DVRPC

Week One:

"So far I have felt challenged. When I'm biking to run small errands or to go to fun activities it seems exciting that I've given up my car for the month, but when I'm required to be places for meetings, May seems like it will last forever (and it's only the first week!) Life would be simple if I was only traveling to locations within the city (I could always ride a bike or take public transit), but so much of my life revolves around people in the suburbs. Car share can get expensive with long and frequent trips and the regional rail either gets me to my destination an hour early or 15 minutes too late. I'm realizing that owning a car is a convenience that I enjoy. I like to know that my transportation is always available without any forethought. Finding alternatives requires planning ahead and often creates stress. Getting rid of a car requires not just a change in mode of transportation, but also a change in lifestyle. Will it get easier? They say 3 weeks creates a habit; Will living without a car become my new norm? I hope so."

"I'm an avid bicyclist. In my job as a bicycle and pedestrian transportation planner I sometimes get to mix business with pleasure, as when I go to explore a project study area by bike to document conditions. In fact, I enjoy both the work and my avocation so much that I don't mind piggybacking a little work onto a Sunday afternoon bike ride. Such was the case yesterday. My project study area covers ten towns in central Camden County. I live in Media. So I biked to the nearest SEPTA regional rail station (3 minutes), took my bike aboard, and, using my monthly TransPass (good on all regional rail lines all day Saturday and Sunday), went to Market East. From there I biked across the Ben Franklin Bridge walkway and out 16 miles to Voorhees, NJ, using scenic North Park Drive and Kresson Road. Once there I explored parts of the Voorhees and Gibbsboro bikeways networks, stopped for a hot dog at a municipal league lacrosse game, and checked out a potential route alignment connecting Lindenwold with Clementon. By that time the day was "long in the tooth"; I definitely would run out of daylight before returning to PA. So I decided to bike as far as I could along East Atlantic Avenue, a great, relatively traffic free road which transects Camden County; should I run out of daylight, I could simply head east to the nearest PATCO station, never farther than a couple of miles. I made it as far as the Ferry Avenue stop, where I boarded the High Speed Line back to Center City to make a rather leisurely regional rail connection to Media. Which was OK, since after 45 miles of biking I wasn't in a hurry."

"On Saturday and Sunday I did all my errands on my bike and walked to the Italian market to buy my groceries"

"Since I already take transit to and from work each day, I am trying not to use my personal car on the weekends also. I am pretty lucky because the 17 bus route is only two blocks from my house and 2 blocks from my office. It's pretty much a no-brainer for me to use the bus each day to work. This past weekend, I was in New York City visiting some friends. Although there was no PhillyCarShare, I made good use of the subway. It was very tempting to hop in a cab, especially when it was drizzling outside, but my umbrella kept me dry until I reached a subway station and I ended up saving money by taking transit."

"I'm finding that with the beautiful weather I'm often opting to walk a few more blocks before hopping on the bus or subway. I even walked home 3 miles the other day without even realizing it. This could get me ready for summer!"

"By taking the bus to work each morning I have been able to shave 5 minutes off my usual commute time. I had one off-site meeting last week, and was able to easily rent a mini-cooper from PhillyCarShare (I have always wanted to take one for a spin!) just a few blocks from the office. The car was great, the drive was not as much fun due to the congestion, which I am not missing dealing with one bit on my commute!"

"Mysteriously the 8:30pm 102 Trolley never arrived Thursday evening but the 8:40pm Trolley was ready and waiting, so at a minor loss of 10 minutes, I started home for day first day of the walk, ride, share challenge. Living in the suburbs, I rely on my car to accomplish errands and attend functions in my personal time. In many cases there really is no other option barring walks of several miles along dangerous high speed or unlit roadways.

However, I did take this opportunity to try to find more local alternatives for my "usual" places. This adventure was a great success, so far. I discovered that the hole-in-the-wall local bar has friendly staff and clientele and a great basement appointed with pool tables and shuffle puck. I also finally got up the courage to try the local Chinese restaurant (that I never see anyone going into or coming out of!) and was incredibly pleased. Since I already walk to a local transit stop to commute to and from work, I don't expect this challenge to change my daily travel patterns. But hopefully, this attempt to be car-free in the suburbs will help me to find the local gems of the neighborhood and encourage other suburbanites to leave their car in the garage a few days and try a new adventure."

