kinetic energy

hello all, I've been lurking in the car free section and reading about your stories ideas ect, and I have a few questions. First I'll give a bit of background on me.

I'm a college student in Illinois. My major is physics, and I intend to be a teacher or professor someday. I would love to get involved with public science literacy as Neil Degrasse Tyson has, or Carl Sagan and many others that came before him. When I'm at school, I have no car, I ride my bike everywhere, to schools for tutoring, to classes, to the store, and I get anywhere I need to. However, my school has a well maintained bike path system, so bike transportation is all too easy. When I am home, I am using my bike more and more for transportation, but I still use a car. I live in the Chicago suburbs, in which there isn't a very good bikepath system (outside of park districts and such) and often times there aren't continuous sidewalks to use near major roads. Meanwhile, the roads are fairly crowded, and I try to stay off of them on my bicycle.

My opinions on owning things/enviornment/car usage:
The older I get, the more I begin to think that owning things is overrated. There are a few things I don't think I could get by without. I would need a computer, I think they are necessarily in today's world. I would want a good camera to take pictures (I grew up using film slr's, I love the artfulness of it). The library provides books and movies and music. I would need a good set of audio equipment to listen to music. Other than these things though, I don't know how valuable possessions are. You want things, you get them, they lose their appeal, they gather dust and they break.

I feel that we have an unhealthy addiction to oil, and it sickens me every time I see someone driving in a huge car by themselves. My car is a honda civic, I usually break 40mpg, which I am happy about, though I can't help but feel I don't entirely need it, after all I get by at school without a car, and I'm not averse to rain, or winter.

So, I guess overall, what I am saying, is that the more I think about it, the more I can see how going car free happens. It's easy to go to the store, pick up a week's worth of groceries and come back. Most places I need to go are within ten miles or so, and anyplace further I suppose you can use a bus or other mode of transport. Though a few questions remain for me.

Questions:

1)How do you cope with moving large things, or moving residences? Do you borrow a friend's car? I obviously must move in and out every year while I'm in college, so for now, I need to have access to a car.

2) How do you go to far away places. Suppose you are in Chicago, and you want to visit a friend in Indianapolis, and you don't have the time to bike/camp your way there. How do you get there? Do you take a bus with your bike on it?

3)How prevalent are bike paths near your home? Do you use bikepaths to commute? or do you share the street with cars?

4)Do you have any basic safety tips for sharing the roads with cars? Special interest being traveling at night, or traveling on roads with drivers who do not often see cyclists.

5) Any car-free families out there? How do you get by with children in a world dedicated to cars?

6) How do you advocate for a bicycle lifestyle? I don't see many people using bikes for transportation near my home, and that makes me a bit sad. So many people use cars when they don't have to. They burn thousands of gallons of fuel in their life, and they could have burned none, or at least a lot less. I would like to get more people involved, and I would like to support the construction of new bikepaths that make commuting safer and easier.

Finally, is there anything you would say to someone who is thinking about going car-free in the future? All input is good, I'm just looking for what it looks like on the other side of the fence.

thanks everyone

Youaintgotjack

Hello- don't know that I can answer many of your questions, I'm new to being car free and It has been a challenge so far. But not impossible and by all means an enjoyable struggle. My worst day so far was yesterday when I got a flat tire on the rear wheel of my bike when I was grocery shopping with my son and husband. We decided to just get on with it and actually really enjoyed our day in the end despite having to walk home.

I think the one thing I've learned, and continue to have slammed home with days like yesterday is - BE PREPARED! When you don't drive things take a little more planning, especially with kids in tow. I've started to utilize on-line buying more- having big packages shipped directly. And I've started to buy a little more food for dry storage so if weather is awful I still have resources.

I don't travel at night as of yet, but am looking forward to evening cycles in warm winter months. As far as safety- I ride my bike like I drove my car and I assume every other driver out there will break the law and do the stupidest move they can. I can't afford to risk my own safety or my sons, so I just don't take risks period. I also try to be confident and have gradually been trying to take my bike to my limits with it, learning how it handles on different surfaces and at different speeds- although being out of shape I rarely go very fast yet.

