edmunds.com "true cost to own" [TCO] doesn't include other car-related expenses
Only way to really know is to calculate it yourself
Pg 14. swedish proverb "if you buy what you don't need, you steal from yourself"
Pg 28. Estimated annual expense of bicycling: a few tune ups, replacement of bike parts, bike gear, annual expense of transit, annual expense of car sharing
Pg 28. Estimate total annual car-free transportation, then subtract that from expected savings to get an accurate estimate of how much money you will be saving
Pg 30. What I won't miss about having a car
-mysterious engine noises
-gas station trips
-tire pressure trips
-rising gas prices
-paying to park
-waiting for car to be fixed
-annoying minor repairs
-wasting time looking for a parking spot
-worried about my car being towed
-flat tires
-paying automobile taxes
-scraping ice off a frozen windshield
-waiting for car to warm up in the winter
-potholes
-asking a stranger for a jump
-developing a sedentary lifestyle
IT EATS UP A LOT OF TIME!
Noise pollution: automobiles are the primary source of noise pollution in cities! noise pollution can cause sleep loss, headaches, increased blood pressure, reduces human interaction
Sprawl: makes people spend more time in their cars and away from family. It's costly because instead of spending money & tax dollars to improve existing communities, sprawl forces tax dollars to be spread thin building new roads. More traffic leads to the widening of highways and new road construction which leads to more development, more cars, and then more sprawl!
More paved surfaces means fewer green spaces, fewer trees, fewer parks
Ideally, you could move somewhere a mile from where you work or work remotely and save up so much time!
Find a living situation close to a bank, post office, library, grocery store, transit stop, hair salon, dentist, doctor.... Does your new place have a bike rack and a garage? [also look for good cycling routes to your work and other destinations]
Transit comes out ahead in terms of time because of all the time you need to keep car cleaned, fueled, maintained, parked
Pg. 119. "Bicycling and walking conserve roadway and residential space; avert the need to build, service, and dispose of autos; and spare users of public space the noise, speed, and intimidation that often characterize motor vehicle use, particularly in urban area" - U.S. Department of Transportation
Shop close to home or buy over internet
For out of town trips, carpool or rent a car
For carpooling to work, make sure the driver has proper insurance and notifies insurance company that he is participating in a carpool, decide when, how, and how often expenses will be paid to the driver, establish backup plans
When looking for a carpool, use anonymous email messaging, meet in a public place before, photocopy and exchange copies of driver's licenses and a list of emergency contacts, personal and employment references, very where a person works and how long he's worked there and calling references are good ways. Copy down the car license plate number, make, model. Make copies of all this info, including photos, and give to friend or co worker
Pg 98. Request a new rider kit when obtaining information about transit
commutercheck.com
erideshare.com
Post a Nextdoor ad for carpool wanted, a KSL ad, an ad at work or at a school
Pg 103. Find LOCAL rideshares, call Park & Ride office or public transit office, city+carpool
Slugging when in a bigger city
Takes a couple weeks to break into a routine
Choose 3 or 4 different routes
When looking for a route, look for wide shoulders, smooth even pavement, a lighter traffic pattern, and proximity to services
What to not look for in a route: heavy traffic roads, fast moving traffic, dangerous intersections, steep hills,
Pg 129. Longer commute? Wear clothes, then change into work clothes [don't need to if commute is 3 miles & if you don't have any steep hills], dry socks, underwear, rainwear for commute
Cycling in winter? Wear layers, start underdressed, winter gloves, neck gaiter, face mask, windproof outer layer [there are some really good winter cycling clothing!]
