Funny you should mention that... I am at home because my car is in the shop today. Luckily I can work from home and today is my 3-yr old's day at his granny's house, and they were able to pick him up from here this morning. I can use buses to get to work or drop my son off but the lag time is more than we could handle since he slept in until 7:30 this morning.

I am about to take the bus up the street to run some quick errands but, I live in the same town as Sarah so I'm quite blessed with public transportation. I have to admit, the kids much more enjoy public transport than long car trips! Even a 1 hr 30 min trip to the coast was tough on my 3 year old...

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For three years we lived without a car...we live in a busy suburb right outside of Washington, D.C.

The transportation system here is acceptable...bus, rail and such...and walking to the store is a treat. With the children switching schools we had to give in and buy a car for me to travel around in.

I work from home and the problem is more the children's schooling and activities more than anything else.

If we lived closer to the city, it would not be such a burden, which is now why we are packing up and moving for the second time in four years!

We can't stand the "I will drive around the corner for a loaf of bread."

We used to be able to walk everywhere.

When we visit family in Germany and Belgium, renting a car, much less having even to get into one is not a question. We walk to the cafe, the store, the bank or just around the neighborhood to use the playground at the local church.

I can understand that it is very hard to go 'car-less' in rural areas...and even in suburbs. But I believe that if the concept were at least tested...even in rural areas...with some brainstorming and budgeting transportation would not be a concern.

I think it could do us all a little good to take a walk to the store with the kids...to use our vehicles a little less and to literally take time to stop and smell the roses, rather than the exhaust.

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I have done it a few times, and it is not fun. There's the driving him places, etc., which is a pain, as you mentioned, but I think the staying at home with all the kids--stranded--is worse. It's a major reason I work to get everyone riding a bike. :)

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Since my husband works in a different city--two-and-a-half hours away--four days per week, no, we couldn't live with one car right now.

We used to live in Munich and we only had one car, the car my husband used to drive the 40 min. to work. We lived within walking distance of a tram stop and a bus stop, and both of those took us directly to the local train stop. It was only a 10 minute ride to the Hauptbahnhof (main train station), and from there we could take any number of U-Bahn (subway) to get anywhere in the city.

I really miss it.

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I live in a town with bus service, no rail, no real taxi service. It's not easy to get around without a car. I live in the central city but the closest full grocery store is 4+ miles away. I tried taking the bus to work one week - it's 9 miles away and takes me about 20-30 minutes by car. Three transfers, 2 hours and 1/2 late for work later I decided it wasn't worth it. I was so excited to try the bus as I'm a knitter and was thinking of all the gained knitting time. I gave it one more try with similar results before I went back to my car. I have a co-worker who rides the bus daily and regularly arrives 45-60 minutes early by taking the early bus for fear of being late. She donates her extra time to the organization (I work for a non-profit) . She is retired and working for the joy of it. I don't have that kind of flexibility in my day.
Right now I'm pregnant and with weekly doctor's appointments there is no way I could survive without a car. My husband works about 45 minutes away, so we have to be a 2-car family. When I worked closer to home I would ride my bike to work most of the time, and I loved not using the car everyday. However, in the long run, in our city a car or 2 is a necessity.

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One minivan in a small city with terrible public transportation and everything we need spread out on the edges of town while we're in the middle. Two chronically ill adults (daughter and husband), and 3 girls to transport here and there. The closest full grocery store is amost three miles away.

I do the best I can with combining trips and two of the girls walk home from the school bus stop (I drive the younger two in the morning to make sure they catch the bus). The oldest girl has door to door transportation but her sisters can't ride with her.

I agree in theory. I lived for 13 out of 15 years in San Francisco without a car and when I finally bought one, we used it on weekends only. We did fine there.

Here, it would be very difficult.

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My husband and I bought our first car together several months ago when we moved out of the big city. In NYC we relied on subways and buses, or taxis, for all of our transportation needs. We couldn't survive in our new home without a car. The closest convenience store is at least a mile away and public transportation is not a viable option. I miss being able to take the stroller out and walk to a coffee shop or to rent a video. But, do I miss not having a car? Never! Grocery shopping, taking our son to the doctor, meeting friends for dinner -- everything is easier with a car.