In my area it seems like for the most part there are a few strong groups of cyclists- those that ride on the weekends for recreation or fitness and those that HAVE to ride because they have limited income. I don't see many living a car-free or mostly car free life by choice which seems to take the joy out of it for some people.

Anyway, sorry I didn't answer more of your questions! Hope this helps a little!

edited to add- you can check out my blog below for more info on my 12 month commitment to car free life

Suburban

1)How do you cope with moving large things, or moving residences? Do you borrow a friend's car? I obviously must move in and out every year while I'm in college, so for now, I need to have access to a car.

Family of 5. When we moved house, we rented a moving truck. We weren't car free at the time, but it didn't occur to us to try to move house with our car.

2) How do you go to far away places. Suppose you are in Chicago, and you want to visit a friend in Indianapolis, and you don't have the time to bike/camp your way there. How do you get there? Do you take a bus with your bike on it?

Depends on where we're going. To grandparents, we use an autoshare program once a month. Other places we use trains and buses. Before going car free, I worked for an airline and used to fly places without renting cars. We were already used to getting around with luggage and children using transit in places we didn't speak the language. Doing this near home, isn't a stretch for us. Plan ahead.

3)How prevalent are bike paths near your home? Do you use bikepaths to commute? or do you share the street with cars?

Bike paths that don't lead to anywhere useful are a plenty. I usually half a small child ahead of me riding their bike. Local law is that children's bikes go on sidewalk. So we use mostly use sidewalks. Smaller residential roads with 30km/h speed limits, don't have sidewalks in my neighbourhood. But the cars are going slowly seeing as there are children playing street hockey on these little roads.

4)Do you have any basic safety tips for sharing the roads with cars? Special interest being traveling at night, or traveling on roads with drivers who do not often see cyclists.

Not a problem right now, we haven't been car free long. I haven't tried cycling at night yet. We're home for dinner and bedtime for the youngest, he's asleep by 8pm.

5) Any car-free families out there? How do you get by with children in a world dedicated to cars?

We order large grocery once a week online and go to supermarket for fresh veg/fruit a few times a week. If we walk, it takes 3 year old 30 minutes, but often my husband will pick up on the way home from work. It's an adjustment, but it really hasn't been that bad. Mostly because my kids always hated their car seats so I already had a tendancy to take transit and walk quite a bit before we decided to go without a car. We have spent $10 on a taxi when my youngest fell asleep at my sister's house. I didn't have the heart to wake him up.

6) How do you advocate for a bicycle lifestyle?

Honestly, I don't advocate. Probably bad of me. But I suppose we're an example of a family with 7 year old, 5 year old and 3 year old in the suburbs without a car. I already have a history of doing things a little differently, so I'm not sure how big an impression that leaves.

Finally, is there anything you would say to someone who is thinking about going car-free in the future?

It doesn't have to be a big deal. Make plans and try going without before giving up you car. Through trial and error there is a learning curve, but I find having a sense of humour eases away any stressful moments.

sauerwald

Rent a truck - either Uhaul, or sometimes the ones that they have at Home Depot etc. Depending on what I need.

I will either rent a car, or take the train - you can bring your bike on many trains, which makes inter-urban travel much easier.

Plenty of bike paths, but I don't use them. I tend to ride my bike on the roads which go to where I need to get to. Most bike paths don't go any place useful.



I have an obnoxiously bright blinking tail light which helps. To be honest, the bulk of the problems that I have had with motorists have not been issues with their not seeing me - just motorists being a$$holes - throwing things, honking, yelling etc.


Kids are grown - two of the four are car-free.



I advocate the same way I do it all other things - I live the life. I leave a small footprint. I tend to avoid disposable items. I support those things that I believe in. etc.


