Car-Free - easier said than done, especially with kids
I pride myself on trying to live “sustainably” so when I was asked to join the “low-car diet” program this summer and minimize my personal car use for a month I signed up without thinking much about it. After all, I like riding my bike (especially in the summer when the weather is nice!); have 3 bus lines near my house and could still use the County’s Fleet or Flexcar to fill in the gaps. No problem, I told myself.
Well, two weeks into it I have come to an embarrassing realization: my auto addiction is harder to kick than I thought.
The real challenge has been my kids. During the school year it would be no sweat. I usually walk them to our neighborhood school before heading into work. During the summer, though, since my wife and I both work, the kids are going to a different patchwork of camps and activities each week. It was tough enough last week when my daughter’s rock n’ roll camp and my son’s music camp were at least both in North Portland – though I did have to “stretch” the rules by driving them to camp before parking the car and busing or biking into the office. This week my daughter is in an art camp in NE while my son is in a Nature camp in SW. My wife and I are scrambling to make this work, and I have to admit my low car pledge is making it very tough. So far, the main casualty has been my nerves and my timeliness.
My main lessons so far: plan ahead more; try not to schedule early morning meetings and be very, very impressed by the folks who are pulling this off day in and day out.
Posted on July 17, 2007
Comments
(Note: Comments are the views of their authors, and no one else.)
Posted by: Scott Bricker, BTA - Executive Director - July 24, 2007 10:09 PM
These are really good insights and true dilemmas of working to be car-free. I recently had a daughter, took on two step daughters, and I'm still baffled by the logistics. Still my wife and I keep only one car on insurance, and I Flexcar often for meetings in Salem.
The reality is that putting in the effort is effort, and it has great rewards too. I love riding my 11 year old to school, Breakfast on the (Multnomah County) Bridges is our favorite. (BTW, the event is this Friday.) I also haul my baby as much as possible in the bike trailer, but driving to shopping is not rare. Finally the teenager is completely independent on a bike and skateboard.
The moral is more many-fold. From a congestion POV, everyone not driving one day a week would literally eliminate gridlock; from a child-development standpoint bicycling is healthy, fun, and a great way for them to learn independence; from an investment standpoint it pays off. The time spent being active with your children teaches them to move around by themselves, and one day you're not carting them around anymore. And using a bicycle means you're not stuck with a teenager auto-insurance premium.
Posted by: jeff cogen - July 25, 2007 11:12 AM
Thanks Scott.
It makes me feel better to know that it's not just me: this is a challenging - though very gratifying effort.
Jeff
Posted by: Kari Lyons - August 8, 2007 02:53 PM
Jeff: Way to go! With no kids in the household YET, I can only have empathy for how tough the logistics can be when going car-free with a family. However, in an effort to be car-free at work, and make it to presentations with materials, powerpoint projector and laptop in hand, I've come up with a few solutions, which can work for kids as well.
1. http://www.xtracycle.com. Now this is a great company. They've got a great addition to any bike that can help handle people on the back, luggage and groceries, and you can even get a surfboard accessory for when you are in wave country. A friend in Minneapolis picked me up in the airport on one and we had my two backpacks adn me on the back and picked up a six pack and dinner on the way home. Great for kids!!
2. Never underestimate the power of the trail-a-bike! Get two...one for you and one for Lisa; ride with the kids to the nearest Max, drop them off and head for town. Mind you a bit more sweater than driving adn you gotta leave earlier, but hey, we emit one lb. of carbon for every mile we drive and with glaciers melting up north and our weather so "wierd" here..well, you gotta put 2 and 2 together. And imagine the kinds of kids you're raising with that ethic!
The list goes on....but that'll be it for now..keep it up Jeff! (and don't forget to challenge the other folks on the 6th floor while you are at it!)