International Walk to School Day 2011 (and Local Press!)

Today is International Walk to School Day in the United States. We all biked to school this morning. We hadn't walked, bused or biked to school since the first week and it was a tremendous joy to go together. Following a four day weekend I set my alarm for 6AM to give us ample time for groggy children and preparations. Yet at 25 after 7 we were still searching for lights and gloves and stuffing lunches in backpacks. By 7:30 we were on our way up hill, in the 50 degree fog. We were all please to arrive before the bell.

The crew of bikes and 5 of 6 of us, all bundled and lit up.

Brent got the priviledge of the cargo bike this morning, and the company of two little boys. Notice our new cargo bags.

It looks worse than it was. We crossed on to Washington Blvd without incident.

Brent stayed to hear Elliot read the liturgy at Mass and I took Oliver home for a Birth to Three session.

Speaking of pleasing matters, Bryan Chambers wrote a wonderful piece in our local Herald-Dispatch from the interview we attended last week. The e-paper is subscription based, so we hope they don't mind us scanning and pasting it here. It's not a great scan (obvious?), as my techno-savvy husband is at the office, but he tells me if you click on it, you ought to be able to read it in full size, bur probably not on a smart-phone. If you are local, go grab a copy if you wish.



In closing for now, I know the blog has had some issues with comments, sorry. Please don't give up on me, I love hearing from you. Brent said to me last night that he's never seen me so excited about anything, after I got a comment from a regular reader on last night's post "Get on the sidewalk!!" If you are on Facebook, I opened A Simple Six page for us to stay connected and for me to speak my mind on short remarks and links that may not require a full post. We are in the process of moving the blog to it's own domain and getting fancy with CSS. In the mean time, I might have messed up the RSS feed, to which I am also sorry, but should have it all straightened out by the weekend. Hope you all hang in there with me.

Living Car-Lite in Huntington: Tim, Hannah, Peter, and Claire

It has been generous of my friends to take their time to write up the answers to a barrage of questions and share their stories of living car-lite, here on this blog. This is Hannah's account of how their family has traveled about Huntington, WV. To read the first two interviews in this series, please see: Klover/Kittinger  and the Hobson/Greens.

 

I hope you enjoy learning a little more about another great Huntington family and their reasons for living with one less vehicle.

All photos are courtesy of the family.

 

We are a family of four: Tim, Hannah, Peter (9), and Claire (7 1/2). We own one car (a 2004 Honda Odyssey) and we each have a bike. Here's the history of our car ownership.

Peter, going to school.

Claire's ready to ride.

 

Tim and I both owned small, two-door sedans before the kids were born. We purchased a ten-year-old Volvo station wagon when Peter was about 9 months old (we thought it was the professor-ly thing to do), so we donated one of our cars to Good News Mountaineer Garage in Charleston. (By the way, this is a great organization.) Then at some point down the road  (I can't remember at exactly what point) we decided we could make do with just one car, so we donated the other sedan to Good News. Then, when Claire was three, we were able to purchase our used Honda van (with some generous financial help from my parents). 

 

We decided to hang on to the wagon, since it was paid for, and my parents ended up using it during the summers (they live in California but used to spend the summers in the east, so they flew to Huntington for a couple of years, picked up our wagon, and used it for the summer on their travels). In the summer of 2009, when my parents had driven the wagon up to Massachusetts, my mom was hit by a rookie policeman, who was making a bad left turn, and the car was totalled. To be honest, Tim was thrilled! He really didn't like the Volvo, and our insurance company payed us the full book value, which was significantly more than anybody would have paid us for it. I can honestly say that I am very grateful for that police man who hit our car, because it has simplified our lives tremendously to be back to one car. We feel like we're being better steward of our resources, and helping the earth out in the process.

 

One reason that it is doable for us to have just one car is that Tim can bike or walk to work easily. Only on very rare occasions does he drive the car to work, or do I drop him off at Marshall. He genuinely enjoys his bike ride to work, and in the winter when it is too icy to bike, he can get to school on foot in about fifteen or twenty minutes. We are only about a five minute bike-ride from our church, ten minutes from the kids' school, two minutes from the YMCA, and about five or ten minutes from downtown. So, we are truly blessed in terms of our location. It would, of course, be significantly harder to have just one car if we lived further away from these places.

