No more car for me...

So it started a few weeks ago when I was driving to campus (University of South Florida). Every day it's the same story...Drive to school (which takes 5 minutes) and then circle around the crowded lots for up to 30 minutes waiting for a spot to open up and trying to beat other spot-hungry cars. Then when classes are done, it's time to spend 15-20 minutes getting home in the traffic coming out of campus.
I live TWO MILES from school. I was getting frustrated. Not to mention I'm using up gas when I don't need to. Even though my car is fuel efficient, i realized it was unneccessary.
I went to my local thrift store and bought a bike in perfect condition for $25! Ever since, I've been biking to school. Not only does it solve the parking issue and traffic issue, and not only is it obviously good exercise, but it feels great to go at your own pace without the pressures of traffic, road-raging drivers, and annoying grid-lock. Traffic always puts me in a bad mood. When I bike to school I feel better.
I know this is all common sense, but sometimes you don't realize until you try.
I'm going to avoid driving as much as possible.

 

Good for you!

 

good job, biking is the best thing ever. my bike is my best friend, and it only gets better with time. I've never found that, in a city, there's anywhere that really takes all that long to bike to; yeah, sometimes it's a little faster to drive, but unless I'm leaving town, I just leave a few minutes early, and feel better because I excercised and helped save the environment just that much more.

 

yea I catch the bus to work and having a bus pass is much cheaper then driving and I also get to read along the way. I would like to bike to work but that would take a long time, it would take me a few hours. Cars are not only really damaging to the environment but people tend to get really lazy when they have a car and it is one of the main reasons why so many people are obese. lots of people around here will drive to the corner store or their next door neigbors house, things that would take them 1 minute to walk to, they are such lazy bastards.

 

Good on to you! Atleast if you think of it, it'll be quicker. No parking problems when traveling to class, no problems getting out going home!

 

awesome. i wish i could have the discipline. the car would go first. then the cell phone. then the television.

 

You know what's even better? Running!

I joined the Marine Corps late in my life, and during my initial strength test I had to run a mile and a half which dang near killed me. During boot camp, we were forced to finally run three-milers, which is what we have to do in a certain time limit every six months out in the fleet.

Those long runs SUCK, and you hate every minute of them, but you could probably handle a two-mile run in about 17 minutes. And after you run them, you come off with a natural high for the rest of the day and an attitude where you think you could conquer anything. Really!

Good decision on ditching the car. There's no reason to pollute the environment and waste a resource when nature provides you with something that gives back the rest of the day long.

 

biking is great. i ride everywhere as much as possible, even if i could get a lift. it makes me feel heaps better knowing im not polluting and getting exercise.
i ride to school everyday unless its raining. its about 8km. i dont no what that is in miles but it takes bout half an hour.
biking is the greatest way to go

 

I wish I could do that too. But I live in the middle of the woods

 

I walk to the shops. If it is heavy or bulky I often as to have it delivered, or use my wheelbarrow or hand truck.

 

I don't even have my drivers licence. I get around by bike anywhere I have to go!

 

Three words: Bike, Bus, Rail. Those are my modes of transport

 

Good job! I beleive there are WAY to much cars on the earth. I walk and bus almost everywhere.

Big cities should have boulevards reserved only to bikes and buses. I think some city in Scandinavia does that (but I don't remember wich...)

 

Berkeley, CA
Portland, OR
Copenhagen
Amsterdam

are just some places I know of off hand that have roads closed off to cars on some or most streets.

Only place you have any chance of seeing something like that in this country would be Victoria, BC, possibly Vancouver.
People are just too car dependent in North American society.

 

Yeah around here not many people bike around. At school there are so many kids driving and they all complain about the shortage of parking. They don't need to complain..just bike! I'm really enjoying it. So much in fact that yesterday morning my boyfriend and I went to the local bike park and did an 11 mile loop. It's all for bikes and joggers. All nature, good for animal spotting. It was fun!

 

Wow, you used to drive a two mile journey? That's crazy. I suppose everything in our culture is set up to just assume you have to drive everywhere. Cars are great for long / awkward journeys where there's no public transport, but it's the totally unnecessary journeys within cities that are the real problem. We could cut most of them out entirely and have a healthier and more eco-friendly world.

Well done, cycling is great It saves you time and you get a great cardio-vascular workout

 

I love off-road cycling, you discover so much more than you would in a car and still go much faster than walking I often do a couple of 25-30 mile trips a week, just to explore what's around near where I live

 

Thats very good. Help where ever you can mate.