The Free-Wheeling Family: Car-Free in Suburbia

Ric & Sara Rosenkranz

1 Our family has always been a one-car family. Late last year, we went further by deciding to give up the only car our family of 4 owned in preparation for an international move back to the USA.  We were excited about the 5-week lifestyle experiment of living without a car in the suburbs of a major world city (Sydney, Australia), and getting the chance to better align our own actions with our values related to sustainability and health. Once we had a confirmed buyer for the car, we loaded up the family and drove 40 minutes across town to make the sale. Walking with the family to the train station to catch a ride home brought for us a sense of freedom, mixed with nervous uncertainty about how we might manage to maintain a somewhat normal life without our own motorized transportation. Our kids, aged 4 and 9 years, didn’t seem to mind.

2 Unfortunately, trains could only partly replace our car as the nearest station to our suburban household was more than 3 miles away. We knew that we would have to mix transportation modes for any trips outside our local suburb. This usually meant catching a very intermittent bus, or grabbing a taxi to or from the train station. Sometimes we might have to rent a car.

By the numbers

3 During our 38 days without owning a car, we made 209 separate trips in total among the four family members. If we assign one primary form of transportation for each trip, we took 8 by train, 21 by bus, 4 by ferry, 3 by taxi, 12 by rental car, 7 by carpool, 95 by bicycle, and 59 on foot.

Our adventures

4 Half of the regular trip to preschool and work was full of traffic and treachery. Much of the way, there were bike lanes available, albeit lanes that were often full of debris or other obstacles. Our son was clearly frightened the first time a semi-truck came barreling past us within an outstretched arm’s distance.

5 Grocery shopping was an interesting way to attract extra attention and raised eyebrows from our neighbors. For shopping trips, one adult towed the trail-a-bike (a single-wheeled contraption that connects to the seat post of a regular bike, and allows a child to ride along, with or without pedaling), while another adult towed a trailer loaded up with reusable grocery bags as our daughter rode solo. Pulling the trailer uphill while loaded down with groceries was quite a challenge.

6 One of the most arduous parts came as we were leaving the country. We had to pack a lot of luggage. Thus, we each had two large suitcases, plus a backpack. Trying to get that much luggage on and off a bus, and then on and off a very crowded train while minding young children was truly a stressful experience.

The good aspects of this lifestyle

7 The good aspects of living without a car included having no car maintenance or car insurance, and not having to worry about break-ins, theft, or crashes. We could relax on public transport, and not have to worry about speeding tickets or tolls. We achieved better physical fitness from extra walking and cycling, and gained a new perspective of our suburbs, the city, and its residents.

8 One of the best aspects was special time with our son. For instance, each morning that we rode the trail-a-bike, we could chat about the day ahead and the beauty of the environment around us.

The not-so-good aspects of this lifestyle

9 There were safety concerns with regard to cycling in traffic, being in strange train stations, and waiting at bus stops. Another drawback was the amount of time needed for two very busy adults (planning the trips, waiting for buses and trains, and often going far out of the way to get where we wanted to go). With that came less freedom to roam, less independence.

Lessons learned from the experiment

10 We consider our family’s experiment a great learning experience. Since our return to the USA, we have purchased a new fuel-efficient automobile, but have continued to follow many of the practices we adopted while living car-free. We drive less than we used to, commute by bike or foot more, combine trips, and consider whether or not trips by car are necessary at all. We have even gone grocery shopping with our bike trailer. We intend to continue our family’s efforts to live more sustainably, while simultaneously advocating for more supportive policies to reduce dependence on automobiles through initiatives such as additional bike lanes, walking paths, and better public transportation options.

自由自在的一家人：郊区的无车生活

瑞克和萨拉·罗森克兰茨

1一直以来，我们家只有一辆车。去年晚些时候，在准备搬回美国前，我们干脆决定一家四口仅有的一辆车也不要了。在一个国际大都市（澳大利亚的悉尼）的郊区，有五周时间尝试无车的生活方式，有机会践行我们有关可持续发展和健康的价值观，这令我们激动不已。车子一有了确定的买主，我们就带上全家，驱车40分钟横穿这座城市，把车给卖了。与家人一起步行到火车站，乘火车回家，这给我们带来一种自由的感觉，但也夹杂着紧张与不安：离开了我们的机动交通工具，我们如何维持相对正常的生活。两个孩子，一个4岁，一个9岁，似乎并不在乎。

2不幸的是，由于最近的火车站在我们郊区的家3英里开外，火车只能部分取代汽车。我们知道，凡是要去我们所在郊区以外的地方，我们都得混合使用不同的交通方式。这通常意味着搭乘相当不准时的公共汽车，或叫出租车往返火车站。有时，我们还得租车。

用数字说话

3在没有汽车的38天里，我们一家4口总共外出了209次。如果每次以一种主要交通方式计算，我们乘了8次火车，21次公共汽车，4次轮渡，3次出租车，租车12次，拼车7次，骑自行车95次，步行59次。

我们异乎寻常的经历

4去幼儿园和上班的路上，半数时候都是车满为患，危机四伏。一路上，尽管多数地方都辟有自行车道，但是车道上常常满是垃圾或其他障碍物。当第一次遇到一辆拖挂车离我们一臂之遥疾驰而过时，我儿子显然吓坏了。

5去超市购物也分外有趣，吸引了邻里的特别注意，令他们惊奇不已。每次购物之行，一个大人拉着脚踏拖车（一种与普通自行车车座相连的单轮装置，上面可以坐一个孩子，孩子可蹬踏板，也可不蹬），另一个大人拉着拖车，上面堆满了可反复使用的购物袋，女儿则独自踩着脚踏车。拉着载满物品的拖车走上坡路，着实是一个挑战。

6在我们准备离开这个国家时，最艰难的一个环节来了。我们有很多行李要打包，每个人有两个大手提箱，再加一个双肩背包。要把那么多行李搬上公共汽车，再搬下来，然后再搬上拥挤的火车，再搬下来，同时还要照顾年幼的孩子们，这真的让人吃不消。

这种生活方式的好处

7无车生活的好处包括没有车的维修保养、没有车险，也无需担心别人破窗盗窃、偷车或撞车。我们可以放松身心地乘坐公共交通，不用担心超速吃罚单或付路桥通行费。额外的步行、骑车使我们的身体更加强健，使我们对所在的郊区、城市及其居民有了全新的认识。

8最大的好处之一是与儿子相处的特别时光。比如说，每天早上，我们骑在脚踏拖车上，可以聊聊新一天的事儿以及身边的美景。

这种生活方式的美中不足

9在车流中骑车、身处陌生的火车站、在汽车站等车，都有安全问题。另一个弊端是对两个忙碌的大人有较高的时间要求（计划行程、等候汽车和火车，以及常常要绕很多路才能到达目的地）。由此而来的是闲逛的自由少了，独立性也少了。

这一尝试中学到的东西

10我们把一家人的这番尝试看作是一个很好的学习经历。回到美国后，我们买了一辆新的节能型汽车，但是仍然继续执行了我们无车生活时所采取的很多做法。我们比过去少开车，上班更多的是靠骑车或步行，合并出行，并权衡出行是否确实有必要开车。我们甚至骑着脚踏拖车去超市购物。我们打算延续全家的努力，过可持续的生活，同时倡导更多的支持性政策，例如增加自行车道、步行道和更好的公交选择，从而减少对汽车的依赖。