Ride in bike clothing and change into work clothes [my biking wardrobe]
Wear bright-colored clothing and reflectors
When wearing a backpack, cover it with reflective tape and clip a red strobe light to the back
Wear reflective leg bands around ankles
Use a headlight and taillight at night
Buy a rearview mirror for when you need to change lanes
Never buy a used helmet
Buy a waterproof tarp and bungee cords for bad weather when keeping it stored outside
If clothing is wet, then have a small fan in the break room to dry it out [keep in locker]
Ride in the dark with reflective ankle bands, a powerful halogen light [with one battery charger at home and one at the office], an LED headlight, and an LED helmet-mounted light, a rear red blinkie, a rear reflective warning triangle
When commuting, keep a small bag of toiletries in your locker: deodorant, hairbrush, toothbrush, toothpaste, perfume, washcloth, underwear, dry socks, body wipes, towel, soap
Cotton underwear takes forever to dry so buy synthetic wicking fabrics
Having a car requires you to spend
Find a close doctor, dentist, pharmacy
Out of town friends & family? Rent a car!
Pg 155. No reason to go to the strip mall or big box retail store these days!
The average person spends 3+ hours running errands and buying food impulsively!
Use Zipcar
flexcar.com
citycarshare.org
carsharing.net
innovativemobility.org
Car sharing+your city
Weekend rentals for cars are cheaper [pick up car on Saturday and drop it off on Monday morning so you can only pay for 2 days]
Chris Balish saves up errands over a period of months then rents a car & gets them all done in a single weekend
Keep a running list of everything you want to accomplish the next time you rent a car
A few days before you rent a car, create itinerary
Schedule these rental car weekends together with events on your social calendar [for example, friend's graduation on Sunday, drive to the graduation but on Saturday do errands]
Use a rental car to get bulky home stuff that is difficult to transport [rent a truck or van]
Bulk shopping, moving, specialty stores that aren't reachable by transit or bike
Entreprise-Rent-A-Car has free upgrades, special deals, email offers
Entreprise picks you up at home or work and drops you off
The first few months, probably renting once a month, but then you rely on renting less & less. Great way to ease the transition.
Don't rely on people to give you a ride, but proactively seek group activities and other shared transport
Have a plan B if people don't want to drive you
More time & money for lunches with friends, weekend getaways, dinners out, dates
You'll have to plan your transport ahead of time
Some credit cards offer collision damage waiver (CDW) = credit card company provides insurance for damage done to rental car [may be able to decline rental car company's expensive collision insurance]. Contact credit-card provider to see. Read fine print. Bring a copy of the CDW to rental company's office.
If wanting to go to a bar, you can ask one member of group to swing by and pick you up. Give them a small incentive like gas & pay for their drink. You can also meet friends at a bar near you. Always have money for a Lyft ride home in case this doesn't work out.
Rider etiquette:
-offer to pay for parking
-if going shopping, treat driver to lunch
-pay for gas
-pay for automatic car wash
-wash the car windows
Influence the day, time, location of the get-together, schedule it on a workday
Car-free date ideas:
-go for a bike ride
-exercise together
-roller skating
"I got rid of my car in order to live a healthier lifestyle. Now I ride a scooter or bike to work. And I feel great"
"I hate cars because they are loud and encourage roads which push out green spaces"
Stock up when going on a monthly trip to Costco
Choose dinner places close to home, schedule it later in evening or weekend. Also choose one that's close to a transit stop
Get a folding bike for the transit ride!
Car-free travel excursions and ideas, but if I need it then I can rent a car
Lock in a low-rate on weekly/monthly rental car. Enterprise calls this a "month or more rental plan" when I need it for a week or month
Edmunds or Kelley Blue Book & compare other listings of the same car
motors.ebay.com
When selling car, ask them to drive it. Ask "would you like to make an offer?" Rates in state for transferring the title
autotrader.com has a link to every state's motor vehicle department website
10 steps to selling your car - Edmund & Kelley Blue book
Car-free lifestyle: less time in traffic, work less because spend less, get to know neighbors, invest, donate, firmer butt & thighs, sleep better
Donate 10% of the money you are saving to charity [total annual cost of car then subtract estimated annual cost of your alternative modes of car-free transport
For example, car cost 500, annual transit pass for 5,000
Few charities & divide $500 in donations among them
More time for volunteering!