CARless Living

[WinstonWolfe]

Recently, I've thought of how I'd manage without a car.
Some of these thoughts have been motivated by imagining a future with $5/L petrol and even rationing.

When looking at property these days, I try to keep in mind strategic locations that rely as little as possible on car transport (with good public transport) as I think they'll be the first to be rezoned to higher densities.

Anyway, I am interested in hearing of anyone's experience living without a car.....even if you are young and still living at home.
What's your view on public transport?
Do you feel safe? etc.
How do you get around otherwise?
If you cycle, how do you manage groceries etc?

 

[wylie]

Cannot help with the "no car" details, but online shopping could be a big help. I have used Fooddirect but not for a few years. I just didn't get into the swing of it.

Only this week I have signed up to delivery of Australian products to my door twice a week. We have milk delivered now, but this new franchise will deliver bakery bread (including sourdough), milk, free range eggs, box of fruit from the Rocklea markets and the prices are GOOD.

I start my first delivery next week and I think it will save us money due to less trips for the "big shop".

 

[kum yin lau]

Hi, have lived in Australia from 94 off & on. Only bought a Yaris last Aug.

Weekdays bus & train & tram quite good. 10 years ago, the buses were very infrequent & a car trip that takes 15 mins could take an hour maybe more.

Cost is low - multitrip tickets best way to go.

I used to inspect houses via bus & train, a memorable incident of 40 degree heat & the agent saw me at the bus stop.

Missed a few opens not getting there on time.

Pluses : I got to see a lot of surrounding environment + learnt to appreciate the vibes. Helped me to decide whether or not the property was in a 'salubrious' address.

For years & years, I didn't own a car. I bought one cos I thought if I don't drive now, I may be too scared to drive again.

Rule : after hours, always take a cab. Train is safe as well.

KY

 

[Boof]

Don’t know if I fit into being Carless totally but........
Since we travelled around oz we had the 4WD and caravan, push bikes on the back. Now settled in qld and hubby uses car for work and I go the pushbike. Cycle to work (12 min) shops (10 min). We are lucky to live fairly central, so sometimes walk to shops and bus back. Green recycle bags are better for groceries and big shops I do get to go in the Car

My bosses are happy for me to cycle as car spaces at the office go for 2500 per year (dont see that in my salary but ) We have shower/change room to use.

When it rains not so good, have wet whether gear but you still get wet from road spray!

i feel better for the extra exercise, as when I get home I feel motivated to do more!

Down side is a lot of drivers are oblivious to bike riders and watch out for doors opening ( I got catapulted on to the road by a Nissan door)
Also I must have a go at the pros that ride in packs, they just go right over the top of you

I also have big basket on the back, capacity is about a carton of beer (dont try this after the beer but)

Hope that helps

Boof

 

[RumpledElf]

Couldn't do it. Both sets of parents/grandparents live about 200km away in opposite directions and we visit them. My parents visit us fairly often but the grandies are getting a bit too old and frail to do much of anything. His parents don't have an excuse, I imagine they just don't want to visit since we don't live in Burnside.

But locally, everything is within an easy walk so if the entire family was close we could easily survive without a car. About the only thing we can't get locally is Woolies brand nappies and Moccona decaf, which we usually pick up when we visit rellies - our local supermarket is a recently upgraded Foodland and has a huuuuuuuuuuuuuuge product range. We trot around the town with a pram with a compartment underneath that fits the shopping in. If we want something big, they deliver.

Of course if you get knocked up they send you 60km down the road for the 20 week ultrasound, which wouldn't be much fun on the bus.

 

[weg]

Completely relying on public transport is usually not possible if you are a busy family with children who need to get to their sport and part time jobs most if not all days of the week.

Then there are the frequent trips to purchase school related items (often at the last minute and at short notice ), clothing and footwear and picking kids up late at night from functions or friends houses. There's food shopping, home maintenance related trips.... it goes on and on.

I also find many of the places we need to get to may only be a short distance away but still require 2 bus trips to get there and the time factor involved poses a problem.

All this is aside from regularly visiting two lots of elderly family members and assisting them with their shopping, Dr. visits etc.

Gee I'm tired already. It's no wonder I hate shopping malls and driving .

 

[wylie]

Couldn't do it. Both sets of parents/grandparents live about 200km away in opposite directions and we visit them.

Hmmmmm!!!! If we get rid of the car, do we still have to visit the mother-in-law?

