My Experiences from a Car Free Lifestyle

Being car free can be a pretty difficult lifestyle choice to make. It goes against the ‘ideals’ of most people in our society. But the potential benefits are huge. And it goes much further than just the financial gain! 

I’m lucky in that I have an office based job. Currently there is no requirement from my employer to own a vehicle. As such, it’s fairly easy for me to walk to work each day. 

I’ve chosen to walk rather than cycle for a number of reasons but it mainly comes down to the length of journey. I can walk to work in 25 minutes, whereas cycling would take me 15-20. Allowing extra time for unlocking and locking the bike up and getting changed into suitable clothes, they work out the same. As I’ll discuss below, I get many other benefits from walking which, for me, make it the better option in my situation. However, if my commute was further, cycling would start to look like a much more attractive option. You should weigh up your options but first and foremost, do whatever you prefer. That way you’re more likely to stick to it! 

The Caveat 

The big caveat in this is that Miss Way does own a car, but this post focuses on my (Mr Way) experiences. Being self-employed and working in numerous different schools, there was no way for her to avoid owning a car. However, Miss Way has recently cut back her car usage too and is looking to cycle to work whenever this is possible (travel time between schools often doesn’t allow). 

I am insured on Miss Way’s car and do occasionally use it. This is mainly for the weekend food shop – but we are looking into bike trailers to potentially cut this out too! I also use the car to transport big DIY items, travel away to visit friends/family etc.

However, if we were to go entirely car free, we feel comfortable that we could avoid all of these uses. Public transport is accessible and convenient. Taxis can be utilised for shorter journeys. Hire cars are always available and could be a good option for things like camping trips. We are still researching other car-free options so let us know any clever thoughts you have!

It is also worth mentioning our intention to move abroad, as we mentioned in Our Version of FIRE. If/when this happens, being able to live entirely car free will be a big criteria when applying for jobs and accommodation.

Advantages 

Let’s have a look at some of the main reasons I enjoy being car free. Most of these will be focussed on walking to work as for me, that is the major benefit of the car free lifestyle.  

• Financial 

The financial benefit of being car free is probably the biggest reason why I continue to do so. I estimate that it would cost roughly £200 per month to own a car (based on a cheap car – could obviously be significantly more!!). This includes purchase, insurance, tax, MOT, repairs, fuel and other miscellaneous costs. I simply can’t justify spending that much per month. An extra £2,400 per year would be an almost 20% increase in my overall budget! 

• Environmental 

For me, doing the best by the environment is a necessity. Walking to work regularly, I experience the air quality issues caused by vehicles first hand. In my opinion, far too many journeys are carried out by car simply out of laziness. Many of my colleagues travel very short distances to work by car and I don’t understand this choice at all! Some of them even then drive to the gym after work to exercise, not realising the walk to and from work is exercise too! 

• Health 

The health benefits of walking to work are a huge bonus for me. I would commute by foot anyway, but this is an easy win! My commute takes me about 25 minutes each way so I’m getting 50 minutes of low intensity cardio every workday. This kind of low intensity steady-state cardio is hugely beneficial to muscle growth. It aids blood flow helping muscles repair quicker. I do bodyweight strength training twice a week so walking benefits my recovery. I also enjoy walking to my sports events as it’s actually a good warm-up!

• Mental health 

As well as general health and fitness benefits, walking to work brings me mental health benefits. I get to walk through our local park with fantastic views and birdsong every morning. This is infinitely more relaxing that sitting in a metal box in traffic, dealing with other aggressive drivers. 

As mentioned above I also worry about our environmental impact, so driving would make me feel very guilty! I would also worry about the financial burden of using the car for such short journeys. Can you tell I’m a worrier yet?! 

• Time 

Obviously driving would actually save me time on my commute. Because of traffic, it would only actually save me 10-15 minutes each way. But if you consider that I can make more use of the time while walking as my mind is free, this quickly becomes the better option. 