 

Tim doesn't travel much for work, but when he does occasionally go to a conference, either he or I will rent a car (do you know about Enterprise's weekend special? About $35 for three days - Friday through Sunday). I work from home very part-time - I teach about six private violin lessons a week. I use the car to go grocery shopping (once a week), to run an occasional errand, and to drive the kids to and from school in bad weather. I do order some things online, but I also go out to the mall every once in a while (I do try to wait to go until I can kill many birds with one stone!) During soccer season, we make a trip out to the Kennedy Center on Saturdays, which of course uses more gas, but I can also combine trips to the mall with trips out there, so that helps.

 

It would be great if the city of Huntington would consider finding a way to put in bike paths*. When we ride with the kids, we ride primarily on the sidewalks, which I believe is actually illegal downtown* (I asked a policeman one time about this, and that's what he told me). I also think it would be great to have community leaders encourage people to consider living in Huntington, as opposed to Barboursville, Milton, and Ona. I know there are some folks who really feel called to live in the country, but it seems like there is potentially a lot of good housing in Huntington that goes unused. We really love living close to everything and often feel bad for our friends who have to drive 20 minutes just to go to the library, or something like that! 

 

*Stacy's Note: Huntington is working on installing bike paths and it is illegal in WV to ride on the sidewalks.

 

By and large I would say that having one car as opposed to two is a huge blessing. Even just keeping track of basic maintenance like oil changes on two cars seemed to complicate our lives considerably! Having just one car forces us to bike and walk more, too, which is of course a win-win situation: it's good for us, it's good for our budget, and it's good for the earth! There are times when one of us needs to ask a friend for a ride home from church, or to a rehearsal, or something like that, but folks are always happy to help in that department. We like being able to offer rides to other folks when we can, too. I would love to encourage other folks who live close enough to work and school to consider having just one car, or to consider the possibility of moving closer to their work if they don't. Very occasionally it complicates our life not to have a second car, but our overriding feeling is that we are very grateful to be able to make do with just one. It really is a blessing in the end!

 

 

Thank you Hannah, for tracking down photos and sharing your insight on Huntington, your family and your choice to live a car-lite lifestyle.

*Do you live car free or car lite in the Tri-State area? I would love to hear your story. Please contact me, asimplesix[at]gmail.com

Meeting with a Photographer

The children have been real champs about going home from school without the van. I have continued to reward them with trips to the library on Tuesday and play dates on Friday. Yesterday they had another surprise after school. A photographer from the Herald Dispatch met us at Our Lady of Fatima to get images for a future article. The children were pretty excited to find out that they would be in the newspaper.

Sholten Singer for the Herald Dispatch kept running down each block to get shots of the family biking. I had to jeer him a little about how much easier it would have been if he would have ridden his bike.

This is the only bike rack our bikes ever see. They are difficult to find in Huntington, but we are thankful when they are there. Maybe I should make a map of bike rack locations?

Library time.

Living Car-Lite in Huntington: The Hobson/Green's

Living without a car in Huntington is not just for those with DUIs, as Jenny Hobson explains in my second interview with a citizen of Huntington, WV who chooses to live with fewer cars than adults in their household. If you missed the first interview last week, you can find it here. I hope you enjoy what Jenny has to say about family life with one car and a bicycle.

The Hobson Green's at the 2011 Buns on Bikes ride.

Jenny Hobson and Chris Green: Huntington, WV
Could you please introduce yourself and your family? How many adults and how many vehicles?

My name is Jenny Hobson, and I live with my husband, Chris Green.  We have two children, one in elementary school and one in preschool.  We have one vehicle, a ten year old Honda Accord.

How long have you been car-lite/free in Huntington (and before living here)? How did you come to the decision to have fewer automobiles than adults?

We've been car-lite for so long that I can't quite remember when we got rid of our second car.  It was some time shortly after we moved to West Virginia, and it became clear that our mid-80s Toyota wasn't going to pass inspection without more costly repairs than the car was worth.  Inspired by some friends who had also recently donated a dying car and became a one car family, we donated our Toyota to the Good News Mountaineer Garage.  We've been car-lite ever since.  I think maybe we donated the car in 2006.

What's your current transportation situation? What are your methods for getting about Huntington? What about leaving town? Or when one adult stays and one goes?

