Has anyone considered creating a "how-to handbook" for carfree living in your Ohio city? Here are a few that I recently discovered:

 

San Diego

http://sdcarfree.com/

 

Santa Barbara

http://www.santabarbaracarfree.org/

 

 

 

This is a great idea! Thanks for posting.

Has anyone considered creating a "how-to handbook" for carfree living in your Ohio city?  Here are a few that I recently discovered:

San Diego

http://sdcarfree.com/

Santa Barbara

http://www.santabarbaracarfree.org/

 

There was a book created for cleveland a few years ago:

 

Some of the information is dated, but it is a good overview and available online here:

http://www.ecocitycleveland.org/transportation/carfree/carfree.html

 

Yes, I helped write one for Cleveland. It was published in 2001 but not updated since.

 

Last year I helped a guy from near Baltimore research a car-free guide book which provides an overview for all major U.S. cities.

I sold my car on Saturday.

 

I re-upped with City Wheels, and I'm going to give car-free living a serious try. The only reasons I need a car are very occasional trips for work (I try to cover things in the city anyway) and visits to my folks in Mentor. Hopefully my brother will cart me along to some of those — he lives in Lakewood.

 

None of the nervousness of my initial one-month experiment is back. That is probably, in part, due to knowing a lot more about public transit and being a regular user of it for two years. Some of it probably has to do with City Wheels' advantage of not having a gap in car insurance, so I can try this as long as I want without real penalty.

 

WOO! I'm pumped!

Congrats, it's a great decision - different, but great. 

Congrats, it's a great decision - different, but great. 

 

Congrats and welcome to the Club.  I got rid of my car in January.  Now I just bum rides everywhere.  You're going to love being a passenger.

I always hated driving anyway. It's stressful and expensive.

AMN, we have the same occasional needs for a car:  visiting the parents in Mentor.  I've been carless for a year now.  A challenge at times, but after the first few months you don't really think about it.

FYI, there's plenty to see in Cleveland without a car.  I took all these around Cleveland without a car.

 

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,16598.0.html

 

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,16602.0.html

 

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,16603.0.html

 

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,16604.0.html

 

 

I also did a photo spread last year called Cleveland Rail Tour which had three parts to it.

 

Congrats AMN on disCARding the car!

 

MTS, bumming rides from others isn't exactly what I would call being in the spirit of car-free.

I also did a photo spread last year called Cleveland Rail Tour which had three parts to it.

 

Congrats AMN on disCARding the car!

 

MTS, bumming rides from others isn't exactly what I would call being in the spirit of car-free.

Let me explain.  If I'm at my Grandparents and my cousins comes by.  If he's driving, I'll bum a ride with him, since we live in the same building.

 

 

I also did a photo spread last year called Cleveland Rail Tour which had three parts to it.

 

Congrats AMN on disCARding the car!

 

MTS, bumming rides from others isn't exactly what I would call being in the spirit of car-free.

 

Haha, your thread was actually my inspiration for coming.  Once I found out that the Red Line went to the airport I was sold.  I have to say, too, that you did a great job framing your photos for the Stokes/Windmere Station.  It looked so beautiful in your photos, but when I got there in real life the "Coffee Shop" was a tad bit disappointing. ;)

 

All of my Cleveland photo tours have been done without a car (well, minus driving from Mansfield to a Park-Ride).

 

My Trip to Cleveland

 

Around Cleveland

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

 

Cleveland

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

 

One Night In Cleveland

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

A New York Times article this week described efforts in Vauban, Germany, a suburb of Freiburg, to go “car free.” The story mentioned attempts in some American communities to achieve something similar. While walkable communities have become common all over the United States in the last 15 years, going car-free is another challenge altogether. Is this a realistic goal in a car culture like ours? We asked some urban planners, developers and other experts to comment.

 

    * Witold Rybczynski, professor of urbanism

    * D.J. Waldie, author of “Holy Land”

    * Dolores Hayden, professor of architecture

    * Christopher B. Leinberger, real estate developer and author

    * Alex Marshall, transportation columnist, Governing magazine

    * J.H. Crawford, author of “Carfree Cities”

    * Marc Schlossberg, professor of public policy

 

 

 

See the link for the rest of the opinion piece:

 

http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/12/carless-in-america/

 

In German Suburb, Life Goes On Without Cars

Elisabeth Rosenthal, New York Times

VAUBAN, Germany — Residents of this upscale community are suburban pioneers, going where few soccer moms or commuting executives have ever gone before: they have given up their cars.

