Friday guest blog -- Åsa-- Car-less not careless
We have been living in Sweden for two years now. During this time we’ve been using my dad’s old Volvo, he has two cars and really only needs one. It started as a temporary solution and has gradually turned into the way things are. We pay insurance, registration and all that.
But now we’re about to let it go, give the old Volvo back and go car-less. It’s more about money and convenience than the environmental aspect, to be honest. Parking, gas, taxes, insurance…. It all adds up, quickly. And we just don’t drive much. We never did. And especially now when we live so central that the car has to be parked about a mile away and Dylan has to ride his bike to get it, while the kids and I wait to be picked up… it’s too much of a hassle. Taking the bus or riding bikes is just easier.
Here, that is. It’s easier here. The way we were living in Idaho there’s no way we would have let the car(s) go. We needed two of them to be comfortable. At one point we had three. It’s ridiculous. But not uncommon. Most American cities and towns are designed in a way that assumes everyone is getting around in a car. Huge parking lots. Drive-thru everything. Many places there are no safe and convenient ways to get around by bike or foot. I know that, you know that.
But we don’t live in Post Falls right now. We live right smack downtown Umeå and just got a bike trailer. So here we go. Car free and carefree.