The pedestrian life 11

Posted by Erin Bean Tue, 31 Oct 2006 05:01:00 GMT

Welcome to our car-free blog, where we’ll share with you the joys and frustrations of the pedestrian life. A little background: we’re married, we both work from home, and we live in an apartment near – but not in – downtown Salt Lake City. We have an early-80s Saab named Finn, and we’ve toddled around town with him for years. Finn’s days on the road are, sadly, numbered. We’ve poured a lot of money into his sweet Swedish innards, and the last time we took him to the mechanic, (with a busted slave cylinder in the clutch), we decided that this time, we wouldn’t operate.

Thus begins our life as a car-free family. Finn’s still sitting in the driveway – because he still runs somewhat reliably – but we know the end is near for him. Instead of driving, we’re riding our bikes, walking, and riding public transportation to accomplish all our daily tasks. We’re in the ideal situation to kick the car habit: we live pretty close to all the big necessities (three grocery stores within a mile), neither of us commutes, and we do have a car for those tight situations—although who knows how long he’ll last? Don’t tell Finn: he’s a glorified security blanket these days, mostly for my mother.

We’ve been car-lite for a few months, and already I can predict some of the issues we’ll have. There’s already been one notorious rainstorm and two caught-off-guard cyclists this winter, and I’m sure we’ll have many a good (drenched) laugh for you in the coming months. But as I was fond of repeating while planning our wedding, adversity makes for good memories. And come on: it’s just life without a car, not eking out existence in a drought-ridden dictatorship. This is adversity-lite, man. Come along for the ride.

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  1. Thomas Blavet 119 days later:

    I like life with out a car. I used to drive but after 2 crases I could not afford the insurence. So I stoped driving and I love it. I moved to Milwaukie OR and learned to take the bus,light rail and street car. I like how Portland OR put together the best public transit system in Oregon. I found 48 buses I can take from Portland and Portland put a lite rail train to take poeple all over the city and I like how by 2009 the like rail train will have a stop at the transit center in my town of Milwaukie OR. When it comes we will beable to ride it to Portland. The city of portland is by far the green city for its push for the best transist system. I will be moving to portland soon and can get any were I want just by taking public transit. So life with out a car will still be the best choice I made. I’m 21 years old. So if you want to live were public transit is the best move to Portland OR. Portland is inproving the transit system to make the city green. I found the best system in the world. I will never go back to driving ever again aslong as they keep inproving the air by providing better public transist. The city wants poeple to stop driving and take public transit. Thats why they are inproving the light rail,bus,streetcar and troly. having a tain that runs on power lines rather then gas was smart for the city. you can take the train from downtown all the way to the airport or to any place in portland. Plus you can take the train to the zoo or to the town of beavertin and to the town of hillsbowow. The train will drop you off at many places in the city and all the stops the tain makes in the city there will be lots of buses that will take you to any where you want to go in the city. so now mater where you get off there will be a bus to take you the rest of the way. The public trasit company is called trimet. trimet runs the train buses and the streetcar plus the troly. there are almost 165 buses that you can take anywere. the buses go to lost of different towns out side of portland and the buses go every were in the city. to see what I ‘m tallking about go to trimet.org this is why I will never drive and why life is better with out a car. Plus Portland OR was rated the best place in US to bike. so check out Portland OR

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