Bacon's Rebellion

Democracy Thrives in Sunlight

Loving the One-Car Lifestyle

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by

James A. Bacon
in

Diana Sun has seen the light. She and her husband, Bob Solymossy, used to live in a detached, single-family house with a big garage in the Oakton area of Fairfax County. Never questioning their auto-centric lifestyle, they owned three cars and took long, time-consuming commutes to work. Now they live in an Arlington County condominium and they’ve downsized their automobile fleet to a single car. They’re loving it.

As communications director for Arlington County, Diana rolled out the red carpet for me yesterday. She introduced me to Paul Ferguson, the chairman of the board of supervisors, as well as several senior planners, and she took me on an extended tour of Arlington’s revitalized neighborhoods. (I’ll have a lot to say about that in the near future.) After the work day, Diana, Bob and I strolled through the Clarendon “urban village” and enjoyed some sidewalk dining. Bursting with enthusiasm for their new way of life, they told me all about it.

When they first moved to their condo, Diana and Bob couldn’t conceive of life with fewer than two cars, so they paid to buy an extra parking space to supplement the one that came with their unit. But they hadn’t lived long in Arlington before they realized they didn’t need the second parking space — or the second car. Diana walks to work two or three blocks away. They use the Metro rail service on occasion, and they ride their bicycles a lot. On those rare occasions when they do need a second car, they pay $50 a year to sign up with Zipcar, which allows them to rent one of the cars conveniently stationed around Clarendon for $9 an hour.

The one-car lifestyle saves money. Diana recommends a book, “How to Live Well Without Owning a Car,” that cites the five-year cost of owning a Toyota Corolla as more than $5,000 a year. She spends a fraction of that on mass transit and Zipcar.

The one-car lifestyle saves time. One of Diana’s jobs in Fairfax County consumed three hours a day in the two-way commute. Now she works minutes away. She marvels at how much more time she and Bob have to doing things they enjoy.

The one-car lifestyle is good for your health. Walking and riding bicycles makes people more physically fit than sitting in automobiles. Diana and Bob are both in great shape. They have loads of energy for undertaking their long, strenuous vacations to exotic, Third World countries.

The one-car lifestyle is good for the environment. Fewer cars = less driving = less gasoline consumption = less pollution.

Indeed, Arlington’s one-car lifestyle is such an improvement over their old, Fairfax County way of life that Diana and Bob have contemplated transitioning to a zero-car lifestyle. Having at least one car does does offer significant conveniences, however, so they haven’t been willing to take that step. Yet. But they’re so enamored with their new way of life, don’t be surprised if you read in the Want Ads one day: “For lease, parking space in Clarendon condominium.”

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24 responses to “Loving the One-Car Lifestyle”

  1. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    Good for them

    As soon as I can afford it I’ll be right there with them 🙂

    NMM

  2. E M Risse Avatar
    E M Risse

    Jim:

    Great post! For years I have know many who live the same way but their stories do not make the MainStream Media.

    Their story would limit the space available for the Autonomobile ads and the full truck image ads for energy companies.

    By the way, the reason that NMM can not yet afford to live in the RB Corridor is that the market puts a high premium on such places and governments subsidaze scatteration and the dysfuctional settlement patterns that result.

    EMR

  3. Nathan Avatar
    Nathan

    My wife and I just sold our second car this week in favor of one car. We moved into condos a few weeks ago in downtown Fredericksburg and I walk to the train station and take the VRE to work.

    We figured that even if we’re only able to last 3 months without a second car, between car payments, insurance, and upcoming maintainence, we’ll save over $2,500.

    However, we hope it does work out for much longer because of all the benefits this post listed. Zero cars may not be in the cards, but I can live with a paid off 36mpg Honda Civic.

  4. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    How about a no car lifestyle. I have been doing it for years!

    Harry

  5. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    This is wonderful if one can afford to buy in Arlington (2007), and if one does not have children or elderly parents to drive to activities, doctors’ offices, etc.

