I'm doing it. Now that I've got the electric assist kit for my Xtracycle, I'm planning to hop on the bike rather than into the car more often. When the temperatures cool off in the fall, I'll add walking to my transportation repertoire again. Since the places I go are within biking distance, especially now with the assist, I probably won't use public transportation much. However, that is a good option for many people, especially those who may not have a bicycle.
If you'd like to join me in parking your car and using alternative transportation, leave a comment at the end of this post with your name and blog address (if you have one). The challenge will start on Saturday, August 1, and run for an undetermined amount of time. Challenge yourself for a week, a month, a year, or whatever time period you choose.
I'll report on my progress here each Saturday. Leave a comment on those posts with your progress or a link to a progress report on your own blog. Let me know in your comment here, or in the weekly update, how long you you'd like to challenge yourself to do this.
How you track your progress is up to you. If you like crunching numbers, you're welcome to keep track of how many miles you walk, ride your bike, or ride public transportation in place of driving. If you don't like numbers, just note when you make the choice to use alternate transportation and how it went.
Challenges need a nifty logo, but unfortunately, you'll have to settle for the one I came up with. Here's the code to post this logo on your sidebar:
<a href="http://chilechews.blogspot.com/2009/07/i-challenge-you-to-park-your-car.html"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2H3G4C5T6s0/SmzfaGW0F0I/AAAAAAAAChQ/lNp0pVX-NBw/s400/Park+your+car+mini.jpg" /></a>
- Copy the code above.
- In Blogger, go to your layout options, and click on Add a Gadget.
- Select Text.
- Click Edit Html
- Paste the code you copied in the body.
- Then click Rich Text to confirm the image shows up.
- Save.
When you view your blog, the sidebar image should now appear and have a hyperlink back to this blog.
So, who's with me?
Updated to add: If you are already car-free, you can still sign up. I've created a special listing for you in the sidebar!
I'll join you - and do what I can to reduce our petrol consumption.
ReplyDeleteI'll encourage my husband to take the bus *all* the time, instead of being chauffeured by me to work. I'll also organise carpooling to choir and back if I can convince someone to do it with me (there's no PT at the time we finish, but isn't carpooling next best thing?). And I'll walk and cut down on unnecessary journeys generally.
It'll be fun, in one of the world's hilliest cities, with two preschoolers! But I think a lot of it just amounts to planning, and having a "can do" attitude. Maybe. I hope.
So I'll do my best :-) I hope that will be good enough!
... I'm too far out not to drive but I have cut miles by 80% by strategizing buses and work hours. Does that count? I hope I hope I hope.
ReplyDeleteI think this is an awesome challenge Chile! Seeing as how I don't have a car, and have been living car-free for 3+ years now, I don't think it would be fair to sign up.
ReplyDeleteBUT, I am interested to follow as there are a lot of tips and hints that pedestrians, public transportation riders, and bikers could share with each other as to how to make the experience safe, enjoyable, and not add too much time to ones daily routine.
Daharja - great! I agree that planning is the name of hte game.
ReplyDeleteRisa - did I hear "buses"? Yep, that counts!
Jennifer - I hope you'll share your tips with us. In August, I'll do a tips post for each kind of alternate transportation and encourage folks to share what's working for them, as well as ask how to deal with any problems they're encountering. Looking forward to your input!
I'm in for the long haul! Although I need it to haul all my goods to the farmers' market on Saturdays and I usually tag along with Dave in the car when he goes somewhere on the weekend. But as the fall progresses (and afternoon heat starts dropping below 100), I'm going to try to get him to ride with me on the weekends too. :)
ReplyDeleteOoh! Ooh! Me!!
ReplyDeleteOkay, I don't own a car. And I walk everywhere because I'm too poor to take the tube.
But to be fair, if I DID have a car, it probably would be *very* challenging to PARK it in central London.
Okay, I'll shut up now. ;)
Okay, Jennifer and Ruchi - I want your input here. Do you want to participate in the challenge even though you don't own cars? It's fine with me, especially since it would mean that you'd chime in each week with great stories and tips on how you deal with carless transportation.
ReplyDeleteGreat challenge! I won't be joining because I don't have a car any more (since October). I don't have any tips to offer since I live within 1 or 2 miles of 95% of the places I go to so mostly I walk and take the bus when the weather is bad. I'll be following along though.
ReplyDeleteIf chimers can join, than count me in. I'll report positive stories :) Or you can laugh at my frustrations.
ReplyDeleteHaha. I think Beany can offer some good tips. My tips would run along the lines of ... move to a city with proper public transit and where having a car would be an absolute nightmare.
ReplyDeleteVoila! Car free!!
Maybe I can just hold some green biodegradable pompoms and cheer you all along.
Ok, to accomdate the folks who are already car-free, I created an extra category (list) in the sidebar. I added the folks who've commented here, but can take you off the list if you don't want to be included for some reason.
