Letter from a Carfree woman for life!

"Hi Mr Poindexter:                                                                                      

I was reading the blog called car-free American and saw your wonderful article from December 2012. I have never owned a car in my entire life, mainly due to economics.

 I am a single black woman living in Columbus, Ohio. I work as a home based data entry operator and telephone customer service agent. I have had various office jobs over the past 20 years and have always used mass transit. I have been lucky to get jobs that were close to the bus lines. I never liked driving and did not really take any driving lessons until I was in my late thirties. I took some driving lessons at one of those driving schools and hated every minute of it. I was in a student driver car and the other drivers were so nasty and rude. If you drive at the proper speed limit, they get really mean and nasty. They will blow their horn at you and give you dirty looks. I took these lessons for about a few months back in 2002, but never did get my driver’s license because I could not pass the parking part of the road test. I decided to give up driving altogether and stick with walking and using mass transit. 

The bus system in Columbus, Ohio is called COTA, which stands for Central Ohio Transit Authority. I have been riding COTA for over 20 years.

 I do not regret being car free, especially in the last 5 years as gasoline prices have gone way up. Back in the 1990’s and early 2000’s,

 I used to get teased mercilessly at work and looked down upon because I did not own a car. Some times I would ignore these people and other days I would get depressed.  In the last few years, since gasoline is well over $3 a gallon, I don’t get teased as much as I used to. I think that the last recession brought many people to reality as far as over consumption is concerned. Now, I see many more people ride the COTA buses to work, school, grocery shopping, etc. COTA has recently expanded the bus routes and added newer, more efficient buses that run on biodiesel, natural gas and hybrids. In the downtown of Columbus, new bike racks have been installed. 

Many people of all income levels are either biking or using mass transit.

It was refreshing to read about someone like you who seems well-off, affluent and successful, ditch the car and go car-free. Now I see more people who are way better off than I am go car free or car lite.

 I am a single woman who makes less than $30,000 per year and a car would put me into bankruptcy. I only pay $62 per month for a local bus pass that allows me to travel all over Columbus. My condo is only a 5 to 10 minute walk to the bus stop. I also can walk to the post office and to the nearest shopping mall. I can take one bus to a really nice mall called Easton Town Center, which has everything.  Sorry for the long email, but I just needed someone to talk/write to that can relate to my situation. I also plan to get a bike sometime in 2014. I still will use the bus for most of my transportation needs, but want a bike for the exercise. 

Take care,

Sharon Lewis

sharonartiste43232@peoplepc.com"

What a great note Sharon! Thanks so much for sharing! You an inspiration.

Bill Poindexter aka Mr. Carfree American 

Fun

yoga, touring, and roads less traveled

yoga, touring, and roads less traveled...

Kristina, Yoga Instructor at Yoga Patch in Kansas City

I have always and will take the road less traveled in life. That path makes sense to me.

 I am working hard to live my live in the moment, rather than in the past or future. Three thing currently helping me live a fuller life are: Yoga, bicycling touring, and an awareness of the road I have taken in life.

 I found a Yoga studio, only five blocks from my home, the Yoga Patch, and as I was arriving for my class, Kristina, one of our gurus, rolled in on her bicycle. She is a superb teacher, and the fact she rides her bicycle for transportation made the class more special. 

Bill doing Tree pose while four birds are watching from a branch
at Middle Creek lake outside of Louisburg, Kansas

As I come into my fifth year of living carfree, I realize, this is a lifestyle that I will embrace for the remainder of my life.

I recently took a S24O (sub 24 hour overnight bike tour) with my good friend Randy Rasa of the website Kansas Cyclist fame. Even on that trip I was able to interject the tour with some high quality yoga moments. Randy did a nice write up with great pictures of the tour on his site.

A clarity of thought, breath deep in my belly, finding roads less traveled. 

What road are you going to take?

Peace and Love, 

Bill

The poet Robert Frost says it best...

The Road Not Taken

Riding with Randy always promises
taking roads less traveled...

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. 

Robert Frost

Cycling In The Metro

CYCLING IN THE METRO: KANSAS CITY'S UPS AND DOWNS FOR RIDERS AND COMMUTERS

Written by  Eden Williams

In truth, the ease (or difficulty) of commuting affects our entire city, not just me. Biking isn’t just a fun, recreational activity reserved for the trails – and commuting by bike isn’t just for tree-huggers, either. Commuting by bike can, and does, have a tremendously positive effect on the well-being of the whole Kansas City community.

