Berkeley Parents Network: Carless with Kids

Berkeley Parents Network

Carless with Kids

Berkeley Parents Network > Advice > Parenting, Families, & the Community > Carless with Kids

Are there other parents out there who don't have cars?

1998

I'm just curious: Are there other UCB parents like us, who DON'T have cars? My husband and I have a 19 month old daughter; we live on the top of a very steep hill; and we don't have a car. Since we are sort of minimalists, we haven't wanted one. Unfortunately, life without a car can be tiring and isolating, especially in the rainy season. I'm beginning to think we were insane to have resisted owning a car (even though it means more debt). Are there others who are or were in a similar situation? (that is, not having, wanting, or being able to afford an automobile, but feeling pressure to buy one anyway.) Lara

We don't have a car either. (Don't want one, can't afford one, shared one for a while till both we and our friend that we shared it with graduated and moved away, then owned one for a while cuz it was sometimes convenient but gave it to Goodwill when it wouldn't pass inspection.) We're actually living in Pittsburgh PA now, and didn't have our baby till after we moved there. It's also a very hilly city, and it rains a lot, maybe even more than Berkeley in the winter. The main difference might be that rents are cheaper. We made a point of getting an apartment on a good bus line and across the street from the grocery store, and getting to know our neighbors, and finding people/families nearby whom we like and can spend time with. We're doing a baby-swap with a student couple + baby who live about 5 blocks away. Also, both my husband and I like walking, he more than I, but I don't mind, and I do bicycle a lot (used to bike up Euclid to Cragmont, even though when I first moved up there I didn't think I would be able to -- but I surprised myself). (see recent posting on bicycle seats for babies.) BTW, I find that using a sling is often more convenient than using a stroller, since you don't have to fold anything up when you board the bus, etc. My baby's a year old and I foresee him being in the sling for a while yet. We think of walking (esp with baby) as a way of getting in one's exercise without having to go to the gym, so we routinely walk up to 45 mins a day. It almost saves time, if you consider having to park, stretch, exercise, shower, etc. A good umbrella and good boots suffice for the rain, or if your baby is little and doesn't mind it yet, a rain poncho will also do. Joyce

We're not carless but had hoped to get by on one car. Unfortunately, the rain has pushed us into going whole hog and getting another car--a minivan, no less (I was the one who asked for minivan recommendations a while back). The reason is the unreliability of the bus service. In good weather my husband bikes to campus (we live in Albany, off Solano) and it takes 15-20 minutes. When it rains he has tried the bus--but it often takes an hour or more to get to campus (worse on the way home), the buses never follow the schedule, and he has basically given up in disgust. It is a surprise and a disappointment that in this area the public transit is so poor. Although I do most of my shopping on foot, I need a car to get my daughter to preschool. On the other hand, my neighbor with two young boys has never learned to drive and lives quite happily without a car (her husband does drive to his job in SF). I think it's hard to get by without a car if you have kids, but on the other hand, if you live along Solano or in the Elmwood, you can do just about everything you need on foot if you arrange your life properly. If you're committed to being carless, location is everything, though as we found out, not a panacea. Susan

In response to the question about car ownership:

I too am opposed to our excessive dependance on cars and all that it implies (compulsive consumerism-malls, lack of urban social interaction-suburbs, excessive time constraints-taking kids to a thousand lessons and sports activities intended to developp their social, artistic, etc skills).

So on my free time with my son, I WALK with him to the library, to the playground, etc amidst scores of cars on busy streets. We ride the bus and walk to his daycare, which necessitates me carrying a stroller, my backpack, my lunch cooler and a coffe mug onto the bus. Sure, it's not easy, but it's doable.

In general, in the Albany-Berkeley area, AC Transit is great, but I've found that at times, in other areas, there can be hostility, which I can take, but in the company of my son, this can become difficult, as is the manifestation of other pathological behaviors (in such cases though, the drivers are good at keeping a lid on the situation).

Now for the other side: I use our car to get groceries (there is just too much to carry on a bike or to put in a stroller, and some stores are far away). Our car also gives us access to great places like Point Reyes or Mount Tamalpais.

You do have quite a few options, one of which is to forego a car and rent one or use a taxi when you need this form of transportation. Indeed, even a used car will cost you in insurance and maintenance. For example, when you're on a tight budget, there is nothing more depressing than having to foot a steep car repair bill. So ownership of a used car should be accompanied by the development of an emergency fund to cover such mishaps. You could also exchange use of a friend's car for a service.

Finally, in my present situation at least, I know that I could live without a car and cover almost all my transportation needs with my bike (equipped with baby seet), the bus, our stroller and my own two feet. That's the key, I think, to avoid depending on your car for everything from social life to entertainment, to avoid seeing it as a necessity rather than what it is: a privilege by world standards. Good luck in your decision.

My husband and I each work full-time, and we have two kids to schlep around. We're trying hard to hold at one car. Some of the things we do may also be applicable to the struggle to stay car-free.

1) Set up trades for regular car rides. For example, now that it's snowy (here in upstate NY) and I can't bike with my 2-year-old to child care, I get a ride with another parent to child care and then to work. It's just a bit out of her way, and we trade 15 minutes of babysitting for each day she gives me a ride.

2) Rent cars and take cabs liberally, if you can afford it. Not having a car saves you $4000-$8000 per year, when you include the purchase cost of the car (averaged over its lifetime), insurance, maintenance, gasoline, registration, etc. If you try to get by without ever renting or taking taxis, especially when you have a child, chances are you'll get fed up after a few years and buy a car. If, instead, you budget $1000 per year for "sanity" rides, you may hang on a lot longer.

Beth

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