Retiring without a car?

[Moemg]

Why no walkable cities in Florida Jacksonville is the only one to make the list..and it was at #40 (the last one).

Sarasota would be walkable if you lived downtown .

 

[Onward]

I had a Vespa in my early twenties

A while back I did an inventory of all the best periods of my life. One thing they all had in common was that I didn't have a car. (And not all were as a kid.) It's one of the reasons I dumped my vehicle.

 

[CuppaJoe]

A while back I did an inventory of all the best periods of my life. One thing they all had in common was that I didn't have a car. (And not all were as a kid.) It's one of the reasons I dumped my vehicle.

SO says that the happiest people have no cars. But as others say it can be a problem socially. A couple of friends will be visiting next year; I plan to rent a limo with driver for a couple of days; I do that so seldom that it is very affordable.

 

[sailor]

Don't overlook bicycle.
There are several of us on this board who use bicycles are mode of transportation.
Significantly cheaper than a car and gives you some health benefits too.

 

[haha]

Don't overlook bicycle.
There are several of us on this board who use bicycles are mode of transportation.
Significantly cheaper than a car and gives you some health benefits too.

Bicycle was my transport in Boston, that and underground.

I am I little wary of using it now because of traffic risk. The drivers are mostly polite, but in the 3 years I have been living in the core city I have seen three riders hit hard enough to require an Aid Car, and had 2 friends really messed up. One guy hit a door that someone opened in his path, the other got hit by a car rolling through a stop sign. Definitely good for health if trauma doesn't find you though.

Ha

 

[Rascal]

Don't overlook bicycle.
There are several of us on this board who use bicycles are mode of transportation.
Significantly cheaper than a car and gives you some health benefits too.

I live in Seattle Wallingford/Fremont area and ride my bike or walk most of the time.
We do own a car, but put less than 2k mi/yr. My wife has arthritis in her knees and hip and can't walk the 1 mile to work. Maybe I should buy a pedi-cab, lol

 

[CyclingInvestor]

Don't overlook bicycle.
There are several of us on this board who use bicycles are mode of transportation.
Significantly cheaper than a car and gives you some health benefits too.

Agreed. Although I have owned cars and motorcycles at times, my bicycle has always been my primary transport, thru 27+ years of work (commutes of 5 to 23 miles) and 3+ years of retirement in the Los Angeles area. You quickly learn the good and bad routes to get anywhere, and rush hour becomes almost irrelevant. I have not owned a car for years now, although I have access to my roommate's when I need one (Costco runs, dogs to the vet, etc), or I just rent a car for a day. Even for travel I often rent a bike instead of a car - for wine-tasting trips in Healdsburg or Solvang, vacations in the San Juan Islands, Kauai, Maui, Ketchikan, Sitka, Haines and Skagway Alaska, etc.

I have found the vast majority of drivers to be courteous to cyclists, and the few that are not usually just yell something. Most accidents can be avoided if you pay attention and ride intelligently (like never riding in the 'door lane', where a sudden door opening can get you). My only somewhat serious accident (in over 200K miles) was my fault, as were most of my minor ones.

 

[unclemick]

Bicycle was my transport in Boston, that and underground.

I am I little wary of using it now because of traffic risk. The drivers are mostly polite, but in the 3 years I have been living in the core city I have seen three riders hit hard enough to require an Aid Car, and had 2 friends really messed up. One guy hit a door that someone opened in his path, the other got hit by a car rolling through a stop sign. Definitely good for health if trauma doesn't find you though.

Ha

Reminds me of way back in 70's Colorado(Littleton/Denver) I had a roommate who biked a lot and had tales of drivers who couldn't see - never seriously injured. I attended the big bike rally to support bike lanes in and around Denver.

I never made the 12 points(came close) to get my driver's license pulled - but many of my fellow sports car buddies did.

And my old used Jag - was RED!

heh heh heh -

 

[sailor]

My wife has arthritis in her knees and hip and can't walk the 1 mile to work. Maybe I should buy a pedi-cab, lol

Or a recumbent tandem trike with independent pedaling?
I did considered a pedi-cab, but they are too heavy for our hills.
We use bicycle train instead:

my bicycle has always been my primary transport, thru 27+ years of work (commutes of 5 to 23 miles)

Wow - 23 miles - that's a long commute (mine is little under 7miles one way).

 

[Dudester]

Not to hijack the other car thread, I am curious if anyone has experience with NOT having a car in US. I realize that in many places in US a car is needed to get around to a store or any other places, but wonder if there are some places where it's not needed.