 Living Wellness Kansas City

I’m what you might call an “urban enthusiast.” My entire life could be connected by a short latitudinal span of about five miles, from the River Market to the Plaza. Because my world requires little more than what I can access within my tight geographical bubble, I don’t find it unusual to bicycle, rather than drive, from Point A to Point B. My fiancé and I skip the horrendous Saturday morning parking at City Market by bicycling to the farmer’s market when the weather is nice. We bike to eliminate cab fare when we meet friends at bars. While working in the Crossroads Arts District, my commute home was just four minutes by bike, thanks to several crosswalks and one really big, really fun downhill coast. I love downtown Kansas City so much I can actually relate to those “Live, Work, Play” billboards you see along the highways leading to downtown, begging suburbanites to move back to the city limits.

However, my routine changed last year. I quit my job to start my own business, and, as a solopreneur (one-person business owner), I don’t have a fixed office where I spend my 9-to-5’s. My work is done all over town, from sales meetings in Overland Park to networking events at the Kauffman Foundation and everywhere else inbetween. My bubble has had to expand, and commuting via bicycle isn’t so simple anymore. In truth, the ease (or difficulty) of commuting affects our entire city, not just me.

Biking isn’t just a fun, recreational activity reserved for the trails –and commuting by bike isn’t just for tree-huggers, either. Commuting by bike can, and does, have a tremendously positive effect on the well-being of the entire Kansas City community.

If we focus solely on the money, there can be an enormous personal economic benefit associated with biking. As reported by NBC Business News, the average American spends $10,000 per car per year, a cost that can be at least partially offset by frequent biking. When I commuted to work, either by bike or by foot, I filled up my 16-gallon tank once a month (if that) and required less maintenance by decreasing my annual mileage. Not to mention, according to statistical analysis by Charlotta Mellander and Richard Florida, writing for “The Atlantic,” there is a positive correlation between a higher portion of bike commuters and affluence within major metropolitan areas. Then, there’s the whole part about encouraging daily exercise, reducing carbon footprints, unclogging rush hour traffic, higher rates of employee productivity, increasing foot traffic to local businesses and so on.

Given the many positives associated with a city rich with biking commuters, it’s frustrating that Kansas City’s landscape actually impairs bikability. The aggressive annexation of the mid-20th century pushed the city limits outward, rather than inviting civilians in. We were left with a massive case of suburban sprawl and one of the lowest population densities for a city our size. This tendency for expansion, in addition to Kansas City’s naturally hilly landscape, deters some of the less determined would-be cyclists. Not to mention, the lack of prevalent biking lanes are natural barriers to a robust biking community. For these reasons, it’s easy to understand why Kansas City stacks up poorly compared to other metro areas in terms of biking.

Based on statistics compiled by the League of American Bicyclists, just 0.3 percent of commuters bike in Kansas City, Missouri, which is half of the national average. Overland Park and Olathe both rank even lower at 0.2 percent. Patrick Dunlap, an avid cyclist, has kept an eye on some of the city’s efforts to make Kansas City more bikable, and the news is not all negative.

“Many younger Americans want clean, environmentally-progressive, community-oriented, healthy cities to call home,” he said. “This has led the City of Kansas City to at least play lip service to the idea of improving biking conditions here.“

One such positive development has been the B-Cycle program, which launched last year in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. B-Cycle is a bike-sharing program, sponsored by BikeWalkKC, which allows members to rent bikes at any of the 12 stations located throughout downtown, and then return the bike to any of the stations. Memberships are available from one day to one year, so even visitors to the city can take advantage of this convenient way to get around while downtown. The program has provided 5,320 rides, for a total of 13,622.44 miles, 544,897.51 calories burned and 12,941.32 pounds of offset carbon emissions since its launch on July 3, 2012, says BikeWalkKC’s Director of Communications, Sarah Shipley.

“It was a remarkable summer for transportation,” said Shipley. “Biking is quickly becoming the center of an active, healthy lifestyle and we are excited that Kansas Citians have embraced Kansas City B-cycle as a way to get around town.” Other improvements are due in part to several organizations dedicated to furthering the bicycling community in Kansas City, including the 816 Bicycle Collective, for which Dunlap is a volunteer mechanic.

