Life Without a Car, Can You Do It? Options

[TwilightStrikes2...]

Hello and a happy new year to all! Anyway, I am a community college student and have been driving for about three months now, to get myself to and from school. And then I gots to thinkin': is it really necessary for EVERYBODY to own a car? I mean, they really can pollute the environment, cost a lot to buy and even more to maintain (including gas).

Then I gots to thinkin' again: is it possible to live in the United States without a car, and leave them to industries for delivering/parce/transportation services? It is certainly possible to do such a thing in other countries, especially ones like in Nigeria and India. I experienced it first hand. But try to apply it to America, and you get frustration. So is it possible?

[amaro57]

I lived in America for 12 years with my family and we had gotten very dependent on our cars/mini-vans. When we moved here though, we couldn't import our old mini-van with us so had to stick with rental. Sometimes we'd have a car, usually we wouldn't. Though, this country is brimming with Taxi's so it isn't really that big of a deal. The problem comes when you need to take trips or make 2 rounds. So imagine America. It wouldn't be able to picture me going anywhere outside my neighborhood.

If you have any contacts that can give you lifts, it's really helpful. Otherwise, I do recommend a car, buy a Hybrid or low fuel consumption car if you care about the environment. Cause these days, life seems harder without them.

[Dytalus]

Meh, I just use public transport. Never needed a car, and I don't see myself ever needing one. Bus and train services in Ireland are much cheaper with a commuter ticket than having to pay for petrol, insurance and road tax. Living without a car would only be hard for me if I had a problem with walking. Which I don't. Score for me.

[Zeriab]

It definitely is possible. In some areas it's harder than in others.
I would for example not even want a car if I lived in New York. (Yeah, I am thinking in the midst of it)
I also think it fine living in San Francisco without a car. (As I remember it)

There are definitely areas where you pretty much need a car, where there for example are almost no pedestrian walkways.
It's hard to generalize since there are so many different areas.

*hugs*

[Pal88]

I need the car I have so I can get to work all the time and go visit my family on occassions.
I am from the U.K and alot of the motorways can get really busy so much that traffic grinds to a halt all the time.
As far as the pollution topic is concerned, there is alot of people that generally dont need cars but want one anyway, I only use my car if im travelling more then around 8miles plus, and not the sort of person that uses the car to go out and buy my ciggies from local shops as they are close enough to walk.

Whenever I can I will walk but without the car it would be impossible for me to do alot of the things I do.

[literarygoth]

I don't drive, and don't even have my license. I know how to drive, but I have no reason to. For most larger and even moderate size Canadian cities the public transit is adequate. Whether bus, taxi, train, carpool, walking or biking - I just don't need to drive. I enjoy the fact that it's more environmentally friendly but also, I have extremely light sensitive eyes, and as soon as anything bright - especially sunlight - gets in my eyes I go blind, so I figures it's best that I'm not driving

[Klokinator]

You all forget the great phenomenon known as a BIKE. Yes a bicycle can often be better/faster than walking or running, consume less money, and best of all it takes NO GAS! NO LICENSE! No yearly fees! I am glad I don't have a car, because Bikes rock. Oh, and most places have a taxi service you can at least call and have them come pick you up.

[Sparrowsmith]

I walk/get the bus everywhere I got, unless I'm too far away then I get a taxi.

Frankly walking is just the done thing to do. Running, even, if you have the capacity for it. I can run a bus route quicker than a bus (some of the time) and it's great for exercise.

However, as soon as I have a car/insurance/license I will be driving. Simply for style I guess.

But yes, you can live without a car... But why would you want to

[TwilightStrikes2...]

These are all great posts, like the ones I saw when looking up similar articles. For me, it'd be great to live without a car since I would have way much more money than usual if I was spending it on car insurance, liscenes, gas, repairs, etc. I would finally be able to own all 3 consoles without feeling guilty !

It lso be great when the gas prices spike but I wouldn't usually care since I didn't care. I thought it would be fun driving a car, like it was a everyday rollercoaster, but it's actually scary! And meh.

So how does everyone shop for groceries without a car? How about work or when you're job searching? I don't know about that when the nearest complex iss about 10 miles away. P'd like to see someone grocery shop with a bike.

[Sparrowsmith]

order groceries online
Job search online
Never leave the house again

[Kread-EX]

I don't have a car nor a license. When I was living in Paris, a car was completely useless - it was much faster to take the subway.
Now, I live in a small town in the countryside, and I still don't need one. My company is a ten minute walk from my house and the stores are scattered pretty much everywhere.

Although people who live in the villages nearby certainly need a car, because they're too far to walk or ride a bike and there's no railway between them; only bus and not that much.

[TwilightStrikes2...]

That's all neat and dandy, but I know of places that have grocery stores but don't have an online service to deliver them to people's homes. So what is one to do then?

[theBreadSultan]

You all forget the great phenomenon known as a BIKE. Yes a bicycle can often be better/faster than walking or running, consume less money, and best of all it takes NO GAS! NO LICENSE! No yearly fees! I am glad I don't have a car, because Bikes rock. Oh, and most places have a taxi service you can at least call and have them come pick you up.

Yea 2 Wheels Good all the way.
I move through this city o' mine like a knife through butter on my single speed Langster.
It bitches the fuck out of any means of transport hands down (your sisters pants).
It's faster than a car, motorbike and even the tube.
I move from one end of London to the other in minutes.
the best thing is that for me they are not Traffic laws, more guidlines.

in a car a red light means stop - on a bike it just means give way.

[Dytalus]

the best thing is that for me they are not Traffic laws, more guidlines.

in a car a red light means stop - on a bike it just means give way.

I wish I could say the same about Ireland. Biking in Ireland is damn near an extreme sport. You share your bike lanes with buses and the drivers always underestimate how much space you need, so you get a solid thump over the back of the head with their wing mirrors. Also, bikes are expected to follow the rules of the road just as much as cars are. Stop at red lights, give way to pedestrians at zebra crossings... I'd much rather public transport and then walking.

Now if I was somewhere like Amsterdam. That city is perfect for cycling in.

[Homunculus]

I get along perfectly fine without a car I never owned a car of my own, but when I was living with my mom and she had a car (She got rid of it a while back) I'll admit I depended on it to a certain extent, but after moving out on my own I get by perfectly fine. The only way it's inconvenient at all is to get to and from work cause I live quite a distance from it. But lucky for me I live in a pretty small city and I live downtown so I'm at maximum an hour walk away from everything (Which doesn't phase me cause I love walking). Even for work, I have public transportation that I can rely on for the most part. Cars really aren't that necessary.

[orcywoo6]

I can live without a car because I have a motorbike.