 

Street parking, driveways and home garages are generally forbidden in this experimental new district on the outskirts of Freiburg, near the French and Swiss borders. Vauban’s streets are completely “car-free” — except the main thoroughfare, where the tram to downtown Freiburg runs, and a few streets on one edge of the community. Car ownership is allowed, but there are only two places to park — large garages at the edge of the development, where a car-owner buys a space, for $40,000, along with a home.

 

As a result, 70 percent of Vauban’s families do not own cars, and 57 percent sold a car to move here. “When I had a car I was always tense. I’m much happier this way,” said Heidrun Walter, a media trainer and mother of two, as she walked verdant streets where the swish of bicycles and the chatter of wandering children drown out the occasional distant motor....

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/12/science/earth/12suburb.html?_r=2

Has anyone ever ridden their bike on Lakeshore blvd from Wickliffe up to Mentor? (7 miles or so.)

 

If so: What is traffic like?

 

Is it accommodating to cyclists?

 

Is it flat or hilly?

 

Is it incredibly windy?

 

 

 

I'm thinking about putting my bike on the front of a 39 and taking it to Shoregate (the terminus) and pedaling the rest of the way.

 

This is ambitious because:

1. I have never put my bike on the front of a bus.

2. The most I've ever ridden in a day is 20 miles, so this would put me close to that number. (I'm not an avid cyclist.)

3. While I now feel comfortable riding on downtown streets and most major streets in Cleveland, riding out in Lake County could be a different sort of adventure. I don't know how accustomed they are to cyclists on the road out there. I don't remember many from my time living out there. And the ones I do were on the freaking sidewalks.

 

Any input would be helpful.

I think both your questions and this reply probably should go in the travel section rather than transportation.

 

Has anyone ever ridden their bike on Lakeshore blvd from Wickliffe up to Mentor? (7 miles or so.)

No, but I've jogged a lot of that route.

 

If so: What is traffic like?

On a Saturday morning, pretty light for the most part. You'll probably only notice the traffic at a handful of intersections (Vine St, SOM Center, etc.)

 

Is it accommodating to cyclists?

I guess that depends on your perspective. If you're used to riding on the streets in Cleveland, you should be fine. There is a bike lane for parts of the route. (I think just Willoughby and Mentor)

 

Is it flat or hilly?

Mostly flat, the only hill you'll really notice is around the valley where the Chagrin river cuts through Eastlake.

 

Is it incredibly windy?

It tends to be very breezy along this part of the lakeshore, but unless the local weather is forecasting high winds, you should be ok.

 

3. While I now feel comfortable riding on downtown streets and most major streets in Cleveland, riding out in Lake County could be a different sort of adventure. I don't know how accustomed they are to cyclists on the road out there. I don't remember many from my time living out there. And the ones I do were on the freaking sidewalks.

Bikes aren't that unusual a site in Lake County, (I live about half a mile from Shoregate) but it's never a bad idea to be extra careful about ignorant drivers. I'd stay on the sidewalk for the first half mile or so, till Vine Street, but beyond that the road drops down to 2 lanes and speed limit goes down so you'll feel a lot safer. (To be honest, I'm not positive if the speed limit goes down there, or I just drive slower.) I don't remember for sure, but I think the bike lane ends and traffic speed picks up once you get a little ways into Mentor, so be careful there too.

Thank you for the response. Mods, feel free to move this little string if it is more appropriate in travel, which it probably is.

 

I feel pretty confident about this. I am going to do a few longer rides this week and then try it out this weekend. I'll just take it slow.

 

Lakeshore gets busy again after 306. I don't think it's too bad right before then. (Thankfully I'll be turning down 306.)

This trip doesn't sound like vacation-type travel. It should probably stay here, or at most be moved to the bicycling thread.

I went on a 12-mile test ride yesterday, and I have to say the bicycle may act as a serious solution to many of my whines about RTA service. At least for 9 months out of the year.

 

I've been doing a lot of running and while it's not the same muscles being worked, it sure has helped stamina since last time I rode. It's really not all THAT hard to get into bicycling shape, considering I'm still not in the ballpark of what anyone would call fit.

And KJP: You wouldn't consider Mentor a vacation?!