The 816 Bicycle Collective reclaims old bikes that would otherwise be discarded and refurbishes them to safe working condition. These bikes are then either sold to the general public or provided to low-income individuals through a special program aimed at helping these individuals get reliable transportation.

“I (have) been surprised to learn what a dynamic bike community we have in KC and am proud to see it continually improving,” Dunlap said. And he represents a tough audience to please. Dunlap moved to Kansas City to begin his engineering career after earning his master’s degree from the University of Texas in Austin – home to one of the best bike scenes in the country.

The last piece of the puzzle to make Kansas City bike-friendly is also one of the most important: the addition of biking lanes throughout the metropolitan area. Bike lanes make the roads safer for bicycles and cars to share. Plus, the road markings alone bring awareness to the cause for bicycle commuting. Last fall saw the addition of bike lanes on Southwest Boulevard as a part of KCMO’s road re-paving program, as well as the groundbreaking on improvements to Longview Road, which will ultimately include bike lanes. Many of these improvements have come due to the efforts of bike advocacy organizations, such as BikeWalkKC. But the continuation of bike accessibility improvements will depend on the community and the expressed desire to city councils and other governing bodies to have a bike-friendly community.

In Dunlap’s words, “improving bikability and promoting biking as a legitimate method of transportation in Kansas City is not just a struggle against the geography, humidity, or tight city budgets; it is a struggle to also change the culture.”

Article reprinted with permission of Sarah Legg, Editor In Chief, Living Wellness Kansas City if you have comments or article ideas, or would like to subscribe feel free to reach out to Sarah!

PS I am the male in the picture! Enjoy, Bill Poindexter aka Carfree American

Cross Country Skiing with my bicycle

CROSS COUNTRY SKIING WITH MY BICYCLE

I love winter when we have a lot of snow! This last week, in Kansas City, Missouri where I live we have had about 13-20 inches, making a dull winter very lively…if you like this sort of thing.

I have been going to the gym a lot, but prefer being outside walking or cycling. Now with all the snow I am able to do my favorite winter sport, Cross Country Skiing.

Right after a good snow, and before the plow trucks and cars muck up the streets I am able to slap on the ski’s and transport myself anywhere.

If you have not tried XC Skiing, you are missing out, it is a lot of fun and a great workout, but as with walking and cycling for transportation, you can go at your own pace. I originally learned how to xcski at boarding school in Cheshire, Connecticut. There were 100 acres of woods with great trails. 

One of the best things about being carfree is getting to use your creative juices to figure out how to get from point A to point B with out the use of a smog belching vehicle.

I love being able to use my bicycle as a ski holder while I ride to Loose Park and other trail heads around the City for some quality Ski time. 

Spring is around the corner, OK way around the corner, but until it arrives I want to play with my ski's.

Tell me about your winter sports on our adjoining carfree American Facebook page! 

15 Car-Free Myths and Truths

15 Car-Free Myths and Truths
By Bill Poindexter aka “The Car-free American”

1. It is hard to live car-free!
False. It is not hard to live car-free. It may be inconvenient, but not hard. Think about it, people had been living car-free up to the early 1900s. No one died because they did not own a car, nor will you if you go car-free or car-lite. It takes time to get use to it, but it all comes together and becomes more natural than car use. Basically being carfree is getting back to nature-you get healthier, it is good for environment, and you meet your community-face to face rather than car to car. It is also nice to save money.

2. It is always fun
True: Most of the time it is FUN. Usually the weather is the fun or non fun factor. But there are other factors too; heavy traffic, if you are tired, or sick, or a strong headwind. Then again, those are all factors that make driving a car not fun too.

3. People look down at you
True: sometimes they do. That is ok; at the end of the day most secretly wish they could live carfree. Everyone will tell you that it is "cool."

4. You have to have special equipment
False: Good walking shoes and a bicycle. And you do not have to have an expensive bicycle, just one that works well for you. Overtime you’ll figure out your own personal style of transportation. Keep it simple. If it roles and feels good go with it. Take your time, do not spend alot of money.

