Going Car-Free For a Day (or Month)
Decatur Metro | September 17, 2010
As you may have already seen on the front page of your Decatur Focus, next Wednesday, September 22nd is “Car-Free” Day in Decatur.
The city encourages residents to go “car-free” for the day and plans to hand out special stickers for those who walk or bike (or rollerblade or unicycle, I assume) up to the Concert on the Square at noon on Wednesday.
In a similar vein, the car-sharing company, Zipcar, is currently hosting it’s annual “low-car diet” program, where participants agree to give up their car for 30 days, posting stories and little tidbits along the way. According to Atlanta Intown, “61 percent of the 2009 participants said they planned to go “car-free” after the 30-day challenge. Additionally, participants increased their miles biked by 132 percent, decreased their miles driven by 66 percent and lost a total of 413 pounds.”
Could you go car-free for a month in Atlanta? The 2010 Decatur Citizen Survey (pdf) showed that only 14% of daily commutes involved walking, biking or public transportation as the primary means of getting to work.
Also, is there anything that the city of Decatur could be doing that would make you less car-dependent?
Latest from Decaturish
It’s a minor thing, but the pedestrian signals could be better timed. It seems like a long wait for a “walk” light at times. I really can’t think of much the “city of Decatur” can do.
I would love to bike to work, especially since my car commute is like 10 minutes, so it would be possible. But lack of showers at work limits that, and having to be professional for the public is necessary. And a 40 minute walk each way limits walking it daily (as well as again getting too sweaty for the public during summer).
So my point is, I wish businesses had more things (shower rooms) available for people to get themselves presentable after biking in. If you don’t have to be in front of public, doesn’t matter; but if you do, it limits what you can do, especially in Atlanta summer.
Hmmmm, well, even if you “don’t have to be in front of [the] public”, if I’m your co-worker, I don’t necessarily wanna smell “sweaty biker”, either…
You might find a gym that’s close by where can shower/change. Not an option for everyone, I know. Also, I agree that in the summer you’d need a shower even for a short commute like yours. But when it is in the low 60s/50s or below you might be just fine without one.
I can and do go car-free in Atlanta. 6-1/2 miles commute downtown daily.
Sometimes getting out of town requires a motor.
You guys are making excuses. I wear a tie in the office. Bike in cycling clothes, towel off, if necessary, and change into your work duds. You will be surprised how well a damp towel and air-conditioning will dry you off.
Ditto Tom and Chira. Shower before you head to work and make sure your exercise clothes as well as your work clothes are clean. The majority of the unpleasant scents we notice have to do with what’s growing on our clothing/hair. If you keep those clean, there’s no food for bacteria to stink up the place and believe it that there will be a lot of bacterial chomping on bits of skin and skin oils given the massive surface area provided by cloth.
Now you can move on to discussing whether the extra laundry you have to do to ensure you can be a good-smelling bike commuter is a winning “green” proposition!
I have to disagree here. I bike about 9 miles each way, and I can’t even imagine not showering then changing into work clothes for the day. Heck, in the summer it is so hot that it is hard to stop sweating even after a cold shower. You can wash your hair before you leave, but by time you arrive, your head is going to be full of sweat. If you don’t wash with water, how is that NOT going to smell horrible by the end of the day?
I do towel off after working out in the gym (rather than showering), but I’m sure that’s not up to the right level; people wouldn’t want to have their doctor walk in with a sweaty head. I agree, to some extent it is an excuse, given I could find ways, but it would require too much effort to add a couple of hours to an already 14 hour office day.
I have gone “car free” since 1998, except for occasional rental cars when on vacation or borrowing someone’s car or calling a taxi for some inaccessible-by-public-transportation-in-the-time-allotted situation. And I second the suggestions given above by Tom L – you need a change of clothes and some simple towel/cleaning materials at your workplace. It worked/s just fine for me, pre-retirement and post-retirement.