    Wish they had ART bus runs on the weekend (route 53). I might use it to get to Ballston/Clarendon instead of driving.

  6. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    our family’s been doing this for years so the moral of the story is it CAN be done. one thing tho’ — the ART41 plying the columbia pike/courthouse route is probably one of the most heavily used routes in the county and yet, it seems to be always breaking down. the condition of the ART buses are atrocious and yet their website calls them ‘state-of-the-art’. so not true. is the county doing anything about it? would be nice.

  7. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    Good luck with that

    Thats south Arlington

    Politicans are motivated by squeaky wheels and money

    People in North Arlington have money, vote, and complain loudly.

    People in South Arlington don’t vote as much (need to fix that) but also don’t complain and many of them work multiple jobs and don’t have time to lobby members of government

    P.S. I think their will be some relief aren’t they putting in a trolley line in the Columbia Pike Corridor?

    NMM

  8. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    If it works, fine. But anonymous raises a point, how much does it really cost? they are ssaving money on cars, but how much of that cost has been shifted to others, though subsidies to Metro fares and Zip cars. How much are they paying per square foot now, vs before? How many activities do they pass on?

    Why do we like streetside dining so much? Between the cars, the noise and the pigeons, I find it kind of yucky.

    RH

  9. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    My husband and I live about 6 blocks from the Virginia Square Metro station and Metro to work. We have had one car since we moved here 7 years ago. And in reality, we don’t even need the one car (it’s an old Civic that costs barely anything to maintain and gets amazing gas mileage.) Knowing that your life can be car-free is quite liberating.

  10. Jim Bacon Avatar
    Jim Bacon

    RH, You raise a good point: How much does it cost Arlington County to provide transportation options for its citizens? At the very least, add up the cost of local bus transit, Metro subsidies, and administering the Transportation Demand Management programs. I have no idea. And I’d be surprised if Arlington County has added up the numbers itself.

    But Arlington has documented the impact of its programs on traffic. While population has been increasing at a rate of roughly one percent per year, traffic has increased at a significantly slower rate, about half that. Drive along local streets (as opposed to regional thoroughfares, which Arlington does not control) and they’re way less congested than in Fairfax.

  11. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    is the ‘north arlington vs. south arlington’ stigma (for lack of a better word) ever going to go away? seems the so-called ‘arlington way’ only benefits certain areas of the county. must be why it’s called the Republik of Arlington.

  12. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    “While population has been increasing at a rate of roughly one percent per year, traffic has increased at a significantly slower rate, about half that.”

    OK, now compare that with their icreases in tax rate, net income, and net worth.

    Also Arlington now has a greater percentage of people commuting out of the county to work. Maybe that has something to do with their traffic.

    RH

  13. Steve Avatar
    Steve

    My wife and I have been married for 16 years. We have a 13-year old son and an 8-year old daughter. We have always owned one car, for three years in Philadelphia and thirteen years in Arlington. I don’t know how many tens of thousands of dollars that has saved us, but it’s a lot.

    I remember our friends saying things like, “Well, once you have a second child, then you’ll need another car,” or “Once your kids are in school and busy with activities, then you’ll have to buy a second car.”

    So far we have not seen the need for one. Yes, we occasionally rent a car, take taxis, use FlexCar and other options, but not nearly enough to justify the thousands of dollars a second car would cost.

    I believe it is more of a mind set than anything else. If you are smart and enterprising you can figure out how to make it work–even with a family.

  14. Single Avatar
    Single

    Good for the folks who like (love?) to live and work in an urban area. I don’t – the word HATE comes to mind. Again, if you LIKE living in the city, looking at the same four walls and patio/deck and that is all you own and have very little say or changing – then good for you. Some people (like me) like to do projects both in the house and out … where exactly does one do that in a ‘condo’? You want to plant a garden, how about fruit trees? Exactly WHERE does one do THAT? Urban living (to me) is all about ‘entertainment’ – where are we going this evening … what are we doing – most of which will cost you a pretty penny. Your living quarters are limited; and to my way of thinking cramped. If I really want/need more room, I can add on – not an option in a condo. The downside of urban living FAR outweighs the plus side to me.

