k_X_car_dependency
There are many websites on this topic, partly due to new generations responding to new ideas and lifestyle trends. https://www.aarp.org/livable-communities/getting-around/info-2015/living-without-a-car.html says “Most of the attention about this non-car trend focuses on millennials, who are getting drivers’ licenses and buying cars at lower rates than previous generations.”
— Q: These other Americans have their reasons and limitations that are 50% relevant to me. My decisions, my pains/adjustments will be based on my 8Y first-hand experiences, so why do I bother to read their stories?
I read because my small-family or (largely) bachelor experience gave me insecurity / skepticism.
Reading their experiences help me appreciate the fact that a sizeable percentage of Americans are coping well without a car.
When these Americans go car-free, many experience meaningful benefits/rewards (not just tough challenges/adjustments). I tend to but should not dismiss the positives because these are the the rewards, compensations and the essential positive reinforcements that keep us going.
These coping strategies, adjustments will be relevant to my family.
Going from car-dependency to car-free living is challenging to most, so you may be skeptical about everything you read. However, I have been car-free for 47 years. I’m going car-free in SG to car-free in JC/Bayonne. Therefore, the required adjustments are probably lighter for me than a long-time car owner. The online discussions are probably more realistic, more practical.
— base camp .. Let’s establish a base camp of car-free living in a well-connected location. There will be many challenges since majority of the residents have a car. After 6-12M we would have an acceptable, solid base camp where we can come back. Then we can try living with a private car. There will be many benefits (probably more than in Singapore [1] ) but there will be many problems too — parking, repairs, tolls, GPS navigation …
[1] Singapore is not a car-first city as U.S. is, but NY and JC are less car-first than most U.S. cities.
In the base camp we still can rent cars for driving practice.
— https://livingonthecheap.com/live-without-car/:
‘Do I have the resources [1] I need to get where I need to go, when [2] I need to get there?’ is the key question, according to Jason Rothstein, author of Carless in Chicago. The key considerations, he says, are 1) getting to work or school, 2) getting groceries and 3) visiting family and friends. In my experience, I agree on 1) and 2).
[1] resources is mostly public transport, but also includes biking facilities, safe walking paths, car rental, car share
[2] without unwanted delays
Many older folks “should not be driving but can’t imagine life without a car”. So you see many of them still driving everyday and you may be mislead to think it’s OK.
==== https://toughnickel.com/frugal-living/How-to-Live-Life-Without-a-Car by Rebecca Long is a truthful and personal reflection, by a woman writer living car-free in small town America.
Q: Do you go out much?
Q: How Efficient Can You Really Be Without a Car?
Q3: It All Sounds Terribly Inconvenient
“I always bought old cars.” said the author.
She didn’t mention where she works. In my experience, on commute stops there are always shops.
She compared delivery, bus, bike, long-term car sharing, day-rental, occasional borrowing.
— Her strategy around the “limited” bus in her town demonstrates the need for planning on a daily basis. When I was considering the WestNY location, I dismissed the suggestion of taking the ferry for morning commute at 20-minute intervals. “I would have to be there 10 minutes in advance to avoid missing it” This sounds the same as Q3 above. Adjusting to car-free ≅≅≅ adjusting to scheduled commute. However
- with the car adjustment, I have always lived car-free, so adjustment is easy
- with the commute adjustment, I had big problems adjusting to long commute [MetroPark, EastOrange, FHP,,, ]
— her monthly shopping trip
It reminds me of my bi-weekly Walmart shopping trips in Bayonne. It could become a family outing, similar to our EastCoast outing. Without a car, those trips are definitely less convenient, but paradoxically the inconvenience also made us more appreciative of the family bonding time.
The author took the lifestyle adjustment and made her shopping and errands more “concise” and more scheduled. I have a fear of “scheduled” commute, but I’m self-confident about “concise”.