Growing up in Atlanta I learned to loathe cars. When I was in middle school, I was actually fascinated with them because they were a symbol of freedom. Atlanta has basically non-existent public transportation and few sidewalks (my parents are only getting them now after living in the same neighborhood almost my whole life). So driving a car or getting a ride was a necessity to go…literally anywhere.
And I wanted that freedom. Looking back, I felt trapped growing up. Always waiting for someone to pick me up, always relying on others and not getting a say in my own life. I know a part of that was being a kid, but seeing the type of freedom children in cities with actual public transit seemed to have like Amelia in The Princess Diaries scooting around San Francisco with her friends, made me long for a different life (….what do you mean movies aren’t documentaries?).
Then I finally got my license at the ripe old age of 16. I made a mistake during the test which led me to bursting out crying in the driver’s license office (pull yourself together girl!) Looking back I suspect this outburst was a result of putting too much pressure on myself (my parents had even shilled out dough to get me a driving instructor for a few weeks before the test) and thinking my chance at freedom was about to be dangled in front of me and then ripped away because of my own nerves.
Long story short: I did pass – and have never creeped into an intersection again in order to make a turn (the mistake that I thought would cost me the chance at a license). I had forgotten or didn’t realize that that move is actually not allowed in Georgia since I was with family and friends and they did it all the time. Learn from the rulebook, not your friends kids!
So I gained my freedom – and then realized that I had actually just acquired a new kind of prison. Atlanta traffic is notoriously horrible and a constant contender on the lists created by people who for some reason want to rank these things. When I was growing up it was listed behind NYC and LA as one of the US cities with the worst traffic. I soon discovered why after taking up the mantel of driving myself to school.
It was a 45 minute trek without traffic (HA!) which became a 1-1.5 hour journey every morning at 5:30am. I got up early to ‘beat traffic’ and can only imagine how bad it would have been if I had left later. So I traded relying on others for rides and enjoying my time getting chauffeured around while I read in the backseat to sitting by myself in bumper to bumper traffic, trying to stave off road rage.
This was not the freedom I was looking for. Yes, I could now go places without relying on others, but did I WANT to?! When I knew what kind of red lit hell awaited me? (Yes I am being dramatic – you should be used to it by now π ).
My mind began wondering about my previous fanciful daydreams of the kids in movies that live in major cities and can hop on the subway or use a scooter to get around. I realized that I could have that too – even as an adult – I just had to get out of Atlanta.
So I moved after high school and decided to only live in places where it is actually preferable to be carfree and have never considered going back. I had never regretted my decision or been tempted to get a car until…now. As you may have heard, there’s this thing called COVID-19 floating around. Well, I have now discovered one situation where being carfree is actually not ideal: A global pandemic.
I can’t say this situation was on my ‘predictions for 2020’ bingo list, but here we are. In a once in a hundred years pandemic situation, our decision to be carfree is a bit of an issue because our usual avenues for transportation are limited or dangerous for ourselves and others because:
- Buses (our usual go to) are for essential travel only in Seattle and I did not see in any of our phased COVID approaches when it would stop being so. We haven’t set foot on a bus since February and that seriously limits our available travel area to where we can get with our feet. However that is also a problem because:
- Walking in a socially distanced fashion in a major city is challenging. It’s not too bad in our neighborhood currently, but when walking across the city, it would be almost impossible to stay 6 feet away from people. For that reason, until recently, we hadn’t ventured more than a mile from our house in 4 months
- Ride sharing is usually our backup plan when we feel tired or have a further distance to go, like the airport with big bags. However, we didn’t feel comfortable using it since it is a shared space and we didn’t want to endanger our driver (self-driving cars where are you?!). We had similar concerns about rental cars
- Being picked up by a friend was also out for the same reason – we didn’t want to risk exposing anyone
So we had a bit of a problem for the first time in our decade of carfree life. We live a mile from multiple bodies of water that we hadn’t seen in 4 months because we were nervous about venturing too far from our home. If we had a car, we could have at least driven by them and perhaps gone on a socially distanced hike after our trails opened up again to see some nature.
Instead, we stayed in our apartment and I became even more grateful that we had a southwest facing view that gives us a lot of sunlight and is surrounded by greenery. If I was staring at a brick wall out of my window like I was in my second NYC apartment, I think I would have lost my bloody mind.
