I grew up with God watching everything I did and begging forgiveness for being a regular kid every night before I went to bed. I gave that up at 17, and partied a lot until I found honky-guilt at UC Santa Cruz in my twenties. So, then I went to work with disadvantaged youth of color and had nowhere for the guilt to go. But, then, I found it again, now I can go back to the comforts of my guilt-filled childhood by feeling responsible for the abuses towards the environment.
I'm making an effort to solve that problem, too. No driving. Well, less driving. Well, my old car is dying a slow death, and I don't want to buy a new one. I want to spend my money going to fashion design school and riding bikes, and eating high quality organic food. Gasoline fueled engines make the sky ugly and encourage old conservative guys to start wars. I want to wash my hands of this blood and angst. And save money. And those of you who know me, know I am a bad driver. Yep, Old Lady Seery was right not to let me drive the van back from Moab back in '99. I can admit that now that I almost lost my license.
Anyway, for a month I've been trying to drive less. I've carpooled, ridden my bike, walked and ridden caltrain and BART. My rough estimates have me traveling 700-800 miles without driving my own vehicle. I've saved money on gas and learned a few lessons, too.
Lesson #1: Freedom Isn't Free
Yeah, it's really cool to be able to drive in the carpool lane and smile kindly at the solo drivers as you drive the speed limit as they read a book while trying to avoid their next guy's bumper at ten miles an hour. And it is fun to talk to your carpool pals. But, you have to be prepared for other things. Like not doing that extra lap at the bike festival because your ride needs to leave, or going to get a SCUBA tank to help build a spud gun when you hadn't planned on it (that was actually fun, but what if I'd had to urgently check an email or something?), or having you carpool buddy freak out on the traffic and almost turn around. Then there's the trying to get it together with other's schedules. Oh Vey. But, it saves society from my driving menace, and it saves the money and the environment.
Lesson #2: Timing IS Everything
You gotta' plan better for a no-car lifestyle. Bring the right size bag for shopping on the bike, don't stop at Whole Foods for a sandwich without checking the train schedule first, allow time to put on your sunblock, pack extra clothes 'cause you'll be sweaty when you get there, know how to get to the other train and BART stations in case you end up away from the one you're used to leaving from, find out who you know is going to be at the event you want to go to, and be on good terms with them. I just need to put cab companies numbers into my phone, and I'll be ready for a full-blown no car lifestyle.
Lesson #3: It's all About Balance
It's really important to be conscious of how to walk in your cleats on grocery store floors if you want to include the store in your road ride. I was scared to move quickly, I almost slipped a few times. It's also a challenge to speed along on your road bike with a heavy messenger bag full of
groceries. New balance shifts for me to learn. How to best fit the bag to avoid back and shoulder pain took some trial-and-error as well.Lesson #4: Earn and Burn
Not driving is like paying yourself. But it's not all savings. This new lifestyle has made me more hungry and more tired. But I know the tired part is an adjustment, and why complain about getting to eat more food? I just have to remember to bring it with me. It's still cheaper than gas. Caltrain is cheaper than driving the distance I've been going from Redwood City to San Francisco, and faster on the morning commuter baby bullet train. BART is kinda' expensive, but I only had to use it once so far. The bike is cheapest, but comes with the most inconvenience, like helmet hair and sticky girl sweat.
When my next six-month insurance payment comes due, I may not pay it. We'll see how it goes. It's easy to run errands on the bike in the summer. Winter, that's another story...
