Photo by Mollyali (thank you!)

I know many of you may have found me from Siel’s blog, but I want to link to her latest car-free interview anyway, because I loved it. So here goes:

Browne Molyneux of The Bus Bench

Browne talks about perceived links between car-freeness, social class, and race — and uncovers some of the biggest assumptions that I think many of us have about cars. It’s good, chewy stuff. Thank you, Siel and Browne!

*You can read Browne’s blog at: http://www.thebusbench.com/

Blog Illuminate LA has some great, super-practical posts on how to go car-free in Los Angeles.

Rebel Without a Car – Part 1

Rebel Without a Car – Part 2

The posts are geared toward actors trying to get from audition to audition without owning a car, and they give useful tips on everything from public transit etiquette to looking good after a bike ride. Great ideas for beginners!

photo by pie4dan (thank you!)

Before I went car-free, I would run out the door at a moment’s notice. I would cram work, lunches, doctor’s visits, and errands into a day without elbow room, and if traffic threw a speed bump in my plans, I’d go into panic mode, driving more and more erratically (changing lanes, speeding through side streets), trying to get there faster and faster.

In a car-centered culture, we expect to get from place to place as quickly as is possible. We’ll speed, change lanes, and honk horns to do it. When I first started making the switch to being car-free, this expectation of speed was the first thing that had to go. Going car-free didn’t slow my schedule to a walk in the park, but I did start to cultivate a new appreciation for slowness.

Bus riding is all about slowness — not because the bus is so slow (although it can be) but because riding a bus is about waiting. You get to the bus stop and wait for the bus. You get on the bus and wait for your stop. Even if you’re making good time, the rhythm is slow.  You might look out the window and notice your surroundings. You might read a book. You might doze off. The bus gives you a chance to slow yourself, to create space in your day. Bicycling can slow you down too. Even when I’m in a hurry on my bike, I see more than I would in a car. I see the river. I see the people I pass. I feel the wind.

Long before I became car-free, I read about something called the “Slow Movement,” the idea that slowing down can help us enjoy life more. There are people working toward slow food (the antithesis of fast food), slow travel, even slow cities. I always thought the movement seemed exciting, although tough to tackle. Slowing down travel is, I think, a pretty good start.

new speedy bike

not quite as fast

I wouldn’t say I’m a bicycle person, exactly, but I’ve gotten a little attached to my 1992 mountain bike. It’s my trusty steed, and it gets me where I want to go. I never felt this way about my car. My bike does have its downsides, though. It’s heavy, and I’ve thought it might be nice to have a bike that I could sling onto the bus’s rack without real effort– so I went shopping in my garage to find a second bike. I knew there was one in there. It was a cast-off that I was gifted with a couple of years ago, very old, a fixer-upper.

It’s a shiny green road bike with a small frame, thin tires — a ten speed style that I associate with the ’80s. The brakes didn’t work, and it needed a new tire, but there was promise, so I decided to spruce it up and give it a whirl.

My first ride on the new (but old) bike was a blast. It was nice to have the knowledge that I could get on the bus, but who knew that a lightweight frame could do so much for my commute time? My 25 minute commute was cut to 15 minutes without effort.  Very nice.

The switch got me thinking about speed and the things that I’ve noticed slow me down in my commute. So here are a few tips to speed your ride:

1) Plump the tires. When I first started riding, I didn’t think much about the bike. I just hopped on and went. I was so slow and assumed that I was just out of shape. Then a colleague noticed my tires and pumped them for me. I was suddenly so much faster.

2) Try a lightweight frame, if you can. I didn’t realize the difference a road bike would make on my speed.

3) Limit what you carry as much as possible. While bikes can carry lots of stuff (especially with the right pannier set-up), extra weight can slow you down. Carry what you need and no more.

4) Get off the sidewalk. Really. With the right habits, you’ll not only be faster in getting through traffic. You’ll be safer.

Today!

I’m running late, but I’m heading there today!

photo by OskarN (thank you!)

The humidity of winter will soon set in, and I’m wondering how to keep my bike(s) high and dry but still easy to use for the winter. I can’t stand having a bike in the living room, and my bike is too heavy to be slung on a hook somewhere out of the way. Currently, I have it tethered to the clothesline post — and covered with a bicycle tarp. Not bad, but will a tarp keep everything safe from rain damage? I guess I’ll find out soon enough.

