spooner

Just curious - if you consider yourself car free but occasionally borrow a friend's car or maybe carpool to work?

Does car free mean never riding in a car or simply not owning?

DX-MAN

There will always be occasions when you will need a car -- children's Xmas programs, for example, when you have to DELIVER them. Of course, since my anti-car-free sister and her husband are also involved, THEY can do the delivering, or toss me THEIR keys.

It is my intention never to own/register/insure/maintain/gas up/be chained to a car ever again in life... unless I hit the lottery, in which case I will buy... one. And seven select bikes.

wahoonc

That has been debated a fair amount here in the past, and the general consensus it that it is up to the individual. Short of living a hermit's life in the woods and living off of roots and berries we are all at least partially dependent on the ICE vehicle.

Any mile not driven is a plus in my book. I live car light in that I primarily drive for work, my personal miles last year were under 5,000 but I drove around 40,000 for work

Aaron

Weetbix

For me personally being car free is me not owning a car and not driving one, 99% of what I do or where I go is on a bike. the other 1% is times when a car is just necessary and it's normally a taxi to the airport for work - if the airport weren't 20 miles away I'd probably bike that too. But as wahoonc said, it's based on the individual.

Baboo

+ 1 on this.

Allen

tsl

I agree with the not owning a car and not driving one definition. Mostly.

What raises an eyebrow for me are the ones who claim to be car-free, "but my wife isn't". Uh, huh. Living separately then? No? Then that's car-lite.

spooner

I think I'm with you tsl. This is something I"m strugging with..

For example, I have a regular poker game that way on the other side of town. It would be impossible for me to bike there as the return trip would get me home around 4am. So I borrow my sister's car 1x a month for that.

Every other week I borrow the car again to take my mom shopping.

And once in a while when my sister needs help at school doing some stats or something she picks me up and I ride with her to the college.

All told, I'm in a car maybe 4x a month and usually those trips are helping someone else. Yet, I feel uncomfortable saying I'm 'car fee.'

Roody

To me, carfree means not owning a car. For the purposes of this forum only, I think it also means that you are reliant on a bicycle for at least some of your transportation.

Novakane 

I'm 32, have never driven a car nor owned one. Naturally this means from time to time I will be a passenger in a car, and have utilized friends and family for the odd lift, usually to somewhere out of town that would be less feasible by bicycle. I have also in the past car-pooled to work part time.
Many times I have been offered a pickup and drop off to somewhere nearby but will generally turn it down, opting to ride my bike, walk or take a bus. My job requires me to travel from Ottawa to Montreal every couple of months to assist my boss with things and I'll ride in his car with him for these trips. When I have to go solo, I take the train and use taxis.

A strict definition would be avoiding cars altogether, however there are times this is unavoidable - at least in my life. Given that I may be a passenger in a car only once every month or two on average I think that would still classify me as being car free.
A more realistic definition would be as Roody says, not owning a car and in addition to that I would add not causing one to be used on your behalf needlessly.

gerv 

Carfree means what it says. No car. Although I would say renting a car once in a while or taking a taxi would be given papal dispensation.

Some people around here seem to think they are carfree if they don't have a personal car, but their wife has one. I consider this a "one-car" family. And I would claim that person is carlight.

Edit: after posting, I read tsl's post and realize mines a clone. I will add that we seem to put a lot of weight into these types of considerations. Whether you are carfree or car-light... avoid using a car as much as possible and if possible avoid owning one.

Artkansas 

Well, I own a car. In the 5 years I've owned it, I've driven it about 50 miles total, and 40 of that was driving it home from where I bought it. Later that week, I got laid off and my ex asked for a divorce, which put immediate changes into my plans.

But my life is mostly what I consider car-free, which is going about my business and not using a car to do it. It's a day to day thing.

Robert Foster

One thing that has taken place as we communicate on the computer and in these forums is an attempt to modify terms or definitions to allow people to feel more like they belong to a group. You could call it an attempt for inclusion. But it takes away from the term car light to add to the term car free and at the same time weakens the term car free. Like TSL indicated in his post, if your spouse has a car you have a car. Drug free is not only having drugs when you can rent them or if someone offers them to you freely. It means not doing drugs. I don't see how admitting you are car light is any less important than admitting you are car free. If car free is a goal or even the goal it is diminished when you award the title to someone who hasn't reached the goal.

If car free is only using a car part of the time of when you are forced to or when you are offered a ride for free then what is car light? Are we car free for 8 hours when we sleep? Are we car free for 8 hours while we work or while we are in school? If you have access to or drive now and then just admit you are car light and would like ot be car free. why bother telling a lie to people you don't even know?

chandltp

That's why I stopped putting a label on myself. The fact that I haven't taken any motorized transportation to work once in over a year doesn't count I guess. It wasn't enough when I sold my truck. My bike is my primary transportation, and I drive my wife's van about as often as I would borrow / rent a vehicle if I was single.

That's also why I stick to the commuting forum most of the time. Even though I overcome many of the same obstacles as people in this forum, I don't fit the strict definition.

mr geeker

don't own a car, never had a license. if i go anywhare, its on my bicycle. occasionaly ill get a ride from others, but thats usualy if they need me for something and dont want to wait for me to bike my happy self there.

so, by forum definition, im car lite.