The thing I actually enjoy the most about this is simply being with my own thoughts. For me this is a form of meditation/mindfulness and I always feel much more peaceful after the time alone. This may be a trait specific to me as an introvert but I’m sure this would benefit others too.  

Having a walk at the start and end of each day also gives me time to organise my thoughts. I can plan tasks to achieve either during the workday or at home. This fits with my approach to mental decluttering as discussed in A Way to Less……. Stuff! 

Another activity I occasionally do on my commute is listening to podcasts. I love podcasts from all different genres and these can really spark my interest in a subject.  

I also often ring my parents on my walk home. This is a great chance to catch up and still feel connected as we sometimes don’t see each other for months at a time. Family is important to me so this is a good chance to keep in touch. I also sometimes carry out other tasks by phone on my commute such as sorting bills etc.  

So although walking takes slightly longer than driving would, it actually saves me time overall. Very few of the tasks I mentioned could be completed with full concentration while driving, so would have to be done separately. Also, in order to decompress and get some fresh air I feel I would want to walk on an evening anyway. This would have to be done AFTER driving home, using even more precious time!

Disadvantages 

Of course, being car free also comes with disadvantages. For me, the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages but it is important to mention both sides.  

• Pollution  

As I mentioned previously, being exposed to low quality, polluted air is a huge drawback for being car free. Living in a built up area, where there are seemingly endless streams of cars on every road, this is unavoidable. 

To try and minimise my exposure to pollution, I try to consider which route I take, particularly to work. When we first moved to our current house, I walked the most direct route. I soon realised this route involved lots of standing traffic. It’s shocking to experience how bad the air is when walking past queuing cars. You can often feel like you’re chewing on their exhaust fumes, which is not a nice experience! I have since taken a slightly longer route in order to pass through a quiet side street rather than the main commuter road. 

• Pressure to conform 

This is more of an indirect disadvantage based on the expectations and ideals of others. This is particularly strong from my parents. They are more ‘mainstream’ from a financial perspective and see owning a nice car as a status symbol, and a requirement for someone with a good career. I would love for this imposed pressure not to affect me, but particularly from my parents, I can’t help but feel like somewhat of a disappointment!  

There is also a lot of pressure from my employer to get a car. I feel this pressure to a much lesser extent but it is still a difficult situation. My boss regularly asks when I will be getting a car. Having looked into my employment terms, there is no requirement for me to own a car at my level. Management receive car allowances so of course are expected to have access to a vehicle. This is a point I have made numerous times. I like to remind my boss that I will get a car as soon as I get my promotion! We have a fairly good relationship so I feel comfortable standing my ground here, but I understand how this could become very awkward for others. It seems an unfair pressure to put on employees, especially as a car is not a requirement!  

Any time I have had to travel for work, the company can procure a hire car. This usually actually saves the company money! Over long distances, a hire car fee works out cheaper than paying mileage anyway.  

• Time 

Many people question how I can find the time to walk in, saying they’re far too busy for that! I won’t go into this, as I discussed above how I consider it to actually save me time!! 

• Weather 

Living in England, the weather isn’t always ideal for walking. However, you would actually be surprised how rarely it rains during my commute to work! Anyway, simply putting a hood or umbrella up are easy solutions to this. In addition, learning to adapt to minor discomforts like this can benefit your resilience and make you appreciate the good days more. 

Lifestyle Inflation 

Car ownership is a form of lifestyle inflation. Most people walk at university, but buy a car as soon as they get a job. This is usually a lifestyle design issue. Students tend to live close to their university because it makes sense. So why do people live so far from work?! When looking to buy a house, we specifically chose to be within walking distance of my work. You’re in control of these things so make the sensible decision! Don’t succumb to unnecessary lifestyle inflation – it’s much harder to go back than to not do it in the first place! 

What are your thoughts on car ownership? Do you have any examples from your own lives or those around you to share?