Convenience vs. well, everything else!

My cubicle neighbour and his wife rented a car for the week in order to explore the city a little more independently. His comment was, "Once you get behind the wheel again, you realize how much you need it!"

But we don't want to need a car.

Yes, it would be very convenient to be able to go places on our own schedules, but it's not a need. Having a car would save us the trouble of asking for a ride, but it's not a need.

I must admit, there are times when it sounds tempting to return to the independent days of car ownership. But then I recite to myself the reasons we've decided to remain a carless family:

1. Traffic: The traffic here is much different that it is at home. There are rules of the road, but they're not the same rules we're used to. I'm sure I could learn these new rules, but it requires more aggressive driving - something I'm not good at and the very reason I try to avoid driving even in Toronto!
   
   
2. Environment: Although it often doesn't seem like it, each person can make a difference. One less car on the road means slightly fewer harmful emissions being distributed into the atmosphere. This is especially true around here where the majority of the vehicles on the road are SUVs.
   
   
3. Expense: Part of our reason for coming here is to save money. A car is an additional expense that we simply don't need at this time.
   
   
4. Hassle: Owning a car means taking care of it. And in this dusty environment, that means more filter changes and car washes than at home. Also, there are lots of accidents every day, and vehicles in accidents need to be fixed or replaced. And let's not forget the initial hassle of purchasing the car, getting the financing (which means getting a loan from a local bank), registering the vehicle...and each of these things requires a letter from my employer and what seems like a stack of paperwork.
   

Since not having a vehicle (for the first time in almost 10 years) I have also noticed unexpected benefits:

1. Humility: It is humbling to always be asking for rides, especially when we're so used to the independence associated with our own vehicles.
   
   
2. Relationships: Wherever we go, we drive with someone. On the bus to work, I talk with my colleagues. When driving with friends, we have nice conversations. Even taxi rides become a chance to meet someone new.
   
   
3. Reduced stress: Driving to work has never been so easy. All I have to do is make sure I'm on the bus at 20 past the hour and that's it. I can read, I can doze, I can chat with people - even in the middle of a traffic jam, I feel no stress!
   
   
4. Exercise: Going grocery shopping, depositing a cheque, paying a bill, mailing a letter, going out for dinner - all these activities now give us a chance to get a bit of exercise. Granted it's not much exercise, but a 10-minute walk is better than no walk at all!
   

If we ever have children, we'll move out to a villa. That's where the college houses the families. There having a car will become a need as there is nothing within walking distance and I refuse to put a child's life in danger on a bicycle on these crazy streets. So that leaves taxis, which don't come equipped with car seats. (In fact, the only car seats I've seen used in the entire city are in westerners' cars!)

But for now, we're happy to be a carless family. And hopefully if we do rent a car for a weekend or a short vacation, we won't feel the need to keep it! If I do, I'll just reread this post from James' blog - it will be just the motivation I need to maintain my resolve to live without a car.