Going (Almost) Car Free
As they say, necessity is the mother of invention. The good news: my youngest daughter landed her first job. The not so great news: it is in downtown Montreal and not easy to get to by public transit from where we live. Because of this, my daughter was contemplating the purchase of a new car. Over a celebratory dinner fuelled with excellent food and wine, I offered to give her my car. I told her “It’s a short 13 km bike ride to the office or I can take the bus. It’s a 15 minute ride. No problem!”. She asked me six times “Are you sure?” but I vigorously nodded that it was going to be fine. Not surprisingly, she accepted the offer.
The school year started the third week of August when the weather was fine. My first day without the car, I proudly took the bus. The “short” 15 minute bus ride did not include the 15 minute walk to the bus stop and another 20 minute walk from where the bus dropped me off to work. OK. It was clear that I was going to get a lot of exercise with this change of transportation mode. In addition, riding my bike to work required some logistics. I had to plan the days that I rode to avoid rainy weather as well select days where I didn’t have to bring my computer with me, to lighten the load in my backpack. I also had to make sure that I didn’t forget anything because I couldn’t easily go home and get it. I also became a master of planning “light weight” outfits. The stark reality of “no car” began to hit me. Run errands at lunch? Nope. Wearing heels to work? No, good old running shoes, although I could have a pair at work. Going out for dinner with colleagues after work? Possible but definitely more complicated. Rain anticipated? No bike and lots of extra things to wear or carry when I took the bus, including rain boots and a good raincoat. -20 C? Long down coat, long underwear and multiple layers to plan. Ouf!
As the late summer turned to fall, I adapted. I walked a ton and watched as the colours in the landscape changed from green to yellow and red. I was able to occasionally get a ride home with a friendly colleague who lived nearby. Another colleague would sometimes drop me off on his way home. The kindness of people impressed and heartened me about the state of the world, even if asking for a lift made me feel like a bit of a beggar.
When winter arrived, other challenges ensued. Cold weather was a challenge but with good planning and warm, layered clothing, I survived. I was fearful of late buses and planned my work from home days around the weather. I did everything I could to be home during snowstorms and even post snowstorms. When the snowbanks were really high, it was tough to get to the bus stop without getting snow into your boots. I was often cold and wet but I persisted.
And then, a wonderful thing happened. Spring. The cold days were behind me and I enjoyed my walks from the bus stop to work again. I even enjoyed the bus rides. I made a point to avoid the mindlessness of scrolling through my phone. I tried to be present and mindful. It was amusing to watch everyone else’s gazes glued to their phones. I invariably listened to snippets of people conversations: a young man trying to get the attention of a girl in his class, another girl talking about the betrayal of a friend. There were certainly all kinds of people on the bus. I did encounter some beer cans and rum bottles on my path to the bus stop. Remnants from less fortunate souls, who would drink to forget their lives and turn into nuisances for those around them. Bus rides with them could be challenging. And yet, among the chaos, there was always a sprinkling of kindness: The man that helped a young mother lift her baby carriage into the bus. The numerous young students who would offer their seat to me or another “elderly” person.
Taking the bus has made me more grateful for the times when I can actually ride in or drive a car, which was fortunately every weekend when my daughter shared the car with me. It taught me about the importance of community and the unexpected kindness of others, with the added benefit of making me feel that I have done a little bit to reduce my carbon footprint.
Here are 5 of the lessons I learned from going almost car free:
- Travelling by public transit takes more time. I could drive to work in 15 minutes but taking the bus made my trip to the office about 1 hour, four times longer.
- Organization is the key to success. I routinely checked the upcoming weather to decide whether I would ride my bike or take the bus. I planned the clothing I would wear for the commute as well as for the office. Facing extremes of weather is a common occurrence when you live in Montreal and this was exacerbated by my transportation choices.
- Active transportation is good for your health. Riding my bike or taking the bus incorporated exercise into my day. I didn’t have to plan separate exercise. It was built in. I either walked for about 35 minutes each way or rode my bike 40 minutes each way. This was certainly beneficial for my health.
- Never underestimate the kindness of others. My colleagues often came to my rescue when it was raining or very cold. Someone would invariably offer to drive me part of the way home or even directly home. When riding the bus, I frequently had young people offer me their seats. I had decided to let my hair go gray so I thought this was the reason. But even after I decided to dye my hair again, they offered me their seats. Maybe it was that I just look old but let’s focus on the generosity of spirit of today’s youth.
- My appreciation for the freedom that a car brings to life increased. I was extremely fortunate in that I had access to a car during the evenings or weekends. Many of the people that I saw on the bus did not have that luxury. I didn’t have to carry my groceries home or anything else that was heavy or cumbersome. Not having a car made me realize how lucky I am in this life.
Not having a car is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint but it comes with some constraints. Overall, taking alternative sources of transportation aligns with my values and my goal to minimize my impact on our planet as climate change accelerates. Would you consider doing it? Or are you also going car free? Looking forward to your comments.
Lovely piece. Like everything it’s about preparation. As someone with epilepsy that was uncontrolled for quite some time, driving a car was not an option. So I have only had a car for a brief period in my life – though I do want one now more for leisure purposes than anything else.
Cycling gear. First invest in the rain gear, and the paniers. You don’t want to be wearing a backpack they just make you sweaty. Living in England we cyclists need to deal with the rain. Likewise there are a range of warm clothes to keep you at the right temperature. When I cycled into the office I wore suits. It was a matter of buying clothes that mixed and matched – I did a range of coloured shirts and ties that would go with the limited suits I had. I kept the suits in my locker at work. The jackets hung up and the trousers rolled (to avoid creases). Same withthe dress shoes – I didn’t wear those on the bike!! And you know what? People have to accept a change in attire to fit a car-less environment. It can’t just be the same.
That’s the personal side of things. The other aspect is the transport environment. Roads in London were very unfriendly to cyclists for many reasons, but the demand for cycle paths grew and we have a good network now. Also, London would survive without a reasonable public transport system. If you live in London, it is always quicker to take public transport than it is to drive. That’s a tougher thing to change because it is a bigger demand. But again, if we want less dependence on cars – and with that less use of cars – then the public transport system needs to be boosted. And we need to work with the schedule of trains, buses etc and not just have the freedom of jumping in the car to go anywhere.
Thanks so much for this valuable insight about durable transportation options in London. Thanks for sharing!