Thread by @mommypedals

Is it possible to live #carfree in Edmonton's suburbs with 4 kids?

I think it is, and after selling our vehicle yesterday, today is day 1 of our new life.

I'm going to 🧵 our journey here.

All 4 fit in our cargo trike, but I'm going to add a trailer for more space/cargo.

1/

Timing for this is ideal bc we got an offer we couldn't refuse for our van, which gives us the $ to create the optimum set up for #carfree life.

Plus, we will save $ not having a car (I'm cheap). CAA's calculator estimates $12k a year.

2/

I've been thinking about this for a couple years, but having our 4th & realizing we don't need the van for him, plus insurance rising $900 this year despite having a clean record & being -15 on the grid, plus rising fuel costs told me this was the time.

3/

Anyway, Day 1 #carfree- no need for a car. We went to the library and hardware store, plus a playground. 11 km total ride, 45min on bike time. Pretty comparable to the car, but parking was easy and the only traffic was a Canada Goose on the MUP.

4/

Week 1 #carfree recap:

93.1 km, incl school runs daily, 2 med appointments, groceries, library & playgrounds

Weather was beautiful except 1 rainy day, which we dressed for & everyone was fine.

Need for car? 0/10

5/

Savings on the week:

Van did 10.2L/100km city & gas is 1.899 in yeg. Saved $18 on fuel, $42.30 on insurance, $120 on car payment for a total of $180.30 this week.

6/

Going #carfree means picking up a Father's Day gift by bike.

Because yes, you can transport a guitar and amp by bike- no car needed.

#quaxing

/7

Here's groceries by bike- 1 week for a family of 6

Easy to do with an ecargo. I didnt even take the baby seat out, so lots of room for more.

This was a 4km ride, & I have 3 other grocery stores closer. It took about 5 min longer by bike than by car.

#carfree #quaxing

/8

Week 2 #carfree recap

117.3km biked. Weather was rainy but nothing proper gear can't solve

Biked to school, library, groceries, music store, birthday party & date night

Didn't miss the van. This is also officially the longest I've gone without driving since I was 14 😳

Savings on the week:

Gas is 1.889 in yeg, & van did 10.2L/100km

Saved $22.60 on fuel, $42.30 on insurance, $120 on car payment for a total of $184.90 this week.

$364.90 saved overall

/10

Week 3 #carfree update:

Not much in the way of kms, as COVID got 1 of us & we all quarantined, so we really didn't need a car 😂 & saved money.

Savings this week:

$42.30 on insurance, $120 on car payment so $162.30.

$527.20 saved so far

/11

Used a car today- specialist appt in Sherwood Park, 32km away. I'd prefer not to have a specialist in SP, but 🤷‍♀️.

Biggest barrier to being #carfree sooner was med appt.

Decided taxi/rent/borrow a car every few months is still cheaper than owning

/12

Today, my mom was babysitting the kids & offered to lend me her car.

I topped up her tank, so it cost me $40. Still cheaper than owning

#carfree doesn't mean never using cars, just using only when it's the best choice. I needed a car today, so I used one

/13

Week 4 #carfree recap

63 km, reg stuff, plus a trip to Millwoods for #CanadaDay

Savings on the week:

Gas is 1.869 in yeg, & van did 10.2L/100km

$12.01 in fuel, $162.30 insurance & car payment, $174.31 this week

Total savings $661.51 (including $40 put in my mom's tank)
/14

Added a Wike lg trailer (5'4" height & 125lb weight limit) to add more cargo/additional passenger space to our #carfree set up.

Mostly for use on long rides for passenger comfort

Theoretically we have the capacity to haul 4 kids & 1 adult pax (the whole fam) in 1 unit 😂

/15

Today, like many other families, we have 2 kids that need to be p/u from 2 different locations at the same time.

For most families, that means 2 cars & the associated costs.

We do it #carfree w/ 2 bikes that combined cost less than a used car. Only having 1 car saves big $

16/

I avoid biking in rain. I prefer -30 to rain, but yeg is getting 10-20mm today.
I'm #carfree & a had kid in camp, so it meant 11km×2.

Not too bad-we dressed for it & kid was dry in the box.

Would've used a car if I had one. But I didn't need one- a little rain didnt hurt
17/

Week 5 #carfree recap

152 km, reg stuff, plus kid in camp- lots of rain!

Savings on the week:

Gas is 1.869 in yeg, & van did 10.2L/100km

$29.17 in fuel, $162.30 insurance & car payment, $191.47 this week

Total savings $852.98 😳 Not bad for 1 month carfree!

18/

Week 6 #carfree recap

216 km w/ kid camp being the bulk of the km.

Extracurriculars can make carfree hard, but this worked. Camp was 8km away, & it took 25min. Google says 19min by car.

Schlepping Baby was actually better than car bc I could talk to him the whole time😁

19/

Week 6 #carfree savings:

Gas 1.779 in yeg @ 10.2L/100km

$39.19 in fuel, $162.30 insurance & car payment, $201.49 this week

Total savings $1054.47. The trade off of a little extra time for $1k more in my bank account is worth it, especially as grocery costs skyrocket.

19/

Week 7 #carfree recap:

Only 69km as family was in town visiting & we stayed pretty close to home

Gas 1.769 in yeg @ 10.2L/100km

$12.45 in fuel, $162.30 insurance & car payment, $174.75 this week

Total savings $1229.22.

And tomorrow is NBD!!! The Urban Arrow arrives🤩

21/

#newbikeday Our Urban Arrow arrived yesterday! (Thanks @BikeBikeYYC )

Did a few short loops with the kids to try it out yesterday, but put it to work today- 3 kids and the weekly grocery shop.