Chris bicycle commutes to Marshall every day of the year.  It's around a 3 mile round trip.   If it's icy, I drive him to work.  Otherwise, he bikes.  We live within walking distance of my work and the kids' schools.  When we can, we walk or bike.  When the weather's bad, we usually drive.  Because I'm a preschool teacher, I often have large props or materials to take to school, and that necessitates a lot of driving, too.  I have to say that I don't hesitate to drive around town to run errands though I work my hardest to consolidate them.  It helps that I loathe driving, not necessarily from any ethical point of view.  I just don't enjoy it and never have. When one of us has to leave town, we often rent a car for the adult who's staying in town.  Thankfully, neither of us has jobs that necessitates frequent travel.  Chris travels five or six times a year, and we usually rent a car.

One new thing that we're currently trying to do is increase our overall car-free commuting.  For example, if we go all week without using our car to get to/from work and school, then we're ordering pizza from Papa John's on Friday night.  The kids love Papa John's, so this is a big motivator for them.  On the other hand, knowing how often I have to transport big stuff to the preschool in my car, I also know that I'll be buying pizza often enough to motivate the kids, but not so often that I break the bank.

What makes this work for your family?

We live close to work and school, so that's a big help.  It's also a help that we do own one car.  I would find it a challenge to do what needs to be done in Huntington without the option of a car.  I work part-time, and I think I would find transportation to the store, doctors, etc. a full time job if we were completely car-free. I think it can be done in Huntington.  I don't think  it can be done by us, with the needs we have in our lives.  

What have the challenges been? Does anything change with the seasons?

One unexpected challenge has come from Chris's bicycle getting stolen.  We're now on his third bike since we started this adventure.  Both previous bikes were stolen from Marshall's campus where they were locked up outside the building where he works.   It's certainly less of a hassle and less expensive to replace a bicycle than a car, but it's still demoralizing.  And it's now something that we kind of have to count on.  

There aren't really any seasonal changes for Chris, because he's got appropriate weather gear and he's stalwart.  For the rest of us, I definitely drive us around more in the murky months.  I look forward to doing less of this as Paul gets older, longer legs and a more focused mind that can take us to school more rapidly in the cold.  I don't mind walking in the cold for umpteen hours, but I do mind listening to a preschooler whining about it.  In the realm of parental "battle picking," I've found that it's not one I'm interested in fighting. 

What have been the responses of your peers/colleagues been when they find out you live a car-lite/free life?

Initially, people were concerned that Chris, as a dad, would take the risk of biking around Huntington. When he first began, I remember that some older colleagues had some serious conversations with him about it. I cannot emphasize how much the culture for bicycling and walking has changed since we first began this adventure.  I used to joke that, when we started, the  bicyclists were just Chris, Dave Lavender, a few other Marshall profs, and then all those guys with DUIs.  You could tell the bicycle dads from the DUI guys because the dads wore helmets.  Now, you see lots of folks out on bikes, including more and more Marshall students.  That makes me super happy. And of course, there is the Critical Mass ride,  recreational bike rides like Buns on Bikes, and even some bicycle lanes on the streets.  We're certainly not a perfect community for car-lite living, but the changes in the last 8 years give me a lot of hope.  

At this point, I'm not sure that most people even know about our car situation.  I think it's probably just one of the many weird things that we do, like own one TV, go to a very progressive church, eat dinner together, and minimize structured activities for our kids.  

Were there any unforeseen benefits to living with the decision to have one car? Or if you foresaw them all, what have been those benefits?

When we got rid of our other car, I thought it was going to be a pain.  Owning only one car has been nothing but joy.  Very occasionally, there are scheduling hassles.  I've been astonished by the spiritual and mental health benefits of owning only one gigantic hunk of metal that needs maintenance, insurance, etc.  Owning only one car just takes an enormous amount of stress away.  It's like Calgon!!   When you have two cars, I think that maintenance and repairs become hassles because somewhere in your mind there's the thought that there's always the other car.  When you have just the one car, there's no choice about fixing the car when it breaks down.  There's no point in stressing over it.  It has to be done.  Same thing with the bicycles.  It's demoralizing when Chris's bike is stolen, but it's his mode of transportation.  When it's stolen, it has to be replaced. 

Also, although making the decision to go "car-lite" takes some set-up, it doesn't take much time once you've got your infrastructure in place.   When we moved to Huntington, we came from an old suburb where we could walk almost everywhere we needed to go, and we lived in a "front porch" neighborhood.  We wanted to do that again when we came to Huntington, so that's how we found our house.  Coincidentally, it turned out that what we were looking for in a neighborhood worked very well for "car-lite" living even though we were not thinking about that when we moved.   When we got rid of our second car, there were a few adjustments, like making sure Chris was properly geared up for biking in all weather and making sure our car was reliable.  Beyond that, there haven't been many adjustments.  

