cycleobsidian

Hello,

We are a one car family. I barely ever use the car. I am mainly a passenger once every couple of weeks when doing something with my husband. My husband is more quick to rely on the car, in all fairness he has a greater distance to go to work.

My daughter asked to borrow the car for a few days. She lives out of town. I said yes. So, when returning home from work one day, and seeing the car not in the driveway, I started to get panicky. What if we need the car for something unanticipated? What if I get a call from my other daughter and have to go to the rescue? (She doesn't have a car either.) What if it's cold and I'm sick and don't want to walk or take the bus? (At this time of the year I walk instead of bike.)

It is funny because, when the car is in the driveway, I don't sit around and worry about these things. When there is no car in the driveway, I do start thinking about these things.

I was wondering how long it takes for people who are car free to get over their car dependency? Do you feel insecure for a while after giving it up?

squegeeboo

I feel like a car would crush me if I tried to use it as a blanket. Your mileage may vary.

Sounds similar to me and my cell phone, 10 years ago I never worried. Now if I leave it at home I have a mini-melt down in panic town.

Ekdog

It's being inside a car that makes me feel insecure and uptight. I want to get out as soon as possible.

wolfchild

I was very car-light for 4 years before giving up my vehicle and becoming car-free. After owning the same 4x4 truck for 12 years of my life, it took me about 1 month before I got rid of that "strange feeling of not having a vehicle in my parking spot"..I never felt insecure because I knew I could buy another vehicle if I really wanted to... Now that I've been car-free for over a year I don't even think about it anymore..

Artkansas 

All of my cars have been big enough to sleep in with one exception: 2 station wagons and 2 VW vans, one Nova sedan.

I empathize with wolfchild. I sold my car 2 months ago, and I still thrill when I remember that it's not out in the apartment parking lot. It's not getting older and more disused any more, I don't have to worry about the landlord giving me 24 hours to move it because they are messing with the parking lot or just stirring up things to get rid of automobile shaped objects. ( I got one note the evening before I was set to go on a long trip, glad they didn't wait a day.) My car isn't rusting in the snow and rain, and it's safe from the repair men's wild golf carts. (One knocked off part of my bumper, didn't leave a note, but the skid marks on the rest of the bumper made it obvious that the damage was done by a golf cart.)

gerv 

Funny we had the Midwest version of Snowmageddeon today. We were all heading home because there was about 1 inch snow on the ground (don't laugh please ) and everyone was asking me if I 1) had taken my bike to work 2) needed a drive home.... yada yada.

Odd. 'cause there's quite a few commuters around and you'd think they'd realize the car isn't much better in the snow.

I took the bus and saw many, many cars in accidents or unable to get up very minor hills...

Clearly folks saw some comfort in being able to drive home, but the security blanket was nowhere near as safe as they thought.

Jonathon94

As a teenager, it is expected of you to have a car. I had an adult come up to me in class tonight and ask if I drive yet. My mom only wants me to get a licence just so I can run errands for her. Honestly a car would be useless to me if not for the fact that town is 26 miles away and I have no way to carry my firefighting turnout gear with me on a bike.

Roody

I think I know how the OP feels, since I've dumped cars a few times in my lifetime. At first, there is a sense of anxiety, imagining various what-ifs. That has passed pretty quickly, usually as soon as I survive the first "crisis" without the car. For example, one time I got rid of my car just before my son got sick in the middle of the night. We had a good experience with a quick taxi ride to the hospital, I visited him several times with my bike, and I found a friend to pick him up when he was discharged. After that success, I had no regrets about losing the car.

I recommend making some contingency plans for every situation BEFORE you go carfree. In fact, you really should have two plans for each situation. Talk it over with the whole family, and write down the plans. This should provide some reassurance and a feeling of security, especially as you experience a few situations and see that your carfree contingency plans really do work.

chewybrian 

After a month or so without a car, you realize that a real need-a-car emergency will be rare. With the money you are not spending each day, you could get a cab or rent a car as needed. The need is very rare for me, though I don't have to deal with a lot of nasty weather, either.

Juha

This. Around where I live we have very high taxes on both car prices and petrol. That means I can spend anywhere up to 300-400e per month for cabs / rental cars / car share, and still be better off compared to actually owning a car. That translates to renting a sedan for 3 weekends out of 4 each month, for example. Your figures would be lower in all likelihood, but I'd expect lower taxes/petrol prices to reflect in your cab and rental fares too.

