Putting a Bike Where A Car Would Go
By Coleen O’Connell
One of things I am most looking forward to in my move to Belfast Cohousing & Ecovillage (besides not mowing a big lawn) is getting rid of my car. I calculated a few years back what it costs me to run my car in a year and it came to $5, 589. (www.edmunds.com/tco.html). The average yearly cost of owning a car in the US is $6,200. (that includes car payments, gas, insurance, repairs, etc.) and so my own personal figures weren’t far off from that. At the time, I was shocked by how much of my annual educator half time income was absorbed by owning a car. I made a commitment then and there to change my life circumstances so that the need for a car would not dominate my lifestyle. Living in rural Maine it is impossible to do life without a dependable vehicle. Moving to Belfast Cohousing & Ecovillage on the edge of a small local coastal village in Maine is a step closer to reducing my ecological footprint. Two miles from downtown, the community neighborhood that is designed and about to break ground will allow me to walk, bike or ride share with others in the community.
Will I plan on never needing a car again? Hardly, but promoting the common experience of car sharing that happens in cohousing communities around the country will certainly be my first order of business upon moving in. Just how it will work, and who is interested has yet to be worked out. Because we haven’t broken ground we have time for further investigation. A few of us are researching the purchase of an electric car that can be shared. I personally am shopping for a new bicycle – one with a basket for carrying groceries. Yesterday I had a discussion with another cohouser about building a bus stop by our driveway... a place we can wait and catch a ride with passing motorists.
My initial research is yielding many creative ideas and benefits. Car sharing takes many more cars off the road, not to mention out of our parking lots. At cohousing each household, by town code, needs two car spaces for parking. Isn’t that a telling assumption about American life. Car sharing lessens car dependence and gets people walking and biking more. I am in need of that. It sets an example for our children that not everyone needs to own a car. I can count on saving money – the research shows that easily up to half of the cost of owning a car is saved when you car share depending on how many people share one car. I haven’t even mentioned carbon dioxide emissions and global climate change benefits. It just makes ecological sense.
In this car-obsessed country of the US, I look forward to putting my bike where my car would go.
Can you use a Segway? Just a thought. I think car sharing is great but would have a hard time going there.
ReplyDeleteI've been reflecting on car usage lately, as well. The Department of Environment had an all-staff meeting last week, and we discussed some of our "successes" from the preceding year. One of the major issues on the floor was that of electric cars. Chicago received a $1 million grant to install charging stations throughout the city. The state government matched that amount. Then, when the request for proposals went out to the private sector (to see who would actually research and install the charging stations), one company responded saying, "Here - this is what we think you should do. You need another $4 million. We'll help you find it in the private sector." They did, and now in the next YEAR the City of Chicago will be investing $6 million in infrastructure for electric vehicles. Chicago will have 73 DC Quick Charges (stations that will fully charge an electric car in 20 minutes), and 187 Type 2 chargers (that take a couple of hours to charge). 200 ELECTRIC CAR CHARGING STATIONS IN THE CITY! By comparison, the entire state of California only has 3. Yes, three.
ReplyDeletePeople are very excited about this prospect, but I'm finding myself to be skeptical. While electric vehicles are certainly more sustainable than traditional cars, they still depend on electricity...that comes from coal and nuclear power in Chicago. With $6 million to invest in transportation infrastructure, I'm not sure I'd be spending it on electric vehicle charging stations. How about light rail? How about more elevated trains?
In any case, I'm glad to hear that you are thinking critically about your transportation options as you establish your ecovillage, perhaps including more foresight than others might.