gerv 

I just noticed there were 4 threads with new posts in LCF in the last 24 hours. Two of the threads were obviously about cars and had nothing to do with living carfree.

When I looked at the stats on the main forum page, there were more viewers in Hybrid bicycles and Utility Cycling.

What happened to the good old days when people came here to post about peak oil or urban design or simple LCF living?

Cosmoline

I think gas got cheaper and the weather got colder. But we happy few soldier on!

manicmike

Well, i sold my car 2 or 3 months ago, i just don't talk much.
i have been car free off and on all of my life, this is just the first time it was by choice.
If i own a car, it's just to easy to be lazy and drive.

sykerocker 

One of the beauties of this forum is that it's always been very inclusive towards anyone who's working towards minimizing car use (as opposed to banning it from their lives forever), interested in proportional transportation alternatives, and allowing the real world to get in the way of the titled Holy Grail of living. I for one have always been extremely appreciative of that.

No doubt, the conversation is going through a normal evolution as new topics are brought up and old ones temporarily die down. And I'm certain that the wheel will continue it's turn and the 'absolute car free' postings will start to proliferate again.

DX-MAN

I've found my comfort zone, if you will, with living car-free. Now I'm just waiting for someone else to need to pick my brain. Otherwise, I don't talk much about it.

Platy

That's my situation, too.

Artkansas 

Like me, many may have been turned off by all the constant quarreling and decided not to post rather than have harpies attacking them no matter what they say.

hshearer

Thanks sykerocker, that's a nice attitude. I admire 'car-free', but I think for a lot of people, getting there could start out by being 'car-lite', and maybe they never get to 'car-free', but at least this is a place to think about it, talk about it. I started the thread about insurance discounts since I figured if anyone had tales to contribute, it would be here, and it was my first post to this forum. Artkansas, too (I really hate sifting through all the nit-picking and quarreling sometimes that I see in some forums). I like the idea of being car-free, but I'm married to a motorist. And since we have a car, that means we use it. My philosophy is that we should only use it when we need to, though (and I know I've set myself up with the word 'need').

The good news is, although we may not be ultra-orthrodox, it works both ways; I've managed to get my motoring husband to take a bike for most short trips, which he never would have done if he hadn't married a cyclist. Maybe someday we'll both be cyclists, with a car that usually stays in the garage. That's a compromise I'd be pretty happy with.

Ekdog

Please consider posting more. There are some of us out here who look forward to hearing what you have to say. Just try to ignore the attack dogs.

BadBoy10

@Artkansas: the harpies can be stinky and it is annoying especially if you are serious and not trolling.

Do not let the negativity turn you away.

Dahon.Steve

Wait a second.. I thought my post on the future of auto maintenance had a lot to do with living carfree. There are more people on who are reading this forum that drive but lurk regardless because many like the idea of going car free. These are the people I posted for because the days of inexpensive motoring are coming to an end. I happen to believe this abuse of power by the auto manfacturers will force millions to become carfree.

wahoonc

Amen?

Been car free, currently doing my best to stay vehicle light. May work back to car free one day.

Aaron

Totaled108

Finished up the xtracycle build Monday, yesterday was the first commute day with it. Its a big help and big step, for me, to never needing to use my car but for emergencies. That reminds me, I need to go out and unhook the battery.

I should be fully car free by summer.

Roody

I notice that a lot of times the forum statistics say something like "14 viewing, 3 members and 11 guests". I really hope that a lot of those lurkers decide to start posting. We always need new stories, bold ideas and just plain "fresh meat." It only takes a few seconds to register, and it costs nothing. If you spend a lot of time lurking here, it's only fair that you join in the discussion to help keep it all going.

wanders

Hello.

Platy

Hi, wanders, welcome!

wahoonc

Kewl another North Carolinian!

Aaron

wahoonc

From what little I know about how forums work, some of those visitors maybe search bots.

Aaron

gerv 

Well, I may have been exaggerating ... sorry..

I looked at the 4 threads posted to in that 24-hour period and two of them seemed like car threads. Then I had a moment... one of the threads had photos of an Opel or somesuch.

We ought to have more bike "porn" type photos in LCF. Sort of a response to car lust.

gerv 

Hey, wanders... you have more overall posts than I do... why do you lurk in LCF?

wahoonc

Ask and ye shall receive....how many pictures do you want?



Aaron

wanders

As Steve mentioned in his post, I like the idea of not having a car but with a wife and 7 year old, the best I could do would be car-lite. My car is on the verge of dying and I came here to see how people that
have given up their vehicles manage without them. When it does finally croak, I'm going to put off
replacing it as long as possible.

There's some really good stuff here and some things I never considered are addressed in places or at least have me thinking. ie - mulch for the yard, getting the dog to the vet, child.........

I commute to work a couple times a week during warm weather(17 miles one-way). I've done it in 18 degree weather just to see what it was like. Not pleasant but doable.

I haven't posted much here because of the fact that I have no experience living car free and before I ask a question I wanted to see if it had been covered in an earlier thread.

Cheers.

Roody

Well I think the bots should feel free to chime in too!

Roody

No problem, but keep in mind that most of the "regulars" here are carlight also, rather than carfree. It's hard to be carfree in some countries (especiaslly the USA), so many people just do the best they can given the old-fashioned infrastructure that they're stuck with.

Platy

Car-lite is a worthy goal, as is bike commuting. You'll have to develop contingency plans for when the one remaining family car breaks down, for when you are physically impaired or the weather is difficult, for sudden emergencies, and so forth. You'll learn how to maximize whatever local retail and professional resources are available. There are many helpful tactics to learn, like what things can be ordered for delivery to your house, or what bike parts & tools you need to have on hand so you don't have to transport an inoperable bike to the bike shop. If you have local taxi service or public transit of any kind, you'll develop the basic skills you need to use them efficiently.

Most important, car-lite living now will give you the insight & experience to make life choices to better enable carfree living in the future -- when those rare opportunities eventually present themselves.