Week Two:

"This Wednesday was one of those "regional" days. Walked to the Narberth train station for the R5 ride into Center City for a morning meeting in our office. Telecommuted via conference call to Norristown for a noontime meeting, then took the 2:37 pm R5 back to Overbrook where my PhillyCarShare chariot awaited a 3:00 pm reservation (the car at the Narberth station was not available). Drove the CarShare Prius out to Upper Providence along Route 422 for a late afternoon event, and then back to Overbrook by my (self-imposed) 7:00 pm deadline. Walked from Overbrook back to Narberth. A somewhat complicated, but manageable day."

"Week 2 of the challenge proved to be pretty easy for me. I had no trouble during work hours, as I take the bus to work each day and I used PhillyCarShare on day, to go to an event. With the high cost of gas, I've been taking the bus and walking at night and on the weekends. My weekly grocery order is also getting more expensive, so I find myself eating out less and cooking more. I normally would drive my car to Superfresh on Columbus Boulevard, but it's been just as easy to stop at Reading Terminal Market or my local supermarket, South Square, on my way home from work. I've been adjusting my habits a bit; getting smaller grocery orders, and buying things fresh every few days. I have a feeling I will keep up these habits after the challenge is over."

"Took septa every day to and from work during the work week except for Tuesday, I walked all the way home from work. I took Amtrak to and from New York on Saturday and Sunday."

"Still taking the bus into work, and in nice weather enjoying a long-walk home. This weekend, braved a trip to Ikea purely on transit. Wasn't even all that difficult."

"Now that the weather is warmer and the days are longer, I find myself commuting by bike more frequently. Not every day -- it is a 17 mile, one-hour and 20 minute ride, one way, after all -- but two or three times a week. We have a fitness center with a locker room and showers in our office building, which allows me to arrive at my desk clean and refreshed. Usually I'll ride to work one day, leaving my bike in the office garage overnight to bike home the next. But sometimes I get bored with the same old route. Last Thursday on my way home I took my bike aboard the Market-Frankford Line at 5th & Market bound for 69th Street Terminal in Upper Darby. From that point, four bus routes can take me within a 15 minute bike ride to my home. That day I wanted to take the 104 bus out to Ridley Creek State Park, and bike through the park on my way home in Media. However, it looked like it would be awhile before the next scheduled departure -- so I decided to ride home directly from 69th Street. I wasn't familiar with a direct route, so I did some exploring -- and got lost. I did eventually make it home, with the dimmest of daylight left -- but not before having discovered some beautiful Delaware County neighborhoods, and a quiet bit of wilderness along Darby Creek."

Week Three:

“My neighborhood exploration was put on hold this weekend since I went back to my home town to visit my family. What struck me as particularly apparent during this visit was not the brand new Target store or the previous doctor's office that was now a hot spot for the brunch crowd, but the lack of transportation options. Here, driving was not a choice, it was a necessity. Whether you wanted to go to the grocery store, a coffee shop, or commute to work, the only possibility was a car, or a very long and dangerous walk. There were even people driving around neighborhoods on Saturday morning to check out multi-family yardsales! The realization that many people don’t have the transportation options afforded to residents of the Philadelphia area made me more committed to using transit back at home. Now I feel compelled to point out to all my driving friends the many transit opportunities that could also get them to their destination. Spending a weekend trapped in my car has made me more appreciative of the options presented every day here in Philadelphia. And you can bet that I'll spend the rest of the month taking advantage of every one of them!”- Kelly Rossiter

“This past Friday was another busy day of regional travel. First, the SEPTA R5 from Narberth into Center City, where I picked up my PhillyCarShare for a trip across the Ben Franklin Bridge to Cherry Hill for a meeting. Then back to Center City to drop off the car and walk back for a meeting in our office. Later took the El across town to 30th Street Station to catch Amtrak south to Wilmington for a meeting on national transportation policy (where I managed to get in a plug for PhillyCarShare). Returned from Wilmington via the SEPTA R2, getting off at the University City station to walk over to the Annenberg Theatre for an evening performance.

