I don’t own a car.  Not because I can’t afford a car.  I simply don’t want to own one.  I don’t think I’ll every want to own one again.  I’ve owned several cars.  I’ve been caught up in the American addiction to the automobile.  I upgraded several times…kept up with the Joneses…even owned (gulp) an SUV.

In April my addiction ended.  I remember taking my car to the dealership and leaving on foot.  It was one of the most liberating feelings I’ve ever had.

I don’t live in New York or Chicago or any other place where the majority of the population lives without a car.  I live in Pittsburgh, PA, a city of just 311,000 people.  A city where most people own a car and many own two or three.  Not me.  Here in Pittsburgh I don’t just live car-free, I live well car free.

Back to the dealership…  I remember tossing the contents of my glove box into my backpack and walking a block down to the Dormont T station.  The train arrived and I remember it being crowded.  It was a Friday morning.  There were no seats available, so I had to stand.  I didn’t mind.  I could have been sitting in my car, stuck in traffic, or standing on a train that was moving.  I’ll take the latter any day.  As I flew over top the stopped traffic backed up at the Liberty Tunnels I distinctly remember the feeling of liberation.  The feeling of freedom.  Freedom from car payments…insurance premiums…oil changes…unexpected breakdowns…and gasoline.  And gas was only just over $3 a gallon at that time!  No more driving the parkways in stop-start traffic, no more paying to park the car at work.  I was car-free…