It's been a little over 2-2 1/2 weeks since I sold the car. So far, so good. My work schedule is a bit crazy at the moment, long hours and little sleep. I have a few posts that are saved as drafts I need to tweak and catch up on.
Some thoughts from living the past few weeks car-free:
I still think, and believe, that biking budget is a good idea. Especially starting out. Most of my gear has either been thrift store, surplus or discounter finds. A handful of online deals. I did splurge on one piece of gear, a cycling jacket, and have a few other things in mind. Base layers and such can be found easily through some of the budget options I listed, but there are things (if you plan on spending a decent amount of time on the bike) that are well worth the expense. On a trip home this past weekend, I stopped at the local cycling shop and picked up a new jacket-waterproof and windproof, as well as breathable-that really came through on the ride this morning.
I'm very impressed with the change I see in COTA service now and the first time I started taking the bus in Columbus a few years ago. There are still a number of improvements to be made and issues to be addressed, but overall it has been a pleasant experience. Typically I've been riding the few days a week to work when the bus doesn't run and opting to use the bus (or bike and bus at times) at other times (after sitting in a pool for 3 hours, I don't feel like biking home). Best advice for riding COTA is to know which buses serve your approximate area and know the approximate head-ways. I know the #1 and #2 can be had pretty easily every 10-15 minutes, or less. I can bike to the #2 stop and ride the bus south and east to the Alum Creek trail head to ride my bike the final distance to work. I can bike back to the #2 and not worry about a transfer downtown. I know the # 7 runs about 20-25 minutes, so if I hit the timing right I can take the #1 to downtown and catch the #7 pretty quick to head home. The #18 also runs at the bottom of the hour at the downtown stops, which gives me another option. Above all, keep an open mind with transit and realize that, while it is a great alternative to your car, it's not going to replicate the convenience of door to door. Some effort is required and, if you're not opposed to walking or biking, you can open yourself to options (like taking a bus that may no directly service your street, but puts you within walking or bike distance) that make it worth the effort.
Do I miss the car? Ask me at 3:45 in the morning when I am waking up for my morning shifts to pick up hours. The extra 25 minutes of sleep would be great. But it is a lot less stressful to leave the driving, in the case of COTA, to someone else. Or to enjoy a nice relaxing ride through some less traveled areas of Columbus. As I told a co-worker, my spinning class is on the road.
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