Also, kudos to PhillyCarShare for their well-deserved Regional Award of Excellence for Transportation Program of the Year.”- Barry Seymour

"This past week proved to be a bit more difficult with all of the rainy, windy weather we had. I was tempted to have my husband give me a ride to work (he drives to work) but I forced myself to put on my wellies and raincoat, and I braved the weather. This past weekend I had some relatives visiting so we all took the bus to go out to dinner in Old City. I had some extra free tokens left over from my last month's TransitChek which made the slow journey not so bad (and my suburbanite relatives loved their first SEPTA bus experience)."—Elise Turner

“I rode my bike to work for the first time today, it was quite bumpy since I had to get of the road and ride on the sidewalks, but I plan on biking to work every day this week. Last week I took SEPTA every day back and forth to work and to the gym. I did my grocery shopping at the Reading Terminal Market on Friday after work and then took SEPTA home. I took Amtrak to NYC for the day on Saturday.”-Natalia Olson

“Last week I took the bus to work as usual, but I also had a meeting in Fort Washington in the middle of the week. The company was located on one of those corporate campuses so I was a little worried that it would be hard to get there on transit and debated getting a car, but the SEPTA website indicated that it could be done easily enough. I took the R5 out there (definitely quicker than sitting in traffic) and then took the Route 201 to my meeting. The 201 was waiting for me when I got off the train and let me off right in front of the office. The only hitch was that the 201 only comes once an hour so there was a half hour lag from when my meeting ended and the next bus came. Thankfully, it wasn’t raining that day! Even still, it was a success all in all!” -Mary Gollhofer

Week Four:

"Another easy workweek passed by without use my car. I have been trying not to use my car on weekends but this past weekend (Memorial Day) I joined the thousands of people traveling on the PA turnpike. I carpooled with friends all the way to Pittsburgh in one of my girlfriend's SUVs. I felt pretty guilty about riding in the large gas-guzzler. As my friend complained about the rising gas prices, I secretly thought she deserved to pay $80 to fill her tank because she chose to buy such a ridiculously large car! On my bus ride to work today, I was sitting next to a guy in a suit. He was on the phone and he said "yeah, I'm taking the bus today...in my lowly position I have no choice but to take the low-class transportation to work." I felt a little offended by his comment so when he got off the phone, I explained to him that it's not a low-class mode of transportation...and that there are so many benefits to taking transit. I told him that it's because of that mindset that our air is so polluted and our roads are congested. There are still a lot of people who have such a different mindset than I do, about taking transit in general. I hope after this challenge that more people can spread the word about how easy transit and car-sharing really is."- Elise Turner

“Once again I find that the day to day commuting is easy because I can either take the subway or ride my bike (depending on the weather); It is really the auxiliary activities that prove difficult. But things have gotten better since I started this challenge. Every time I need to go somewhere I think: “Do I really need a car, or can I bike, take public transportation, or walk?” Trips to pick up my CSA share or go to the grocery store take longer by bike, but it’s not too bad (provided it’s not raining). I find myself making choices to stay in the city rather than taking a trip to the suburbs and I spend time searching for more convenient shopping or entertainment options within my general area. Planning alternative transportation options ahead of time has become second nature. When public transit can’t get me where I need to go, I take PhillyCarShare. On Saturday, I needed to make a trip to the suburbs of Baltimore and ended up taking out one of the Mini Cooper Convertibles. The weather was perfect and I cruised around with the top down all day. The car was amazing! When the day was over I was convinced I needed to get one of those things!! But the truth is I don’t really need one (nor could I afford one). Lesson learned: I don’t need to own a cool car to enjoy driving one. I’m happy with just taking it for a spin every once in a while. When this month is over I know I will return to using my car, but I believe that I will think twice about jumping in the car to go somewhere within the city. I will likely continue some of the good habits I have created this month and only use my car when no other valid option is available.”-Elizabeth Houser

“I biked three days out of the week to work, and really enjoyed it even though I was almost run over a couple times. I went to Roosevelt park this Saturday to play tennis-- it was very convenient I got off at the Patison stop and walked right over to the courts. I also went to the Phillies game on Monday night and took the broad street line which was very convenient.” --Natalia Olson

“My mom fell and fractured some bones in her leg last week so I broke my no-car commute pledge on Friday when I headed up to see her at Lehigh Valley Hospital. I took the R5 to Lansdale and then got a ride to the hospital with my dad. Aside from that it was a painless week on Septa and there were even some pleasant bike rides over the weekend.”- Mary Gollhofer

“Confession: I drove my car today, for the first time this month. My daughter has been keeping the car with her while at college in New York. Home this week, she’ll be leaving for an internship in Florida in a few days. So it was up to dear old Dad to take the car in for servicing this morning. Once I dropped the car off, I had a five-minute wait for the next SEPTA bus to 69th Street Terminal and a connection to the El and Center City to work.