How could Huntington, as a government or it's citizens, improve or change to make your situation more beneficial, safer, convenient, etc.? What resources or advocacy would you like to see?

I would love to see universal bike safety education for children, something along the lines of the "Safety Town" program for 2nd graders.  We teach our kids, but I think they would all "listen" better to official grownups.   I would also love to see improvements to the sidewalks, especially for walkers.  I think the sidewalks are a major barrier for safe walking for people with children, elderly people, people with disabilities, etc.  I would love to see the addition of flashing yellow/red lights at some of our more dangerous and weird not-quite intersections (e.g., near the park).   I would also love to see better lighting at night in all of our neighborhoods, not just for bicyclists and walkers, but for everybody.  

Do you have any advice for other families similar to your own who may want to reduce the automobiles in their lives?

I'm thrilled with all the changes in Huntington's bicycling and walking culture since we moved here.  Frankly, we haven't been too involved in those changes.  We've just been quietly living the "car lite" life we'd probably be living wherever we were.  In fact, when you asked me about answering some questions about "car lite" life, my first question was "How on Earth is our family 'car lite?'"  It's been so long that I just don't think about it.  So it's just to say that once you set up your infrastructure,  minimizing your car use can take as little or as much time as you want.  For us, having one car frees us to focus on our passions for our families and for our work.  Chris is passionate about his job working with college students in Appalachia; I'm passionate about my job in Early Childhood Education; we adore our family.  For us, living with one car is a sideline.  If you want it to be a sideline, it absolutely can be.  But if reducing your auto use and your carbon footprint is your passion, it absolutely can be, too.  God knows, we need many, many people who will make it their passion if we want to see our planet survive and thrive.  I say, if you can go "car-lite" or "car-free," go for it!   You will love it! 

Jenny chronicles her adventures at Hobson's Choice.  Learn more about Chris Green, professor/poet/bicyclist/juvenile diabetic, here.  To read an article local journalist extra-extraordinaire Dave Lavender wrote about Chris several years back (and to see a pic of Chris nobly astride his old bike!), click here.

Many thanks to you Jenny for taking the enormous amount of time from your day to share your story of living car-lite (unknowingly) in Huntington, WV.

*Do you live car free or car lite in the Tri-State area? I would love to hear your story. Please contact me, asimplesix[at]gmail.com

Living Car-Lite in Huntington: The Klover/Kittinger's

When we first started cutting back on our driving we didn't talk about it much. When I got down to driving one day a week, we just let be what would be. This past month it's been the center of conversation. Most everyone has been very supportive and encouraging. It has helped to know that I have many friends who live car-lite lives, whether they know it or not. I contacted a handful of these people about writing down their experiences, especially those related to living in the TriState region.

I am very excited to post my first interviewee and her experience living with fewer cars than adults here in Huntington, WV. 

Klover/Kittinger Clan, photo by Raine Klover

Raine Klover and Chris Kittinger: Huntington, WV
Could you please introduce yourself and your family? How many adults and how many vehicles?  

We are the Klover/Kittinger clan - parents - Raine Klover and Chris Kittinger and kids William (7) and Katie (5). We currently own two cars as we recently bought a used Toyota Corolla to replace our minivan. The minivan is for sale. Only Chris drives as I have never had a driver’s license.

How long have you been car-lite in Huntington (and before living here)? How did you come to the decision to have fewer automobiles than adults? 

We have lived in Huntington just over a year. Prior to that we lived in Albuquerque, NM for six years. I have also lived carless in Dayton, New Orleans, Dallas, and Seattle prior to meeting Chris. I chose to not obtain my license while in high school (for no good reason) and after graduation moved to Seattle where a car seemed like more a hindrance than a help. Living in Seattle for nine years solidified my view that driving was not for me. Walking and public transportation made so much more sense in a large city where you had to pay extra to have a parking spot at your apartment, pay for a parking spot at work if you worked downtown, and paying meters everywhere else. Add in car payments, insurance, gas and maintenance and not having a car seemed the way to go. As I’ve moved around the country I’ve made sure to do as much research as possible to move to neighborhoods that are walkable, have good access to public transportation, and are easily accessible to my work situation.

What's your current transportation situation?