Going car free is more than not having a car. You need to carefully consider where you will live vs where you work, shop, play etc. You need to realize that you will be buying more stuff from smaller, local shops rather than stocking up on bargains at a megastore. I often find that I will buy some things online, just to avoid the hassle of transporting them home - UPS is my friend . It is far easier than most people think, but at the same time, you have to think about a lot of things that most people take for granted...

velocycling

"How do you cope with moving large things, or moving residences? Do you borrow a friend's car? I obviously must move in and out every year while I'm in college, so for now, I need to have access to a car. "


Students where I work, just call a storage company that bings a 4x4, 4x8 and drops it on the parking lot. The students load their stuff then in the fall the storage company will bring it back on a flat bed truck and the stundent just has to bring the stuff up stairs to their new place, easy. As for moving big items, same as if it is too big for your Honda, rent.

"

Artkansas 

1) I rent a car or a truck. When I was younger, I could often get friends to help.

2) Rental cars, buses, trains, jet aircraft, ships. Car-free is a day by day thing. You use an ICE vehicle only as you need it, but not when you don't.

3) I use bike paths when they happen to coincide with where I am going. On my last commute there was a 300 yard section that cut along a river bed and allowed me to cut about a mile off my ride and avoid some of the worst road in all of Little Rock. Most of the time I use the streets.

4)Read Robert Hurst's book The Art of Cycling. Be brightly lit at night and considerate of the cagers, they really do suffer from lack of fresh air and exercise. I assume that all drivers do not see cyclists.

6) I ride, that's the most important advocacy. I'm also active in my local bicycle advocacy group and have been to Washington to lobby my representatives several times as a part of the National Bike Summit. I don't try to push my views on others, but answer all questions happily and am quick to respond when asked.

7) Have a good utility bike, mine is an old solid frame mountain bike that now has lights, fenders, street tires a rack, shopping panniers and two water bottles as well as a trailer hitch for my Bikes at Work trailer. The Bikes at Work trailer can carry up to 300 lbs. And have a second bike to use when your utility bike is in the shop.

8) And when a motorist annoys you to the point that you want to give them a 1 finger salute, multiply it by 5 and let em have it with a 5 finger salute.

9) I gave a lot of thought to where I live. I live in a nice valley that has almost all the services that I need within a mile, including 2 good bike stores. It's on the bus line and about a mile from the nicest MUP along the river. Invest in tools and learn to repair your bikes.

10) Big props for your Science Literacy bent. We need it. You didn't mention Bill Nye. He's big on bicycles.

Roody

Overall, mental attitude is the most important factor in successful carfree living. From your post I think you have a good attitude--curiosity, adaptability, planning skills, and a willingness to learn new things. I'm pretty sure you'll do well.

When a new task seems overwhelming, I like to break it down into simple goals and steps.

For example, if your goal is to ride at night, the steps might be: 1) read about the topic, 2) buy appropriate lights and mount them, 3) practice on a well lit familiar route--maybe on a Sunday night when there's less traffic, and 4) gradually increase night riding on more difficult routes until you feel comfortable with it. I have to dark rides home from the evening shift every night, and it's gotten to where in many ways I prefer night time. There's usually less traffic, you make better time, and it's actually easier to see and hear the cars after dark.

IMO, the first goal for a carfree cyclist should be to learn how to ride in traffic. This would be a similar procedure to learning to ride at night. First read about it (or watch youtube videos) then practice in increasingly difficult settings. It really is safer to ride in the streets than the sidewalks, in most cases, and safer sidewalk cycling is so slow you might as well walk (practically).

Basically, just work on one thinng at a time, keep at it, and make sure you keep it fun!

wahoonc

1) My son used PODS along with 3 of his college buddies to store most of their stuff from year to year, we only had to do two moves, first year in and last year out. He really didn't have much because he lives quite simply, most of the time when he came home at break it would all fit in the trunk of a sedan.