Anyway, despite my slight complaining, we are very lucky in many ways: We chose the location of our Seattle apartment because it was a 30 minute walk from our previous workplaces. It also happens to be a 10 minute walk from a grocery store, pharmacy and urgent care clinic. I am so grateful for this location that allows us to go about our day and have walkable options in case of emergency even during these strange times.
If a pandemic hits again we also have some options for how to approach it knowing what we do now. The options include:
- Buying a car: Obviously, I have the money to buy a car if I wanted – if I truly felt stuck. In fact, a very cute VW Bug is for sale with 80K miles on it for $4K one street over from our apartment. I could snatch that up no problem and have the quarantine-friendly life of my dreams. I could throw money at the problem – what a luxury π .
- Moving: At the end of July we became nomads and that means that our future living situation is up to us. If a pandemic hits again, we can just choose our next location based on where there is walkable access to everything we need. Yay flexibility!
So life decided to throw a bit of a curveball into our carfree decision, but if this happens again we have a plan! We’re lucky we don’t need it this time, but thanks for stress testing our plans life π .
How have you been using types of transit during this pandemic?
I’m in the opposite situation. Got a car I don’t use for work anymore since I started working from home and need to sell it. I can use my wife’s car if I need to go farther than I can walk.
And I’d rather not travel than get on the buses here. They were unhygienic before the Pandemic………
Well if you lived closer to me I’d ask: How much are you looking for π ? Fair point on buses. Seattle has been taking a lot of precautions with them, but I’m still wary.
Iβm also carfree, have been all my life and I chose walkable cities for this reason. In this pandemic I felt like a car would get me to different places like hiking and other day trips. But so far Iβve been biking and no issues there!
Awesome you’ve been having no issues π !
The traffic was so much lighter in spring. It was great. We could take a short trip to new parks and didn’t have to deal with the traffic jam. It’s back to almost normal level now so I avoid driving again.
Anyway, isn’t there some kind electric bike/scooter rental in your area?
We used the streetcar a few times. It was okay. Only a few people inside.
Ugh I’m sorry the traffic’s back π . We used to have those bike rentals everywhere, but not so much anymore and I sold my bike when we got rid of everything the past few months. In general in Seattle though I prefer walking to biking because of the hills – even with my bike I was walking half the time π .
Have a car, but I so miss the bus option. I hate being so reliant on a vehicle right now.
Yep. I guess it’s time to change that car to eco-fuel a la Back to the Future π .
I’m in the exact same boat as you. I’ve been carfree since 2007, for a few years in Philadelphia and the last 11 years in San Francisco. It had been totally fine especially since ride-sharing became an option but I’ve had a similar experience during this pandemic. I haven’t left a 2-mile radius of my house but luckily I feel like it is the most beautiful place in the world to be trapped in, with the Bay, Presidio hikes, farmers market, etc all within close range of my place. Also the extra walking helps keep up my Fitbit count – I got 23k steps yesterday even though it was a work day! How will your logistics work when you are in Georgia after you retire? Rental car?
That’s awesome! So glad you’ve made it work for you. As for Georgia, we’ll be near college towns that have a lot of by the hour/day rental car options. There are also (shockingly) buses that go between major cities and if all else fails I did grow up there and have been told I can borrow friends’ second car for a day or two π . Otherwise the area is walkable with some Ubers thrown in – basically what we did in Seattle pre-pandemic.
Not having a car can be a pain. I went without a car for several years, I enjoy having one now even if I only use it sparingly. A bike can get you around 20 miles pretty easily assuming streets/freeways/bodies of water and hills aren’t too crazy in your area. If you get an electric bike/scooter/moped you can greatly increase that. I know biking isn’t for everyone, but it’s also very underrated by most in the US at least. I think the pandemic has had a lot more folks suddenly interested in biking again. I started biking more after taking a year or two hiatus. I had previously rode my bike basically daily for nearly a decade as my primary means of transportation.
The other reason I enjoy having a bike is to help out friends/family and to get folks to come with me to places.
In Seattle this is also probably less of an issue – but increment weather without a car can be annoying. Especially if it gets too cold, snow, rain, hot, etc. I’ve done it, but it’s definitely not for everyone and can increase risks.
Yeah the temperate weather in Seattle definitely helps shield me from most of this. It’s basically never too hot or too cold to walk or bike. However, the streets/freeways/bodies of water and hills here are wild and why I biked sparingly before I sold my bike. Ending up walking half the time because the hills were too badass for me wasn’t the most fun thing in the world π .