Last week I took a four-day bike tour of Delmarva and southern New Jersey with a bunch of friends from the Washington, DC area. The ride was planned to start and end in Easton, MD. How would I get there without renting and driving a car? I could take Amtrak to Washington and have a friend pick me up. But then I would have to disassemble and box my bike for rail transport. So I decided to modify my travel plans a bit: I left a day early, taking my bike on a SEPTA bus and regional rail to Wilmington; and then a DART bus to Dover. From there I would bike 47 miles to Easton (a ride directly from my home would have been well over 100 miles). And instead of riding the last leg of the tour, from Cape May back to Easton, I would leave the group at Cape May and take a NJ Transit bus back to the office. It worked out perfectly: the last day was cold and rainy!”- John Madera

Week Five:

“This week was a less revealing week for me during my public transit trips. There were no delays, or other unique experiences during my standard SEPTA commute. One thing I did realize was how many interesting places you can access via SEPTA transportation. I hate to admit it, but I was driving over the weekend to some locations not accessible by transit (or foot or bike) and came across a couple trolley stops that were situated along quaint streets with myriad retail stores and interesting eateries. I may not have found out more about my neighborhood this week on transit, but I certainly started a list of nearby places I need to visit in the future!” —Kelly Rossiter

“So the month is over. It’s hard to believe. At the beginning I thought the month would drag on forever, but now that it’s over somehow it seems to have gone by so quickly. I must admit that I almost cheated this week. On Thursday, I had a packed evening planned which included exactly an hour to pick up my CSA share. When my husband went to get the Prius we had reserved, it was not there!! There was some panicking. PhillyCarShare attempted to find us another car – offering to pay for cab fare to get there. Unfortunately, due to time constraints and our location (cabs never drive by and it would have taken to long to call one), this was not an option. My husband called me at work and said he was going to cheat and drive the car. ‘NO, NO, NO’ I said, ‘we’re so close to finishing out this month’. So, we switched into emergency mode: I reserved a car closer to our dinner reservation location in center city, left work early, and raced down to pick it up and drive it to Kensington to get the CSA share, to Temple to pick up my husband and then back to center city (all during rush hour). We were back in the nick of time, but for a while it seemed touch and go. It did end up a wonderful evening; dinner was delicious and Cirque Du Soleil’s Kooza was a fabulous show! This adventure with PhillyCarShare taught me something – car sharing turns every driving experience into a race. For me, it makes driving a race against other cars and a race against the clock in an attempt to return the car on time. Yes, one should always pad the time to allow for traffic, etc., but that is not always possible. Lesson learned: a car is a luxury. Owning my own car allows me the freedom of spontaneity. While planning ahead is not a huge sacrifice, PhillyCarShare cars are often booked when I want to extend my reservation, thus I am always bound to return home to the city to make sure I have my car in on time. For me, getting rid of my car in the near future is not an option given the suburban location of my social circle. But, the truth is, as I jumped back into my car on June 1st I felt a bit unsatisfied with its performance. It uses more gas and is much louder than any of the cars I drove with PhillyCarShare. Maybe this month of car fasting will cause me to switch over to a Prius or something a bit more environmentally friendly. This month was certainly a good experience. It helped me to understand the challenges, but also the benefits, of not owning a car. Additionally, my view of city transportation options has been altered and in the future I will, whenever possible, travel by public transportation or by bike. Through personal experience I now know that anyone who spends most of their time within the city can easily go without a car. I hope that moving forward we can all encourage SEPTA to improve and extend service throughout the region – allowing those wishing to travel between the suburbs and city to have alternative options for transport.”—Elizabeth Houser

“Took the subway and rode my bike to work every day.” —Natalia Olson