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 Go Car Free on Bike to Work and School Day |
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May 2013 Carbon Free
Go Car Free on Bike to Work and School Day by Jennifer Karchmer Jennifer Karchmer is an independent journalist based in Bellingham. Read her work online: www.jenniferkarchmer.com. Editor’s Note: Bike to Work and School Day (BTWSD) is Friday, May 17. In its 16th year in Bellingham, BTWSD celebrates alternative forms of transportation. Each year, I write on the April page of my calendar “Taxes Due” as a reminder to get my IRS paperwork together. This year was a little different. Taking up that space on the 2013 grid is “Car-Free 1-Yr Anniversary!” On April 15, 2012, I was involved in a traffic accident that totaled my car. I was a little shaken and inconvenienced. Thankfully my auto insurance took care of everything. I had a mild panic attack thinking about how I was going to get around, but it quickly subsided as I’ve been an avid bike commuter for six years. Sans Car In fact, I was pretty excited with the predicament since I had been considering selling the car but never got around to it. The convenience of having a car for errands or a road trip outweighed the energy to post it on Craigslist and sell the thing. Now without a car, I thought of the money I would save – no more Jiffy Lube visits, new tires, brake jobs or auto insurance premium. Even simple expenses like windshield wiper fluid and pine-tree air freshners were off my radar. As I told people my car story, almost everyone had a negative reaction: “Oh, that’s too bad. That sucks. Are you OK?” Despite the sympathy, I felt good that I was decreasing my carbon footprint, doing my part to save the planet. Still, I was walking around saying I’m “car-less.” Then, my outlook changed during last year’s BTWSD. At the Holly Street Celebration Station, I bumped into Donna Merlina doling out snacks and bicycle stickers. “Donna, I’m car-less now,” I said to my bike compatriot, who has been a bike advocate for years. “Oh, no you’re not, Jennifer. You’re car-free!” she said with her characteristic beaming smile. BTWSD turns 16 Donna is not just any volunteer. She helped start Whatcom County’s BTWSD way back in 1998, and has coordinated BTWSD events. Donna has logged thousands of miles in the saddle, so she’s no stranger to the benefits of bike commuting. I took her words seriously. “Car-less” denotes loss, a negative, a hole, a void – sentiment shared by most people who learned of my situation. “Car-free,” on the other hand, is about independence and autonomy. Not having a vehicle poses some inconveniences, but none I can’t adapt to. In the past year, I’ve called a taxi, borrowed a friend’s car, and even rented a car to attend a business event out of town. Still, these expenses have not exceeded what I typically spend on car maintenance, insurance and the energy of owning a vehicle (such as finding parking spaces, waiting at red lights). This is not the case for everyone, but in Bellingham, I’m able to make it work for me. Let’s Be Car Free Similar to “Buy Nothing Day” an anti-consumerism movement and alternative to Black Friday, the big shopping day after Thanksgiving, let’s consider BTWSD as “Car Free Day.” Biking or walking to work and school, and taking the bus and carpooling, are all encouraged, of course. Also, think of it as a day to ditch the vehicle from your responsibilities, reduce your emissions and get some exercise. Maybe “car-free” will become a habit on the other 364 days of the year. More info: • http://www.biketoworkandschoolday.org |