The great American love affair with cars dates back nearly a century – about the time Henry Ford promised a car in every garage. However, for me — a licensed driver of 34 years — my affair with cars has reflected more of the love-hate kind. On the one hand, who doesn't love to sit behind the wheel of a sleek and powerful sports car, propelling down the highway at ungodly (and illegal) speeds? And what about the freedom found from driving an indefatigable, fat-tired Jeep over hill and dell? O... Janasaastad Jana Saastad comment-71461 2012-07-25T19:47:17Z 2012-07-25T19:47:17Z "not" subjected to the elements... : ) Jana Saastad 2012-07-25T19:47:17Z Jana Saastad comment-71460 2012-07-25T19:46:42Z 2012-07-25T19:46:42Z I am looking into eBikes. As for December, I know I have thought about that. Luckily, I work from home so I'm subjected to the elements on a daily basis. We'll see how it goes. Thanks for your comments. Jana Saastad 2012-07-25T19:46:42Z evsroll comment-71103 2012-07-18T16:07:38Z 2012-07-18T16:07:38Z Wise choice, though sometime in about December you may question it some. For getting about town you might try an eBike...about as fast as a car at a fraction of the cost, plus many other benefits. For inclement weather if you do not need speed, try an NEV - neighborhood electric vehicle. Remember too that the EV requires a lot less maint. than a gas burner. http://www.evsroll.com/Electric_Car_Prices.html If you need a car, try the new Mitsubishi iMiev...it is a real deal after rebates. Of course there is light rail and the bus in other situations. EVsRock! evsroll 2012-07-18T16:07:38Z Brian Steele comment-71064 2012-07-17T23:26:10Z 2012-07-17T23:26:10Z Going carless in Sacramento has its limitations given the operational limitations of SacRT. Service hours and frequency of service is a major factor in accomplishing the mission of providing quality customer service to existing clientele and increasing ridership. Brian Steele 2012-07-17T23:26:10Z tinyhelmets comment-71049 2012-07-17T19:43:24Z 2012-07-17T19:43:24Z No it wouldn't. Driving a car is actually a loss in revenue whereas biking is a gain. The dollars spent end up going into local pockets instead of into foreign bank accounts. Pretty awesome. Abandon those cars with abandon! tinyhelmets 2012-07-17T19:43:24Z Mathieu Über comment-71032 2012-07-17T17:48:37Z 2012-07-17T17:48:37Z you also pay for accident clean up, investigations, ambulance and hospitalizations. bus fare typically helps poor people, students, elderly and other underrepresented people. So maybe that is why people would rather pay for all the road maintenance and other high-price items to keep wealthy car owners from riding a bus with... other people. Mathieu Über 2012-07-17T17:48:37Z jetskichick comment-71023 2012-07-17T17:12:13Z 2012-07-17T17:12:13Z I have been carless in midtown for 5 years and have loved every minute of it. jetskichick 2012-07-17T17:12:13Z aztc comment-71021 2012-07-17T16:55:46Z 2012-07-17T16:55:46Z Great article, and I feel you made a great choice. I live 10 miles from my work and have been car-free for a bit over 2 years now. I use a BionX powered cargo bike and an old Worksman tricycle for hauling stuff and a 3 speed classic style roadster for the neighborhood. In a few days the odo on my longtail bike will go over 10,000 miles. I could rent a car if I really needed to and get a new model that the agency will have to keep running, not me. However, cars actually outnumber drivers so there are plenty available anyway. My sentiment about cars has evolved from indifference to intolerance. Cars are noisy, dangerous and pollute more than anything. They give otherwise nice people Road Rage and empower the military industrial complex by extracting a major portion of peoples income. We have a health care crisis due to car crash injuries and epidemic obesity with 2 lane drive throughs at fast food outlets. This social addiction is clearly the single most harmful thing going on today. Like most things, used in moderation cars would be OK, but we have gone far beyond moderate use. Think you are not addicted to your car? Try going without it for 30 days! You will experience withdrawal, physical, mental and emotional. Like other addictions, there is a way out that will leave you healthier, happier and richer. The first step is admitting there is a problem. aztc 2012-07-17T16:55:46Z tamara duarte comment-71018 2012-07-17T16:44:11Z 2012-07-17T16:44:11Z i moved downtown in 1990 & got rid of my wheels in 1995. i have always worked in downtown as well so never made sense to have a car that i wasn't using. i walk, ride