    I LIKE looking out over my backyard, doing a garden, raising several varies of roses. I LIKE have fresh grapes, fruit and vegetables from my yard rather than having to go to the store for every little thing. I LIKE making my front yard attractive. I don’t HAVE to jog because there are enough chores to do to both keep me busy AND provide me with exercise (although if I want to jog, I certainly have that option too). I like living where the crime rate is lower than the city. Where panhandlers and ‘street kids’ don’t exist. I LIKE being able to DRIVE to stores to get the best bargains, rather than feel a bit ‘captive’ to whatever the nearby market sells at whatever price because I’m handicap by having to walk or bike everywhere I go.

    So the advantages of urban living are what again?

  15. Jim Bacon Avatar
    Jim Bacon

    Single, That’s one of the great things about America — there is a wide range of settlement patterns available for people with different tastes and priorities. I’m certainly not trying to force the urban, one-car lifestyle on anyone.

    What I am suggesting that there are advantages to the urban lifstyle that a lot of people have not considered. The monetary, health and environmental benefits that comes from buying and maintaining only one car per family is one of those advantages.

    I’m also suggesting that people should be willing to bear the full costs associated with where they’re living. There are so many cross subsidies in our society — roads, utilities, public services, taxes — that it’s difficult to know who’s benefit and who’s getting reamed. But if you’re living in the suburbs (as opposed to the countryside or an urbanized area), your choice of where to live is probably being subsidized.

    (Note to Groveton: I’m referring to location-variable subsidies, not wealth transfers from wealthy political jurisdictions to poorer ones by means of such devices as Virginia’s school-funding formula, which is not location-dependent.)

  16. Larry Gross Avatar
    Larry Gross

    My wife and I visited a brand new subdivision that backs up to a National Battlefield (Bloody Angle).

    These are large lots – 3 acres and larger and the starting price for homes was 400K.

    They have water and hydrants because they are within a mile of the water supply plant and each connection cost the usual arm/leg. Sewage will be drain fields – which run about 5K and require a reserve field per Chesapeake Bay.

    They have several fairly large storm water ponds.

    But I want to also point out that the entrance road used to be called Brown’s Farm Road.

    I’m not mentioning this just in passing.

    I’m pointing out that the electricity was already there as well as a rutted… and often muddy draining road was there.

    Now there is underground electric and a paved road (with the aforementioned storm ponds.

    The people who live here are planting fruit trees and gardens. They obviously want this lifestyle.

    So, I asked my wife if what we were looking at was SPRAWL and scatterization.

    We did also agree that at 400-500K per home that these homes probably pay their own way..even for schools -which is usually the big toe stubber.

    Someone tell me what is being subsidized for them.

    And I asked if she considered what we were looking at – as sprawl.

    She agreed that it fit the definition.

    Then we traveled across county to a new compact development where the houses are within 20 feet of each other.. with postage stamp front and back yards.. narrow streets and HUGE storm ponds to handle the massive impervious surfaces. (the whole area was completely cleared of vegetation.. with the usual post-landscaping done.

    And we agreed that the latter subdivision probably fit the definition of NOT being sprawl per se because the houses were clustered and there was quite a bit of open space including walking/biking trails, clubhouse, pool and other ammenities including a large commercial center opposite the subdivision entrance.

    (No.. it was not a NU TND “village” although one IS planned in the county.)

    We both also agreed that ironically when the anti-Sprawl folks use a picture to portray Sprawl – that it is usually the cheek-by-jowl development rather than the large lot treed subdivisions.

    Now for the last item.

