MetroRiderLA » Book Review: How To Live Well Without Owning A Car
10/25/2007 10:10 AM
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Book Review: How To Live Well Without
Owning A Car
Posted by FredCamino in Opinion, UncarLA, Gear on April 12,
2007 at 1:25 am
Tags: car free, uncar, chris balish, book review
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MetroRiderLA » Book Review: How To Live Well Without Owning A Car
10/25/2007 10:10 AM
Last October I told you all about a book called “How To Live Well
Without Owning A Car” by Chris Balish. Well I finally got around
to reading it and now I’m going to tell you about it as promised.
“How To Live Well Without Owning A Car” is a practical guide to
converting to a car-free lifestyle. I emphasize practical because
the book more than anything else emphasizes logical and
reasonable explanations on the whys and the hows of dumping
your car and surviving (happily in fact) without it. There’s not a lot
of theoretical mumbo-jumbo, emotional appeals, or political
rhetoric to get you sidetracked - just straight up common sense
(however contrary that sense is to common culture). In addition
to being a practical guide, it’s also a very personal guide to
becoming car-free. Countless anecdotes from real people across
the country (and across demographics), each with their own
unique car-free lifestyle, are presented throughout the book
allowing the skeptical or fearful to find a story close enough to
their own to prove that it can be done. This book is also about
personal finance, because in many ways it’s a book about saving
money (akin to “The Millionaire Next Door”) by ridding your life of
unnecessary costs. Balish sets out to convince us that by going
car-free we can “avoid the gas pump, cut expenses, reduce debt,
and simply your life”, does his book do the job?
This book probably belongs in the “personal finance” section of
the bookstore. The book is divided into four parts, and part one,
“Why You’re Better Off Not Owning A Car”, starts off by saying
that being car-free is the way to financial freedom. The first 30
pages of the 210 page book are devoted to teaching you that
owning a car is one of the biggest financial mistakes a person
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owning a car is one of the biggest financial mistakes a person
can make, and that by getting rid of your car you will free up
thousands of dollars a year that can be spent on more useful,
enjoyable, and profitable things. Balish presents all kinds of stats
and numbers to show us how much car ownership really costs
(usually twice as much as the sticker price you paid) and
includes a detailed car cost worksheet so you can find out
exactly how much your car costs you. He then goes on to talk
about the Quality of Life costs involved in car ownership (and
differentiates it from Standard of Living), including increased
stress and hassle, lost time, traffic congestion, poor personal
fitness, road rage, crash risk, and sprawl. Finally he discusses
briefly the environmental costs of car ownership in the form of
depletion of natural resources, air pollution, oil runoff, automobile
disposal, and road, highway, and parking garage construction
(the paving of America).
So cars cost a lot. Financially, to your personal well being, and to
the environment. You already knew that. Maybe you didn’t realize
how much owning a car truly cost, but still, you knew it wasn’t
cheap. Big whoop… things on earth have costs. Well, Chris
Balish thinks car ownership is an unnecessary cost that through
a “self-perpetuating car culture” and the multi-billion dollar
automobile advertising industry we believe is necessary. He
believe those two forces have caused Americans to become
addicted to their cars, but like all addictions through information
and lifestyle adjustments, there is respite. Balish presents six
“keys” to car-free living: 1) Can you get over your own ego?; 2)
Can you get to work reliably without a car?; 3) Do you live in an
urban area or a mixed use development?; 4) Do you have
access to public transportation?; 5)Do you live in close proximity
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access to public transportation?; 5)Do you live in close proximity
to amenities?; and 6) Are you flexible? Of these, I think the most
pertinent to Los Angeles are ego and flexibility, most people in
L.A., whether they know it or not live in an urban area, have
access to public transportation, live fairly close to amenities, and
indeed can get to work without a car. It just takes a bit a flexibility
and a willingness to do ego-shattering things like…egads… ride
the bus to realize.
Balish then tells his story (he became car-free by accident, quite
literally, and then realized how his life had improved without a
car) and then spends the remaining chapters giving detailed
instructions on the many ways to live a complete and fulfilling life
in America without a car. First and foremost, he tells you how to
get to work without a car… be it by mass transit, carpooling and
ridesharing (he never said you won’t ride in a car, you just won’t
own a car), motorcycles and scooters, bicycling, or of course,
walking. Issues of wardrobe, appearance, and grooming are also
addressed (ie. How do I handle going into work when I’m all
sweaty from my bike ride?). He then encourages commuters to
take a trial run, first on the weekend, and then easing into it
during the week, of their new car-free commute. If the trail week
is successful, consider yourself eligible to be a member of the
car-free community!
Balish’s contention is that if you can get to work reliably without a
car, then there’s no reason to own one. But what about all those
other things you do out of the office? Errands, dates, social
gatherings, leisure time? That’s what part three, “Non-Work
Transportation”, covers. He puts forth practical solutions
(eliminate unnecessary trips, find closer alternatives, and plan
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(eliminate unnecessary trips, find closer alternatives, and plan
ahead and stock up) for shopping for your basic needs. He also
implies that being car-free will save you money from all those
“impulse buys” that the imagined freedom of a car can lead to
(bored? Drive to the mall and buy some shit? It’s easy!). Can not
owning a car actually improve your social life? According to “How
To Live Well Without Owning A Car” it can and will! Not only will
being car-free set you apart as “unique” in the dating field, your
improved health and physique from actually walking or riding a
bike will make your more physically attractive and confident than
that schlub sitting in traffic. Instead of the typical “I’ll pick you up
at 7, dinner and a movie” date, you have the opportunity to come
up with creative and original dates and outings that will likely
have far more impact.
