Quote:
Originally Posted by skizziks
While i can afford it as well, my motivations are money, environment, excercise, not being lazy, and rebelling against the mindless action and belief that we NEED a car. we are told from when we are young we NEED a car, we NEED to buy the car, the gas, the insurance, all of it. We dont in many circumstances. I understand people who live on farms, rural areas, etc. I want the fire department to have big gas guzzling trucks that get to the fire quickly, i want ambulances, not paramedics on bicycles. cars are usefull and are needed, but the average person depends on their car way too much, and for me, not driving my car is liberating. i do not feel controlled, my life dictated by society.
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I find this notion of people being scared of being controlled by society quite...humorous. You don't NEED anything besides food, water and shelter. Everything else, including your bike is an extra to make your life easier. Car is another such extra, only it comes with an air conditioner.
Yes, the stores around us are within public transportation reach and moderate walking distance. The mall is 15 minutes away walking. Grocery store is 10 minutes away. Various eateries are scattered around the mall and are easily reachable by bus. However, why would I waste 5-10 minutes waiting for the bus, 20 minute ride, then walk to my destination when I can hop into my car and get there in a fraction of that time?
My work is 11 miles away and is reachable by bus. However, total commute time by bus comes out to about an hour each way compared to 20-25 minutes by car. That's 40 minutes more sleep/time for bathroom/whatever.
When we moved here, we needed a car. No question about it. Yes, we could manage without it, but that would also carry with it a lot of inconvenience and wasted time. I need to know that I can be someplace when
I want to go, not when the bus/train decides to get there.