k_X_car_dependency

Hi LS,

We discussed this topic repeatedly over the years because car ownership is a big headache for me. Today I want to revisit it in the livelihood context.

Fact: In 2009 and 2018 I have twice earned my driving license, each time spending $1000 – $3000 on practice lessons.
Fact: in 2017-2018 I also drove Zipcar about 30-60 times, for the sole purpose of self practice for self-reliance.
Fun Fact: When a batch of my Indian colleagues moved from NY to Salt Lake City, they decided to take up driving, implying that these immigrants had not learned to drive for all those prior years! I heard this story in a sharing session. I think some of those speakers have a spouse who was a driver. Indian immigrants mostly settle in NJ, not known as a car-lite location.

Q: Given how much I dislike/hate driving, why did I “invest” so much time and money?
A: future livelihood needs, just for the family (not for myself … since I can cope well without a car).

Q: What are the alternative arrangements for the sake of family livelihood?

• XX) public transport, for long distance
• YY) bicycle and walk, for short distance
• ZZ) Uber and occasional car rental. For the sake of livelihood, this has to be occasional, otherwise too costly.
• WW) friends and neighbors? Only occasionally. Can this be a long-term livelihood solution? Not for me. I don’t like to inconvenience them.
• online shopping

In the big picture, as head of the family I can choose either AA) car ownership or BB) make do without car ownership. This choice will be one of the fundamental decisions when my family relocates to the U.S.

Q: is BB realistic for family livelihood? I accept that Perhaps my past U.S. experience was brief and not convincing.
A: realistic only for a suitable location.

In my U.S. years (alone or with family), I relied 99% on XX/YY. I used ZZ/WW only for some airport or relocation trips.

In Singapore, we have relied on XX/YY. We use tax a few times each quarter.

In Beijing, my parents have relied on XX/YY until they grew too old, and cash-rich enough for their remaining years. Now they increasingly use taxi on a routine basis.

Quora.com also has similar individuals who share their experiences, presumably without commercial motivation. One Quora user posted “outside of NY/SF/Chicago, the public transport infrastructure exists solely as a lifeline for the poor and elderly.”

Another Quora user posted “If I drive to work it takes 45 minutes. If I take the bus it takes 2 hours.” Two hours one way would be a livelihood issue. My 8Y experience in NY/MA is much better, partly by planning. 99% of the tech jobs I know are located within reach by XX/YY. Citigroup has some remote office but staff can choose not to work there. I won’t consider a Salt Lake City location if it’s not accessible by XX/YY.

I never lived in a NYC home, but I kinda believe some Quora users who said that “parking cost and extensive transit probably convince many NYC residents to live car-free”. Of course they have to give up car-dependent lifestyle choices (rarely livelihood-related) such as skiing. Give-up is nothing unthinkable — Adapting to local living condition is part of my life in many cities.

Some people (not only immigrants and the youth) don’t have a license, or have their car/license taken away for months. They all can cope without a car. In addition to the Quora participants, I also spoke to a few rare individuals who chose BB long term. I think majority of them lived in well-connected locations with better-than-average public transport.  Apart from these rare individuals, the vast majority of my U.S. peers presumably rely on an unshared car. Many of them hinted that a life without car is either an unthinkable struggle, or highly inconvenient. Did they suggest that no-car livelihood was a hardship? I don’t remember that. I guess some of them didn’t stop and think long and hard.

When I first came to the U.S. as a newly wed couple, I quickly figured out to stay close to commuter rail stations. (I guess 90% of my days in the U.S. were spent in those locations.) However, my wife needed access to Chinese markets, which is tough in several locations. Weather didn’t become a big problem as feared.

Since then, I have lived in rather few car-dependent locations, usually in the outskirts, such as Porter Square of Cambridge. So which locations present livelihood issues (possibly hardship) to a family without car? East Orange, NJ; Bushwick of Brooklyn; Juliette St of Bayonne. Based on these personal experiences, I now believe the level of inconvenience is exaggerated. (Similarly, school districts, colleges prestige … are exaggerated.) Even in my worst car-dependent home locations (East Orange), it’s possible to adapt and live without a car.

I would stick my neck out and suggest that most middle-class Americans and middle-class immigrants are not keen about adapting. Car dependency is an acquired and artificial dependency similar to our dependency on starch and animal protein in our diet. Is life without a private car a kind of hardship? Possibly, but not so unbearable. I  believe that if it is real hardship for a family, then this family must be living in a car-dependent location.  Like the impoverished villagers in remote mountainous China regions, they really need to relocate to more accessible locations.

In conclusion, I kinda agree with those rare individuals, and disagree with the U.S. mainstream, conventional notion.