Chris used to work in downtown Huntington but recently took a job in Charleston and commutes there Monday through Friday. We have decided to move from a minivan to a car in search of better gas mileage as Chris now has a long commute. I am a stay-at-home mom and I also have a dog nanny job and work in an administrative position with my church (I mostly work from home, but it does require some errands). I am a walker. I walk to my dog nanny  job and also walk my kids to school and walk for most errands. I use the bus occasionally. 

What makes this work for your family?

We were very intentional when finding a home in Huntington. As soon as we decided to move to Huntington I hopped on the internet and looked up information on the Tri-State Transportation Authority and scanned Google and Bing maps to get the lay of the land. I quickly identified the South Side neighborhood as the one for us. A neighborhood school, walkable to downtown, a small local grocer, Ritter Park, and multiple bus routes running through it made it an easy choice.

What have the challenges been? Does anything change with the seasons? 

As I have lived as a non-driver my entire adult life and have moved around the country I’m pretty good at identifying areas that will work with my lifestyle. We have not had many extra challenges in Huntington. Bus service could definitely be improved, I have had to use cabs a few times to places busses just don’t go or weren’t convenient within the timeframe I needed them. The Huntington downtown core and South Side neighborhood are extremely walkable. I can walk to church, school, doctors, library, shopping, restaurants and Ritter Park. Moving from New Mexico, weather has been an issue for us - we’ve had to buy raincoats, umbrellas, and boots!

What have been the responses of your peers/colleagues been when they find out you live a car-lite life? 

I am definitely the oddball in my social circles. I also cook entirely vegan so I think most people just chalk up my idiosyncrasies to being a hippie chick from Seattle. Many people have had a hard time believing I’ve chosen to live this way and actually enjoy it. For me being carless or car-lite has never been a burden - owning a car seemed like more of a burden.

Were there any unforeseen benefits to living with the decision to have one car? Or if you foresaw them all, what have been those benefits? 

There are so many benefits to living a car-free or car-lite life. We spend less money on transportation than just about everyone we know. Our car is paid for, we only have to pay insurance for one driver, and our driving errands are grouped together which help saves on gas. The health benefits are great - I walk on average 4 miles a day during the week. There is no need to go to the gym to run on a treadmill when you walk that much. Our kids have walked/bussed since they were babies. One bonus of being car-lite is more time with our kids. Walking the kids to school is a treat for both the kids and me. We don’t spend a lot of time running to multiple acitivities and that allows them to focus on the things they’re really interested in. Swimming at the Y, acting camp at the Renaissance Center, cub scouts at First United Methodist all are within easy walking distance. One benefit of walking that most people probably wouldn’t think of is the community factor. Traveling in cars keeps us isolated from others. I’ve had so many great conversations on the bus and sidewalk and made friends with other regular commuters when I bussed to work in Seattle and Dallas.

How could Huntington, as a government or it's citizens, improve or change to make your situation more beneficial, safer, convenient, etc.? What resources or advocacy would you like to see? 

Huntington definitely needs some infrastructure improvements. Sidewalks, or lack thereof, really need a lot of improving.Bus service that is more often and with more extended service hours would be great. As far as advocacy I believe more “walking tours” of different neighborhoods would be a great way to show people that Huntington is walkable, and that there are so many things things you miss in a car that you notice when walking. I think P.A.T.H. is a great thing for Huntington as are the monthly Critical Mass rides.

Do you have any advice for other families similar to your own who may want to reduce the automobiles in their lives? 

Do your research! Take a critical eye to all of the places you currently go by car. Are there similar options that are closer to home? Simple things like changing your grocery store, bank, or dentist can make going car-lite seem much more manageable. Is their a busline a few blocks from you that you never even noticed. Do you have coworkers or neighbors you can carpool with? And just try it. Pretend one of your cars is dead for a week and see how you get by just using one. If you’re really adventurous try using none.

Anything else you might like to add? 

I occasionally toy with the idea of learning drive and getting a car. Usually after conversations with “car” people. If I had a car would I go more places? Probably. Is that a good thing? Probably not. All of our needs are being met, and we have a very full life. Adding another car would add more expense but not improve our quality of life. I think we’re good to go as is.

You can read more about Raine where she blogs, www.raineklover.com and www.hotveganmess.com 

Thank you Raine for taking the extra time to highlight Huntington, your family and your choice to live a car-lite lifestyle.

*Do you live car free or car lite in the Tri-State area? I would love to hear your story. Please contact me, asimplesix[at]gmail.com