Making Do Without the Minivan

i like this essay alot i am personally only a college student in a small northern michigan town but i believe that starting this summer i am going to try and bike my 13 mile one way commute to college. i am also currently writing a paper in my english class about the subject arguing to the same values. i would like to also say that i know plenty of people who live in and closer to town then myslef and they bike everywhere, just going to show that a biking culture can exist in a smaller town and it does in mine. there are many groups for bicyclist and we are starting to lobby for more infrastructure on the roads.

Interesting piece, but as many have stated here, much of this is unworkable in anything other than a larger city with a compressed metro area.

I also kind of hate the notion that higher price is good. You keep hearing environmentalists harp on about "carbon footprint" and higher gas prices being good. Its not good, its just simple supply and demand altering spending habits.

very good article. proves that the first step to getting your finances under control is realizing exactly what your lifestyle costs you each month.

-Aaron
www.whereyouarenow.com/blog

How about driving smarter as well as driving less? As described on my website (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Drive-Smart-America/), installing MPG gauges on all new cars, trucks, and buses would provide drivers with valuable feedback on the fuel consumption cost of driving too fast, jack rabbit starts, etc. and result in more efficient driving. Drive Smart; Drive Fit (maintenance, tire inflation, etc.); Drive Thoughtful (map your destination, combine trips, etc.).

An excellent essay on a very important subject. To see how a couple of others have fared in decreasing car use, see this post charlesgoldman.wordpress.com/2008/08/13/give-up-a-car-get-a-bike-maybe/.

When my wife and I moved to Ann Arbor five years ago we deliberately made a choice to live close to my employer. I have been riding 6 miles to/from work, and although my employer left town, I managed to find another job at nearly the same location, so my bicycle commute still works. Winters in SE Michigan are snowy and icey, but these are managable with the right bike and tires.

Not everyone is in a position to move closer to work, or bicycle on errands, but everyone would be surprised how much they can do on a bicycle or tricycle or by walking once they start considering this as an option. The author of this My Turn article has discovered how much more enjoyable life can be by avoiding the automobile. For those readers who need to run an errand within 5 miles of home, you really ought to consider your non-car options.

This is a great article but not "doable" for everyone. Living in the rural south, I drive 20 miles to teach at the closest community college and my husband drives just as far...in the other direction...to practice in a rural health clinic. The kid's school is 8 miles away and the nearest theatre is 35 miles away. Get the picture? Short of trying to sell our house in this terrible housing market, there's not much conserving that we can do. But I'm glad it works for those in cities.

Love your article. I hope every family will take the challenge as yours did. We've been biking and walking as much as we can for years and it really does make your life simpler as well as keeping you fit and a little less stressed. Every time, we take our car to the supermarket and get into the parking competitions, I wish we lived on a bus route. It's amazing how many bicycles we see in the racks now. I'm hoping our city planners are taking this all in.

This is exactly what we need all over this country -- the realization that a wholesale change in our gasoline-consuming behavior is the only thing that is going to reduce dependence on foreign oil . Lower demand means lower prices. Bravo!

I love this article! I just ditched my minivan (repair bills had exceeded a year's worth of new car payments) and got a mini cooper! Way better on gas - can't drive as many people around, but it has really put me in a less is more frame of mind. I can't just go buy lots of stuff.....because it doesn't fit in my car!!!!! Buying less at the grocery store and wasting virtually none of it! I do miss my mini van because I did like having a whole car load of my children's friends, but I am loving the less is more attitude!