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We had 1 car-when we only had 1 child, and he was in school all day, and took the bus. It worked fine. Now, 2 more kids later, and it wouldn't work at all. Husband works 7am -9pm most days, there is no way we could survive with just one car. I'd go nuts trying to get anything done, and worry what would happen in an emergency.

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I've lived without a car (OK, I have a car but it's unregistered, uninsured, and parked in our driveway permanently) for almost 2 years now. The only time I miss the car is for those quick errands that you just don't want to plan ahead for. Otherwise, I don't miss it, or the expense at all. I use public transportation almost exclusively, and it's not particularly cheap ($3.00 per round trip), it's convenient and reliable. I don't really miss using our car.

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I could-- but it's because we live in a small town. Within a mile of the schools, two blocks of my husband's work, and well, I work on the couch!

I just need to stop being so damn lazy.

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I don't even have a driver's license, much less a car. I think it really is a matter of what you're used to. If you're used to having the convenience of a car, then of course everything is going to be more of a hassle if you're trying to make do without it. If it's simply not part of your life, well then, it's really not part of your life.

I'm a single mom with 2 kids. We either walk where we want to go, or take the bus. When renting my apartment, I made sure that the grocery store was only a 5 minute walk (my time--it's more like 15 min in toddler time) away. Sure, it's the noname brand discount grocery, but it still sells all the things I truly need. And yeah, it's a pain in the arse when there's a snowstorm and you have to haul sick kids out in the elements because an unexpected case of explosive diarrhea has left you diaperless, but you pretty much just suck it up and deal.

I'm also a substitute teacher, which means I can be called upon to work all over my city. So, I have a flexible babysitter and a complete set of bus schedules. It's not as quick and easy as a car ride, but it's not the end of the world either.

I can honestly say at this point in my life, I have absolutely no interest in owning or operating a car. It's expensive and bad for the environment. I don't begrudge other people their transport (except Hummer owners. I totally begrudge the Hummer. Seriously? Dude, what do you need to be driving an assault vehicle in suburbia for?), but I can think of lots of other things I'd rather spend my money on. And it makes me feel a teensy bit better about the fact that I don't recycle.

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Agreed, Sisyphus.

And for people who say "Well, we're spread out, there's no choice", there *is* a choice. You can choose to live in places that are laid out for people not to need cars. You can choose to campaign to get public transportation, better sidewalks, better town layouts where you live. Yeah, that would take a while. No, it's not easy - but it's an option.

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We live in Hampton Roads. Okay, so we reside in the Beach, and my husband works at the Naval Station in Norfolk. We cannot live without our cars. He hates the commute, but we had several other factors to look at while purchasing a house. So I disagree that we all have choices all the time about where we live. It would be nicer to live on base housing solely for the fact my husband would be closer to work, but the wait list for housing can be literally over a year, some times longer. There are buses, and yes, Va Bch has some of the best biking trails, but it can be impractical for me to take all three little ones out. Logistically, it's a nightmare to just drive to the store to do grocery shopping. We live about 8 miles from the commissary, so the bus isn't out of the question, but how do I carry 2 15-month boys, keep track of the 3yo, and lug $200 worth of groceries?

Now, we own a VW Passat and a Ford Ranger. We have use for them both, and have no intention of giving them up. For a few weeks, while I had to wait to replace a stolen license, we operated with one driver. Never again. I think it's fine that other people want to live without their vehicles, but that's their choice.

Speaking of driving, I have to go to work.

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I haven't owned a car in 13 years and have lived in places with varying degrees of public transportation (Albany NY, Burke VA, NYC). In fact, I don't have a driver's license anymore, either. Don't miss it one bit.
I know how hard it can be to get along without a car but I do wish more people would try it, even for one or two trips a week. It isn't for everyone, but really, public transit doesn't get any better unless people are using it.

And, Ms. Sisyphus, I am so with you on the Hummers. I don't care how swank they look, I can't see any practical use for an assault vehicle in the city. I saw a prototype of a Hydrogen Hummer last weekend at a renewable energy festival and guffawed.

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I think your husband works where my husband does. Life with out even one of our vehicles would be extremely difficult.

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