Car Free Living

Bikes for Transportation
by Andy Renteria

Introduction

What is this class about? In the past, the Missing Link has offered free classes about bicycle commuting. I’d like to take that concept a step further. Rather than ask, “Can I get to work without a car?”, this class asks, “Can I live without a car?” What are the costs and benefits of car-free living? I have lived without owning a car for all my adult life, although during some periods, I have had use of a car as part of a job. This puts me in a special position. Having actually done the thing I am describing, I know the subject well. However, having never owned a car limits my perspective. In my mind, I probably overestimate the benefits of car ownership, and am only vaguely familiar with some of the drawbacks.

I started working in a bike shop full time in 1987. One night while preparing to go home, the store manager and I were chatting. I told her how important bicycling was to me. She said that this was fine, but that any serious adult simply had to own a car. It was a necessity. This struck me pretty hard. A respected elder was telling me that the way I was planning to live my life was in some way illegitimate. Of course, her assumption is a common one. According to the Department of Transportation, there are 231 million cars in the US and 196 million drivers. About 90% of Americans drive to work. So if going car free isn’t impossible, it’s certainly unpopular. But I think it’s a good way of life, and I hope that this class will encourage you to consider trying it.

Why Go Car Free?

In conclusion, the convenience of a car-based culture has come at a high social cost. But if a person wanted to change, would it even be possible?

Five Mile Rule

For me, the key to car free living has been living close to work. At times, this has meant finding a place to live close to my job. At other times, it has meant finding a job close to my work. Because of the frequency of travel between home and work, I have found that a distance of five miles is a practical limit. In the past, when I have had commutes of ten miles or more, I have found this to be burdensome. I was more likely to arrive at work exhausted or late. I also became bored and frustrated with spending so much time riding the same roads over and over. Some athletic types like having a long ride to work and treat it as training. But I think that the likelihood of burning out on a long commute is that much greater, unless it can be supplemented with public transit.

In an area with very high housing costs, making the five-mile requirement is difficult. It may mean settling for less than ideal housing. You will probably have to pay more for a smaller place than you would if you drove to Concord every day. I think this is still quite feasible in the Bay Area, but in a less dense area, it could be difficult.

Another requirement is willingness to live a slower paced life. Although you may save time not having to park and maintain your car, getting almost everywhere will take longer than it used to. It will also take more effort. You will be more exposed to the elements; you will get wetter and dirtier. In a sense, life will be more real, perhaps too real. If you can’t handle living slower and closer to the earth, this lifestyle may not be for you. For me, the effort I put into getting places feels appropriate. Using my own power is rewarding, and every trip seems like an accomplishment.

Permission to Go Shopping

Is good equipment important? Well, yes, but the cost of bike equipment is not always a good measure of its usefulness in utilitarian bicycling. Lower priced bikes are often better suited to transportation than high end bikes. If your commute involves going long distances, a racing or touring bike may be ideal. For me, performance has more to do with carrying heavy or outsize loads safely, riding on wet potholed streets, etc, than it does with speed.

Essential minimum equipment is a sturdy bike with baskets and fenders, a high security lock, lights, and a helmet. If your trips are short, you don’t need to spend a lot on clipless pedals, fancy clothing or rain gear. Those items won’t benefit you much while you are riding and will worsen your experience when you are off the bike. The performance enhancements such items offer will only kick in when you are riding distances greater than five miles or for over half an hour at a time.

Bike Choice

I recommend the Marin Muirwoods as an ideal commute bike. It is a mountain bike with rigid fork and slick tires, costing only $400. Hybrid bikes are fine too. If you can find a used mountain bike from the 1980’s or 1990’s, these make excellent commute bikes too. Most current mountain bikes feature suspension and disc brakes, which offer little benefit for commuting on pavement. A street tire around 1.5” or 37mm wide offers a good compromise between performance and safety. At night or when carrying loads, you may ride through sewer grates or potholes, and these wider tires will offer stability, cushion, and control. Be sure to keep tires properly inflated. Get a floor pump with a gauge, and check your tires every two weeks.

Why Baskets?

Unless you have the ability to carry things on your bike, you will always be dependent on your car. A bike that can’t carry, say, a bag of groceries will always remain a toy for recreation. If you have never tried cycling with a load, you will be surprised how easy it is. It is far easier than carrying the load while walking.

There are four ways to carry things on a bike. Messenger bags or backpacks are probably the most common, and most uncomfortable option. I don’t recommend them. Baskets are cheap, (roughly $20-75 depending on size) heavy, noisy, and can be loaded with large volumes of cargo. Panniers or saddlebags are more elegant, cost more, say $75-200 per pair, and can usually be easily removed. They are more suited to touring type uses, when the ability to carry things inside a bag allows greater speed and efficiency. Trailers are most expensive, typically $150-300, and allow carriage of much more cargo (100lbs) or small children. They are harder to store and park and have a noticeable effect on performance. You would be amazed what you can carry on a properly loaded trailer or cargo bike. I have carried a 16’ kayak, a ladder so large and heavy that I can hardly lift it alone, and many other items. A friend who uses a cargo bike tells me he has carried a couch on it.