 

OK, maybe you're right. Mentor on the Lake. Now THAT'S a vacation.  :wink:

I went on a 12-mile test ride yesterday, and I have to say the bicycle may act as a serious solution to many of my whines about RTA service. At least for 9 months out of the year.

 

I've been doing a lot of running and while it's not the same muscles being worked, it sure has helped stamina since last time I rode. It's really not all THAT hard to get into bicycling shape, considering I'm still not in the ballpark of what anyone would call fit.

 

...and those last three months aren't so bad.  I always tell people that Winter is the best time not to own a car.  Instead of worrying about shoveling a car out or moving it during snow emergencies, all you have to do is walk out to a bus stop.  ;)

I went on a 12-mile test ride yesterday, and I have to say the bicycle may act as a serious solution to many of my whines about RTA service. At least for 9 months out of the year.

 

I've been doing a lot of running and while it's not the same muscles being worked, it sure has helped stamina since last time I rode. It's really not all THAT hard to get into bicycling shape, considering I'm still not in the ballpark of what anyone would call fit.

 

...and those last three months aren't so bad.  I always tell people that Winter is the best time not to own a car.  Instead of worrying about shoveling a car out or moving it during snow emergencies, all you have to do is walk out to a bus stop.  ;)

I couldn't agree more.  There are many mornings I've witnessed an individual digging out their car, while I simply skip to the train station to hop on my arriving chariot!

If you can believe it, I've actually been given a hard time during heavy snowstorms that I have a nine block walk home from work.  When I point out it only takes me an additional five minutes to power through the snowy sidewalks and it will most likely take them at least a couple of additional hours on the road the smile tends to slide off their face.  Makes you wonder if they really have any concept of the time/cost of their commute.

I agree: Winter is an awesome time to be car-free.

 

Maybe not an awesome time to be biking from Shoregate to Mentor.

 

Then again, so long as enough time has passed since the last snowfall to allow the roads to be cleared, it probably isn't all that bad. I know it's doable because I've seen it. The real question: Is it doable for ME? :)

Winter can be nice without a car, but when your neighbors don't bother to shovel their sidewalks and you live half a mile from the bus stop it can get a little old.

 

Thinking of freedom from the auto, I've been keeping track and since the first of June, I've driven a grand total of 110 miles. Not too bad considering 90 of that was one round trip to my Mom's. (I do need to visit more often.) Unless a Cleveland-Pittsburg train gets built, (and has a schedule & price that works for me) or I can convince my mom and my in-laws to move closer, I'll probably never be able to go car-free, but car-lite works well too. Mrs. Grumpy and I have been sharing a car since 2000.

Winter can be nice without a car, but when your neighbors don't bother to shovel their sidewalks and you live half a mile from the bus stop it can get a little old.

 

Thinking of freedom from the auto, I've been keeping track and since the first of June, I've driven a grand total of 110 miles. Not too bad considering 90 of that was one round trip to my Mom's. (I do need to visit more often.) Unless a Cleveland-Pittsburg train gets built, (and has a schedule & price that works for me) or I can convince my mom and my in-laws to move closer, I'll probably never be able to go car-free, but car-lite works well too. Mrs. Grumpy and I have been sharing a car since 2000.

 

I gave up my car in January.  I haven't driven a mile all year!

Winter can be nice without a car, but when your neighbors don't bother to shovel their sidewalks and you live half a mile from the bus stop it can get a little old.

 

Thinking of freedom from the auto, I've been keeping track and since the first of June, I've driven a grand total of 110 miles. Not too bad considering 90 of that was one round trip to my Mom's. (I do need to visit more often.) Unless a Cleveland-Pittsburg train gets built, (and has a schedule & price that works for me) or I can convince my mom and my in-laws to move closer, I'll probably never be able to go car-free, but car-lite works well too. Mrs. Grumpy and I have been sharing a car since 2000.

 

You know they do rent cars. Do the math. I bet you'd save more money renting cars than paying for insurance/maintenance/plates for a year on that car.

And KJP: You wouldn't consider Mentor a vacation?!

 

OK, maybe you're right. Mentor on the Lake. Now THAT'S a vacation. :wink:

 

Nah. Geneva on the Lake -- that is a vacation (from the 21st century) my friend.

Winter can be nice without a car, but when your neighbors don't bother to shovel their sidewalks and you live half a mile from the bus stop it can get a little old.

