Some people assume that getting around by bike, living car-free or car-lite, is too hard.
But it’s actually pretty easy and indeed very rewarding!
To me, owning a car is a huge hassle. Parking, gas, taxes, insurance, repairs and maintenance. According to recent estimates, the annual expense of car ownership in the USA is over $9,000. Ugh!
In the USA, car ownership is not only typically seen as necessary; it’s even viewed as a status symbol; a step up. I especially hate to see people in the lower income range “move up” to owning a car. To me, being able to get around mainly by walking and bicycling is a real move up: a boost in quality of life.
I used to assume that getting around by bike was impossible in cold climates, til I met people who bicycle-commuted to work or school even while living in places like Wyoming and Alaska. In Florida and other warm places, it’s perfectly do-able once you get used to the fact that the human body perspires. (That’s actually a feature, not a bug, of our bodies!)
The most irksome aspect of being car-free, in my experience, is that people somehow think my transportation mode is “less than” their wonderful expensive car. Or they assume I would not be able to get to this or that place, and that I would need a ride. Nope! With the help of buses for longer trips, and Uber or taxis for sudden rough weather, and the occasional rental car or box truck for long trips or heavy hauls, I can get anywhere I really want to. If I don’t get there, it’s because I decided not to spend the time and energy to get there.
And, I can transport pretty much anything I need. (On that note, I’m a huge fan of paying people to deliver large items to me.)
Interested in trying cycling as a mode of transport? In this series of 10 short videos, Daytona Beach area cycling activist Jason Aufdenberg offers some great practical tips to get you started and keep you rolling. Jason covers everything from traffic safety and comfortable clothing, to how to comfortably transport groceries. Thanks to Florida Bicycle Association for this series.
#ActiveTransportation #HumanPoweredTransportation #TransportationFreedom