Going car-free on MNN

Photo: Richard Masoner/Flickr

Just say no to cars! Here's some great car-free content from MNN.

 

• 7 car-free cities- My buddy Michael d'Estries finds seven cities where people live their lives without depending on the car.

 

• Family tips for living car-lessly- Family blogger Jenn Savedge interviewed author Alan Durning about the year his family went car-less.

 

• 100 car-free Angelenos- Lifestyle blogger Siel Ju wrote about a new photo exhibit Without a Car in the World (100 Car-less Angelenos Tell Stories of Living in Los Angeles) that documents people living with a place where having a car is the overwhelming norm. In an extra twist of awesome, Siel is one of the 100 car-less Angelenos photographed.

 

• Being car free- This is a Plenty Magazine feature by Trevor Stokes looks at the growing movement of people leaving their cars behind.

 

I've been car-free since June and am approaching my first Maine winter sans car. My experience has been a positive one-- I've saved a lot of money, easily hundreds in gas and potentially thousands in repair work (I've found that cars can sense when you can least afford an expensive bill to break) and enjoyed a greater fitness level from putting all the miles under the pedal. And oh yeah, I haven't burned hundreds of gallons of gas.

 

I've been riding two electric bikes since giving up the car- the Izip Trekking Enlightened by Currie Tech and the Pedego Comfort Cruiser, both have great. Electric bikes (mine have a 20ish mile range, the Pedego hits 20 mph on a flat on battery power alone) can take the sting out of a move away from the great car culture.

 

Car share services like Zip Car and U Car Share and good ol' regular car rental companies can make it even easier to just do it.

 

Any other car-freegans out there? How's your experience been?