Become car-free

Yesterday I turned in the plates and registration, signed over the title, and handed the keys of Clara, the claret-coloured Alero, to her new owner. Today I fax in the insurance cancellation paperwork.

I have wanted to be able to live my life without owning a car since 2003, when I was in grad school in Massachusetts. Unfortunately, a job as a community organizer covering 1000 square miles of territory and settling into a home in the suburbs made that impossible. And yet, it never stopped being a strong desire – so much so that when I began looking at where in the world I wanted to make my home, opportunities that required me to continue owning a car became less attractive to me, even when there was no car-free direct comparison.

I think the first reason I jumped at the chance to move to NYC was for the public transportation and walkability of the city.

I used walkscore to help me find a great, walkable neighborhood. I’ve mapped out my subway routes to and from work, and all of the fantastically cool places I’d like to visit/hang out. I’ve been looking at bicycles, and have arranged to attend some bike maintenance classes in Brooklyn, so I know what type of ride to purchase for myself, how to care for it, and how to properly fit it. I’ve bought a walking map, and have begun building a personal neighborhood map through Google Maps, noting what amenities are available locally.

I’ve also done the work of paying off my car (6 months early) and finding a buyer for it—two weeks from tomorrow, I will no longer be the owner of a personal vehicle. I’m not convinced that alone will guarantee a car-free life, though; I’m going to need to do quite a bit of work to get used to walking or biking everywhere. I’ll need to determine how to handle delivery/courier service. Figure out how to manage public transport rather than taxi cabs.

No longer owning a car is a massively huge step in the right direction, but it doesn’t precisely equal “car free.”