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.