An LA paper last week profiled a commuter who kicked the car habit, showing how he lives happily and affordably car-free:
"Two years ago, Simon Pastucha – an urban designer and planner for the city of Los Angeles – left his Mercedes SUV at the dealership and hasn’t looked back. But how does a professional with children and far-flung meetings survive in car-centric Los Angeles without owning an automobile?
Quite easily, I found after tagging along with Pastucha on his commute. . . .
Pastucha makes a compelling case for getting rid of the car. He’s saving lots of money, walking more, enjoying the ride to work every day, and still has the ability to rent a car if needs it.
"I’ve just learned to think differently," he said. "We’re all so dependent on a car 100 percent of the time. How about being being dependent about 90 percent of the time?"
Later, as I drove home to the Valley on the Hollywood Freeway – my speedometer rarely above 10 miles per hour and my gas tank ready for another $40 re-fill – I figured my family could save at least $4,000 a year if we got rid of one of our two cars. I could take the bus to the Red Line, instead of driving to the Universal City station as a I usually do.
That would add 20 minutes each way to my commute, but the savings could pay for a vacation in Italy or even a Vespa scooter so I could recreate my own Roman Holiday in L.A. Maybe Pastucha is onto something."