Car-Free Chronicles Project
This has been a long time coming. After years of being called a “poser”, feeling hypocritical as I drive one of my two vehicles around town sporting a tattoo on my leg stating “The Revolution Will Not Be Motorized“, I have decided to put the pedal to the metal with my money where my mouth is, where the rubber meets the road…
You know what I’m getting at…
I’m bailing on the autocentric lifestyle. I’m taking my ball and going home.
However, in traditional Holt-tastic fashion, I can’t just go quietly. No, I need to make a big deal out of it and let the world know what, why and how I’m going to do this. Just how can a single father of two active kids even contemplate giving up using a car in the “Automotive Capital of Canada”, with it’s less-than exemplary transit system and downright pedestrian-unfriendly environment?
I guess we’re going to find out together, aren’t we?
Like I said. This has been a long time coming. I’ve been preparing for this day since I moved from the hostile suburbs where I grew up, to the pedestrian utopia (at least the best Windsor has to offer, anyways) which goes by the name of Old Walkerville. My job was 0.8 km away from my alley-facing garage, the kids school is 0.6 km from my expansive front porch and all sorts of shopping, restaurants and fun-stuff is literally a 10 minute walk from my front door. Yes, this didn’t happen overnight. It actually happened when a midnight-shift worker fell asleep at the wheel a couple of weeks ago, plowing into the back of my stopped-at-a-stop sign minivan at 50 km/h, folding it in half. That was the straw that broke the camels back, which my chiropractor tells me it almost literally did.
So stick with me, because for the next 12 months I will be chronicling my families adventures in car-freedom (it’s already started actually - today is Day 2). It’s not going to be easy. The kids and I will experience a huge learning curve (”does the crosstown 2 get me close to Dr. Disc, Dad? ” asks my 13 year old, Metallica-addicted daughter as she revels in her newfound freedom and independance. Yes, dear.) as we rediscover our city and all the amenities it has to offer. I will make my best attempt to give you weekly updates, but also keep in mind that a group of us are also going to be documenting every peril and pitfall along with the highlights and enlightened moments this family experiences on tape. Like I said - I can’t do anything quietly! We’re now documentary filmmakers on top of radio hosts and bloggers.
Which makes me ponder just how anyone can say they’re bored?
Tags: Alternative Transportation, commuting, health, independant media, mobility, obesity, pedestrian, subsidization, transportation costs, urban sprawl, Video, walkable, walkerville
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Chris Holt, S.U.V. owner…
So the minivan is gone. Does this mean you’re going to sell your Hummer too?
Unbeknownst to me, Old Friend John captured me in my Hummer-bliss!
I really am going to miss killing the planet!
I never noticed the “H3″ logo underneath the truck Is that so the pedestrians you run over will know that a REAL man ran them down?
Hilarious!
Right after he sells the Dodge Ram 1500
And the F-350…
Besides… Technically a Truck isn’t a car so he should be ok…
I haven’t had a vehicle of any type for twenty years now, ever since I got rear ended on Howard. I had vehicle withdrawal situations for almost ten years after that, where I came close to slappin the money down and getting one …any one!
Even today, the thought of getting a vehicle just to move about this city comes to me, almost equal to needing a drug fix! Even with roller blades, public transit and the old feet, this city is absolutely frustrating.
To think of purchasing anything bigger than you can carry on public transportation has to be planned, will it be a taxi, a taxi van or a good friend or will the store deliver and yes for a fee but they don’t deliver on weekends, so you have to plan to be home or have someone there to receive it for you.
Weather comes into this planning, do I need to carry an umbrella or rain gear or how warm in the winter must I dress to wait for a bus at an unsheltered bus stop (a great incentive for buying a car in this city!). Planning your route with public transit in this city can be time consuming, working with the scheduled times and some of the longest single city covering routes to get to your destination AND knowing when they run and how often.
Food shopping lists are a must, if you don’t have a food store near you. You just can’t run back to the store for just one item.
Best advice, make sure that your cell phone is always charged and you have stored the number for a taxi company and the coins in your pocket to pay for it.
Not owning a vehicle keeps you aware of how a city is laid out, long bus rides give great insight into the sprawl of a city but also a look at neighbourhoods that with a vehicle you wouldn’t normally go into, time has to be your companion and friend. How many minutes to the bus stop only to get there and see the tail lights of the bus you needed disappear down the street, or standing on the wrong corner at Tecumseh and Howard and having to wait to cross the intersection twice (12 lanes) to get to the bus stop only to it have the bus leave as you get to the last walk sign.
It seems that a “Those that are giving up their vehicles support group,” will have to be formed!
The best part is that I don’t spend roughly, what is it, $8,000, to what $12,000 a year to own and operate a car and the fear of the empty gas tank when prices skyrocketed above a mortgage. And the spontaneous idea of just getting up and going somewhere is totally out of the question, if it is farther than you care to walk, bike or ride public transit.
I wish you and your family well during the time of withdrawal Chris!
Good for you! I wish I could do this but I would probably have to move. And, trying to be a locavore, I’d have to give that up or open my own locavore store or move to where there is one. Oh, that’s right, there isn’t one. Good luck!
What that?!? Vicky’s opening up a new locavore store! Yay, VICKY!
(just make sure it’s within walking distance to my house, please?)