 2000 Trek 4500 (2000-2003), 2003 Novara Randonee (2003-2006), 2003 Giant Rainier (2003-2008), 2005 Xootr Swift (2005-2007), 2007 Nashbar 1x9 (2007-2011), 2011 Windsor Shetland (2011-2014), 2008 Citizen Folder (2015)
Non-Bike hardware: MX Linux / BunsenLabs Linux / Raspbian / Mac OS 10.6 / Android 7
--Ben
2006 Trek SU100, 2009 Motobecane Fantom CX, 2011 Motobecane Fantom Cross Uno, and a Bakfiets
Previously: 2000 Trek 4500 (2000-2003), 2003 Novara Randonee (2003-2006), 2003 Giant Rainier (2003-2008), 2005 Xootr Swift (2005-2007), 2007 Nashbar 1x9 (2007-2011), 2011 Windsor Shetland (2011-2014), 2008 Citizen Folder (2015)
Non-Bike hardware: MX Linux / BunsenLabs Linux / Raspbian / Mac OS 10.6 / Android 7
12-10-14, 03:24 PM
#42
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I'd say we're about a 1.1 car family. Two parents, 3 kids. Two years ago we moved closer to both my work and the kids' school, and I started bike-commuting full time, and keeping "my" car at work, so I could pick up the kids from school if anything came up. Usually nothing comes up.
This year I've driven that car about 500 miles, it sat untouched for I think 2 solid months at one point. But once in a while, we just can't get people to two different places at the same time. Usually it's kid stuff. Wife & I are not so much the go-out-and-do-stuff type, so we almost never clash with needing the car, but with sports and birthday parties etc, sometimes we have to get kids to separate places.
Since you don't have kids, that helps.
A big key is planning ahead. If you think you and your wife could plan far enough in advance to get stuff done with only one car, then it would work. Parking the car and trying it out for a while is of course a good idea.
You might also consider using information from that experiment to estimate the number of times per year you just can't get around two people needing two cars (can't work out alternative scheduling, bike or public transportation, etc.), and cost out renting a car that many times, versus paying insurance and maintenance (and hopefully not payments!) on a second car.
Also, if you have family or good friends that are local, you could consider asking them if they would be willing to loan you a car approximately X times per year, if you top up their gas each time?
This year I've driven that car about 500 miles, it sat untouched for I think 2 solid months at one point. But once in a while, we just can't get people to two different places at the same time. Usually it's kid stuff. Wife & I are not so much the go-out-and-do-stuff type, so we almost never clash with needing the car, but with sports and birthday parties etc, sometimes we have to get kids to separate places.
Since you don't have kids, that helps.
A big key is planning ahead. If you think you and your wife could plan far enough in advance to get stuff done with only one car, then it would work. Parking the car and trying it out for a while is of course a good idea.
You might also consider using information from that experiment to estimate the number of times per year you just can't get around two people needing two cars (can't work out alternative scheduling, bike or public transportation, etc.), and cost out renting a car that many times, versus paying insurance and maintenance (and hopefully not payments!) on a second car.
Also, if you have family or good friends that are local, you could consider asking them if they would be willing to loan you a car approximately X times per year, if you top up their gas each time?
12-11-14, 12:39 AM
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It seems that many of you who've gone to a single vehicle live relatively close to your work. That, IMO, is the single most important factor making it work long term. Having options like walking or public transit is a nice safety net for days when you don't want to ride.
12-11-14, 01:13 AM
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My partner and I never had more than one car.
When his daughter lived with us, school or the bus stop were never more than a mile and a half away - somebody could just walk or bike to pick her up.
When we lived in a less than ideal circumstance for car free/car light living, I let him use the car and just toughed out the cycling commute. Unfortunately, public transportation and walking were really not options. My commute was just over 16 miles RT, and the worst things that ever happened were (1) riding my bike in a tropical storm, because he had the car out of town; (2) waiting at work and watching radar for breaks in lightening storms to get home; and (3) riding my bike with a dangerously high heat index.
Nothing that bad, in my opinion.
When his daughter lived with us, school or the bus stop were never more than a mile and a half away - somebody could just walk or bike to pick her up.
When we lived in a less than ideal circumstance for car free/car light living, I let him use the car and just toughed out the cycling commute. Unfortunately, public transportation and walking were really not options. My commute was just over 16 miles RT, and the worst things that ever happened were (1) riding my bike in a tropical storm, because he had the car out of town; (2) waiting at work and watching radar for breaks in lightening storms to get home; and (3) riding my bike with a dangerously high heat index.
Nothing that bad, in my opinion.
12-11-14, 07:29 AM
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Ha, for me walking/ jogging the 11 miles home from work would literally be quicker than the public transportation available for my route. (Need to go all the way to Z to get from A to B). We are certainly going to give it some dry runs, see where the urge to use the second car is really strong and try and figure a work around for it. It really seems like we need to sync our schedules as this is something that does not really happen now. I know her plans, but I am the type that kind of makes things up as he goes. Last night I felt like going on a MTB ride after work so I simply hopped in my truck and drove the 15 miles to the trails. I would need to plan ahead way better for this to work.
12-12-14, 01:18 PM
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I did it about 5 years ago when I moved to CA from ME. We now live with my adult daughter, with the three of us sharing one car. My wife is the primary car driver, with my daughter and I both bike commuting - we each have about an 8 mile commute (each way), and it all works out fine. My daughter and I both have access to Zipcar, but very rarely find the need for it.
I do have an issue with my ankle which is going to require surgery and I will be off the bike for a while with that, and we are trying to figure out the logistics there, but even with a curve like that thrown in, I don't think that we will need more than 1 car for the family.
I do have an issue with my ankle which is going to require surgery and I will be off the bike for a while with that, and we are trying to figure out the logistics there, but even with a curve like that thrown in, I don't think that we will need more than 1 car for the family.
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