My master plan is to gift my guy with a bike, then convince him to park his car on the street, so we can turn our half of the garage into bicycle central. We’ll see how that goes–

**In the meantime, if anyone wants to sell a 56″ framed bike, let me know!**

Photo by CoCreatr (thank you!)

On Saturday, I joined the Tour de Ballona and rode the Ballona Creek Path. It was great to meet my neighbors, talk bike commuting, and get a view of the pelicans and ducks hanging out in the wetlands.

For a video of the ride and to sign up for updates on the next Ballona Creek Ride, check out Streetsblog.

photo by fuzzbabble (thank you!)

In the past year, as gas prices rose to nearly $5/gallon, a lot of Americans started driving less. Now that prices at the pump are falling again, I’ve wondered if I’m still saving loads of cash by being car-free. My conclusion? Yes!

An example: ways I’ve saved money since selling my car:

Car insurance = $100/month ($1200 annually)

Gas = varies, but to be conservative, $400 annually — my car got great gas mileage, and I didn’t have a long commute. Even when gas was pricey, I wasn’t spending all that much.

Registration = $60 annually

Smog Testing and Repairs = $50 annually (last year it was $150, but it might not be so bad every year)

Repairs (my car was fully paid for, but old): $350 annually

Gym Membership = $30/month, $360 annually

Unecessary shopping =$25/month, $300 annually (this is a guess, but probably on the conservative side)

I save about $2,700 each year by not owning a car.

photo by Maxually (thank you!)

When I tell people I’ve gone car-free, there are a few common questions that come up. After “How do you get to work?” often comes “How do you buy groceries/furniture from IKEA/other stuff?” It’s understandable but also interesting, I think, that the ability to shop is such an immediate consideration for most in thinking of a car-free life. It’s true, though; cars and consumerism are inextricably linked in our culture. We’re used to hopping in the car and filling it up with everything from groceries to office supplies when the mood strikes us.

I was never a big shopper — at least not recreationally. I don’t consider it therapeutic to go from store to store, looking for things to buy. Still, before my car-free days, I’d hop in the car to get new shoes, look for a a new lampshade, or grab one or two things from the grocery store. When we have cars, it’s easy to do these things without thinking.

Although shopping by bike is often faster than driving (no traffic or parking hassles), it has made me consider each purchase before hopping on my bike. I find myself buying less. I get new clothes when what I have wears out or when I happen to be in the neighborhood, rather than when I see a catalog with something fancy on sale. I get groceries when I’ve planned to get them, and I avoid a lot of senseless trips to coffee shops and Subway shops (sorry, Subway).

If shopping by bike is so much easier, why the retail lapse? Well, when I’m carrying what I buy, I think I become more aware of what I’m consuming. When you walk or bike even a quarter of a mile with a gallon of milk, it’s hard not to be aware of what a gallon is. That goes for every consumable I’ve bought on my bike. It’s just easier to buy in moderation when you’re carrying it the whole way home.

Full Disclosure and Car-Free Shopping Tip: My other half does own a car, and he often gets some of our groceries that way, but for my own shopping trips — whether it’s for milk, ice cream, or cat food — I take my bike. I’ve also ordered things to be delivered. In certain parts of Los Angeles, you can order everything from groceries (www.yummy.com) to yarn online. Even IKEA will deliver.

PBS’s NOW recently did a story on ex-burbia and car culture. You can watch it here: Driven to Despair

The show gives a good look at some of the connections between gas prices, urban sprawl, and the mortgage crisis — especially in Southern California. I was particularly interested in some of the fears middle class interviewees expressed about public transit. “Surrounded by strangers? I don’t know… just not my thing,” one driver said. Being able to quell this fear and help people at all income levels consider public transit, I think, could go a long way toward coming up with solutions — for cutting greenhouse gases, but also for creating a sense of community, ending isolationism, battling stereotypes, bringing diverse groups of people together, and creating more time and money for people in their lives. In short, I think cultivating a dependable public transit infrastructure can do a lot for our culture.