 

[Dazz]

It's a bit of a local joke, but I used to (still do a bit) get around on a Honda CT 110cc ex-postie bike. All the neighbours with their Statesmans and 100K brand new Landcruisers think I look ridiculous, which I do, but I don't give a rats. If I'm scheduled to meet Bankers or Tenants I use other transport.....it doesn't give a good first impression.

It gets me places cars can never go, and is absolutely perfect for scouting properties, especially in the CBD.

Cost of fuel is about $ 2.80 to fill up, and this delivers a range of 130km. Top speed is 70 km/h, which does most of the metro streets, except the Freeways.

Cost to purchase was $ 1,300.00 and rego and comprehensive insurance is about $ 180 per year.

The flexibility and speed about town are it's main attributes. In heavy traffic, I can beat a Ferrari, and parking is never an issue anywhere I go. I tried catching a bus to work, 40 minutes there and 45 minutes back in the afternoon. The motorbike was 7 minutes either way. That's a 70 minute saving of my private time every day.

It can carry up to 20kg on the rear. I've had a 15L paint tin on the back and that was pretty much on the limit.

In terms of convenience, it is miles better than a bus or train. I'm happy to leave those to the ferals. In Perth it is getting ridiculous safety wise. I don't want to expose myself to that nonsense, cos the judiciary refuse to punish the dregs committing the crimes.

Perth's climate is perfect for motorbike riding. At least 9 or 10 months a year. Getting knocked off is obviously the big risk, but I've been riding for 21 years in the metro area and haven't had a problem yet.

For the reasons weg described above, the wife needs a car.

 

[depreciator]

What's your view on public transport?
Do you feel safe? etc.
How do you get around otherwise?
If you cycle, how do you manage groceries etc?

I haven't owned a car for years. I work in the city and it's 5 stops on the train. And I get to read the paper! If I lived in the Hills district of Sydney I'd need a car. Or a helicopter.

The trains aren't great at night, but I'm never on them at night.

I walk if I have to go anywhere local - my limit is about 2klm.

On the weekends, I use my wife's car if we go further afield or when we're ferrying the kids around.

I'm seeing more of those car share things. They're becoming pretty popular in inner suburbs.

Essentially, you join and can have the use of a car for an hourly rate when you need it.

This is one of them:

http://www.goget.com.au/

With GoGet, the great thing is you only pay for a car when you use one. Our pricing is competitive with rental car companies with the convenience of 24 hour access.

Rates start from $5.10 per hour. You can compare plans here.
Costs:
$25 one-off application fee per individual (includes Driver’s License History check)
$500 fully refundable security deposit
Choose from two simple membership plans - GoOccasional ($9 per month) or GoFrequent ($29 per month)*

And remember, regardless of which plan you're on;
Between midnight and 6am, there's no timecharge - it's free.
We always pay for petrol, not you.
If you discontinue your membership, we will return your deposit.

There are two drop zones less than a ten minute walk from me:

Marrickville - Frampton Avenue Car Park
in the council car park on Frampton avenue, close to the Marrickville shops. You will find the car in the (non disabled) bays closest to the street.
Cars available right now!

and

Marrickville - Petersham Road
on Petersham Rd, as close as possible to the library, between Stanley St and Marrickville Rd.
NOTE: Please do NOT park in permitted areas. Any fines will be transferred to the responsible member.
Cars available right now!

These sort of schemes are a great idea for people who need a car only occasionally.

Scott

 

[Mooze]

We have one car - a very large 4wd landcruiser troopie. We need that for hauling our kayaks (50 of them). When we're in town or at home, prefer to run, ride our bikes, or walk.
Have backpacks for carrying shopping - can fit about 10kgs each (beyond that it becomes a bit too bulky) plus whatever we can carry in our hands. The thought of having to carry items up a large hill is a great way of reducing impulse buys, means we only end up buying what we need which is a bonus.

Often we go more than a week without using the car, despite living 15km from work (and plenty of hills in the way).

We're faced at the moment with one of us not having access to a car - Hubby is stuck in Canberra for a couple of months whilst I've got to be down at Narooma. I'll be taking the car as I've got a lot of interstate travel to do, hubby's pretty happy as it means he avoids long drives and gets to fly.

 

[goonandtell]

i used to have 1 car for me and my partner, she drove to work every day and i rode a pushbike. Worked great very few times did we ever have an issue working stuff out.

I now live with a few mates 3 of us ride motorbikes to work so are all selling our cars i am purchasing a cheap run around and we have a bank account which will cover fuel,maintance,etc.. for it.