I live in a 'burb of Seattle (Kirkland) in the "downtown" area. Although I have a car, it would be feasible to live here without one. I'm close to a transit center, the local library, a grocery store, a movie theater, a bookstore, dry cleaners, restaurants, boutique hotel, etc. I'm also a couple of blocks from Lake Washington and a nice waterfront park. In the summer time, I can stroll down the street that parallels the lake and the beach parks (complete with bikini babes sunning themselves; a local cop had an accident a few years ago while checking out the babes). They recently built a retirement facility in the downtown area.

The transit center makes it feasible to easily get to additional amenities such as two major hospitals, Costco, additional grocery stores, the University of Washington, Seattle, Bellevue (a major 'burb), the Googleplex, Microsoft, Redmond (another 'burb), and the airport (if I'm willing to do a transfer in Seattle). The buses on the major routes run about every half hour or so. So far, the recession has not impacted the bus service too much.

Bellevue in particular has most of the stuff that Kirkland doesn't provide (such as stores that sell clothing that fits a big guy like me). The downtown Bellevue area is also a place that one could live without a car. However, it's in the process of turning into a major urban center, which might turn some people off.

I only drive my car 2 or 3 times a month (my gas bill is about $10 to $15 every month or two). Most of my driving is for medical appointments that for various reasons are not feasible to take the bus to. If necessary, I could change doctors, which would eliminate any rational for having a car.

 

[KB]

I lived in San Francisco in the mid 70s and only drove my car when I needed to buy a lot of groceries. I got a monthly Fast pass for $30 and used the muni system to go everywhere. My car was parked under my flat in the garage and rarely driven. Parking was too hard to find so I saved $$ by leaving the car at home and not getting parking tickets.

 

[HawkeyeNFO]

A lot of people I work with have done a tour in DC. Most of them didn't like it, and when I ask why not, they all complain about driving and traffic. The ones that did enjoy living there are the ones who rode a bike, walked, or took the Metro to work. I had a lot of fun when I lived there, and didn't mind taking the Metro, especially when it went over the Beltway and I saw the usual parking lot that it becomes at 4pm.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

I live in a 'burb of Seattle (Kirkland) in the "downtown" area. Although I have a car, it would be feasible to live here without one. I'm close to a transit center, the local library, a grocery store, a movie theater, a bookstore, dry cleaners, restaurants, boutique hotel, etc. I'm also a couple of blocks from Lake Washington and a nice waterfront park. In the summer time, I can stroll down the street that parallels the lake and the beach parks (complete with bikini babes sunning themselves; a local cop had an accident a few years ago while checking out the babes). They recently built a retirement facility in the downtown area.

The transit center makes it feasible to easily get to additional amenities such as two major hospitals, Costco, additional grocery stores, the University of Washington, Seattle, Bellevue (a major 'burb), the Googleplex, Microsoft, Redmond (another 'burb), and the airport (if I'm willing to do a transfer in Seattle). The buses on the major routes run about every half hour or so. So far, the recession has not impacted the bus service too much.

Bellevue in particular has most of the stuff that Kirkland doesn't provide (such as stores that sell clothing that fits a big guy like me). The downtown Bellevue area is also a place that one could live without a car. However, it's in the process of turning into a major urban center, which might turn some people off.

I only drive my car 2 or 3 times a month (my gas bill is about $10 to $15 every month or two). Most of my driving is for medical appointments that for various reasons are not feasible to take the bus to. If necessary, I could change doctors, which would eliminate any rational for having a car.

We lived in Kirkland for years. If I win the lottery, we might go back. The downtown is indeed a great place for someone without a car. Bellevue was approaching gridlock when we were there, ten years ago. A bicycle would be good (if you didn't get run over).

In case someone missed the point, housing is astronomical in Kirkland.

 

[kcowan]

When we drove our Explorer to Mexico last year, we flew home and were without a car (in West Vancouver BC) for two months: July and August. We finally bought a 2005 Escape. But we walk, bike and take the bus most of the time in both West Van and PV. Both cars are really luxuries that make it easy to go home after being at friends' places for dinner. Sometimes taxis can take 30 minutes in remote neighborhoods.

 

[freebeer]

We live in a Seattle suburb - the size of Manhattan Island but only 25K people. But, Bainbridge Island is quite walkable if you who live within the town center: our Walk Score is 80. And the bonus is that we can "walk" to downtown Seattle, via the 35 minute ferry ride, much more easily/affordably than driving. We have a car but there are many days where it is not used, even though we have a family of 4.

 

[Onward]

I just ran across the Kalderlis' take on being car(e)-free:

Care Free