What if there was a way for you to get in shape, save over $8000 a year on average, improve your reduce your debt, simplify your life, and help keep the world cleaner?
The simplest, easiest, and most fun way to do that is easier than you think:
Dump your car.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of 2003, Americans were spending around one-fifth of their income each year on their car. That's 20% of the money you work so hard to make each year. With gas prices rising due to the onset of peak oil, that figure is likely even higher today.
And in 2004, the American Automobile Association was estimating that Americans spent $8410 per year on their car - for payments, gas, maintenance, insurance, parking costs, registration and taxes, etc. And that doesn't even include things like the increase in health care costs, health club memberships, and other health-related issues that owning and operating a car bring on. Isn't that money you'd rather not spend? Wouldn't you rather have that for something else?
We all would. And the benefits of dumping your car go far beyond just money.
You'll reduce stress. Operating a vehicle in traffic is driving us all crazy. How often do you get to your job in a foul mood because you were stuck in traffic or the road you were driving was under construction? Or the weather was bad and your stress level was up from trying to avoid getting into an accident? Or you had a fender bender and you had to stop to call the police and exchange insurance information? And even the little things like having to scrape snow off the windshield, or clear it off the driveway? Finding a parking space in a crowded lot? The myth of the car speeding along on the open road that car companies love to show us isn't accurate; as we know the first time we drive.
You'll get more exercise. No matter what form of carless transportation you choose, you'll be getting exercise. Whether you're walking to work or to the train or bus, or riding your bike, you'll be getting great exercise in the fresh air. You may be able to drop that health club membership altogether (more money savings!).
You'll save time. This is the one many people don't believe or understand, but it's true. If you ride a bike or walk to work, you'll get exercise and not have to schedule for that. If you take a bus or train, you'll be able to read or get work done on the way to work and not have to lose that time sitting in the car. And in many cases, these forms of transportation will get you where you're going faster than a car. Bikes can get around traffic snarls. Buses frequently have lanes that other vehicles can't access during rush hour. And trains avoid them altogether.
And you'll avoid polluting our environment. The US Environmental Protection Agency says that cars are the single largest cause of air pollution in the country. And that doesn't include the cost of manufacturing cars. Or the cost of producing gasoline. Or the hazards of fluid spillage during maintenance. Or the trash along roads. Or what to do with cars when they finally die and have to be disposed of.
The reasons for getting rid of cars are so numerous that people have written books about them. And there are also lots of great resources for how to live well without a car. In the coming weeks we'll be talking about some and also supplying our own information for you on how to live well without a car. As people become more aware of the problems of sprawl, a petroleum-based economy, and the physical and mental harm that cars do to our health, more resources are being created to help you live car-free.
So dump your car! And keep coming back for more tips and information on how to do so!
For more info: Bike Commuting in Columbus, Central Ohio Transit Authority
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