1 Year Car-Free

I've been so busy the past week that I forgot to mention it was my 1 year anniversary of being car-free! For the most part, the year was what I expected. I saved more money that I thought I would (although my work increased the reimbursement for not driving to work as well). I've discovered countless small businesses in my neighborhood near home and work that I simply wasn't looking for in the past. I can now confidently rack up bike mileage in the double digits in a day without feeling like I was about to die. I've found beautiful little gardens and places to bike. I've still been able to make sure the recycling program continues at work (one of the last errands I did weekly with my car!) It's been good for the most part.

I had some difficulties until I learned what I needed to do to plan my transportation. My boyfriend was extremely helpful at times in filling in the holes with public transportation service gaps, getting places that are more difficult to reach without public transportation and helping carry larger things. I actually haven't driven at all since my car accident where my car and I parted ways. Granted I know my car-free transition was already most of the way there compared to some others - next month will be 4 years since I started riding the train to work, but taking that last step is scary in some ways. I had already flirted with the idea of getting rid of my car, but I still didn't know how to handle my pets, the recycling at work, my recycling at home and other thing. I managed to work around them all and purchased a new bike to help me out with getting to some of those places on my own (I still dream of biking to the Burbank airport at some point, only I doubt they have long term bicycle parking!) and only had 2 flats along the way :)





at a unknown intersection in the West Hills/Canoga Park area, 7/24/09