 

Thinking of freedom from the auto, I've been keeping track and since the first of June, I've driven a grand total of 110 miles. Not too bad considering 90 of that was one round trip to my Mom's. (I do need to visit more often.) Unless a Cleveland-Pittsburg train gets built, (and has a schedule & price that works for me) or I can convince my mom and my in-laws to move closer, I'll probably never be able to go car-free, but car-lite works well too. Mrs. Grumpy and I have been sharing a car since 2000.

 

You know they do rent cars. Do the math. I bet you'd save more money renting cars than paying for insurance/maintenance/plates for a year on that car.

No, my wife uses the car a couple times a week, so it wouldn't be a good deal to get rid of it. Insurance isn't that much since we both have good driving records, maintenance isn't too bad with so few miles going on it, the sucker's been paid off for a couple years now, and plates aren't that much. Plus its a pain in the butt to put car seats for the munchkins into a rental car. Sharing a car is probably the closest I'll get in the foreseeable future to car-free.

Fresh back from Europe, I'm doing the completely car-free thing. I was car-free for my first four years in Cleveland, then had two where I drove EVERYWHERE, and now after a refresher course in Berlin, I'm back to the good life. I'm really enjoying how much money it's saving me, and it's been amazing how much more cycling I'm doing as a result ... and amazing how riding a bike or walking changes the urban landscape ... just have an opportunity to observe so much more and feel more immersed in it.

 

It's totally doable in Cleveland, but my big difficulty is selecting an apartment, which is turning into a WHOLE LOTTA headache. Finding something with a really short commute to work and a really short walk to a grocery store is surprisingly difficult, and neighborhoods where I'd really like to live (a warehouse space in St. Clair Superior or Midtown or something in Detroit Shoreway and Tremont) raise large red flags about functionality of the plan come February. Ugh. I just want a perfect inexpensive, hippie/hipster, yuppie-free, mixed-use, retail-laden, TOD, loft-neighborhood ... is that so much to ask? :)

Fresh back from Europe, I'm doing the completely car-free thing. I was car-free for my first four years in Cleveland, then had two where I drove EVERYWHERE, and now after a refresher course in Berlin, I'm back to the good life. I'm really enjoying how much money it's saving me, and it's been amazing how much more cycling I'm doing as a result ... and amazing how riding a bike or walking changes the urban landscape ... just have an opportunity to observe so much more and feel more immersed in it.

 

It's totally doable in Cleveland, but my big difficulty is selecting an apartment, which is turning into a WHOLE LOTTA headache. Finding something with a really short commute to work and a really short walk to a grocery store is surprisingly difficult, and neighborhoods where I'd really like to live (a warehouse space in St. Clair Superior or Midtown or something in Detroit Shoreway and Tremont) raise large red flags about functionality of the plan come February. Ugh. I just want a perfect inexpensive, hippie/hipster, yuppie-free, mixed-use, retail-laden, TOD, loft-neighborhood ... is that so much to ask? :)

 

You know what I think you should do?  ;)  ;)  ;) ROFLMAO

Fresh back from Europe, I'm doing the completely car-free thing. I was car-free for my first four years in Cleveland, then had two where I drove EVERYWHERE, and now after a refresher course in Berlin, I'm back to the good life. I'm really enjoying how much money it's saving me, and it's been amazing how much more cycling I'm doing as a result ... and amazing how riding a bike or walking changes the urban landscape ... just have an opportunity to observe so much more and feel more immersed in it.

 

It's totally doable in Cleveland, but my big difficulty is selecting an apartment, which is turning into a WHOLE LOTTA headache. Finding something with a really short commute to work and a really short walk to a grocery store is surprisingly difficult, and neighborhoods where I'd really like to live (a warehouse space in St. Clair Superior or Midtown or something in Detroit Shoreway and Tremont) raise large red flags about functionality of the plan come February. Ugh. I just want a perfect inexpensive, hippie/hipster, yuppie-free, mixed-use, retail-laden, TOD, loft-neighborhood ... is that so much to ask? :)

 

 

You know there's a strip mall on the East side of town that kinda matches that description.  ;)

Fresh back from Europe, I'm doing the completely car-free thing. I was car-free for my first four years in Cleveland, then had two where I drove EVERYWHERE, and now after a refresher course in Berlin, I'm back to the good life. I'm really enjoying how much money it's saving me, and it's been amazing how much more cycling I'm doing as a result ... and amazing how riding a bike or walking changes the urban landscape ... just have an opportunity to observe so much more and feel more immersed in it.

