The Travel Chica

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Why you should always have $20 cash and other lessons from my car-free lifestyle

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My attempt at living a car-free lifestyle in the US has hit an early challenge.

Since I would be giving up my virtual office to go back to the corporate world, I knew that my work commute would be the biggest challenge to a car-free lifestyle. 

So I made a career decision that would give me a one-mile commute.

Then things changed.

I now have a 12-mile commute… 15 minutes if I had a car.

It is a 65-minute commute by bike (each way).

And that is riding full-on the entire time.  Only 15 minutes is on a trail.

You might be asking…. Why don’t you take the bus?

I will spare you the rant about the Columbus bus system and just say that it would take me as much time to commute by bus.  If I bike, at least I am getting in my workout for the day.

As the weather gets colder and daylight shrinks, I am confronted with more challenges.

So yes, there are a lot of downsides.  Let’s take a look at the positives.

I have learned a lot.

#1 – Always, always carry your rain gear.

I cannot tell you the number of times I have been caught on my bike in a downpour.

No matter what The Weather Channel says or what the sky looks like, ALWAYS, ALWAYS carry rain gear.  I have a jacket and pants and a few plastic bags in my bike bag at all times.

#2 – Always carry $20 in cash.

Because perhaps your (brand new) bike will fall apart halfway through your commute on a busy road with no businesses or homes nearby.

Yes, this really did happen.

The pedal fell off my brand new bike when I was 6 miles from home and 6 miles from work on a narrow, curvy 2-lane road with no sidewalks.

Always have cab fare.

On a related note….

#3 – Having your bike stolen is worse than having your car stolen.

The reason I had a new bike that fell apart is because my bike was stolen.  Apparently, bike locks are really easy to pick.

I have never had a car stolen, but I imagine it would not be as upsetting as having my bike stolen (assuming insurance covers the cost).

A bike is so personal. 

When I was looking for a replacement, I tried many styles and brands, used and new.  None of them felt as good as my old bike.

I still miss my old bike.

#4 – If you are stranded on a bike, no one will stop to help you except another cyclist.

While I was staring in disbelief at the pedal that went flying off my brand new bike, many cars passed on the busy road.  Nobody stopped.

Work commuters are zombies in the morning.  And a car is like a magic bubble where people pretend nothing else exists and nobody can see them singing at the top of their lungs or picking their nose.

There are not many bike commuters on my route (I pass an average of two per week), however, two actually passed me while I was stranded.  They both stopped, took out their tool kits, and tried to fix the pedal.  Unfortunately, neither of them had a large enough Allen wrench.

#5 – You are an idiot if you commute over 100 miles per week on a bike without carrying a tool kit.

I have one now.

#6 – Below 40 degrees is really cold on a bike.

It is bearable for the first 30 minutes.

And then you will feel like your legs are going to fall off from the knee down.

And your fingers too.

#7 – Always have correct change for the bus.

At the end of the day, sometimes I am too tired to ride my bike home.  Or sometimes, I get stuck late, and it’s too dark to ride home.

The bus only accepts cash or a bus pass (which I don’t have), and it doesn’t give change.  After having to borrow singles from a co-worker a few times, I now make sure I always have several dollar bills in my wallet.

#8 – Anyone who lives a car-free lifestyle by choice rather than necessity is very fortunate.

When I’m having a rough day or things do not go as planned, I have choices:

Take a taxi.

It is expensive at $30, but if I get stuck at work and miss the bus and don’t want to wait 30 minutes for the next bus (and then another hour to get home), my time may be worth $30.

Rent a car.

If a storm is coming (i.e. Hurricane Sandy), I can rent a car for $20-40 per day.

If I did not have these choices, life would be much tougher.

Comments

  1. Love that snow on bike picture. It rains almost every day here in Stavanger and I can’t get over all the cyclists pedalling along in the hard rain. We don’t have bikes (yet) but I would like to get some because the bus situation is quite similar to what you describe – hard to get anywhere but to and from town.

  2. I’m not going to lie… I couldn’t do it. I’d like to think eventually I could do it every so often once I get a more stable place to work so I can move closer, but biking to work only works for certain kinds of jobs and people. Amazing of you to do it though – good on you.

  3. Love this post!
    I lived car – free in South America. At the time, I hated it! My first year in Texas I did not have a car, and it was horrible. Many streets don’t even have a sidewalk. Even when I am on the sidewalk, I feel in danger because people drive fast. The public transportation system do not cover all areas in the city. During the year I didn’t have a car, I was always asking others for rides.
    Looking back to my days in South America, I realize that opening the door of my house and knowing I could go anywhere without a car is a freedom that I didn’t appreciate enough.
    I admire your decision of going car-free!

  5. I cycled the full length of Vietnam by bike, so I know what you mean by saying the bike is more personal than you can even imagine. I agree with no. 1 and 2, an umbrella and cash is your must-have when cycling. I love cycling so even -40C outside would not scare me away ;-).

  7. Wow, what a great post! I really respect you for going car free and this is a super helpful post for budding cyclists.

    I commute into London by train but I get off a stop or two early and walk up to 45 minutes through to my office. It serves two purposes – I get to explore London and take photos but I also get some exercise. Like you, I don’t step foot out of home without my rain gear (umbrella)!

    I don’t miss having a car which is unusual because I loved my car when we lived in South Africa.
    Emm recently posted..A Gorgeous Saturday Morning in Broadway Market, Hackney

  8. I think it’s quite impressive that you manage to cycle such a distance to work every day! I wish more people would consider not having a car and thus being more aware of surroundings and other people!
    Though I don’t own a bike – I use public transportation and my feet instead – your tips are definitely applicable to my everyday life, too – especially regarding the just-in-case-cash and the rain gear :)

  10. This is a very good article. But I disagree with #3 because I had my car stolen many years ago in Canton, MI & it was a real bummer. You were a little girl so I wouldn’t have even thought about riding a bike LOL Of course I rented a car. And insurance did not pay for everything including my company car phone that was a lot larger than phones nowadays & other things in the trunk. And the worst part of it is I would have gotten a new car but the car was found on the 30th day which was the limit!

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