In the end, Balish promises a “richer, healthier, less stressed life”,
and after reading his book, I think he puts up a good argument
that going car-free will reward those things to you. If you are
thinking of going car free, are already car-free but want some tips
that may make your life easier, or want to convince someone you
know to go car-free, I whole heartedly recommend “How To Live
Well Without Owning A Car” by Christ Balish. It’s a quick and
easy ready, but the impact of the information lasts, and it’s useful
as a reference once you’ve made the jump to the car-free
lifestyle.
5 comments for Book Review: How To
Live Well Without Owning A Car »
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1. There are some difficulties with going car-free that aren’t
addressed in your brief summary. For example, on top of my
job, I’m also a musician. That means getting to evening
rehearsals with lots of bulky musical instruments (I’m a bass
player–both bass guitar, not so hard on public transportation,
and double bass, quite a pain on public transportation). In
Chicago, this was relatively feasible (and I lived 7 years carfree there). But here, not so much. Public transportation
distance to rehearsal spaces measured in time is too long to
make weeknight rehearsals, let alone the problem of
transport getting home. So I own a car, but don’t use it that
often.
I’d add that flexcar doesn’t have a good location for me to be
able to use their services and given the relatively low milage I
put on (I’d estimate around 5000 miles/year), not cost
competitive.
Comment by don hosek — April 12, 2007 @ 7:47 am
2. It’s certainly not possible for everyone. Balish addresses this
is his book as well, certain people basically NEED cars for
their lively hoods, regardless of where they live. I mean,
obviously there are people in New York City who need a car
to do whatever it is they do, even with the extensive public
transit system there and the pedestrian culture and dense
infrastructure of the city. Balish mentions construction
workers who need to haul heavy tools, outside sales rep who
have to travel all over to make sales calls, people with
special medical needs, families with children… and now we
can add practicing musicians… all these people WILL find it
difficult if not impossible to live car-free… no matter how
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difficult if not impossible to live car-free… no matter how
thoughtfully designed their city is. But then again, I’m sure if
you wanted to go car-free bad enough (like I did, because I
hate the physical act of driving), you could find a way. People
lived for a relatively long stretch of time… constructing
buildings, raising families, playing music… without the use of
a car. And of course, as is the theme of the book, many
people feel they need a car but could actually live quite easily
without one. For example, for the majority of the time I’ve
been legally allowed to drive I’ve owned a car… it’s only
within the past two years did I realize I could very easily live
without one. To me, owning a car is on the same level as
owning a jet ski or something…mostly an unnecessary
expense that I definitely don’t need and that I would rarely
use… a status item more than anything. But that’s just in my
life. In your life, the opportunity cost of giving up a car might
mean giving up on music, which would be an unacceptable
compromise for you.
But,to paraphrase someone (I’m not sure who), don’t take it
from me… read the book.
Comment by FredCamino — April 12, 2007 @ 8:13 am
3. And of course, there’s also the “car-lite” lifestyle which Balish
also speaks of in his book, and which I’m sure you take part
of due to your time spent on L.A. transit… trips that don’t
require a car, you don’t take a car. Vice versa.
Comment by FredCamino — April 12, 2007 @ 8:21 am
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4. you don, are the exception. if you only drive when you need
to haul equipment and the like, GREAT! however most
people drive NO MATTER WUT. doesn’t matter where or wut
they’re doing. like going to the same place every single day
for the same hours every single day (i.e. most of general
public) and driving there even though there’s more than likely
a perfect feasible alternative in public transit. so good for you
and others for at least abandoning driving to and from work if
not ridding yourself of an automobile entirely. “car-lite” as
balish calls it.
your improved health and physique from actually
walking or riding a bike will make your more physically
attractive
this may sound absurd to people but its entirely true. i’ve
never taken walking as a serious exercise, its just something
i do and when seeing speed walkers on the side of the road i
usually laugh, however, the benefits of public transit on your
health are definitely true. in fact metro is even marketing this
idea in their transit TV ads (marketing to people ALREADY
riding… thats metro for you). anyway, its true for sure. over
the last 10 months since taking on the public transit lifestyle
(car free for 2) i’ve incidentally lost 12-15 pounds and seeing
as that’s really the only thing that’s changed since before i
can think of no other thing that could cause such a weight
loss. and this may sound egotistical or whatever, i in no way
mean for it to be. it’s nothing i’m proud of or anything just a
positive effect of a car free life style. going car free and
having to walk a couple blocks here or there and bike and
walk, whatever the combo may be, its all much better than
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walk, whatever the combo may be, its all much better than
walking out of your apt/house/etc and getting into a car, then
driving to your destination and sitting at your desk or stand in
a line at target.
the positives for a car-lite, if not entirely car-free lifestyle are
abundant, so any and all should help themselves and their
friends to give it a try.
Comment by tykejohnson — April 12, 2007 @ 11:15 am
5. […] example, the book review for “How To Live Well Without
Owning A Car” is in the Gear category because it’s […]
Pingback by MetroRiderLA » New Category: Gear — April
12, 2007 @ 1:58 pm
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