Machka 

Depending on what you mean by "getting older" ... I could easily envision NOT having a car when I get older. My grandmother learned to drive in her early 60s, but gave up her car in early 80s.

Why?

The hassle of dealing with vehicle maintenance.
The cost of vehicle maintenance, insurance etc.
The effects of age ... perhaps poorer vision, slower reaction time, etc.

And for my grandmother, who is 93 now, much of what she needs is within walking distance of where she lives. For things that are further away, she has friends and family who will take her.

Machka 

@BicycleBicycle ... maybe you could define what you mean by "getting older"?

Ekdog

One of the many contradictions of the car-centric transport systems that so many who post here adore is that they leave big groups of people without a means of moving from one place to another. Children and adolescents who are too young to have a driving license, the elderly, the unsighted, the disabled and the poor are examples of groups that often must rely on someone to drive them around or, if there is no one willing to do this for them, must suffer the consequences of severely restricted mobility.

Roody

I guess I got carried away again. Sorry.

Ekdog

Are you serious? You have absolutely no reason to apologise. Why should a topic such as climate change and how car-free living can help to solve it be prohibited simply because a handful of ignorami are offended by it? Should the obesity thread be eliminated if someone doesn't like that topic?

Machka 

None of that was the topic of this thread. Reading the first post again.

Ekdog

The first post:

I am getting older, one of the reasons I do not have a car is the fact that I am concerned about climate change, and I want be part of the solution to solving it, so, yes, for some of us it is germane to the topic.

Machka 

Do you know of others who are getting older or who are old who have chosen to be car free for that or other reasons? Maybe you could provide several examples of such people there in Seville or other parts of Europe.

Ekdog

Yes, I'm a member of a cycling advocacy group that's full of many people who have chosen this lifestyle for that and many other reasons.

Machka 

Such as ... ?

Roody

Does this mean that we can post the opinions of people we know, but not our own opinions? Please clarify.

As stated previously, concern about climate change is a top reason why I am carlight and why I have been carfree or carlight for 42 years. When I was young, my ONLY reason for not driving was concern about global warming. As I got older, that expanded into other reasons such as fitness, finances, etc.

How about you? Do you have any concerns at all about the environment? It sounds like you think everything will be fine if we just ignore the problem.

Sixty Fiver

My wife and I were car free for a combined 15 years when we were in our 30's and 40's, there was simply no need to own a motor vehicle.

We still ride more than we drive but do own two vehicles; we have a small economical car and a nearly vintage Jeep SUV that I use for hauling, work, and long road trips that often involve things like camping, fishing, and mountain biking.

We also share the car with a friend and his family who also ride most of the time, but they do require a vehicle from time to time.

One advantage is that my mechanical skills also serve to allow me to do most of the minor to moderate service, which has been very little during the period we have owned these vehicles and both are paid for.

Being car free involved a lot of smart choices, we both lived centrally in our respective cities (we still do) and in many cases did not even have to cycle as things were close enough to walk to... on many a day my wife can walk to work although she usually opts to ride the 3km as she often does the shopping en route and the bike carries things much more effectively.

My usual commute ranges from 32 steps to 10 km... if I have no need to haul truckloads of parts it is a walk or a ride.

I-Like-To-Bike

Subsequent posts continuing your political digressions in this thread indicate just how sorry you are about getting "carried away."

Ekdog

I addressed that in post no. 2.

Roody

I reread the first post as Machka suggested. That showed me that these comments are within the realm. The OP asked for reasons that people are carfree, and that is being provided.

tarwheel 

I was car-free for several years during college, getting around by riding my bike, walking and taking the campus buses. However, my "world" was pretty small during that period and I seldom needed to travel very far. I was also very short on money, and the little that I had went to pay for tuition, rent and food. Even after I got a cheap car while still in college, I continued to ride my bike to classes because it was much simpler, quicker and less expensive than driving and parking.

Once you start working, in most places, cars become more important. I've been bike commuting now for about 8 years, and I ride to work 3-4 days/week on average year-round. However, I still drive on days when the weather is bad or I need my car for meetings, errands, appointments, buying groceries, etc. My round-trip commute is about 31 miles, and that is long distance to ride in bad weather. I have tried riding in the snow/ice and didn't make it out of my neighborhood, but fortunately we get little of that sort of weather in NC. It's not realistic to expect everyone to live in a downtown area or close to their work. In my city, downtown housing is very limited and expensive, and there is nowhere to even buy groceries. Most of the jobs in my metro area are located in a large industrial/corporate park, which is a very long distance from where I live.

I bike commute because I enjoy it and I'm fit enough to do it. However, most people would have no desire to commute 30, 20 or even 10 miles by bike and many would be physically incapable of doing it.

I-Like-To-Bike

I have no doubts that you and your PC pal(s) can always find a "reason" to interject your personal political, social and moralizing viewpoints into a discussion list that is putatively about living car free. And you will not be sorry in the least.

Roody

Have you answered the OP's question about your reasons for being carlight? I for one would be interested to know, if you care to share.

Zedoo

When I was a kid gas station fumes made me sick. My body knew I should be carfree decades before I had conscious reasons.

Ekdog

What's political about global warming? It's a scientific issue. And any cat who is offended by viewpoints with social or moral content must be amoral or immoral or asocial or antisocial. There's definitely something warped about such a mentality.

sauerwald

I am 58 - not sure if that counts as 'older' in your book.
My income is in the top 1% of US residents, so if I wanted (or needed) a car, I could afford one.

The reasons that I don't have a car:
1) I don't need one. When I do need a car, I rent one.
2) Cars kill and maim people both by physically squashing them, as well as by polluting the air that we all breath, and by impacting the climate of our planet. I believe that owning or operating a car when you don't need one is an immoral, anti-social activity and I choose not to participate in immoral, anti-social behavior.
3) I believe that the physical activity that I get by riding my bicycle every day will not only allow me to live longer, but to have a far better quality of life than most in our society.
4) I look forward to my commute every day - I know very few of my co-workers who can say the same, yet they seem to feel sorry for me since I don't have a car - **********

Rowan

Which means you compromised your lofty ideals in Item 2 before you even started, and you are no better than the people who engage in this immoral and anti-social behaviour.

By the way, cars do not squash, kill and maim people. Lack of skill by the operators does all that.

Really, you should tell us how you achieve your income level in the top US 1%, then we can judge just how good your hyperbole is...

jimblairo

I live in Montreal which has excellent public transportation. I had cancer 3 times and took up walking and cycling to maintain my health. The money I save by not owning a car pays for a great 3 week vacation each year.

I-Like-To-Bike

I'd be interested in how his family feels about being carfree forever.

Zephyr11

Friendly reminder to keep it on topic, guys.