Could you live without your car?

I could get by without a car in Ottawa. Public transit is superb for a metro area around 1.2 million. I would have to take the occasional cab.

Would I want to? No. Spring and fall are okay, but public transit in heavy snow or in 40 degree heat? Nope.

I don't like sitting in traffic since that's a waste of gas. I plan my trips to avoid rush hour for the most part.
 
Well if a major breakdown in transport happened that is if no one could have a car, truck plane or anything on fossil fuels, I could, because I have land so I could survive the lack of food transport, medical supplies would be tougher, but in general yes because its always easier to survive in rural areas, we had a god damn war that cut fuel of almost completely but we survived so no trouble.
 
I would happily move somewhere served by adequate public transit. I'd buy a bicycle and my life would probably improve overall.
 
Yes, which is why I sold it!

I live in NYC. The best place on earth for not needing a car ;)
 
Theige said:
Yes, which is why I sold it!

I live in NYC. The best place on earth for not needing a car ;)
Click to expand...
I sold my car when I first moved to NYC. It turned out to be a huge mistake. Back then, I could have parked it in my apartment building in Forest Hills for $80 per month. It would have allowed me much more freedom on the weekends.

When I moved back to Manhattan from California eight years later, I kept my car. I even used it to drive it to a job in Brooklyn every day for a year which was a reverse commute. It was far faster than taking the subway. But parking on the street with alternate side parking is a royal pain.

Later, I decided to get another car to do drivers eds at Bridgehampton race track at the end of Long Island before it finally closed. One of my racing buddies runs 7 or 8 parking garages in various Manhattan buildings, including the Helmsley Hotel on 42nd Street. He gave me the best parking spot in the garage for $300 per month. I could drive it out myself whenever I wanted.

That said, you can definitely get by without having a car in the greater NYC area. But it does make it so much more enjoyable to be able to go to the beach or go skiing when you want to do so. It is a luxury, but it is one well worth while if you can afford it.
 
Well I could but I wouldn't want to.

No, why would I want to?

And, for some reason I do sort of like sitting in traffic, it lets me listen to the radio :p (Though the traffic here isn't really.. traffic.. :p)
 
rugbyLEAGUEfan said:
Ewwwwww......the public .
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Going back to my stuck up thread, I would not like riding with "bus people". Which in my city is about 90% drug addicts. Okay, I'm a little harsh with that figure. Maybe it just looks like they use drugs. At the very least, I have to wait at a bus stop with some a-hole trying to kill me with his cigarette smoke.
 
Disgustipated said:
Going back to my stuck up thread, I would not like riding with "bus people". Which in my city is about 90% drug addicts. Okay, I'm a little harsh with that figure. Maybe it just looks like they use drugs. At the very least, I have to wait at a bus stop with some a-hole trying to kill me with his cigarette smoke.
Click to expand...

Boston is a lot better in this regard.
 
Disgustipated said:
Going back to my stuck up thread, I would not like riding with "bus people". Which in my city is about 90% drug addicts. Okay, I'm a little harsh with that figure. Maybe it just looks like they use drugs. At the very least, I have to wait at a bus stop with some a-hole trying to kill me with his cigarette smoke.
Click to expand...

Sounds like an infrastructure problem. Ottawa is barely half the size of Las Vegas and has fantastic buses. It's just, you know, winter. Well I guess summer and public transit would be horrible there.
 
Don't have a car, or any other motorized vehicle, so yes. Bikes and public transportation ftw.
 
Except for one memorable time, I just used bicycles in Manhattan for exercise and adrenaline thrills on the weekends coming and going to Central Park for the most part. The only exception was the one time I drove it to work from the East Village to Wall Street. I was accosted by a construction worker from a new office building. "Buy American!" he shouted as I rode past down Broadway. Somehow, from a distance, he discerned I was riding a cheapo Panasonic instead of a cheapo Huffy. The Krytonite lock actually cost almost 20% of the cost of the bike.
 
Borachio said:
So:
1. Could you live without your car?
2. Would you want to?
3. Do you like sitting in traffic?

Me: No. Yes. No.
Click to expand...

Where I currently live: 1. Yes, but I'd have to risk my life going to work on weekdays, so I'd want to move. 2. No, because I don't want to have to risk my life every day. 3. Who does?

Somewhere else in the city I live in: 1. Yes. 2. Probably not, since the bus system isn't that good, and usually takes a lot longer than driving. 3. I probably would even less.

In a city with good public transport: 1. Yes. 2. Possibly. Public transport can be more convenient than driving if it's done well or if there's high traffic. 3. I don't think this one's ever going to say. But I mind waiting for public transport less than sitting in traffic.
 
I walk to work 95% of the time but I'm lucky to have found an apartment within 2 miles of my work. There's also adequate banking and super market services in about 0.5 miles of my apartment, so in theory I could live without my car.
Recreation would be kind of challenging, and I'd be relying on the internet a bit, as the bus service in my current city is not terrific.

Giving up road trips wouldn't be lethal, but it could drive me insane eventually.....
 
Not really in my current situation. I mean, I probably could technically, but it would be a harrowing experience. That and I'd show up for work really sweaty half the year.
 
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