CitiZen

Car-light, here. The husband-unit drives one, and schedule-permitting, I take it to gigs in inclement weather.
( I told you I was a sissy.)

Torrilin

Car free to me means you don't own a car. I'm not opposed to using cars when it is useful... just I find it a lot less useful than the average person. I mostly end up in cars as part of a car pool. In winter, I often get a ride home from my knitting group with a friend who lives a few blocks away. On our annual summer vacation in the Boundary Waters, my partner and I share a ride with my parents (and this year, with my sister!)

Not everyone can be car free. My mom's failing joints make it unrealistic for her, tho with care and excellent mass transit, she can do a lot without a car. A friend has a vertigo disorder, so she can't drive, but she also can't really do a lot of alternatives. It was really depressing when she had to move back in with family, so there would be someone there to help her with the chores she can't do on her own anymore. Another person I know owns a lot of property in Texas Hill Country, and is doing extensive prairie restoration work. Without the household sedan, pickup truck and tractors, it would not be physically possible for a woman in her 60s to do what she does. An awful lot of 20something men would be exhausted by her workdays... and no one is physically able to cut 20-40 acres of mixed forbs, scrub and grass with a scythe fast enough to permit native shortgrass prairie species to take over.

The big factor for me is that you make an honest effort. Some situations permit car-free, others don't. The factors that force car use aren't always under your control either. Doesn't matter how much I hate cars... if I develop a vertigo disorder like my friend, there wouldn't be any way around it. Either we have a car, or I'm housebound for the rest of my life.

Roody

I don't see the point to this discussion. The real point is, whether you own a car or not, are you trying to drive less? And an even bigger point on this forum is, are you trying to rely more on your bike for basic transportation?

We must be very careful not to define ourselves too tightly. We should try always to make everyone feel comfortable on this forum, as long as they are trying to use cars less and bikes more. Getting caught up in definitions is not beneficial to anybody.

Robert Foster

Maybe but isn't that just car light? At what percentage point does someone then become car free? 51/49? 80/20? 90/10?

gerv 

It's great that you think of yourself as "carfree" or "car-light". But Roody is right. It's easy to trip up in a definition and all too easy to make it seem like a club. I feel better when people talk about becoming " more carfree" or "more carlight" because it easier to include more people and easier to get more people in on the conversation.

And let's remember the conversation is the important thing. Our society is in real need of role models and discussion around this topic.

Robert Foster

So you are saying the title of this forum should be, drive cars less? Or looking at going car free. Or even if you aren't car free you can say you are? There is a reason words have a meaning and it seems disingenuous to disreguard the defination. Simply use a different word, we have plenty of them.

The question has been asked and even if it isn't cared for the OP deserves and honest answer. what is car free or is it anything?

Platy

I agree. Getting away from near absolute car dependency is a mountain that has to be moved one teaspoon at a time. Some of us are doing all we can to find the way. If that's not good enough to suit people, well, I'm sorry.

Torrilin

If you live on a plot of land, engage in intensive gardening to grow all your food and linen for your underwear, raise sheep or other fiber animals, produce your own soap or grow plants to provide saponins, use no mains electric power, and use no mains water supply, take no medications, do not use dyes, slaughter animals rather than provide vet care... it's fair to say you are truly car free.

This is not a realistic goal for anyone. I'm saying this as a handspinner, because I have a clear notion of just how much work is involved in a subsistence lifestyle. The level of gardening skill, animal husbandry skill, cooking skill, fiber arts skill and food preservation skill involved is immense... and that's neglecting the engineering skills to keep the house and grounds functioning.

I am not interested in throwing stones at people who can't commit to some ideal minimum-burning-of-stuff lifestyle. I'm interested in burning the absolute minimum amount!

Platy

I just have to comment about that. Last month I built a walking wheel to spin plastic grocery bags into a crude yarn ("plarn"). I cut the bags into loops, link them together & spin. (Slub city!!) The wheel's kinda clunky. No flyer, just a quill kinda thing with a bobbin made of PVC pipe and old compact discs. It rattles & shakes pretty good when it really gets going & quite often the twine drive belt falls off. But it was a fun project and it recycles all our plastic grocery bags. I hauled all the parts & lumber home on my bike, but I did have to bum a ride in a car to carry home a 36 inch wooden wheel. So according to the strict standard, it was NOT a car free project - BZZZT!

KrisPistofferson

For most of my life, it's meant not having a car, but I realize that that is a luxury I have because I live in a relatively urban area. People in the middle of small-town Kansas are most likely going to be more reliant on an automobile unless they want to revert to a hunter-gatherer lifestyle.

gerv 

Totally OT warning: I just googled plarn. Saw a Youtube of a lady who seemed to be crocheting with plastic bargs cut into narrow loops. Fascinating. (I hope this doesn't ruin my weekend.) Your wheel is fasincating. My wife recently bought a spinning wheel and when I saw it put together I decided to google "DIY spinning wheel". There are a lot of nice designs that use a bike wheel.