my bike, i am a ZipCar member & i love Hertz rental cars for wkend & weekly getaways. it's not for everyone & i will be the 1st to admit that our RT system is less than stellar. if anyone going to sign up for ZipCar let me know. i think i get credits for referrals!! thanks! tamara duarte 2012-07-17T16:44:11Z JAT comment-71017 2012-07-17T16:42:05Z 2012-07-17T16:42:05Z I applaud and envy you. The planet pays a colossal price for our love affair with cars, but for many of us it's not something we can realistically live without. Unless you live in the heart of a city, your choice is a very theoretical one. Good luck! JAT 2012-07-17T16:42:05Z ToscaSac comment-70930 2012-07-15T21:40:18Z 2012-07-15T21:40:18Z I was car less all last year. Maybe if I lived downtown. Maybe if I did not have a teenager or want a life all over the city. Having no car just did not work for me. I missed the freedom to grocery shop in the wee hours of the morning. That and can you say the drive in's? ToscaSac 2012-07-15T21:40:18Z John Boyer comment-70928 2012-07-15T07:38:57Z 2012-07-15T07:38:57Z and what a wonderful world it would be. Yesterday I took Amtrak to Jack London Square where I then took a ferry to SF where I bombed the hills and ate great food all day long for my 54th birthday. No car involved total bliss. Show me a road trip via car that strokes the senses like that and Ill eat some crow. John Boyer 2012-07-15T07:38:57Z thsas comment-70926 2012-07-15T01:26:06Z 2012-07-15T01:26:06Z Txaxpayer, thats me. Yes, I asked her before pondering it, as I didn't connect the dots quickly. Just more income redistribution where car owners pay both ends. thsas 2012-07-15T01:26:06Z Dale Kooyman comment-70920 2012-07-14T17:39:53Z 2012-07-14T17:39:53Z Very good article, Jana. When I moved from LA to SF some years ago and gave up my car, I actually had nightmares of being stranded. Then I found there is a great more freedom that comes with not owning a car not to mention health benefits. Did you happen to check with Triple A or other sources to find out the annual cost (not cost per mile cost which is over 50 cents--depending on model, etc.) of owning, maintaining and operating a car? A few years ago it was about $8,000 a year average but I've been unable to find that data since (not good at it so that may be part the problem.) But when a person realizes it is good chunk of change for the privilege of driving, it is an eye opener that we can now afford other things in life that we may have been denying ourselves. . Dale Kooyman 2012-07-14T17:39:53Z Julia Baum comment-70919 2012-07-14T15:27:34Z 2012-07-14T15:27:34Z "I read recently that car mechanics are going back to school to keep up with the sophistication of today’s automobile. Where does that leave the layperson, or in my case, the mechanically incompetent?" Good mechanics are usually going back to school, just like doctors tend to attend seminars and conferences regularly. However, the increasing use of computerized parts (on board diagnostics, etc.) is part of why I chose to buy my Jeep several years ago when my old car got wrecked. They may use a bit more gas, but I found a 4 cylinder manual and put some good street tires on it - the mileage isn't as bad as some people think. I think there's a tradeoff to owning any vehicle (it costs more to smog test mine because it's a bit older, but it's also cheaper to register and insure). They are VERY easy to work on and I understand cars even more now than when I was living with my ex the BMW/Mercedes mechanic. With help from my more car-knowledgeable friends, I've worked on my front brakes and water pump pulley, helped put in a new radiator and changed the serpentine belt (and now I also understand the difference between a serpentine belt vs. a timing belt or a timing chain) and oil ...it's really not that hard, stop telling yourselves this stuff, ladies! In general, I think that the complexity of many cars is vastly overstated, particularly to women, and it feeds into women's general anxiety about approaching anything that's mechanical and "scary". Sewing machines are more confusing to me, personally!;) Julia Baum 2012-07-14T15:27:34Z Jana Saastad comment-70916 2012-07-14T05:50:08Z 2012-07-14T05:50:08Z While I wasn't involved in your conversation with your Seattle friend, it seems the right answer would have been "taxpayers," unless the free bus was paid by tourist through TOT funds. At any rate, it's pretty common knowledge that public transportation is heavily subsidized by taxpayers, including most of the smaller city airports (think Fresno, Stockton, Bakersfield). So car-less or