2) I travel via a multiple modes of transportation, unfortunately most long trips are by car because I live where there is little to no mass transit. If I lived where I had access to rail, bus, subway, airports I would have a good quality folder or small bike like a Brompton or Bike Friday. They are compact enough to travel as regular luggage and in the case of Amtrak and most other mass transit (except airline) can be hand carried on board. Taxis and car service are an option.

3) What is a bike path I live in a what used to be a rural area that has become suburban hell, I ride on the road with the cars, no choice.

4) I ride rural high speed roads, I wear visible clothing, quite often a vest or jacket like you see highway workers wearing. Most of my bikes have dynohub powered headlights and tail lights and I run Planet Bike Super Flash as additional lighting. I do try to time my trips so I am not riding during peak times, like rush hour or when the nearby schools let out. I ride using vehicular cycling techniques. FWIW I do not agree with Foresters philosophy but have no choice on where to ride other than on the roads.

In your case, if you live in the older parts of Chicago that have the grid pattern look for alternate routes on adjacent streets. Also check out some blogs like, Let's Go Ride a Bike, if a southern girl can get around Chicago on a bike, you should be able to.

5) I am not car free, however both of my adult children have been and my son still is, he lives in Boston. We use a car to get to the airport on our end, but once in Boston we are car free. I did live carfree/car light for several years back in the mid 80's and regret having given it up.

6) Just ride and don't proselytize eventually they will either have to give up their cars due to expense or die an early death due to lack of exercise, you can get involved with local advocacy groups, bike kitchens/co-ops, go to meetings about cycling infrastructure, vote for people that support alternative transportation.

Good Luck and keep us up to date on how things progress.

Aaron

CarFreeFam4

We have rented trucks for moving purposes, both a moving truck and sometimes just full-sized trucks from Enterprise. As a college student, renting might not be an option for you just yet. We have also borrowed trucks/minivans from friends for moving, even when we had a car since we couldn't fit the furniture in our Honda Accord.

We enjoy taking the train for some longer trips. We actually rent cars most frequently because there are four of us. Needing to buy four train fares is often significantly more expensive than the car rental/gas, but if it was just one adult it would be a different calculation.

We have one bike path here that goes nowhere useful, so we never use it. We ride in the street, always. There is only one street in town with a bike lane so we just ride along with the cars and don't have any real problems. That being said, this is a smaller city and traffic volumes are not particularly high.

For night cycling, we have the obvious tail lights/head lights. We also wear reflective vests, have flashing lights on reflective ankle bands and use BikeGlow lights for extra visibility. We stand out and have never even had a close call at night.

We have been car-free for three and a half years with two kids. We get around on a daily basis by bicycle exclusively here because public transit is so pathetic that we might as well not even have it. Both my husband and I have Kona Utes and our kids just sit on the deck. We used to use public transit when we lived in another city and it was pretty comfortable, not difficult even with an infant.

Well, to be honest, I don't really, at least not in any serious organized fashion. I promote the lifestyle we live when someone asks about it. And I am active in local and state politics so whenever an issue comes up legislatively I have better access to the elected officials than the average person sending an email or making a phone call to their office. Face-to-face conversations with your legislators, city council, etc really go a long way. Especially when you're a regular campaign volunteer

kinetic energy

Thanks for all the info everybody! I was curious about all these things, and I knew some of it would come in handy now (and will keep being useful later). I think I will definitely be trying to stretch the amount of cycling I do at home soon. I can start branching out a bit more, and using the roads a bit more, and then eventually night riding when I get comfortable with it.

It's always been a big issue with me. I guess that's in no small part due to the amount of carl sagan/ bill nye I watched as a kid. I did forget to mention bill nye, but he's great for getting kids interested in science. No surprises that Carl Sagan was one of his professors at Cornell.

This made me laugh quite a bit!


Those lights look great! and not too expensive either! I will probably be getting one of those soon for night riding, I already have a pretty bright headlight and taillight, as well as a pretty weak light build into my helmet, but more visibility doesn't hurt!

