My Car-Free Journey (August 2008)
By Steve on Aug 10, 2008 in Steve's CARFREE JOURNEY
August 2008
Are you excited about the idea of driving less, or perhaps even giving up your car? Then, you get scared and wonder, “Can I survive without my car?” How can I start small and ease into it? Where can I live without needing a car of my own?”
In this column, we’ll explore what’s working for other people, share a few tips, include some success stories, and spotlight specific communities and neighborhoods where car-free living is working. I’ll also share a few of my experiences
My wife Karen and I are looking for a walkable community where we can relocate after retirement.
We recently visited Binghamton, NY; and were delighted with how walkable the city’s West Side is.. We were able to walk not only to stores, but also to a local park with a wonderful (free!) carousel—used in an episode of Rod Serling’s Science Fiction TV series: the Twilight Zone. The neighborhood has wide sidewalks, attractive homes, and, nearby churches and synagogues. People here love to walk. A gentleman we met downtown told us he was walking home—a mile or two away.
We rode local buses (you can purchase a 12 ride ticket—that never expires—for just $10, and 2 people can share the ticket. (Single rides cost $1 apiece.) The 28 took us past neighborhood parks to a major healthcare center, and up a hill with a beautiful view of the nearby hills. Karen raved about the hourly Shoppers Special that serves Binghamton University and several malls and shopping centers throughout the region. “If I don’t want to drive, I can just hop on that bus and go nearly anywhere I want to shop,” she told me happily. (For local bus information, visit www.ridebctransit.com.).
Other walkable neighborhoods in Binghamton include the South Side, and the area along Harry L Drive in Johnson City.
We don’t know if we will move to Binghamton; but it’s one of our top choices because of its walkability.
Do you have a favorite walkable neighborhood in a small or medium-size city? E-mail me at steve@carfreeamerica.org. I might be able to spotlight it in a future column.
~~ Steve
(Resource Box:: See Steve’s report about living Car-Free in Binghamton.
For comments or suggestions for future columns, e-mail Steve at the above Email address.)