 

It's totally doable in Cleveland, but my big difficulty is selecting an apartment, which is turning into a WHOLE LOTTA headache. Finding something with a really short commute to work and a really short walk to a grocery store is surprisingly difficult, and neighborhoods where I'd really like to live (a warehouse space in St. Clair Superior or Midtown or something in Detroit Shoreway and Tremont) raise large red flags about functionality of the plan come February. Ugh. I just want a perfect inexpensive, hippie/hipster, yuppie-free, mixed-use, retail-laden, TOD, loft-neighborhood ... is that so much to ask? :)

 

 

You know there's a strip mall on the East side of town that kinda matches that description.  ;)

 

He doesn't want to live in Solon, Aurora, Twinsburg, Wadsworth, Bedford/Bed. Hts., Garfield Hts. or Maple Heights....or one of those place.  ;) ;) >:D >:D >:D >:D

Auto-ban: German town goes car-free

 

Vauban hopes to forge a model community without that great staple of modern life – the car. Now the sound of birdsong has replaced the roar of traffic and children can play in the street

 

By Tony Paterson

 

Friday, 26 June 2009

In the German town of Vauban the cyclist is king...

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/autoban-german-town-goes-carfree-1720021.html

 

DANIEL SCHOENEN

 

In the German town of Vauban the cyclist is king

 

 

The Germans may have given the world the Audi and the autobahn, but they have banished everything with four wheels and an engine from the streets of Vauban – a model brave new world of a community in the country's south-west, next to the borders with Switzerland and France...

 

 

Wikipedia list of Car-Free Places:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_carfree_places

I've taken to a "semi-car free" lifestyle myself. I only use my car on Saturday. I've also stopped using the highways unless I have a trip outside the I-275 loop.... can't stand the highways.

 

I take the bus or walk everywhere else.

I just want a perfect inexpensive, hippie/hipster, yuppie-free, mixed-use, retail-laden, TOD, loft-neighborhood ... is that so much to ask? :)

 

No. And you can find those amenities along Detroit Avenue just east or west of West 117th Street. There are two restaurants, two drug stores and the 26 bus line -- all operating 24 hours a day. There's all different types of housing including loft condos, apartments, duplexes and single family homes, plus restaurants, bars, coffee shops, three grocery stores on West 117th Street (Bi-Rite, Aldi's, Giant Eagle). There's a Target, Staples, Home Depot -- a short bike ride or bus trip away. And there's a fashion/design college (Virginia Marti) right there, so you're guaranteed some creative minds will be nearby.

The writer...ironically.... is the automotive industry reporter for the Wall Street Journal.  A very good read:

 

EYES ON THE ROAD OCTOBER 28, 2009

Dude, Where's My Car?

What Trading the Suburbs for City Life Is Really Like

By JOSEPH B. WHITE

 

I love cars, and I love to drive. Other people dread commuting. My daily drive to work was precious "me" time, when I cranked up my guilty-pleasure music or collected my wits.

 

Now, for the first time in 30 years, my sanctuary is gone. I don't have my own car anymore, and I don't drive to work.

 

I am now a city dweller, a resident of the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Southeast Washington, D.C. I ride to work on the Metro.

 

 

More at:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704222704574499251811024862.html

 

Write to Joseph B. White at [email protected]

 

 

Hi 

 

Can these "car free" threads be merged?

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,13901.0.html

Don't miss the comment tab on that article.

Still gonna be car-free come winter again. It really does reshape your POV of the city. I no longer have to worry about parking tickets,  circling around for parking Downtown, carrying change, paying for gas, etc. I have a 15 minute commute by bike and everything else is within a 5 minute ride, which is the reason I ditched it since I was barely using it. For more distant locales I can always stick my bike on COTA and ride around my destination. I now find myself scratching my head at all the bumper to bumper cars in places like Victorian and Italian Village. Unless you have a distant workplace that isn't served well by COTA, it just doesn't make sense to own a car in (old) Columbus.

A year without getting into a car

Meredith May, Chronicle Staff Writer

Saturday, January 2, 2010

 

Maybe it was the eve of a new year. Maybe it was the Champagne. Maybe it was simply the right time.

 

Whatever it was, Adam Greenfield of San Francisco made a resolution at a party on Dec. 31, 2008: He would not drive, or ride, in an automobile for all of 2009.