    The “sprawl” subdivision was 10 miles from the nearest I-95 interchange – along heavily traveled rural and primary arterials while the latter subdivision is one mile from a major I-95 interchange.

    BOTH subdivisions are PRIMARILY NoVa commuters – because most folks who work locally cannot begin to afford the homes in those subdivisions.

    HOT lanes are scheduled to be extended down I-95 so that both subdivisions occupants will be paying HOT lane tolls if they solo drive their commute.

    I’m trying to understand what the difference between these two subdivisions is – as it appears to me that neither is subsidized and neither of them offer the opportunity to live and work locally .. so both of them generate significant workday traffic.

    Tell me again.. how converting either or both of these subdivisions to a NU/TND in their respective geographic locations – with NoVa commuting residents changes anything.

    And for the record – the folks who choose the 3 acre lots with the planted fruit trees and gardens, etc, et al – do we think that these folks – are going to buy a townhouse in a NU/TND development?

    Are they not – totally different markets?

  17. Jim Bacon Avatar
    Jim Bacon

    Ray, as far as I’m concerned, as long as people in both subdivisions are paying their full location-variable costs, then both have every right to be built. I fully acknowledge that not everyone wants to live in an urban community, or even a New Urbanist community. I merely assert that the marketplace is unable, due to government action, to provide the quantity of urban/New Urbanism development that consumers would buy.

  18. Single Avatar
    Single

    Jim –
    Where I live the urban area has been getting ‘gentrified’ – which is another way of saying they are building tons of condos and turning apartments into condos (oh, and townhouses, can’t forget the townhouses and row houses). All of the development that I’m aware of is happening NOT because it’s market driven, but because local and state governments have given HUGE tax subsidies, usually for periods of 10 to 20 years. Condos which cost $750K and up, should have a property tax bill of well over $10K, they are being charge $1K. This happens because local government WANTS people in high rise, high density housing. Meanwhile, because I choose to live where I actually have a yard and a bit of space I pay over $4K a year on something that is valued at under $400K.

    Yes, there are subsidies and it certainly doesn’t seem fair from my point of view. You can add to the equation that my job requires me to drive all over the area, sometimes putting over 500 miles a week on my vehicle – so living ‘urban’ wouldn’t help my transportation dollar much.

    Bottom line, I really hate this new ‘urban’ thing. Give me yards with grass, plants and trees and I’m putting as much clean air in as I’m polluting with my vehicle. My ground soaks up the water instead of the runoff that paved roads and concrete buildings have. I’m as green or greener than the tree-hugging do-gooders who want us all to live the ‘urban’ lifestyle.

  19. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    “I merely assert that the marketplace is unable, due to government action, to provide the quantity of urban/New Urbanism development that consumers would buy.”

    I agree. The marketplace is ALSO unable to provide the kind of places described by Larry, due to government action.

    RH

  20. van sales Avatar
    van sales

    I also like one-car life. I like my car and I don’t need another. I don’t understand why people have more then 1 car or maybe it’s because they have so much money and can afford it.

  21. van man Avatar
    van man

    I think there should be one car per each adult member of family. But if you live in a big city, one car per family is enough.

  22. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    great stuff. We’re a near-downtown bethesda family contemplating the transition to single-car life. Much resistance on my part — independence, a back-up car, etc. – but few good reasons to keep a second, low-mileage car that sits more than it drives.

  23. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    I started bicycle commuting last year.

    It has worked far better, and been far easier, than I had ever hoped.

    My truck still sees occasional use, about once a week for a shopping run, where I hit about 3 stores on the same trip.

    I started trying to “reduce” my gasoline usage, but ended up nearly eliminating it!

    The intangible benefits of exercise before and after work, seeing parks and quiet streets instead of jammed main roads, and having a relaxing ride instead of being stressed out, cannot be overstated.

    I wish I had started riding years ago.

    I still drive, but only with a good reason.

  24. buy viagra Avatar
    buy viagra

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