ReplyDeleteI'm in. I have a personal goal of only driving the car one day a week, but I've been slipping lately - everytime my parents come to town the whole thing falls apart.
ReplyDeleteYesterday I whined about being hot and tired and we drove downtown...right into baseball game traffic. It took more time than riding our bikes would have. Grrrr.
I wish. :( When I get back to school I'll be car-free but until then it's driving to do groceries and everything (it is too far and steep to walk to the grocery store. I can get to the library though, but I don't go there exceptionally often yet.)
ReplyDeleteMy challenge is finding places to go. Anyway, I'll enjoy reading the check-ins. :)
We haven't had a car for more than a year now. I walk to work and my husband gets the bus. Local stores are within 10-15 minutes walk so we backpack the groceries home once a week. Most of the time it's no great hassle but last year the winter was exceptionally wet with more snow than usual and we all caught a lot more colds than usual - mostly due to choosing go out despite the weather conditions, because that is what we would have done if we had a car.
ReplyDeleteRecently we had the loan of a car for 3 weeks and used it to catch up on a number of things - we took the new cat to the vet to get neutered, stocked up on heavy garden supplies, picked up some furniture without having to pay the delivery fee, etc. So, it was nice to have but I noticed that a huge chunk of our weekends seemed to get sucked up driving back and forth across town. And our grocery bill shot up because we were no longer limited to what we could carry. I'd estimate that apart from commuting, 90% of our car trips back when we had a car involved going somewhere to spend money - so not having a car, and being more inclined to stay home and find something to do does save you a lot of money. We were also a lot more likely on the weekends to decide we couldn't be bothered rustling up some lunch and would head to the bakery at the nearest mall. Now we have to be more organised and make sure we have some lunch options available.
Sorry to hear that, Stephanie. Is there any public transportation?
ReplyDeleteSealander - way to go! It's funny you should mention using a car primarily to go spend money. This morning, I wanted to ride the bike but didn't just want to go for a ride, so I had to make up somewhere to go in order to have a destination. On my way home, I thought about having made this trip to "spend money" - although my sweetie will be happy with the day old bagels I got him.
I've also decided that we won't get take-out food (we only really go one place) unless I bike there. Since it's only a mile and a half away, that's not really going to stop us but at least I'll burn a few calories doing it.
There's a bus that goes up and down our hill but it's fairly expensive and goes by rarely. (I miss European transit. :()
ReplyDeleteYeah, I have to make up places to go too. Why can't you go out somewhere and *not* spend money? This money-based society, yeesh...
I have the same problem - always "needing" a destination for biking. On days when I really have no errand to do, I tend to stay in the neighborhood and just take a nice walk (you use different muscles that way so it's not a bad idea). But honestly, I almost always have a library book that needs to be returned, recycling that can be delivered to the recycling facility, or the need for a little something from the local grocery (you can only haul so much on the bike at a time. But once I'm out on the bike, I find myself taking detours just for the sake of biking just a little further...
ReplyDeleteWell Chile. I read your post when you 1st posted it & was all over it. I've had it in my mind to get my bike all ready for travel. I work 4.5 miles from home, which isn't too horribly bad at all except it's not the safest of routes.
ReplyDeleteAnyway.. the day you posted this I was all over it and wouldn't you know some guy on a bike hauling a little trailer with his groceries gets hit right outside of my work. The ambulance strapped him into the gurney & took him off to the hospital. He was awake & all so I think he was mostly ok. Needless to say I chickened out.
Hopefully my darn city will get on that bus route they've been talking about since last year. Then I can start using that to get to work & can park my car.
On the plus side I don't drive all that much& I try to run all my errands at once.
Oh, Selina, I'm sorry to hear that. I hope he's okay! And his bike, too. I was just talking at my CSA with a guy that also has an Xtracycle. It's a new one, paid for by insurance, because his last one was hit and totalled.
ReplyDeleteThere are definitely ways to minimize driving by, as you mentioned, combining errands. Are there any citizen groups that can pressure the city on the bus route?
I haven't driven (bar 1 attempt on a test road system where I learnt I could never drive again) since I was left hemi-plegic aged nearly 21 ~ 24 1/2 years ago. I rely on our 2 buses a week ~ something the government wants to cut to save them money ~ to do our shopping & use the library.
ReplyDeleteJamie has a car, but I rarely ask him for a lift, knowing how much diesel costs. He is still recovering from an op which removed 1/2 his internal organs & isn't used to walking like we are. He does want to train Annon's pony so he can ride & maybe drive her instead of the car. He has care of his mother who lives 6 hours' drive away over the border & is on call there. (Also he has his own place 2+ miles from me which he is securing after 2 break-ins leaving his house empty & trashed & family responsibilities all over the place ~ I don't really feel I can ask him to cut back more than he has). Count me in on the no car list, please, but I feel I'm cheating as I've learnt to live without a car, but still need to call on friends/taxis on odd occasions like hospital & vet visits.
Killi - you do a good job living a low-impact life, even if some reasons for it were not your choice.
ReplyDelete