Thanks again to all for your input, and sorry if I didn't respond to yours directly, all the advice is appreciated. And feel free to add more if you wish!

wahoonc

How do you like that Honda of yours? I had a 1972 Honda 350/4 and a 1975 cb360t. Regret selling both of them, but I do have a couple of Honda Trail 70's and a CH125

Aaron

kinetic energy

I love the little honda! My dad and I bought it when I was 14 years old. At the time the thing was pretty well rusted shut. The wheels turned and the engine turned, but it had been neglected for a very long time. A couple years of taking apart, fixing, polishing, cleaning, painting, tweaking, timing, and troubleshooting later, it was running, and by that time, I was 16 and I could get my license. It really means something to you when you've really taken something apart completely and put it back together, it means that it's really yours and not just one of the millions they cranked out of a factory. It means that no-one knows it better than you. It was and is my first motorcycle, and I doubt I will ever bring myself to get rid of it. I might be looking for a new(er) one soon. The honda is fine for around town riding, but it doesn't offer much in wind protection, and it could use a bit more power for the 75mph highways, but for most everything else it is quite fine (and built like a tank too!).

and here are some pictures:






a before and after.

tsl

1) How do you cope with moving large things, or moving residences? Do you borrow a friend's car? I obviously must move in and out every year while I'm in college, so for now, I need to have access to a car.

I hire movers. Three men with a truck and it's done in a jiffy. Plus, I don't have a “moving debt” to repay. Moving my own stuff is bad enough. Moving someone else to pay off a moving debt is worse.


2) How do you go to far away places. Suppose you are in Chicago, and you want to visit a friend in Indianapolis, and you don't have the time to bike/camp your way there. How do you get there? Do you take a bus with your bike on it?

Amtrak, rent or borrow a car, or ride with someone else going to the same place. (Those are usually cycling events.)


3) How prevalent are bike paths near your home? Do you use bikepaths to commute? or do you share the street with cars?

I have to go out of my way to use bike paths. I do use them when I want to take a longer quieter ride. But it's six miles to the bike path from home, and two miles from work.


4) Do you have any basic safety tips for sharing the roads with cars? Special interest being traveling at night, or traveling on roads with drivers who do not often see cyclists.

IMHO, "Art of Cycling : A Guide to Bicycling in 21st Century America" by Robert Hurst belongs on every urban cyclist's bookshelf. Get it at your library, or from Amazon. (Also available on Kindle.) Publisher's description:
Nearly 90% of my cycling is in stop-and-go city traffic. Bike lanes are things they have in other cities. Art of Cycling helps me stay safe, sane, and yes, even happy, cycling in the city. I own a copy and donated two at work. I re-read mine a couple of times a year, just to stay fresh.


At night, light up like you're a car. There’s a misconception in the cycling community that we don't need big bright lights. Did my vision get better because I'm on a bike? Can cars see me better because I'm on a bike? Then why are wimpy, cheap, dim “be seen” lights recommended for cyclists, but not for cars?

I need the same amount of light to see when I'm on a bike as I do when I'm driving a car. The vehicle makes no difference in my vision. Likewise, drivers are looking for big bright lights so they know what not to run into. Little dim lights are easily confused with background lights. Or worse, they give away that you're “just some guy on a bike” who doesn't deserve the same respect a car does.

Look like a car after dark.


5) Any car-free families out there? How do you get by with children in a world dedicated to cars?

I have no experience with this one.


6) How do you advocate for a bicycle lifestyle? I don't see many people using bikes for transportation near my home, and that makes me a bit sad. So many people use cars when they don't have to. They burn thousands of gallons of fuel in their life, and they could have burned none, or at least a lot less. I would like to get more people involved, and I would like to support the construction of new bikepaths that make commuting safer and easier.

Nobody likes a proselytizer. You're a physicist. Just try to preach Big Bang or evolution to a fundamentalist congregation. Or let them try to preach creationism to you. It doesn't work. Thus, I never preach cycling to anyone.

I belong to another group whose public relations policy is based upon attraction rather than promotion. I find that works well in cycling in general, and car-free living in particular.

