The Benefits of Living Without a Car

His name was Kabuki Dan. I bought my little red Toyota from a Hmong man in Saint Paul, dreamed up a silly car name, and took him everywhere - from the Colorado mountains to the Wisconsin flatlands. Once I settled into a major city and embraced public transit, though, I had to tell Kabuki Dan to find a new owner. Loyal as he was, I couldn’t justify keeping a vehicle when there were so many benefits of living without a car.

In March of 2005, I transferred the title to an eager buyer and found myself footing it around the city and riding the bus. At the time of this writing, I’m about to celebrate a year of car-free existence, and I couldn’t be happier. Not everyone can handle living without a car, especially those in rural areas or suburban sprawl settings. But for city dwellers like me, people who have ample access to public transit and a choice of pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods, the benefits of living without a car far outweigh the drawbacks.

I see my decision to go carless as not only practical but also political. In addition to saving lots of money, I set an example by reducing the size of my environmental footprint and engaging in more socially responsible behavior (at least as I define it). It’s my little activist step in favor of smarter, mixed-use urban development and enhanced public transit. If I sound smug, I suppose I am. Several friends had suggested that my decision would backfire and that “only people in New York City and a few other places can live without cars.” Here I am in Milwaukee, only the nation’s 20th largest city, and I am successfully living without a car – proof that the benefits of this lifestyle choice are not limited to subway cities alone.