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by art4ur 2164 days ago
I stopped driving about 6 years ago. I live in a very walkable city and work from home so I sold my car. The few times I do drive it's now very overwhelming. I'm just glad to know it's not just me.
3 comments

I haven't owned a car for about 8 years, but I use Zipcar rentals about once a month for recreation. The cars are often different models, so every time I drive I have to figure out how to adjust the steering wheel, seats, mirrors and go over the controls. A couple years ago I used Zipcar on a trip to Spain and drove it into France (I'm American). After a month of not being in a car, operating one seems exciting and dangerous.
Car free for a decade!

I think my first time driving through SF’s morning commute to the peninsula was a little harrowing.

But not afterwards.

I zipcar, rental car, or some other one-off service whenever I want and its like riding a bike to me.

Us city slickers should probably pay more for car insurance when we do own a car, instead of less. All the insurance company seed is that we havent had crashes or tickets in years, so therefore we deserve lower rates.

Do you use any transit other than legs? Bike, E-bike, public transit, train, skateboard, scooter...?
I've never had a drivers license; grew up in st louis, and have lived in boston, toronto, and now oakland (amongst others). Prior to the shutdown, I used BART and the ferry for most of the commuting, and bikes for everything else. I've got a couple cargo bike setups; I find my Brompton folding bike (with a couple attachment bags) has plenty for weekly grocery trips, and my older Xtracycle is fantastic for multi-day bike/camping trips or much larger loads. We pretty regularly do vacation by train with folding bikes as carried luggage...