If we were anywhere near those figures, I'd be considering a car just for convenience. Fortunately, we're not. One additional bonus about cabbing/renting/sharing: whenever I need a car, I can get the right one for the current need.

--J

charbucks

I think this might be why the advent of carsharing (car2go, in my case) was the final impetus I needed to ditch the car. I rarely use the service, but at least it's there if I ever do need a car in a hurry. Aside from 8-4, where all the cars are in the downtown core, there's always a few hanging out on or near my street.

I've also discovered how ridiculously cheap renting a car on weekend can be. The Thrifty near me rents Toyota Corollas or Matrixes (Matrices?) for $17/day ($25 with taxes, fees, etc all in)... that's 3 rentals a month for the price of insurance alone!

Baytree

Get the number of a good 24 hour taxi service in your area and stick it on the fridge. If any car needed emergencies come up you can call them. Anything too urgent to wait for a taxi is probably urgent enough to call 911.

Sixty Fiver

I often forget I own a car.

Or where I parked it.

bragi

When I first gave up the car, I had about ten minutes of anxiety. I felt stranded. Then I thought about it for a minute, and I quickly realized that, with a very little wit, it's not that hard to get from point A to point B without a car. Most people on Earth do it every day without even thinking about it. It's especially easy if you're not a moron. (No, I'm not calling you a moron; I'm saying it's a lot easier than most people appreciate.)

work4bike

Sure a car can be a security blanket, but so to is so much in today's society. Many see Cell phones as security blankets, or 911, or if power goes out having a radio to stay informed, many more examples if you think about it. Grocery stores are a super-big blanket that no one gives a second thought to. So in the big picture a car is just one of many blankets.

plumberroy

I would love to be car free. my work doesn't allow it . My wife who doesn't drive panics more than I do with out a car . My dream is to live a couple miles out of a small town on enough land to grow most of my own vegies and raise or hunt our meat. I am working towards that I grow what I can here. I have a grillo G85D walking tractor https://earthtoolsbcs.com/html/walk-behind_tractors.html these are used in small scale farming in Central Europe I have a tiller, mower and have adapted a trailer to it. the key to surviving is having the land paid for . The house I have now was bought when house prices were low . I put a chunk down, and it is in a highly desirable school district. When housing market goes up I may be able to sell for enough to pay cash for what I want . That would allow for only taking a car when my wife needed to go some where
Roy

cycleobsidian

No I didn't think you were calling me a moron.

Although some days, I'm not so sure myself!

wahoonc

I was puzzling a bit over this one... we have a relative that is challenged in the mental department, however he will decide he wants to go somewhere and see something and off he goes, walking, riding his bike and occasionally on Greyhound. We usually find out when he calls from where ever he is to let us know he is okay. IIRC he is "arrested" somewhere around the 14 year old range. I know people with multiple college degrees and zero common sense that can't get across the town they live in.

Aaron

dynodonn 

Newspaperguy

I use my car for work and for just a few out-of-town trips each year. By leaving it parked at my office, I've made it less convenient to use for additional travel. This has not been a problem.

In the last seven or eight years, I have had just one incident where it would have been good to have the car parked at home. It was a Saturday evening in late winter. While I was washing dishes, I cut my wrist on a piece of broken glass. It was deep enough to require stitches. The nearest hospital is at least 20 kilometres away. I wrapped up my wrist, pedalled down to the office and then drove to the hospital. On the way, I also had to fill up with gas.

For a more serious injury, I would have been unable to drive, even with a car in the driveway, so I would have called friends or called an ambulance.

gerv 

There are many security blankets, but some are more important than others. I'm in favor of the grocery store security blanket.

Edit: come to think of it, I have a box of bike parts I keep just in case something should break. Another security blanket.

wolfchild

Emergency Survival Blanket..this is what you need when you're out riding on a cold day in the middle of nowhere and your bicycle breaks down.

Roody

A cell phone would be nice too. A repair kit even better.

ka0use

a former landlady had an ancient troybilt. it only had a tiller, but there was a stud on the front for attachments- earth plow, snow plow, etc. weighed as much as a tank (a lot of cast iron), built like one, and usually started on the first pull of the wrap-around rope- even after sitting all winter. had reverse, 2 forward gears. i loved that machine.

www.troybilt.com

wahoonc

Gravely made walk behind tractors, I don't think they make them anymore, but they do show up at auctions pretty regularly and I currently own two of them. Biggest problem I have had with them is one of the safety switches I wired past it and it works fine. However I don't let just anybody use mine.

Aaron