Reply #23: I've never owned a car but I don't gloat about it

[Ratty]

I'm lucky enough to live within bicycle-riding distance to work and lots of places to shop. I'm healthy, have no kids and live in a region with excellent public transportation. I don't particularly like to drive and parking around here is nigh impossible anyway. I know most others legitimately need cars, I happen not to need one. Grocery shopping usually isn't a problem, I can hang a lot of groceries on my handlebars. I love watermelon in the summer but really can't swing something that big and heavy on my bike so usually do without until I can hitch a ride with somebody else who does have a car (another reason I don't gloat: I'm perfectly happy to leech off other people who DO have cars). I live alone and worry about what might happen if I needed to go to the hospital. I'm in the process of looking for a new place to live and that's really been a pain without a car.

When people learn I've never owned a car they usually say something like good for you, you're helping the environment. But really, it's just a whole lot simpler and cheaper to do without one around here and I hate driving anyway.