Car-Free Lifestyle

Car-Free Lifestyle

    Burning Fat Not Fuel

    four on a quad tandem and a child (or two) in the trailer
    Sport Utility Redefined: four on a quad tandem and a child (or two) in the trailer (Photo: richardmasoner on flickr)

    According to an AA study about 60 percent of car journeys are made by sole motorists.[1] For short journeys traveling alone it just makes more sense to go by bike.

    Bicycles and human powered vehicles are the most energy efficient vehicles on the road. Compared with the car, 1 km (0.62 miles) ridden by bike eliminates 245 grams of greenhouse gas (GHC) emissions.[2] Riding a bicycle 4 km (2.49 miles) saves 1 kg GHC compared with traveling the same distance by car. Since 80 percent of all journeys made are less than 20 km, riding a bicycle short distances instead of taking a car, will save about 1000 kg of GHG emissions per year.[3]

    By living in a city with a good road infrastucture, frequent public transit connections within a dense urban and regional rail network with connections to long-distance trains, you can very much make do without owning or operating a car.

    Whether you care about the environmental benefits, cycling provides a viable alternative to the car for getting to work, for running errands and to enjoy recreational activities within town or beyond city limits.

    A car-free lifestyle doesn't necessarily mean you don't use a car at all (although taken to full extent it obviously does). It generally implies that one keeps one's use of the automobile to a minimum. As you cycle more and more, you find yourself using your car less and less. When your car finally breaks down, you may find yourself questioning if it really needs to be replaced.

    Whatever your motivation: environmental, financial, health & fitness or a combination of factors, a car-free lifestyle lets you see your city or local community in positive new light.

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    References

    1. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1579612/US-style-car-lanes-create-more-congestion.html
    3. Nano. 3sat. Mainz, Germany. 2009.04.21
    3. German Institute for Energy and Environmental Research

    Keywords

    carfree, car-free lifestyle, car-lite, sustainable transportation, personal mobility, personal transport, zero emission, low carbon, carbon neutral, LOHAS,

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