Car Report Card

At the end of March I decided to cut back on my car use during the month of April. I allowed myself use of the car one day a week (on Thursdays) and every other Monday to accommodate regular engagements that would be difficult to get to via bus, bike, or feet.

I'd say I earned a B- overall. On average, I ended up driving one additional day a week. The usual reason was time: too far to walk and/or limited bus options.

For example, to take the bus to a friend's house a few miles away (a 10 minute drive), I would have to walk 15 minutes to the bus stop, ride for 15 minutes, then walk another 10 minutes; and since this particular bus only runs once an hour, I would likely either have a very short visit or an overly long one (and mess up my daughter's nap routine). I would also be limited to morning visits since my afternoon (post-nap/pre-dinner) window is too short to make busing feasible.

Several other friends are clustered in another part of town, about 20 minutes away by car. The same trip by bus (including some walking time) is an hour, minimum. I live outside of Seattle's urban core, and public transit options within and between these more suburban areas aren't abundant. The question, then, is whether the much lower cost of using public transportation (or bike/feet), reduced consumption of natural resources, and increased exercise balance out the significant time commitment and general lack of convenience.

Some days I'm completely sold on the idea of getting rid of my car (and sharing my husband's one or two days a week); other days, especially the cold and rainy ones, I am grateful to see that car sitting in the driveway... just in case I don't have the motivation or time to choose a car-less option.

Nonetheless, I think we're going to try and sell our (newer, more expensive, and less fuel efficient) car. I need another week or so to fully embrace this decision, but I feel like it's the right thing to do. I'm not committing to being car-less indefinitely: in the fall, my daughter starts a 5-day-a-week preschool program (about a mile and a half away) and I may find that it's too difficult to manage on foot/bus when the wind is whipping the rain sideways. But, if I can make it through the summer, perhaps I will become fully converted to living with one less car.

The Car and I: A progress report

A couple of weeks ago I decided to try relying less on my car and more on my feet and public transportation (read about my rationale here). Now almost halfway through the month, I thought I'd evaluate my progress...and I've actually done pretty well.

Week 1: Used the car two out of five weekdays, rode the bus, walked about 6-7 miles.

Primary lessons learned: 1)Full-size stroller + public transit = major hassle (but the kid loves the bus—no carseat! Freedom!). 2)Need better walking shoes.

Week 2: Used the car two out of five weekdays (I had only allowed myself one driving day this week; I did carpool on one of those days...does that still count?), rode the bus, walked about 3-4 miles.

Primary lessons learned: 1)Smaller strollers are still a (minor) hassle on the bus, and will leave dirty tire marks on your pants as you try to maneuver child, diaper bag, and stroller up the steps. 2)Walking in the rain is not as romantic as you might think.

As I look ahead to weeks three and four while checking the 10-day weather forecast, I am not terribly excited about the prospect of more rainy/cold/windy/dreary walks. While some people may find a brisk walk on a wet and blustery day to be refreshing, perhaps cleansing, I prefer the comfort of my enclosed, heated automobile. But, living in Seattle, committing to driving less requires a willingness to accept the rain.

I believe I still have several stages to go through, however, before reaching acceptance.

The elephant in the room.

So, we've reduced grocery expenses considerably, we've cut way back on eating out, we're more conservative with our household energy use...in other words, the easy stuff.

Have you hugged your car today?

But what about that BIG energy consumer sitting in the driveway, you know, the one that accounts for our largest debt (after our mortgage)? Ah yes, the car.

We recently acquired a second car, and, as car purchases go, I think it was a pretty smart one (a 10 year old, very fuel efficient, low miles commuter car). My husband had been taking the bus to work for the past several months since his much older, less reliable car died a tragic death, and it wasn't an ideal situation for a number of reasons. Well, for my husband, at least — since I wasn't often affected by the lack of a vehicle, I was not as sold on the idea of a second car. "Why not just take the bus," I thought, "What's the big deal?"

Of course, I drive daily, even short distances that I could easily walk if I just allowed myself a little extra time. And I drive a larger "family sedan" that doesn't get the best gas mileage. We bought the car new about a year and a half ago after bad luck with our last used car. We shopped around and determined that a mid-size new car (with a great warranty) made sense for our family — and it might. Or maybe the $450 or so that we pay toward the car payment, gas, and insurance could be put to better use.

But am I willing to give up my car? Is it even practical? Toting diaper bag, stroller, and child on the bus isn't as appealing as hopping in the car. And the public transportation in our area isn't particularly convenient — I'd have to allow about twice the travel time. So, there would be sacrifices...or perhaps I should put a more positive spin on the idea and call them trade-offs. When I mentioned the notion of going back to one car, my husband said it seemed "extreme," which is kind of funny considering that for at least half of the time we've lived together we've shared one car (though much of that time was pre-child). I cannot claim to be ever-virtuous, however, as in the back of my mind I had the same thought. "Good lord, only one car!?" — talk about distorted ideals.

Here's my personal challenge for the month of April: I will drive only on Thursdays and every other Monday (I have ongoing commitments on these days that I cannot reasonably get to via bus/walking), and in the evenings, to simulate the experience of having one shared vehicle (assuming my husband would be willing to take the bus to work on those days should we decide to keep just one car). This will require some big adjustments on my part, particularly better time management, considering my tendency to cram too many things into too little time before rushing to my destination. But I want to try. I know I can make it work if I decide it's worthwhile — and I think it is. Check back at the end of April to see how I did!