By a twist of fate, I’ve found myself without a car, which has been my primary means of transportation for the past twenty-two years. I’m actually not surprised I don’t miss it. In fact, the freedom I’ve experienced this past month has been a welcome change. What I’ve “given up” pales in comparison to what I’ve gained; connecting to Washington, DC through the transportation systems designed for the city and thereby connecting to the city in a way driving does not permit. I am now a man of means of public transportation.

Metro (subway)-by far the most efficient, except it doesn’t reach the area where I work, so I don’t use it as much.

 

Bus-it drops me off door to door from home to work and fills in the gaps between Metro stops. I ride the bus the most.

 

Taxi: As a back up plan, if I’m late, it’s pouring rain or I have too many bags to carry.

Hourly car-share: When the transportation of large packages are involved or I meet clients outside of the city.

Bicycle-I haven’t had a chance to use this one, primarily because I always have a briefcase, a laptop or some other kind of bag with me. As an aside, I applaud the Capital Bike Share program that has steadily grown in the area in the past few years. I do wonder, however, if many of the users are aware they need to obey traffic laws too. Yet another reason not to drive.

 

Woven in to all of the above is walking, which is an option by itself, but is also the common thread between all the means of public and mass transportation. Yes, it’s hot here in DC, but what a way to get some aerobic exercise as an added benefit!

These means of public transportation, with a couple of exceptions, have been available in the city as long as I’ve live here and it was only during my first stint in the suburbs that I acquired a motor vehicle after living in DC for years without one by choice. Eventually it became a given in my life. But now, in my fifth week without a car I’ve begun to reconsider. To the cost of owning it, there is insurance, gas, registration, repairs, parking at home, at the office, and on the crowded DC streets. It’s roughly the equivalent of a second mortgage payment. Ouch.

Then there is the elephant in the room; sustainability. The DC area is one of the most congested in the country. For years I took it for granted until we topped the charts   consistently and I took notice that no matter how much the road system is improved and expanded, we don’t seem to keep up with the growth of the region. Were it not for all of the satellite cities established in Northern Virginia, where people now live and work, there’s no saying how bad it would be.

 

The people who run the car repair shop have not heard a peep from me because I’m not in a hurry to get the car back. On the other hand, until it’s part of my new reality I won’t know how I will continue to incorporate public transportation in to my day to day activities. Today, I’m taking the bus to work.

Please share your experiences.

Ernesto Santalla