 

This futuristic experiment fit in with Greenfield's lifestyle. A 29-year-old single guy who makes community films for City Hall, he was already commuting from the Inner Sunset mainly by bicycle. And he already believed that we're approaching a time in which oil will be so scarce, or expensive, that few of us will be able to power our cars or have access to foods grown from afar.

 

"I wanted to step out of the car world and downscale my life," he said. "I think this is going to be the theme of the 21st century - we are going to be forced to make do with less."

 

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2010/01/02/MN1V1BAICJ.DTL#ixzz0bIlzFPRt

Call Yourself "Green"? Then Stop Driving!

Posted by: Michael Dudley

6 May 2010 - 6:00am

 

In the wake of the Gulf of Mexico oil catastrophe, Geography professor Jason Henderson calls out "green" liberals who insist on driving.

 

Henderson points out that talk of so-called "green cars" is merely a distraction: The disaster unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico is just the latest warning that our automobile system must be wound down and replaced. He is particularly critical of progressives who call themselves environmentalists yet continue to drive:

 

"Any progressive-leftist-liberal - "green" -environmentalist cannot, with a clear conscience, drive his or her children to school and expect those children to find a planet they'll thrive on. He or she cannot smugly shrug that the transit system does not go where he or she wants to go, or that the distances are too far to ride a bicycle. Any able-bodied progressive who regularly exclaims 'But I need to drive!' is in need of some deep reflection on his or her values and especially the idea of a green car.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.alternet.org/environment/146694/want_to_prevent_oil_spill_disasters_stop_driving?page=entire

I liked this comment on the above article (no surprise):

 

"I think what gets myself and some other posters here is that the author didn't say "drive less". He said a true progressive doesn't drive at all. Period. And that is lifestyle fascism. I think he did make some great points overall, but his smug tone about how to live one's life just angered me. I doubt if he has children and if he does and has a spouse/partner to help with their care, do they both work? My wife and I both work, and our child is in daycare. The closest one that we felt comfortable with is 10 miles away. There is no train or bus that goes by it (we live in the Philly burbs, by the way). When it rains, am I supposed to put my infant son on the bike and ride up to the daycare on wet roads with scores of traffic screaming by? My wife and I work in different locations, and for either one of us to switch jobs would be difficult, not to mention hard on us financially. If our child has an accident and needs to be rushed to the doctor, are we supposed to put him on the bicycle? Etc. Etc. And what if I was a contractor, am I supposed to give up my work truck and carry all my tools by bike? What if I lived in a rural area? The point is, everybody's situation is different, and to pass a blanket judgment over everyone's lifestyle is exactly the kind of arrogance that makes people hate the left. Our suburbs were built for cars first, people second. The order of priority has to change, and communities need to be restructured to allow for that change. But it won't happen overnight, and it certainly won't be helped by smug west coast progressives passing judgment on anyone who owns a car. That we need to drive less is absolutely critical. I hope that one day we do get to a point where driving is virtually unheard. But it is virtually impossible for most of us to stop driving completely, and it would be more productive for people like the writer to less judgmental and more constructive."

 

I totally agree.  XUMelanie and I have done all we can to drastically reduce our driving (including going down to one car), but we have family and friends all over the city that we don't want to dump because of lack of public transportation in Cincinnati.  Heaven forbid we visit our sick mother in the suburbs.

Rockandroller: AGREED. There are so many smug and outright arrogant individuals that have tried and will continue to try to impose their beliefs upon others, that living a car free lifestyle is the only way to go in order to be "green" and to "save the planet." Or reduce CO2 emissions, or stop global warming, or whatever the popular term is now.

 

But, you know something, I tried living car free for a brief period. And it sucked. For reasons that are too lengthy for me to go into right now, I found that going car-free had many more disadvantages -- economic and social, that I rarely take public transport sans the more major metropolitan areas where economic conditions deem it unfeasible.

 

People who drive take transit for two reasons: It is either cheaper, or it is faster. Not because they want to save the earth.

 

People take transit for two reasons: It is either cheaper, or it is faster. Not because they want to save the earth.

 

So we can put you down as a 3C train NO vote?  :evil:

I've clarified my comment above, and referring to people that have autos.

There are so many smug and outright arrogant individuals that have tried and will continue to try to impose their beliefs upon others

 

 

There have been those people for a long time -- when corporate America and their governmental puppets took away your transportation choices decades ago. So now you have to devote 20-30 percent of your household income to transportation.

 

Maybe someday I'll live in a free country.