That’s awesome a bike helps you get people to hang out with you! I haven’t though of that angle before π .
Your friendly neighborhood bike/FI blogger here to question why bicycles, despite appearing in the main photo of your blog, didn’t factor into your transportation decisions? : D Please take it as a gentle ribbing haha, but I have enjoyed using my bicycle as my main mode of transport during this pandemic.
One word: HILLS! I had a bike before we moved and rarely used it because we lived near the top of one of the biggest hills in Seattle so instead of my beloved walking I was walking with a heavy bike hitting me in the heels – no fun π . E-bike’s would change that I’m sure, but they basically disappeared during the pandemic (understandably I guess?). I actually took this picture because I hadn’t seen them in a while.
That’s legit. Hills suck. You’re definitely right about ebikes! I’ve toyed with getting one in the near future. They help with not only hills (it’s crazy how you can fly up a hill with no more than usual effort – it almost feels like you’re doing something wrong lol), but they also help with distance. Suddenly any trip seems possible by bicycle. Hold on, I’ve almost talked myself into one lol
The transit in my little city isn’t so great. Doesn’t run on weekends and it’s just not used that much. I have a little 20+ year old truck that gets me everywhere I need to go. I’ve always walked to work, so just use it for shopping and errands. I think location determines the ‘need’ for owning a vehicle for most people. I’d much rather walk than ride a bike.
Oh wow – I didn’t know some transit systems didn’t run on weekends! And location can totally determine it. Our apartment in Seattle was the first time I reverse engineered – where do we need to go? Work and the grocery store? Ok – where can we live so we walk there? And I’m with you: I’d rather walk than bike.
All public transport is back to normal for me. So I’m mainly using ride sharing services and walking everywhere. Skipping buses though. Don’t feel like being packed with 100 coughing people in the middle of this pandemic.
Back to normal? Tell me more π . Masks required? Middle seat blocked? What’s the deal? Also what’s a ride sharing experience like? Tell me all!
I’m in Malta and basically everything is normal here. Masks are only required when entering shops so I do all everything online. I don’t go to any stores or malls. Restaurants and cafes almost seem like business as usual. The country is packed with tourists and the beaches are full.
Regarding ride sharing, yeah, it’s a bit weird. They installed these internal transparent walls (not sure how to call it) between all of the passengers. Middle seat is blocked because of this. Definitely feels like entering a space ship but hey, I’ll take it.
Very cool! Great to see how the rest of the world has their shit together π . Sadly I am not surprised. Transparent walls like a limo divider? That sounds interesting. Love the middle seat blocking and hate to admit I’m all about cars feeling more like spaceships π . Thank you for updating me!
i’ve always had a love/hate relationship with cars. i rarely drive at home outside of my little work commute and rarely drive on weekends. having said that this is our second trip to a vacation rental this year and it’s great to hop in the car, drive 4-5 hours and be in the mountains. growing up rural car-free wasn’t much of an option.
Haha – what’s the love part? Driving to rentals? That’s interesting you rarely drive outside of the commute. Fair on car-free in a rural area…except if it’s super rural I guess, like where my partner grew up in upstate NY. They have sidewalks and the town is small enough that you can walk to everything, even in the snow.
My brother got an 82 Granada when I was 13. What a piece of crap. Still, I dreamed of his freedom and started a babysitting business that paid for my first car 4 years later (I actually had a calendar so my mother knew where I was). I continue my love hate relationship with cars. I am budgeting in about 3000 per year in retirement for cars and repairs in retirement.
Whoops my last line belongs in the Department of Redundancy Department
Haha yeah it’s wild how even a piece of crap car symbolizes freedom. That’s awesome you were able to save up that much from a babysitting business! Cars both love and hate me too it seems like I assume it’s a symbiotic relationship π .
Just before the pandemic I got rid of my commuter car share membership, which gave me a dedicated car during the week. My job changed and I could take public transit. I felt free! But I regretted it when things shut down here.
When we were allowed to come and go as we pleased, it was no problem to grab groceries on the way home. However when we were restricted to 1x per week, and there were lines to get into stores, I was missing convenience of a car. And like you, we were also stuck in the apartment. We didn’t want to take public transit for non-essential reasons.
On the plus side, I biked to work a lot more than normal this year (essential worker). I got over my fear of biking in the rain, and think I will bike deep into the fall this year for the first time.
Oh no! That timing accidentally sucks, but that’s awesome it’s gotten you into biking!