I like cycling. Through what I do and how I answer questions, I make sure it comes through that all the gas, money, and environmental issues in the world don't mean as much to me as the freedom and joy I get from cycling. Yeah, all that other stuff is a nice side effect, but it's the fun that gets me on the bike daily. That's why I do it. THAT concept changes minds.

As for “Cycling Advocacy”, I work through local organizations on those road issues that are important to me, and leave them alone for the rest. I've worked with DOT on several matters, and it's gone really well. I stay on the periphery of the advocacy organizations because most of them get preachy after a while. See above paragraph on preachiness.

Newspaperguy

Here are a few of my thoughts. Please keep in mind I'm extremely car-light but not quite car-free. Also, I live in a small town so my transportation needs and the solutions available to me are not the same as they would be if I lived in a large urban area.

1)How do you cope with moving large things, or moving residences? Do you borrow a friend's car? I obviously must move in and out every year while I'm in college, so for now, I need to have access to a car.

The last time I had to move something large was when I bought a chesterfield. I called a friend with a truck and together we moved it to my place. For smaller large loads, look at a Burley trailer. It's designed for cargo hauling and it works very well for that purpose.

2) How do you go to far away places. Suppose you are in Chicago, and you want to visit a friend in Indianapolis, and you don't have the time to bike/camp your way there. How do you get there? Do you take a bus with your bike on it?

Given the situation you've described, the only non-car option for me is Greyhound. If you're in Chicago, you'll have a lot more transportation options. The city and the surrounding states, from Wisconsin to Ohio, are heavily populated. Look at regional transit, rail service and bus lines to get between places which are too far for cycling.

3)How prevalent are bike paths near your home? Do you use bikepaths to commute? or do you share the street with cars?

We have little in the way of bike paths and bike lanes, but that's changing. Still, the streets are safe and the motorists are respectful of cyclists — provided we show some respect to them. One street in my town is no longer bike-friendly. That's because of some design issues during a recent road upgrade plan. Other than that, the streets are fine for cycling.

4)Do you have any basic safety tips for sharing the roads with cars? Special interest being traveling at night, or traveling on roads with drivers who do not often see cyclists.

For night riding, get a good headlight and a good rear blinkie. Use them. A highway worker safety vest will set you back $20 or $25 and it's especially useful if you're planning to ride on dark roads or rural roads at night.

5) Any car-free families out there? How do you get by with children in a world dedicated to cars?

Can't help you on that one. Sorry.

6) How do you advocate for a bicycle lifestyle? I don't see many people using bikes for transportation near my home, and that makes me a bit sad. So many people use cars when they don't have to. They burn thousands of gallons of fuel in their life, and they could have burned none, or at least a lot less. I would like to get more people involved, and I would like to support the construction of new bikepaths that make commuting safer and easier.

I don't do much in the way of advocacy; I demonstrate a lifestyle which doesn't depend on the car. People see me walking and cycling to get around. They notice me. If they care to join me, that's great. If not, I'm still having fun. No problem. If a few people start to rethink their driving habits because they see how I get around, it could have a significant impact.

As far as lobbying for bike lanes or bike paths, I'm not interested in doing that. We as cyclists need very little. If roads are properly built, they can accommodate cyclists and motorists together. In busy areas, bike lanes are good, but I'm in a small town.

One thing to remember is the importance of riding properly. Each one of us is an ambassador for all cyclists. Those of us who ride safely and responsibly will help us to earn a bit of respect; those who ride against traffic, run red lights or behave recklessly will destroy a reputation many of us have worked hard to build.

Finally, is there anything you would say to someone who is thinking about going car-free in the future? All input is good, I'm just looking for what it looks like on the other side of the fence.

The first year is the most challenging as you're finding out how the car-free or car-light lifestyle works. After that, it's going to feel like the most natural thing in the world.

Artkansas 

That brings up another aspect of planning your life for car-free living. On furniture, I have a rule that it must be carryable by 1 person, or able to be broken down into parts that can be carried by one person. That really makes moving easier.