5. You will lose a lot of weight
Maybe, if you burn off more than you take in. You will get fit-that is for sure. Diet is still important though, I recommend a "whole food" diet of non processed foods. Raw nuts, Olive oil, fresh vegetables, quality protein, berries, whole cheeses will give you all the energy you need...I recently lost 70+ lbs eating the above foods.

6. You will save money
True: No more gas! No more insurance! No more car payment! No more personal property tax! No more oil changes! I think the last time I figured I save about $8,000 per year (what I spent the last year I owned a car).

7. You cannot live carfree if you have a young family
False: You can, millions do, it is just more inconvenient until you become use to it. It is definitely easier in more urban settings and some suburban. If you live in the country it may not be practical, in which case a car is necessary, but it does not mean you have to use it all the time. Kids are carfree, and they make it work. Don't use your family as a excuse, instead use them as the primary motivation for living a healthier lifestyle!

8. You will get hit by a car or crash
Big false: Nonsense! Only if you don’t pay attention to your surroundings. The odds are still in your favor…not to get squished. I have spent 10 years riding in traffic a have never been hit by a car. I ride with the assumption the drivers do not see me. If you have a driver's license you know the laws, obey them and you should be ok walking or bicycling for transportation.

9. People will make fun of you if you do not own a car and /or bike places
False and true: Well, if they do, make fun of them back. They are jealous you are out enjoying yourself. I find that most people want to be carfree, I mean, when they go on vacation, they don't want to go someplace they have to drive all the time, no, they want to go some place to relax, walk or bike.

10. You will instantly be “Green.”
False: There is more to being green than just using alternative transportation. Carfree is a step in the right direction. A BIG STEP.

11. You will miss out on event because you won’t be able to get there.
True, sometimes that does happen, but you will be able to see and feel much more than you ever have in a car, so you’ll gain much more richness in your life. You will also learn to support events in your local community and you will add value as you arrive by your own steam. It makes your transportation an adventure!

12. I will have to own special clothes for bicycling?
False: You can wear anything you want. If you are riding longer than an hour, you may want to make sure you are wearing something comfortable. Bike shorts were made for a reason. Time on the bike will be your best teacher. I now rarely wear specialized gear or shoes. I keep it simple and comfortable.

13. I do not have time to be car-free
False: most Americans waste a crap load of time in their cars going to places they don’t need to go to or watching TV. I suspect you could find a bit of time to get healthier, save the environment, and make your community stronger. There is always time to do something good for you. It comes down to needs versus wants-“do I really need to drive to the Wal-Mart to buy more crap I don’t need.” Or “can we hop on the bikes and go to the local store to buy what we really need?” Then again...there are exceptions:)

14. Car-free means never owning or driving a car
False: It is a little confusing I admit. Typically Car-free means living with out a car and Car-lite means owning a car, but using it on a limited basis. Any journey you take without the use of a car, no matter the distance, is car-free.

15. Living car-free makes me happy!

Bill's bicycle with the bags, has over 30,000 commuting miles on
it.

TRUE: I love the lifestyle. Living car-free has helped me become healthier, I feel like I am polluting less, I save money, and I have developed very strong relationships in my community because of my lifestyle.


Bill Poindexter lives in Kansas City, Missouri and has lived the highly evolved life style of living carfree.

Slow poem

SLOW

While walking and bicycling I see things,
things
while moving slow
Slow is fun and good
but often misunderstood,

"I could never walk or bike for transportation"
my busy friend says,
"We have too much to do,
and too many places to go,
I need to move fast,
fast,
not slow!"

"Living your Carfree lifestyle
sounds well and good,
but it is not for me!
I'd rather drive a car
save time,
and be free."

"Now wait just a minute!" I say back to my friend,
"Bicycling and walking may be just the thing you need
just think about what you said,

"Too much of this
Too much of that
maybe a ride on a bike
or walk
would eliminate this and that."

"Too much of anything is not good
you know?
So again I say, go slow"

I continue my rant
my friend starts to listen.
I stand up tall,
To confirm my postion.

"You say you want to save time,
that I can see,
but time smelling flowers, seeing the world,
hearing birds, and feeling the earth
Is more important than driving,
Don't you agree?"

"Better to dump your car
and move slow
than sitting on your arse
in a metal cage
with no soul."