car free life tests commuters' skills

Nice article, thnx for sharing
dave
"Claire Petersky" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Perhaps of interest:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/1310ap_business_of_life.html

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
http://www.bicyclemeditations.org/
See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

Claire Petersky said:

Perhaps of interest:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/1310ap_business_of_life.html

Not too bad, it's nice to see a good balance of pluses and minuses in
this sort of story instead of just "OMG, they live without cars!" The
section on dating was particularly interesting. I know some posters
have talked about that aspect here, and I know some people who've had
the same issue.

Quoted message said:

But there are also social downsides to going car-free. In Cedar Rapids,
Iowa, 23-year-old Andy Becker is happy going most places on his bicycle,
but getting a date has proved hard.

Quoted message said:

"It just seems (women) aren't as excited about the fact that I don't own
a car, and don't want to own a car, as I am," Becker wrote on
Bikeforums.net, asking other bikers for advice.

Luckily, I was already married before I became addicted to the bicycle.
So mostly I just get the occasional eyeroll or "Yes, dear" rather than
having to worry about getting a date.

Quoted message said:

Giving up the car is easiest if you don't have young kids, but with
some ingenuity and planning, even that can be done.

This is really the sticking point for us. I can do grocery shopping on
the bike. I live close enough to a hardware store that even large loads
are doable (especially with the truck rental thing Lowes does). But
hauling two kids around is a little too challenging on a full time basis
for my wife. Especially considering she's only sort of interested in
cycling.

An Xtracycle equipped with StokeMonkey might help the situation for
her. Perhaps if the car is nearing retirement when I have that setup
for her, it might discourage the purchase of a new one.

--
Dane Buson - [email hidden]
An intellectual is someone whose mind watches itself.
-- Albert Camus

"Dane Buson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Giving up the car is easiest if you don't have young kids, but with
some ingenuity and planning, even that can be done.

This is really the sticking point for us. I can do grocery shopping on
the bike. I live close enough to a hardware store that even large loads
are doable (especially with the truck rental thing Lowes does). But
hauling two kids around is a little too challenging on a full time basis
for my wife. Especially considering she's only sort of interested in
cycling.

An Xtracycle equipped with StokeMonkey might help the situation for
her. Perhaps if the car is nearing retirement when I have that setup
for her, it might discourage the purchase of a new one.

If you're patient, eventually they'll get older, and then a more car-free
lifestyle will be much easier. Hang on, and they'll be riding themselves.

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
http://www.bicyclemeditations.org/
See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

Claire Petersky said:

Perhaps of interest:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/1310ap_business_of_life.html

All the articles that get written about people that live without a car
are really not doing that much for the cycling world. While I am sure
that a few people will read that article and say maybe I can do that
bicycle commute thing or maybe I can go car-free. But I don't think that
many will actually make it reality.

I am a strong advocate of the bicycle as a viable alternative to the
motor vehicles that 95% of Americans are addicted to as their only means
of transportation. I have not driven my car in about 7 months.

Ken
--
Messengers and mountain bikers share a common chromosome. ~James Bethea

Ken C. M. said:

Claire Petersky said:

Perhaps of interest:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/1310ap_business_of_life.html

All the articles that get written about people that live without a car
are really not doing that much for the cycling world. While I am sure
that a few people will read that article and say maybe I can do that
bicycle commute thing or maybe I can go car-free. But I don't think that
many will actually make it reality.

I am a strong advocate of the bicycle as a viable alternative to the
motor vehicles that 95% of Americans are addicted to as their only means
of transportation. I have not driven my car in about 7 months.

Too many people's brains ossify on too many subjects to agree re:
car-free articles. I don't really expect many people to take up a
car-free lifestyle based on reading an article. I don't really expect
many people to take up a car-free lifestyle based on meeting you.
However, exposure to an idea like this may start to wean people away
from their car addiction, and I'm guessing the article will be seen by
far more people than talk to you (or any other utility cyclist by choice).

I suspect there is some fraction of the people exposed to these ideas
that may think, "Gee, I don't need to drive to pay off that bill, it's
just a couple of miles," or whatever their introduction to utility
cycling will be. That's the spark people need to start to change. And
the more sparks, like this article, they come across, the more people
are likely to start cycling. That's why such articles are good and
valuable, IMHO.

Pat

Claire Petersky said:

"Dane Buson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Giving up the car is easiest if you don't have young kids, but with
some ingenuity and planning, even that can be done.

This is really the sticking point for us. I can do grocery shopping on
the bike. I live close enough to a hardware store that even large loads
are doable (especially with the truck rental thing Lowes does). But
hauling two kids around is a little too challenging on a full time basis
for my wife. Especially considering she's only sort of interested in
cycling.

An Xtracycle equipped with StokeMonkey might help the situation for
her. Perhaps if the car is nearing retirement when I have that setup
for her, it might discourage the purchase of a new one.

If you're patient, eventually they'll get older, and then a more car-free
lifestyle will be much easier. Hang on, and they'll be riding themselves.

Yes, I know, but it does seem like a *loooong* stretch.

Still and all, life has become markedly easier in general since the
littlest one turned two.

--
Dane Buson - [email hidden]
We are all agreed that your theory is crazy. The question which divides us is
whether it is crazy enough to have a chance of being correct. My own feeling
is that it is not crazy enough. -- Niels Bohr

"Dane Buson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Claire Petersky said:

"Dane Buson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

>Giving up the car is easiest if you don't have young kids, but with
> some ingenuity and planning, even that can be done.

This is really the sticking point for us. I can do grocery shopping on
the bike. I live close enough to a hardware store that even large

loads

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

are doable (especially with the truck rental thing Lowes does). But
hauling two kids around is a little too challenging on a full time

basis

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

for my wife. Especially considering she's only sort of interested in
cycling.

An Xtracycle equipped with StokeMonkey might help the situation for
her. Perhaps if the car is nearing retirement when I have that setup
for her, it might discourage the purchase of a new one.

If you're patient, eventually they'll get older, and then a more

car-free

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

lifestyle will be much easier. Hang on, and they'll be riding

themselves.

Quoted message said:

Yes, I know, but it does seem like a *loooong* stretch.

Still and all, life has become markedly easier in general since the
littlest one turned two.

Start taking the little ones on bike rides now. I think it makes them more
likely to want to ride with you later. And obviously, on family bike rides,
if you are the one pulling the kids your wife might enjoy the ride more.

Cathy Kearns said:

"Dane Buson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Claire Petersky said:

If you're patient, eventually they'll get older, and then a more
car-free lifestyle will be much easier. Hang on, and they'll be
riding themselves.

Yes, I know, but it does seem like a *loooong* stretch.

Still and all, life has become markedly easier in general since the
littlest one turned two.

Start taking the little ones on bike rides now. I think it makes them
more likely to want to ride with you later. And obviously, on family
bike rides, if you are the one pulling the kids your wife might enjoy
the ride more.

Oh I do. Right before I read your post I had taken the eldest on a
short shopping trip on the grocery bike. Her little sister was asleep,
so while we were out her mother had some relief.

We stopped in the ID to pick up a goldfish (a replacement) and stopped
at our favorite Asian grocer and picked up a little fruit and
vegetables.

--
Dane Buson - [email hidden]
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside a dog it's too
dark to read. -- Groucho Marx