Chira- You’re my rockin’ transit role model! I park my car as much as I can, batch errands/ try to keep them nearby, and have about 25,000 miles on an 11 yr old car. I don’t know if I’ll ever dare say goodbye to a vehicle, but I do consider it each time I read your comments. You amaze me! Keep on keepin’ on!
Deanne – Thanks for your attitude and understanding. I have saved TONS of $ through my transportation practices from 1998 until now, and the walking exercise is good for me too. I forgot to say that besides the 5 blocks distance from the bus stop to my office, I also walked 5 blocks from my home to the bus stop where I began the trip. During part of the year, this walking was in the dark, rain, ice/snow, etc., thus my interest in sidewalks and other pedestrian aids. So that made a total of 20 blocks of walking every day. I still walk a lot since retirement, because I am used to doing it. I also carefully scan the shopping available along each bus route that I use, so that I don’t have to go too far to find places to shop, e.g., groceries, cleaners, office supplies, books, etc. Your practice of “combining” shopping trips is excellent and efficient use of your car.
Not to brag, but I have not even owned a car since 2005. I use public transit, walking, bicycle and occasional taxicab and ZipCar. My employment is at Executive Park, not downtown. With the MARTA cutbacks, it will be a little more difficult to get to work, but the great personal benefit to me and our society will still far out way the cost! The best thing Decatur city could do is fight for expansion of public transit.
That’s truly admirable because Executive Park is definitely not the most bike and pedestrian friendly area! In fact, the only thing truly park-like about it is that it’s full of park-ing.
Keep on keepin’ on! You will “find ways to do it” — it may take some extra effort, some detours, etc., but your habits of commuting are WORTH IT. Realistically, we all need to make alternate arrangements for transportation and to combine shopping expeditions where possible.
I think people are just too polite in Tom and Chira’s offices. I know we were to the guy who went jogging for an hour at lunch everyday then came back and put his work clothes back on without a shower. For two years, people on his hall debated whether to tell him he smelled. He was so nice, no one wanted to hurt his feelings. He quit, so no one really had to worry much about it after that.
Nelliebelle- *sigh* The classic “smelly/bad breath person at work” dilemma. Your example is not of too polite coworkers though. Talking about the nice guy’s smelliness for TWO years behind his back? Sounds like everybody who worked there was missing either a backbone or a heart! :0(
To correct your impression of me, Nelliebelle1197, I took a BUS to and from work. I had to walk about 5 blocks to get to my office from the nearest bus stop. Since I arrived at the office by 7 or 8 a.m. at the latest, it was never “that hot” when I walked those 5 blocks. And even less of a problem in the fall, winter, and spring. Also, I had my supply of fresh clothing and cleaning materials on hand. Believe me, I was not the most smelly person in my office. The smokers earned that title! The trip home was no problem at all, because I was only going to my own home and had all I needed there to refresh before going out for the evening.
Decatur Rec Center has showers that are available for commuters that work in Decatur. You need to bring your own towel. Bike Decatur, a google group, has many experienced cyclists that can assist you in your plans to go car free or car light.
I think that the pedestrian signals also need to be better timed – and perhaps just automatic vs having to push the button then wonder – is it working, will it come….guess not, well I’ll walk with the light I guess. A real walking town assumes walkers.
Also this “car free” day would have more “teeth” if some of the streets downtown were blocked off for more pedestrian benefit.
This happens in some cities/towns on the weekends so that it gives people a place to walk/rollerblade and gives you a real “reward” for walking.
I commute downtown by MARTA. Some days I walk or bike to MARTA, but I often drive to accomodate my kids active afternoon schedules. It would be nice if Decatur added bike lanes to more roads and a Decatur Trolley to some of the major roads. A connection from downtown to the Oakhurst business area, a connection to Publix and the big Kroger, a connection to the city parks and practice fields are a few routes that come to mind and that MARTA doesn’t serve that well or frequently.