Subject: Carless
Posted by: jolana
Date: Oct 28 11
Can you live without a car? I can. I live in a busy town with a good net of public transport, my job is five minutes from my home and the shoppping centres are about 15 minutes from my home (I have a shopping bag on wheels). Some people consider me weird, because I don´t have a car, but in fact, I have never needed it. Well, once or twice in my life I needed a quick transport, so I called a taxi. I travel a lot, so I use buses, trains and planes. A friend of mine lived in the USA for some time and she told me that you can´t live there, because in some cities there no pavements for walking. Anyway I am still carless and careless. No expenses for petrol, no highway taxes...
Posted by: jolana
Date: Oct 28 11
Can you live without a car? I can. I live in a busy town with a good net of public transport, my job is five minutes from my home and the shoppping centres are about 15 minutes from my home (I have a shopping bag on wheels). Some people consider me weird, because I don´t have a car, but in fact, I have never needed it. Well, once or twice in my life I needed a quick transport, so I called a taxi. I travel a lot, so I use buses, trains and planes. A friend of mine lived in the USA for some time and she told me that you can´t live there, because in some cities there no pavements for walking. Anyway I am still carless and careless. No expenses for petrol, no highway taxes...
50 replies. On page 1 of 3 pages. 1 2 3
jolana 
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Oh, sorry for the mistakes I made! (blush) Reply #1. Oct 28 11, 6:20 PM |
george48
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I don't have a car,but i do belong to a car share company which gives me access to one when i need one without the resultant worries and expenses of owning one,and i own a good,reliable bike,so i'm good.I find the bus service not totally reliable,last year they went on strike IN THE WINTER. Bad Move on their part,they're still recovering their ridership. Reply #2. Oct 28 11, 7:47 PM |
postal315
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We have to have a car where I live. It is a rural area, not city. There are no buses, or trains, not many taxies either. We are too far from anything to get there by bicycle. My supermarket is 15 minutes by car. My doctors office about 45 minutes by car. We think nothing of driving an hour to work then an hour home again, that's normal. It might be possible in the city of Houston, Texas, but not for us. Reply #3. Oct 28 11, 7:56 PM |
daver852
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There must be something wrong with me, because I don't like driving. But it is almost impossible to live in the United States without an automobile. When I lived in Chicago, I didn't drive. It was possible to get around using public transportation, and the occasional taxi. But the same isn't true of where I live now, so I drive. But I prefer a plane or train for trips out of town. Reply #4. Oct 28 11, 8:23 PM |
| klinski_1987
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I love driving. I've always found it relaxing. A nice scenic ride into the country, or even a trip across town. It's a personal goal of mine to avoid the main roads, so even that can be interesting. Plus, my work is about 75% driving. I've had a car since 16, and can't imagine life without one. Reply #5. Oct 28 11, 9:15 PM |
turbotude
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Although I live in a city, the public transportation here leaves much to be desired. My car is a necessity, and I'm also used to being able to go where I want, when I want. Call me spoiled. Reply #6. Oct 29 11, 1:37 PM |
honeybee4
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I live in the country. I have to have a car and a truck. Reply #7. Oct 29 11, 2:24 PM |
| supersal1
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It would take me about an hour and twenty minutes to either take public transport or walk to my work, a journey that takes 10 minutes by car. All the decent supermarkets are pretty inaccessible via public transport and I'd hate to be at the mercy of the small supermarket in our village. Travelling nationally isn't a huge problem as we're only a few minutes' walk from the train station, but oh the cost! If I didn't have a car I'd also have to rely pretty heavily on taxis for my limited social life. The last train leaves Southend shortly after 10 pm. I couldn't take my dog to his training classes as that would involve a couple of hours travelling on various buses/trains for a journey that takes around 30 minutes by car. Visiting relatives at the weekend would be a gigantic pain as well, there's usually work going on on the railways which means a relief bus service. Again, the journey time on public transport would be three or four times that of the car journey and the cost for a family of four would be prohibitive. I could probably live without a car if there were more hours in the day. Reading this, I'm wondering why I paid a premium to live near a train station, but it was very handy when my husband was commuting to London to work. Reply #8. Oct 29 11, 4:18 PM |
| jolana
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Another mistake in my introduction. I wrote:" A friend of mine told that you can´t live in the USA." I meant: "without a car":) Btw, thanks for you responses, they are very interesting for me. Reply #9. Oct 29 11, 4:45 PM |
postcards2go
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Well, I have lived in the USA all my live. We didn't have a car when I was growing up, and I don't have a car now. I have never had a driver's license. It *can* be done in certain metropolitan areas that have good public transportation. The best thing is that I don't need to shovel out after a snow storm :-D Reply #10. Oct 29 11, 4:55 PM |
