Living life without a car

[Pennine-Paul]

I can't justify keeping our car any longer,It's costing us over £300 a month

This includes HP, Insurance,fuel and my wifes monthly parking permit
(not that she can find a parking place at the hospital where she works very often and has to park
miles away on the local streets)

Even paying for public transport we would save £200 a month

I very rarely use it,I'd rather cycle

Only time We'll miss it is doing the weekly shop and going to the local tip

And the odd trip up to Hebden Bridge to meet up with Colinj and other fellow CC'ers for a forum ride

I can HTFU and pedal up there,shopping I can get delivered

anybody live without a car know of any other plus and minus points??

 

[ianrauk]

The weekly shop you can get delivered. Which is what we do. Or I should say the tinned and packet stuff. The fresh veg, meat and fish we buy local shop.

 

[Angelfishsolo]

MY MTB is my only form of transport and I do just fine. I must admit that I have occasional access to a car that allows me to do a large fortnightly shop but usually I just rucksack it. The only drawback I can see is having to sort out two lots of clothing and two pairs of shoes (I ride SPD's) if I want to look respectable when I arrive somewhere. OH and obviously some journey take longer to complete.

 

[Oldgit]

I gave up the company van after moving into the congestion zone, no residents discount for commercial vehicles. I've been told I'm gonna get one of them Smart cars but don't really see the point as I'm office based so I am quite happy to live without a car from now onwards. I live in central london, absolutely no need for a car with everything on my doorstep.

 

[coffeejo]

I sold my car last autumn, relied on public transport for a few months and got my bike at the end of January.

Plus points of no car:

• Financial savings
• Fitter and healthier
• Have become much more familiar with the area and have joined a cycle club, hopefully making friends I wouldn't have otherwise met
• Environmentally a lot more friendly
• Bikes are easier to clean and maintain

Plus points of bike over bus:

• Not dependent on their timetable, can come and go as I please

Minus points of the bike:

• Dragging your arse out into the cold or wet can be a truly miserable experience. Double that if you're tired / grumpy / not well.
• Takes longer to get places.
• Bulky items. I do an online shop every month or so and bulk up on the things I use a lot of, then top up the fruit, veg, milk and meat items from the village as and when they're needed.
• At first, I worried about what I'd do about getting the dog to the vet if she was injured or ill, but my neighbours would step in / lend me their car. Ditto for myself for going to the doctor or hospital.
• Maybe's it's just me, but cycling everywhere means I'm more likely to suffer from one of Potsy's earthquakes and find myself indulging in all sorts of treats

Um, I think that's about it, from my perspective anyway. I don't regret it at all. Well, ok, yes, on occasion, especially in unexpected rain, but freewheeling down any hill more than makes up for it.

ETA Having read lulubel's post below, thought it was worth adding that I live in the countryside - about a mile from the village and approx 7 miles from the nearest town.

 

[lulubel]

We're not in the situation where we need to give up our car yet, but I can see it happening in the future, and I think the best option when that time comes would be to replace it with a recumbent trike. Everything I've heard about recumbents suggests you can cover longer distances easier/faster with them, and a trike has a good carrying capacity for shopping (there's no internet grocery shopping where we are), and I would guess it's harder to steal, although would still need to be locked to something solid.

I lived without a car for a while about 10 years ago - lived in a small town in North Devon - and it was really inconvenient. I got the bulk of my shopping delivered, but fresh fruit and veg had to be bought on an almost daily basis in town. And you can't just pop out and get something you need that's only available in a town 10 miles away, if the bus times aren't convenient, and/or you can't spare the time to bus it or cycle a 20 mile round trip.

If you live in a large town or city, however, I can see how it would be different.

I think it depends a lot on how much time you have available and how you want to spend it. In my experience, everything takes longer and needs more planning without a car.

 

[APK]

Unfortunately I need my car for work, but what would you do if something happened to the bike whilst you were out, meaning it was unrideable? I work from home, so can get out during the day sometimes, but I am often reluctant to go out, if my wife is not at home, incase something happened and I needed her to collect me.

Is there the equivilant of the AA for bikes?

 

[SquareDaff]

Considering getting rid of one of the cars. Before I started cycling I had one to get to work and the missus had one for the same reason as we both worked different shifts and couldn't share. Now I cycle every day mine spends most of the week parked outside the house. There's no real need to have 2 cars and one will be going shortly. The missus (who isn't a cyclist) can still drive and we still have "easy" ways of getting about at the weekend/for the weekly shop etc... . Plus I can reduce the car "expenditure" by 50%.

 

[Amanda P]

And you can't just pop out and get something you need that's only available in a town 10 miles away

That's true, but we've found that we think ahead and plan trips to town quite carefully so as not to forget anything. If we do forget something, we live without it until the next time someone's going to town anyway.

(OK, I'll admit - we do have a car. But we can't afford to do a 20-mile round trip to town for a pint of milk or a loaf of bread).

 

[Arch]

Unfortunately I need my car for work, but what would you do if something happened to the bike whilst you were out, meaning it was unrideable? I work from home, so can get out during the day sometimes, but I am often reluctant to go out, if my wife is not at home, incase something happened and I needed her to collect me.

Is there the equivilant of the AA for bikes?

