I’m Car-Free…Again!

On July 5th 2007 I was so excited that I was car-free (First Time in 25 Years, I Don’t Own A Car!), having only a 49cc Honda Metropolitan scooter and a bicycle. A year later I bought a car again — I could no longer ride the scooter & bike due to a stroke (I Drove My Car Today). I had to have a car in St. Louis, right?

I felt guilty though:

So now my trick will be to see how seldom I can drive the car. I feel like a failed environmentalist selling the scooter and getting a car. As I start to buy gas I know I will quickly be reminded of just how efficient the scooter was. 

The scooter was very efficient (90+ mpg) and I did a good job of not driving my car often (5k/year).  In July 2010 I bought a monthly transit pass and began to use and learn our public transit system. After nearly two years as a regular rider I knew I was ready to ditch the car. Why you ask? To improve my standard of living!

You’re probably confused how NOT having a car will improve my standard of living, most view car ownership as increasing one’s standard of living. As a low-income person the cost of insurance, maintenance, taxes, and fuel were too much even though my car was paid for. In addition to the expenses the car’s value was dropping. The car was a burden rather than the key to freedom.

I’ll save money by not having to pay for auto insurance every six months as well as annual personal properly taxes. Based on my annual driving and MPG I’ll save about $750 a year in gas.  I’ll also be able to rent my parking space to a neighbor. I’ll be able to increase my available cash by 15%!

After the couple test drove my car they made an offer and I accepted, then it hit me — this will very likely be the last time I own a car. Ever. I’ve been driving for 29 years and all but one year I’ve owned a car, sometimes 2-3. Before when I went car-free I had the scooter and thought that yes I might have a car again but with my income and my inability to work in a paying job the only way I’d ever have a car again is if I won the lottery.

In addition to taking MetroBus I’ll be getting rides from friends and taking cabs. I’ve downloaded the Taxi Magic app to my phone and set up account with debit card. Two St. Louis taxi firms, St. Louis County & Yellow Cab and Laclede Cab Co. use this service. This will allow me to schedule and pay for a cab from my phone without having to call someone. It stores my home address and I can easily type in the other address. Even if I spend $20/month average on cab fare  I’ll still be way ahead of where I’ve been.

I’ve also, reluctantly, gotten a credit card so I can rent a car on occasion, mostly when traveling. I can’t use car sharing services like WeCar because I require a spinner knob to steer the wheel and a crossover bar to operate turn signals with only my right hand.

I understand that my situation is rather unique, I don’t have to drive 15 miles to a job five days per week. It will be a challenge to not have the convenience of a car but I’m looking forward to facing  and overcoming them.

– Steve Patterson

Poll: Are Posted Handbills Urban Art Or Another Form of Graffiti?

Posted handbills, those posters often tacked up in urban cores, were the subject of a debate on a friend’s picture on Facebook. The photo was of handbills for the St. Louis Symphony’s new campaign called Save Powell Hall.

The debate went something like this:

• Friend A: Destruction of property, resulting in blight.
• Friend B: Not destructive but more colorful.
• Friend A: It’s illegal and will cost money to remove.
• Friend B: I like it, makes it look like something is happening
• Friend A: It’s ok to deface someone else’s property for your own interests?
• Friend C: Handbills are different than graffiti, removed by weather
• Friend B: Better than blank plywood
• Friend A: Project a negative image
• Friend D: Plywood isn’t a positive image

The debate continued but you get the point.

Gangs did “tag” numerous buildings downtown recently with graffiti.

Are handbills and spray paint equal? The poll is in the upper right sidebar, mobile  users need to switch to the desktop layout to vote.

– Steve Patterson

Poll: How Expensive Must Gas Get Before You Take Transit Instead of Drive?

The headlines are full of stories about rising gas prices & transit use:

Ridership on public transit, which is measured by number of trips taken, hit its highest level in the mid-1940s — roughly double today’s rate.

But with the widespread adoption of the automobile and America’s suburbanization in the 1950s, public transit use steadily declined until the early 1970s, when gas prices spiked following the Arab oil embargo. 2011’s ridership rate is the second highest since 1957. (CNN/Money)

The rate of transit use was double in the 1940s? Half the population used twice the transit of today!

The poll this week asks how expensive would gas have to get before you took transit. The poll is in the right sidebar, mobile users need to switch to the desktop theme to see the sidebar.

– Steve Patterson

Readers: Seniors Need To Retake The Driving Exam — No Consensus At What Age, How Frequently

Less than 15% of readers indicated “no” in the poll last week regarding seniors having to retake their driving test. Answers regarding at what age and how often were all over the board:

Q: Should seniors have to retake the driving test?

