Car Free And Loving it

[phantom power]

One thing I don't think most urban policymakers have ever really come to terms with is the fact that appealing modern cities and cars really are enemies. I don't mean that cities need to be entirely car free, of course. Don't worry, the cars we will always have with us. But the population density needed to support good urban living isn't supportable if every person comes with a car attached to them. It just doesn't work. People need more mobility than walking allows, which is why a comprehensive mass transit system and an affordable car sharing program are necessary, but one-car-per-driving-age-person and pleasant walkable communities just cannot go together.

I'm specifically talking about urban living. Enjoy your suburban and rural communities if that's what you like!

http://www.eschatonblog.com/2010/01/car-free-and-loving-it.html

[kristopher]

1. K&R

[The2ndWheel]

2. Want more mobility

People want more mobility than walking allows.

[tinrobot]

3. Tell that to people who live in Manhattan or San Francisco

When I lived in San Francisco, cars were burdens. This is why they invented ZipCars.

[kristopher]

12. I spent 8 years without a car in Tokyo.

I sometimes cursed the trains at crush hour, but by and large it was one aspect of urban living that I thought was wonderful. If we needed a car (maybe once a year for vacations) we just rented one.

[hunter]

9. I've always found that a car gives me less mobility...

There's a whole world of places people rarely go because they can't drive there.

On foot or by bicycle you'll experience a world you never knew existed, even within your own city.

I loathe cars. They are smelly, they are dangerous, they are expensive, they are destructive, and they disconnect us from the realities of our world and our society.

[marginlized]

4. Check Out Bike Forums

Bike Forum's "living car free" forum:

http://www.bikeforums.net/forumdisplay.php?226-Living-Car-Free

[pscot]

5. I'm car free too

My daughter has my pickup and I csn't seem to get it back from her.

[madokie]

6. I'm not car free but I can see where you're coming from

Didn't GM help to dismantle the intercity trolley systems so they could sell more vehicles and buses?

[phantom power]

8. I myself am not car-free...

I'm just interested in topics pertaining to walkable neighborhoods, new-urbanism, etc. I like the idea of reorganizing our civilization so that more people can use fewer cars. Or use them less frequently.

I have heard that GM influenced the decline of trollies, passenger and freight trains. I don't know if it's true but it's the sort of thing that I find easy to believe might have happened.

[eppur_se_muova]

10. Yep. Search for the documentary "Taken for a ride". nt

[silverweb]

7. Car free for 3 years now.

I live in a city with good (not great) public transit and it's quite sufficient for basic getting-around needs.

Every 2-3 months, I rent a car for a day or two to do things that would be inconvenient or difficult without it. All it takes is a little advance planning and I'm completely happy with the arrangement.

This is only really feasible for people who have the advantage of a commute that's convenient by public transit or who work at home, like I do, but I love not having to have a car.

[avec]

11. carpool

Car pooling could help limit the cars on the road. Or a family
should schedule their itinerary for the day so that they can
just use one car instead of driving one each.