Yes.

http://www.eta.co.uk/breakdown/cycle_rescue

In practice though, it's rare that a bike becomes unrideable unless it suffers catastrophic damage. Know how to fix a flat, and a few other basic fixes, and you'll get home, even you only have the one gear or something. If the worst come to the worst, call a taxi - even if they won't or can't carry the bike, they'll get you home.

Also of course, always have a spare bike at home...

I don't have a car, living in central York, I don't need one. My longest commute is 3 miles each way, and all the shops I need are on my doorstep. My local supermarket is actually easier to walk to than to cycle to or drive to, thanks to a one way system. And my flat has no parking space, so a car would be tricky anyway. Long distance travel is by train. If I do have to buy something bulky, I can call in a favour from a friend with a car, or more likely, a large bike trailer.

lulubel: a trike is indeed a cool thing, and very comfortable - speed depends on the rider! The luggage capacity is often only the same as a bike though, unless you are thinking of a specific load carrier like a 4 wheel Brox. However, a trailer is a very good option, and can be towed behind a bike or trike, so it's a very flexible option - get spare hitches, for each of the household's bikes and anyone can tow it.

Longtail bikes are also a good way to carry more, without riding a bike that's too 'different'. The Yuba Mundo is just one example.

For ultimate pedal powered carrying, the Maximus rules, although the width means you have to choose cycle routes with care, and riding an upright trike can be an acquired taste. We shift a couple of hundred kilos of stuff at a time at work, which is probably equal to my annual shop!

 

[Arch]

Incidentally, now I think about it, I work in a team of 5, and we are all car free. Three of us are people living alone, and the other two are fathers with small children. We all have some access to borrow or hire a car, if need be (IE, we can all drive), and that's enough.

The other day, one of the Dads walked his two littles a couple of miles up to a garden centre on the edge of town, the older boy riding his bike, the younger in the pushchair. While there, he bought some seeds and a bag of compost, and then got the whole lot, including pushchair, children, shopping and boys bike, back on the bus. Two old ladies on the bus apparently grinned, and said it was like the old days.

 

[Cletus Van Damme]

I have 2 cars one is 16 years old and I reckon that it will not pass another MOT. I definitely need one car as my 2 year old needs to be brought to her grandparents when we are at work. But I am toying with the idea of getting rid of the ancient one once it dies. I cycle to work most days, a 19 mile round trip but I am not sure I can handle it in the really bad winter weather or if I was ill. I was thinking of possibly getting a commuting motorbike as a backup. The roads around here are pretty safe and rural so I am not that bothered about muppets in cars. Also if I paid a grand or so for a Honda CG125 it would be very good on fuel, very cheap road tax, cheaper to maintain than a car as I would be doing less miles and would not have the rust issues that old cars do. The problem is buying decent gear for riding it, passing the CBT test and storing it. Still taking all this into account I would guess it is way cheaper than a car for occasional transport. For a vehicle that is going to be doing minimal miles I just cannot see a car competing with it, more so when you take the initial purchase of a half decent super-mini into account.

 

[Melonfish]

Our car has recently been written off, so we're in the same boat, i cycle to work saving myself £20 a week and we get the shopping delivered.
for bits i get to cycle over to the shops but tbh its not far anyways.
the only thing is getting the kids around to places. for that the car was brill.
pete

 

[Arch]

I have 2 cars one is 16 years old and I reckon that it will not pass another MOT. I definitely need one car as my 2 year old needs to be brought to her grandparents when we are at work. But I am toying with the idea of getting rid of the ancient one once it dies. I cycle to work most days, a 19 mile round trip but I am not sure I can handle it in the really bad winter weather or if I was ill. I was thinking of possibly getting a commuting motorbike as a backup. The roads around here are pretty safe and rural so I am not that bothered about muppets in cars. Also if I paid a grand or so for a Honda CG125 it would be very good on fuel, very cheap road tax, cheaper to maintain than a car as I would be doing less miles and would not have the rust issues that old cars do. The problem is buying decent gear for riding it, passing the CBT test and storing it. Still taking all this into account I would guess it is way cheaper than a car for occasional transport. For a vehicle that is going to be doing minimal miles I just cannot see a car competing with it, more so when you take the initial purchase of a half decent super-mini into account.

There's always the electric bike option... Assistance takes the sting out of tired legs, no tax, cheap to recharge, no additional helmet or safety gear... Yes, they aren't cheap to buy, (well not for a good one), but you'd be getting something new, not second hand.

Apologies for the following plug, (but I am posting from work!). Have a browse through Electric Bike Magazine free online, to see what the options are like these days.

An additional advantage is that on days when you feel strong you can do all the work going into work, but have some assistance on hand for the trip home.

 

[Cletus Van Damme]

There's always the electric bike option... Assistance takes the sting out of tired legs, no tax, cheap to recharge, no additional helmet or safety gear... Yes, they aren't cheap to buy, (well not for a good one), but you'd be getting something new, not second hand.

Apologies for the following plug, (but I am posting from work!). Have a browse through Electric Bike Magazine free online, to see what the options are like these days.

An additional advantage is that on days when you feel strong you can do all the work going into work, but have some assistance on hand for the trip home.

Cheers Arch will take a look at that, I never thought about that option