| postcards2go
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{Sorry -- 'all my *life*.' I can't spell.} Reply #11. Oct 29 11, 4:56 PM |
Cymruambyth
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I live on a pension, so I can't afford to own a car, pay for maintenance of the vehicle, repairs, insurance, and gasoline/oil. My solution - I rent a car every weekend, so that I can go grocery shopping, get to church (which is an hour away by bus - Sunday bus service being what it is - and a mere 20 minutes by car), and run other necessary errands. It costs me $36.09 for a three day weekend rental and it's more than worth it. If I have to go out anywhere during the week, I take the bus. Reply #12. Oct 29 11, 10:31 PM |
callie_ross
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Couldn't get by without a car where I live! Reply #13. Oct 30 11, 12:50 AM |
SisterSeagull
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Until March of this year I owned a car, one of my dream cars actually, a Subaru Impreza WRX - a lovely car but hellish expensive to run. Anyway, I changed my job and decided that I no longer needed to run it. I live 4 miles from work and walk to and from a minimum of 5 days a week. Forty miles a week minimum in all weathers and at all times of the day and night.... I love it!! I've not been as fit as this since I left the services, I've saved something like £350 a month (I said it was expensive!)and I get to see things in the early mornings that a lot of people miss. A few weeks ago, at 6 in the morning, I was walking along the coast road and as I looked across the bay toward Brixham there were a few dolphins playing together in the water - magical.. I can most certainly live without a car and, in fact, I would recommend it! Reply #14. Oct 30 11, 1:51 AM |
blindcat78
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At the age of 15 my mom was starting to teach me how to drive, but then we found out that I was going to go blind. I get around by asking family & friends to take me places as well as special transit provided by the public transportation system. Reply #15. Oct 30 11, 3:44 PM |
AlexxSchneider
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During term-time I don't have a car, but I don't like paying much for public transport, so I tend not to travel around much without a car. Where I live in term-time it's completely doable, though restrictive, but if I tried in my hometown (even though it's smaller than where I live in term-time!) I probably couldn't get by. Reply #16. Oct 31 11, 5:34 AM |
| Hineboxing
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I've lived without a car before, and can't say I liked it too much. Doing your grocery shopping when it's pouring down rain and you have to take public transportation is a real drag. Reply #17. Nov 07 11, 9:59 AM |
rayven80
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The public transportation in my city stinks so getting around without a car would be a massive inconvenience but it could be done. I also work nights and there's no way my family is going to let me walk to work at 1am. Reply #18. Nov 07 11, 10:08 AM |
satguru
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In London we have 16 years before we're allowed a moped to compare and another year before we can learn to drive a car. The rule is that there are buses and trains, and as long as you both a) want to go where they do and b) they arrive then it's fine. If either link is broken you either have to take a cab or wait for ages and walk. I can easily compare every single journey I make by both, and besides the direct bus and train ones (I live over a mile from a station and there's no public transport to the nearest one either) any requiring a change would take 30-60 minutes on average plus the walk to the nearest bus stop or 10-20 minutes by car. If then you want a compound trip, as I always do when taking photos and sometimes when having to shop in two areas as you can't get computer bits anywhere near the food shops for instance, you may as well give up the whole day without a car. Going to my mother or late grandparents from here, both four miles away, would be two buses, I have clients two miles away in a certain area who can't get a bus or train here as they don't go in this direction, and if you want to go to the fringes outside London where there are fields and country lanes there simply isn't any public transport. When I was about 15 my father took us on the motorway to a swimming pool in a hotel garden and left, it was full and found as he couldn't pick us up at the arranged time as we couldn't go in, there was no public transport as the hotel was on the edge of the motorway and small town adjoining, and had to stand at the junction and hitch a lift even though it was only six miles north of home. That is pretty much the London suburbs in a nutshell, and if you haven't got a car you either stick to the easy trips and never go to places beyond the edge without a main line station or two hour bus ride (they do stop every few minutes) or rather cadge lifts off friends who do have cars. I'd hardly go anywhere without my car, I walk under a mile and take my bike up to three miles anyway, but further than that forget it except a few direct bus links, and the prices are so high now (London has a flat fare so you pay for the full trip now even for one stop) I don't waste my money now. Reply #19. Nov 11 11, 10:27 PM |
Arpeggionist
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Never had a car or a license. Never figured I'd need one, but now I just got married, and my wife and I are trying to have children, and the one thing that scares me is the thought of not being able to drive her to the hospital when she goes into labor. Reply #20. Nov 23 11, 4:37 PM |
50 replies. On page 1 of 3 pages. 1 2 3
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