Mr. Jim

Being car free is a manner of thinking ahead, once you start doing it, it becomes easier I do things that most people don't without thinking about it, but I do miss out on somethings, for instance I rarely go to the movies because the theater is 6 miles away and it simply isn't important enough to me to make the trip. I shop more often, because I buy less per trip (also I eat a lot of fresh food so shopping for less more often is better). Be prepared to answer questions, but don't push your life style on others, lead by example has worked best for me.

rockmom

1)How do you cope with moving large things, or moving residences? Do you borrow a friend's car? I obviously must move in and out every year while I'm in college, so for now, I need to have access to a car.

We moved a lot early on. In college, I owned very little so I just carried my few boxes down the street. After college, we rented a moving truck each time we moved with a couple exceptions. One exception was when we had a baby and were moving across the country. We hired movers. We hired movers when I was 6 months pregnant and moving across town too.

2) How do you go to far away places. Suppose you are in Chicago, and you want to visit a friend in Indianapolis, and you don't have the time to bike/camp your way there. How do you get there? Do you take a bus with your bike on it?
If it is just one or two of us going out of town, we take an intercity bus, train, or plane depending on distance. For the four of us going to a nearish city, we rent a car. For traveling greater distances, we go by plane and rent a car upon arrival.

3)How prevalent are bike paths near your home? Do you use bikepaths to commute? or do you share the street with cars?
We chose a house near the bike paths and bus stops. We bike on both the paths and on the streets with cars.

4)Do you have any basic safety tips for sharing the roads with cars? Special interest being traveling at night, or traveling on roads with drivers who do not often see cyclists.
Bright clothing and lights.

5) Any car-free families out there? How do you get by with children in a world dedicated to cars?
I never did it with a car so I have no other frame of reference. My husband and I have two kids and have never owned a car, though we do make use of them once in a while. We are considered odd, mostly in a good way.

6) How do you advocate for a bicycle lifestyle? I don't see many people using bikes for transportation near my home, and that makes me a bit sad. So many people use cars when they don't have to. They burn thousands of gallons of fuel in their life, and they could have burned none, or at least a lot less. I would like to get more people involved, and I would like to support the construction of new bikepaths that make commuting safer and easier.
Honestly, bikes are fairly popular in Madison and I am far from hardcore. I mostly consider biking a back up means of transportation after buses. I can't read on bike and still have to park it. Though bikes are far more fun than cars for me.

gerv 

Great piece of advice. Read it carefully.

DX-MAN

I have become car-free AFTER establishing what has become the longest-term residence in my life, so MOVING is a theoretical point; nevertheless, if needed, I'd simply call up Ryder or U-Haul.

The NEED to travel long distances has yet to come up in the 7+ years I've been car-free, so it's not something I've even considered.... Nobody I know or need to deal with lives more than 20 miles away.

There are about 60 miles of greenway in my town; I also use sidewalks when necessary, and side streets are easy to network. Some local streets are just NOT bike-friendly, but there are more than enough to get pretty much ANYWHERE.

"riding at night requires blinking lights"; riding like you belong (not weaving in & out of parked cars, not riding against traffic, etc.), and being hyper-aware are all good points to live by.

My family is 'car-lite'; my daughter has long lived by the mantra, "bikes good, cars bad", chanted in rhythm to her pedal strokes at odd times. My nephews differ a bit -- the 17-y-o would rather be driving, but can reach anywhere in town on his bake, and the 9-y-o will ride in the truck with mom&dad, and pedal with me, with equal enthusiasm.

I advocate by example; I haul food in bags on the bike, ride in all weather, dismiss any talk of "how can you ride that far?", and cheerfully tell anecdotes about 30-50 milers. Doubt if I affect much of anyone, but it's not why I ride. I've PROVEN to my extended family that a car is largely superfluous, but my sister's husband won't pedal more than a mile, and then only under duress.