1. Yes, all drivers should have to retake the driving test, more frequently as they age: 22 [23.4%]
2. Yes, every five years starting at age 65: 21 [22.34%]
3. Yes, every two years starting at age 65: 8 [8.51%]
4. Yes but at a higher age than 65, like 75+: 20 [21.28%]
5. No: 13 [13.83%]
6. Yes, every ten years starting at age 65: 3 [3.19%]
7. Other: 6 [6.38%]
8. Unsure/no opinion: 1 [1.06%]

I was glad to see the top answer was everyone should retake the driving test. I think I’m a good driver but it’s been 29 years since I took the driving test. I’m sure many of us have encountered drivers of all ages that we thought were poor drivers. Here were the “other” answers supplied by readers:

1. Stop discriminating against the elderly. Old people need to drive too.
2. Eye exams every 2 yrs starting at 65, driving every 2 yrs at 80 or earlier
3. All drivers should be tested after insurance-involved accidents.
4. All drivers, full comprehensive test every five years
5. All drivers should retake the test every 5 years – regardless of age
6. Yes. all drivers every renewal.

The 2nd half of the first other answer (“Old people need to drive too.”) is my point for this post. We’ve created places where most people must drive to function. Driving shouldn’t be the only alternative to function in society.

– Steve Patterson

Poll: Should Driver’s Retake The Driving Test When They Get Older?

I have friends now dealing with elderly parents, including facing the difficult decision to take away their keys or at least convince them to not drive at night. My brothers and I were getting close to this dilemma after our our father had a few minor accidents, and one that totaled his car.  He bought a replacement car but shortly thereafter he became ill and passed away at age 78, saving us from what would have been a very difficult discussion. My father had expressed to me his fear of not being able to drive.

I also have close relatives & friends at or quickly approaching 65 years of age. With people living longer and Baby Boomers now turning 65 this become an increasing issue. Neither of my grandmothers drove — ever — but they were born in 1902 & 1905. Today’s seniors likely have been driving since they were teens.

Letters like the following letter to the editor in a Pennsylvania paper will be increasingly common:

Editor, the Record:

In regard to the article stating that older drivers are more to blame for auto acidents, it doesn’t sit too well with me and other senior citizens in the area.

First of all, we’re not in any hurry to get anywhere, so we don’t speed. We don’t gander, looking out the window while driving — we’ve already seen it all. Very few us us drive at night. So I don’t think the privilege of driving a car should be denied us. We don’t all have family members at our disposal to take us to the doctor, grocery shopping, etc.

And I’m sure you won’t find any bags of heroin or other illegal articles in our trunks.

I drive back and forth the the Loder Senior Center five days a week to have lunch and visit with other folks my age. Without my car, this wouldn’t be possible.

LAURA (mcwilliams) kappes

East Stroudsburg

But senior drivers are a cause for concern:

While traffic fatalities are down across the country, older drivers still account for a “disproportionately high share” of the casualties.

[snip]

Consider this: One in every five drivers will be 65 or older by the year 2025, the report found. (STLtoday.com)

The report mentioned above  was released this month from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials:

With the first wave of the Baby Boom Generation turning 65 in 2011, the number of older Americans and their share of the population will begin to grow significantly in the coming years. And as this generation continues to age and grow, it will demand a level of mobility and an active lifestyle that far outpaces any of America’s previous generations. This aging population will both create and face significant transportation challenges, including a transportation system that lacks many features that would accommodate the level of mobility and safety older Americans desire and expect. Transportation innovations to accommodate the Baby Boom Generation’s need for improved safety and mobility will benefit users of all ages. (Full report: Keeping Baby Boomers Mobile: Preserving Mobility and Safety for Older Americans)

Regular readers know I advocate making our regions more pedestrian & transit friendly, partly to help out our aging population. Regardless of that, many seniors will want to keep driving so the issue of testing comes up:

There was strong support for testing senior drivers, with 76% favoring drivers over the age of 75 to take a driving test every two years. A majority of American drivers also indicated they would support requiring expanded road testing of already licensed drivers. Nationwide, 56% said drivers should be required to take a road test every 10 years, and 76% said those who have their license suspended or revoked as the result of a moving violation should have to take a driving test to get it reinstated. (Source)

The poll this week asks your thoughts on retesting drivers. The poll is in the right sidebar — mobile users need to switch to the desktop layout to vote in the poll.

– Steve Patterson