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…