not, we are all paying for transportation one way or another. Jana Saastad 2012-07-14T05:50:08Z Jana Saastad comment-70915 2012-07-14T05:44:03Z 2012-07-14T05:44:03Z Good for you! I bet you are in good shape and have saved lots of money :) Jana Saastad 2012-07-14T05:44:03Z Jana Saastad comment-70914 2012-07-14T05:42:20Z 2012-07-14T05:42:20Z Thanks for your positive comments and insight, William. I don't take the disgruntled too seriously. From what I have read, they did not read the article closely. Best wishes with ditching your car. I will let you know how life with Zipcar, on foot and on bike goes. Jana Saastad 2012-07-14T05:42:20Z Jana Saastad comment-70912 2012-07-14T05:40:19Z 2012-07-14T05:40:19Z I did maintain my cars. What I wrote is that I am mechanically challenged. Big difference. And i have rescued countless animals throughout the years. One of them just died after 16 years of happy living under my roof. Think I'm doing OK in the pet raising department. Thanks for your comments. Jana Saastad 2012-07-14T05:40:19Z William Burg comment-70911 2012-07-14T00:35:59Z 2012-07-14T00:35:59Z You're off to a great start with this! I'm trying to wean myself off the habit too--as soon as my current car dies (a 20 year old station wagon with enough mileage to reach the Moon, not a Lexus or F150) I'm trading it for a Zipcar membership. Don't be dissuaded by the mockery of those who assume that anyone who doesn't pledge allegiance to the United States of Automobilia is insisting on the unilateral destruction of all automobiles. We're living in revolutionary times--a combination of high tech (online ordering of groceries and goods, smartphones that can tell you when the next bus is due or reserve you a Zipcar) and old-fashioned technologies (bikes, walking, transit, and a return to building mixed-use, walkable cities) are all becoming more popular, and more people are catching on. William Burg 2012-07-14T00:35:59Z devedsmith comment-70910 2012-07-14T00:10:30Z 2012-07-14T00:10:30Z If you can't maintain a car, please don't have any pets. Really. Or children. devedsmith 2012-07-14T00:10:30Z Kevin Greene comment-70908 2012-07-13T23:02:52Z 2012-07-13T23:02:52Z I really appreciate this article. I dumped my car when I moved from the LA area to downtown Sacramento back in 2000, and have lived here without one ever since. We have a ways to go to create a more efficient and practical transit system that encourages more folks to sever their dysfunctional relationship with their car. I have to admit that i have had access to a vehicle over the years, thanks to good friends, significant others, and now Zipcar (that is absolutely fantastic) but i don't look forward to the day when either work or life reunites me with automobile ownership. Kevin Greene 2012-07-13T23:02:52Z thsas comment-70903 2012-07-13T21:36:50Z 2012-07-13T21:36:50Z I met someone back in Seattle who did not have a car, she lived in the downtown area. She explained to me that the downtown buses were free to ride and that most fares were very cheap. Before I caught myself, I asked "then who pays for that"? Her reply was "you do". thsas 2012-07-13T21:36:50Z Casey Kirk comment-70902 2012-07-13T20:40:55Z 2012-07-13T20:40:55Z We've added the link in the story, Jana! Thanks again for posting such great research and tips. Casey Kirk 2012-07-13T20:40:55Z Jana Saastad comment-70901 2012-07-13T20:25:34Z 2012-07-13T20:25:34Z Please also see the sidebar which I forgot to link to the main story: "How to get around when you are car-less in Sacramento" http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/70869/How_to_get_around_when_youre_carless_in_Sacramento Jana Saastad 2012-07-13T20:25:34Z Jana Saastad comment-70900 2012-07-13T20:23:54Z 2012-07-13T20:23:54Z Richard Hanson. You're correct. Just like if every person ate healthy and quit smoking, doctors and other health care professionals would nearly go out of business. Or if people quit using drugs and drinking excessively, we'd cut loose at least half of our correctional officers and cops. Jana Saastad 2012-07-13T20:23:54Z trapper comment-70857 2012-07-13T19:58:43Z 2012-07-13T19:58:43Z I’m glad you choose to get off the road; most people enjoy the freedom a car has to offer but for some (like you) it’s to complicated. Good luck with public transit in Sacramento… Hahaha!!! trapper 2012-07-13T19:58:43Z Richard Hanson comment-70856 2012-07-13T19:58:10Z 2012-07-13T19:58:10Z If more people decide to abandon the car-centered lifestyle, the massive loss of tax revenue would send the state of California into instant bankruptcy. Richard Hanson 2012-07-13T19:58:10Z