Going Car-less: The Slow Start Method

First of all, before you go even one moment further in your life you have GOT to look at Forest Peri’s cooler than cool Youtube entry on Non-Motorized Transport. Forest is Andy Peri’s teenage son and this thing is bright and fun and if the kid starts a church we should all join it. It is that good!

Watch it here.

Now that you’ve gotten some encouragement, I want to say that going absolutely, positively carless is best done as a gradual, progressive process. I went cold turkey of course, but that route is not for everyone and, frankly, this has been a hard week for me to be “pure.” A friend left their car for me while they’re away and it’s sitting in my driveway for “emergecies.” What a temptation!

Car driving is a habit, let’s look at some productive stages to leaving the habit behind:

1)     Get the facts about what your driving is actually doing. It may interest you to know that the average American household takes a whopping 13 car trips a day. Which adds up to millions of tons of polluting carbon a year. As well, people in suburbs, like Marin County, are more likely to be killed or injured in traffic accidents than city dwellers. (Rise of Sprawl & Decline of American Dream, Duany, Plater-Zyberk & Speck)

At the same time, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics study on Consumer Expenditures, the average American vehicle costs $8,000 a year to own and operate. Couldn't we all do something more kind-hearted with that money?

Car driving is costly, it’s horribly polluting and it’s dangerous.

With those facts beneath our belt, let’s look at ways to slow down the car craving.

2)        Start by getting into a car only once a day -- your car, someone else’s car, whatever.  Cut it down to only once a day. We all are making a lot of unnecessary car trips simply because we’re not thinking about it. If you’re going to take a little person to school, can't you go to the grocery store and the post office on the same outing?

3)        Progress to going carless one day a week. Sunday night, sit down with all concerned and map out the week. Which day is best for staying out of your car? My teenagers used to get a bit of a kick out of this challenge. My son, Max elected to ride his bike from Fairfax to his high school in Mill Valley one day a week for a while. That’s one method. My daughter walked and took the bus. I found as an adult with a job in far off Oakland, I could persuade my boss that I could work from home one day a week. Bingo! One huge trip saved. Walking, riding a bike, busing it, staying home are all ways to cut out car travel at least one day a week and reduce your carbon footprint.

4)        Get familiar with transit routes at easy times of the day. We all know that transit mid-day and at night is not what it should be. So, if you want to get successfully, swiftly and easily to and fro, commuter times are best. Click on Golden Gate schedules, plug in the info and go!

5)        Get a Clipper bus pass at the Clipper website.  Most trips around Marin cost $2 or so.  With the Clipper card you don’t have to go searching for change when you want to take a bus. You just hop on the bus, swipe the card and go. When you leave the bus, make sure you swipe the card again or you get charged the highest fare for that route.

5)        Fix your bike. Any kid on your street can help you. It usually only takes some WD 40 and a bike pump to get your old friend moving again. Don’t have a bike? Watch for garage sales in your area. You can pick something pretty decent up for $40.

6)        Wear good walking shoes. You’re gonna be walking a lot more so be sure your shoes are up to it. If you don't have something to support your feet, you will need to make a bit of an investment. Get ready to spend about $150 for something that will take you anywhere in style and still support your feet. It’s way worth it. Look into the Dansko store on Fourth Street in San Rafael. They understand.

7)        Get your five-second speech ready for all your friends and neighbors.  A lot of people will wonder at you standing at the bus stop or loading groceries into your bike basket.  Some will feel sorry for you. Get used to them saying in a worried way, “What’s wrong with your car ?” I find that the simple phrase “I’m going carless” often works. Or “I’m trying to reduce my carbon footprint.” But most car-less folk I know answer even more simply than that: 

“I don’t drive.”