So until you are ready to make the leap to more expensive equipment, baskets will probably do fine. Use a bungee cord or inner tube to secure cargo in the basket so that it won’t bounce out. I recommend using permanent fenders all year round. They will help to keep you cleaner and drier no matter what kind of weather or terrain you encounter. During wet weather, the fenders will keep dirty water and mud off of you. This is more important than trying to keep your body dry by using fancy Gore-Tex rain suits. Only during a really hard rain will you get very wet from precipitation- most of the water you’ll encounter is spray from the road. You may decide to carry dress clothing separately in a plastic bag to protect it against sweat or wet weather.

Locks and Security

Be sure to use a high security lock. Around here, a cable lock is not adequate. Lock your bike so as to protect the wheels and frame from theft. Always lock your bike. Remove accessories such as pumps or lights that might get stolen. Don’t expect local stores (except bike shops) to let you bring your bike inside. If your bike has quick release wheels or seat, be sure to lock up those items or replace the quick release devices with something more secure. Don’t leave your bike unlocked, even just for a moment. Don’t leave your bike locked in the same place for days at a time. Store it indoors when you’re not using it.

Be Safe and Legal

Be sure to have reflectors and lights available for riding at night. You will feel safer and be in compliance with the law. Follow all traffic regulations when you are riding. You will be safer and more predictable to motorists and pedestrians. A culture of lawlessness exists among bicyclists. Without going into why that might be, I think it suffices to say that all vehicles should follow the law and be respectful of others. Always wear a helmet. Head injuries can be so serious as to end or permanently change your life, so why risk it?

Families with Children

I don’t have children and can’t speak to this issue directly. Parents of small kids tell me that the need to move their kids around to school, appointments, and other activities is so great that they must have a car. If you have kids but would still like to cut back on the number of cars or miles, you may be able to use bikes, transit, or car-sharing to help you make do with less driving. Get involved with Berkeley’s safe routes to school program. Teach your kids to use bikes, walking and transit. You may find that when your kids grow older and more self-sufficient that you can move away from a car-based lifestyle.

Intermodal Transport

Intermodal transport is the fancy phrase that transportation planners have invented to describe the use of multiple forms of transport within a single trip. Bicycles are ideal for use in conjunction with buses and trains. For example, a commuter is much more likely to give up car use if he or she can ride a bike to a bus or train stop that is too far away to reach on foot. Thanks to the late Alex Zuckermann, the East Bay Bicycle Coalition, and other advocates, we are allowed to take our bikes onto BART, Caltrain, Amtrak, and ACE trains and many buses have racks allowing up to two bikes to be carried. BART imposes restrictions on bike use into San Francisco in the morning and out in the evening. Caltrans offers a Bay Bridge shuttle service to cover these periods charging just $1 per trip. You can take advantage of these services to increase the range of your bike to reach all sorts of destinations. Learning how to work these different services has been fun and rewarding for me.

Fear of Traffic

Because motor vehicles are so big, heavy and fast, you ought to be afraid of them. You can manage this risk by riding safely, keeping your bike in good condition, and avoiding roads that make you feel uncomfortable. For me, Nineteenth Avenue in San Francisco is a scary road. So I avoid it. Is it any more dangerous than San Pablo Avenue, or Shattuck, which I ride regularly? I don’t know, but there is usually some alternative to the busy, noisy streets that scare you. Local cities and advocacy groups have created maps with recommended routes. As you become more experienced, you will become more comfortable riding in traffic. Using a mirror on your helmet or bike may help reassure you that that Mack truck you hear behind you is not actually bent on running you over.

Conclusion

Lots of people tell me, “I would bike more if there were showers at work, if theft weren’t such a problem, if there weren’t so much traffic... if, if, if!” I guess that you are going to have to decide whether you are more interested in finding excuses or solutions. For me, bicycling is such a fun, efficient way to get around, that I don’t mind the drawbacks. Or perhaps, not having ever owned a car, I don’t know any better! The thing that I most envy about the motoring lifestyle is the ability to get way out of town quickly, without the hassle of riding transit or borrowing or renting a car. For years, I have searched for some sort of metaphor to describe this dilemma. Recently I read this interesting quote from Abraham Lincoln: “As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master.” Because I object to the social, environmental, and other problems associated with widespread car use, I am willing to sacrifice something in order not to contribute to these problems.

Bibliography
Bicycling with Children, by Trudy E. Bell
How to teach your kids to ride safely.

Divorce Your Car, by Katharine T. Alvord
Probably the best-known book on the subject of car-free living.

Effective Cycling, by John Forester.
The original book about bikes for transportation, now in its sixth edition. It’s the Gospel. Read and believe!

How to Live Well without Owning a Car, by Chris Balish
I relied on this book very heavily for data and inspiration in preparing the above.
Locally published by Ten Speed Press.

Urban Bikers’ Tips and Tricks by Dave Glowacz
Dave teaches how to avoid helmet hair and some other illegal stuff that I can’t advocate.
Very practical info.

Advocacy Groups
Bicycle Friendly Berkeley Coalition (bfbc.org)
Bikes Belong (bikesbelong.org)
East Bay Bicycle Coalition (ebbc.org)
San Francisco Bicycle Coalition (sfbike.org)