Friday, September 12, 2008
One Year Today
Today is the one year anniversary of me going car free. Looking back at that post I’ll recap a few things.
I’d said I’d go one (1) calendar year before even considering buying another vehicle. We’ll I’ve JUST spent a full two (2) seconds considering buying another vehicle and the answer is “no fucking way.”
It has been very easy living without one. My commute to work is only six (6) miles each way, the roads I travel are some of the first plowed in the winter, and it is too fun to give up. I’ve got a Surly Big Dummy to haul shit with. Car ownership, at least for me, is stupid.
Also in my past post I’d indicated I’d keep a spreadsheet of my savings and expenses regarding this car free adventure. I’m on the road to hell because my good intentions fell by the wayside. After a few months it was clearly evident I was saving lots ‘o cash by not having a car and keeping track of the numbers was not important. Besides, just as I don’t keep an accurate account of how many miles I ride in a year, I care equally less about the numbers. I just ride, baby.
It’s not that I didn’t drive over the past year. There were some instances when I went out of town that required car travel. On some of those trips I went alone making car pooling a bit problematic. I rented a car. Even by doing so, I was still much money ahead every month and for the entire year.
But, this wasn’t about saving money. It was about getting rid of something I didn’t need – a stupid luxury item. It was about less traffic congestion, my improved (or at least maintained) physical and mental health, and removing a very unnecessary carbon emitting source.
I’m not going to preach about how you should be doing this, too. You do what’s right for you. It is my experience that people will do what they want and can come up with excuse after excuse for not doing something if it is pushed upon them. I’m not pushing. I’m doing this for me. You do what’s best for you. But I do need to jab the excuse making whiners just a bit (not you – you know who I’m talking about).
As The Lunatic has said:
Fill you car up with gas, pay your $80, and quit your fucking whining. You’re too soft to bike to work everyday, anyway.
Ride on.
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11 comments:
A wise person once said , " Know thyself , because in the end , there is no one else."
Thanks for being an inspiration.
happy anniversary!
you are a great example - i love people who walk the walk. i use my bike occasionally for grocery shopping or errands or even the commute home from work (it's 25 miles, so i bus in). that's better than most folks, but you've shown me i have a lot of room for improvement.
as you say, ride on!
Hell yeah! I need to get off my ass and do the same now. Ironically, the thing I need my vehicle the most for is to drive myself and my teammates to bicycle races...
Nice. I especially like your final paragraph (before the Lunatic quote ... but that was priceless, too). Indeed, happy anniversary!
Fleck
Ever since I read that quote on the Lunatic's site I've been looking for the opportunity to use it. Unfortunately...not yet...but soon and I will report the response!
Way to go Snakebite! At least you inspired me to quit driving to bike rides (in town).
Following your lead man, following your lead.
Wow! That went by quick! Congrats.
I'm about 2 months away from a full year of bicycle commuting. Just coasting to the finish now! I have an old 4x4 and an economy car in the driveway. Not sure I'll get rid of them, but I can't imagine I'll ever replace them either. I hate even buying a windshield wiper for those things. At least they are seldom out of the driveway at the same time, and we do multi-occupant trips most of the time. The next step for us is more utility cycling. We still do shopping by car, and there is no good reason for it! Shopping is even closer than work.
Again, good job. You are an inspiration.
Amen brother! Congrats on the anniversary (it did go fast!). I think you've found the same thing as I did. Once bicycling for transportation becomes part of your lifestyle, just as others climb into their cars everyday, you can't come up with any reason to go back. It's not even something that I think about much. This is so much better, why would I want to think about it.
Congrats!
I love my car. Sometimes on nice days, I'll put the top down and drive around . . . just for fun!
I'm usually by myself - so if you'd like to help me split the increase of atmospheric pressure causing the greenhouse effect to fun ratio in half, let me know. But only 1 at a time - it's a two seater.
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