Zero car is probably a bit much for me but i could easily live with just a motorbike these days, i go for weeks with out using my car, saying that my girlfriend has a car so i am frequently in her car but she is getting safety gear soon so she can jump on the back of the bike.

 

[RumpledElf]

Hmmmmm!!!! If we get rid of the car, do we still have to visit the mother-in-law?

Visiting the mother-in-law isn't the most pleasant experience, especially for my poor partner ... and they did build that huge new supermarket locally so don't need to go to the city to shop ... we have ADSL now so don't need to go to the city to leech ... believe me, we've considered just *not* visiting them for a Long Time to see if they even notice ... heck, they even have another grandchild in the next suburb to play with when ours isn't there.

Maybe we could say the car just conveniently broke down when the odometer hit 200,000 and because we're pov country bumpkins and there's no car repair place within 500km (none of which is true but that's what they think) we can't possibly visit

 

[dcarr]

I have a particular interest in this topic. My wife and I have managed with one small car for years.

She drives 8km to work each day. I carpool twice that distance with a colleague and contribute to their fuel.

We're poorly located for shopping, so we simply do the weekend shopping run together.

There are very few other conflicts, and they're easily solved with the odd taxi or bus trip.

We have in the past, and would again, happily go without any car at all if we (a) live within walking distance of both major shops and public transport, and (b) can find other ways to get to work.

Our running costs and fuel bills are insanely low. And you can't ignore the lower environmental impact either.

I dare say that if you can find a way to cut out a car, it is one of the biggest and easiest boosts you can give to your household finances.

 

[Aaron Sice]

we're down to a one car family.

i'ts been great.

 

[depreciator]

If the car is around on the weekend, I use it often to make numerous short trips.
When the car isn't around, I realise that many of those numerous trips I make aren't necessary.
It would be dumb for us to have a second car.

 

[Sheryn]

We run one car only Landcruiser, hubby takes me to work and picks me up 3 days a week.

One day, I work at a different town 25 minutes away so I take the car.

Hubby wants the next car to be a Landcruiser ute


Sheryn

 

[Peter 14.7]

Anyway, I am interested in hearing of anyone's experience living without a car.....even if you are young and still living at home.
Lived and have a second home in the inner city Sydney so find car free no issue. Could easily lease out my carspace for $40 a week.

What's your view on public transport? Do you feel safe? etc. Walking is better but TRAINS Being male and fit and travelling only inner city or when in VIC using country link, not an issue,...but if I was female, or old, I would be concerned. BUS ok. taxi is cheap when you do the numbers of not owing a car.

How do you get around otherwise? Walk. Great exercise. Only pain when you shop up and nee dot carry lots of bags.

If you cycle, how do you manage groceries etc? Buy local and buy small and when you live innner city is SOOOO cheap to eat out ,shopping is reduced.

SUMMARY
Car spaces with units are great investments but not essential for the right market.

The Go get ( se Depreciatior post) are great and very popular in Inner CTY CBD

Biking and Scooter sounds great but is too dangerous unless you have dedicated paths. Scooters are especially dangerous when underpowered and with small wheels, Get serious bike and learn to ride it.

Peter

 

[HiEquity]

When I was a single man living in suburbia (all of seven or so years ago!) I went about five years without a car - just me, a motorbike and a pushie. Used the pushie to get to work and the motorbike for everything else... In terms of shopping it's amazing what you can fit in a large top box and a backpack on a motorbike! Used to manage to fit a kiteboard, wetsuit and kitesurfing gear on that bike somehow! Got a few second looks among my fellow kitesurfers on the beach...

Fast forward to now - still living in suburbia and the wife and kids have a car. I don't have a car or motorbike either anymore. Still get to work on the pushie - it's my only exercise with about 13km each way every day and I can't justify buying a motorbike for the amount of use it would now get. With a young family I wouldn't get any exercise at all without the pushie!

Been using public transport in between a bit but I'm over it generally - takes about the same amount of time to get to work as the pushie and I just find the waiting around frustrating...

If there's a severe road weather alert I jump on the bus though!

 

[VYBerlinaV8]

2 cars in our family, although one (the V8) tends to spend most of its time in the garage. Public transport where we live is unviable. Perhaps 2-3 days per month we take both cars to work, but generally car pool together.

We own both cars outright, and both are fairly new, well maintained vehicles, so it's not really worth getting rid of either of them.