No issues- and cut my travel time by 40% loaded 🤩

LOVE THIS BIKE!!!

22/

Adding an Urban Arrow means we have one of almost every kind of kid ferrying bike. They all have different uses & make #carfree easy.

(Disclaimer- I dont need this many, I have an n+1 issue 😁)

If anyone in yeg wants a test ride, let me know.
#yegbike

23/

Week 8 #carfree recap:

Only 74km as it was hot! Couple spray parks & groceries & library

Gas 1.629 in yeg @ 10.2L/100km

$12.30 in fuel, $162.30 insurance & car payment, $174.60 this week

Total savings $1403.82.

24/

Week 9 #carfree recap:

204km on a semi-rainy week. Parks, groceries, medical appt & library

Gas 1.559 in yeg @ 10.2L/100km

$32.44 in fuel, $162.30 insurance & car payment, $194.74 this week

Total savings $1598.56
988km biked since going carfree

25/

Almost $1600 & 1000km in 2 months #carfree sounds good, but it's not the whole story.

I estimate my actual savings closer to $3k bc of money not spent. We used to drive 1200km/month- I went to my "preferred" grocery store further away, drove to further playgrounds etc

26/

I meal plan better bc I can't drive for a missing item, which also means less takeout. I don't grab a coffee/snack/lunch at a drive thru. All of that has added up to another $1400 left in my account the last 2 months. #carfree has been the only change, so it must be that🤷‍♀️

27/

#BacktoSchool shopping #carfree is easy with the urban arrow. Shoes on the back rack and clothes and school supplies in the box with the kids.

If only @southcommonyeg had bike racks....🙄

Biking everywhere isn't always fun. Did a short thread about construction/detours earlier.

This is a serious con in #carfree life. I plan routes carefully to keep the kids safe, but sudden construction can really mess me up.


29/

Week 10 #carfree recap:

149km in August heat. Daily life stuff, nothing out of the ordinary

Gas 1.499 in yeg @ 10.2L/100km

$22.78 in fuel, $162.30 insurance & car payment, $184.68 this week

Total savings $1783.24
1137km biked since going carfree

30/

Did my longest loaded ride ever today- Leduc and back for dinner.

62km round-trip with 4 kids, the UA and the trailer.

It was fun, and highway shoulders were wide enough/drivers gave us lots of room.

Raced a storm home so I made really good time 😬😅

#carfree

31/

Just over 500km in 3.5 weeks on the Urban Arrow! This is a game changing #carreplacement

#carfree

32/

Week 11 #carfree recap:

293km- trip to Leduc & river valley date night really pushed up the kms + husband & I taking kids opp directions

Gas 1.459 in yeg @ 10.2L/100km

$43.60 in fuel, $162.30 insurance & car payment, $205.90 this week

Total savings $1989.14
1430km biked

33/

Week 12 #carfree recap:

48km- on holidays this week w/o the bikes, so not many km

Gas 1.459 in yeg @ 10.2L/100km

$7.14 in fuel, $162.30 insurance & car payment, $169.44 this week

Total savings $2158.58
1478km biked

34/

This holiday wouldn't have happened w/o #carfree

We've saved much more than the $2k I show in this thread. The car is convenience- w/o it I plan better, trip chain, don't get take out etc

Carfree pd for transport, accommodation, food & entertainment for this trip w/ $ left over

I'm dreaming of high speed rail. Why do we settle for slow moving traffic just to get to the destination & park?

The BC gov is spending $1 BILLION to twin hwy 1. This just recreate the traffic prob, but w/ 2 lanes (see Calgary to Banff) That $ would be a good start for HSR
35/

Week 13 #carfree recap:

102km- regular life, but back to school trips added this week

Gas 1.399 in yeg @ 10.2L/100km

$14.56 in fuel, $162.30 insurance & car payment, $176.86this week

Total savings $2335.44
1580km biked

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"But you have a dog- how will you get him to the vet without a car?"

Same way I do everything else- by bike

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#carfree
#dogsoftwitter

Mini rant on lack of active transportation infrastructure



39/

One of my favorite parts #carfree life is the removal of temptation.

I forgot 1 crucial ingredient for T-giving baking when I went shopping. Realized it mid-bake.

Jumped on the bike and was home again in 15min. Would've 100% used a car if I had one- but it wasn't needed
40/

All the errands and dr appts and trips I make by bike I would do by car if I had one.

The last 4 months has shown I don't need one, but it's the default option I grew up with and it's very hard to break that mindset with a car in the driveway

41/

#carfree recap time! Weeks 14-18

637km- groceries, school run, extra- curriculars, appointments, life

Gas is going up, so ~1.559/L=
$101.29 in fuel, $811.50 insurance & car payment, total $912.79

Total savings $3248.23
2217km biked

Over $3k saved in 4 months 😁
42/

Today was probably my hardest day since going #carfree. Everything that could go wrong did & I biked 77km btw 8am and 4:30pm.

Everything got done, and the kids went trick or treating but I am wiped.

So grateful for the UA & it's extended range- it saved the day!

#carfree recap time! Weeks 19-25

717km- including the start of #frostbike season 😁

Gas average was 162.4/L=
$118.77 in fuel, $973.80 insurance & car payment, total $1092.57

Total savings $4340.80
2934km biked

Dealt w/ a decent snowfall, sick kids & didn't need a car
43/

It's -16 C/3 F (-23 C/-10 windchill- yes, windchill is a thing, especially on a bike) this afternoon and I ran errands with no issue.

So to all the drivers & people who scoffed at #carfree in an Edmonton winter, yes it's quite possible 😁

I wasn't even in my warm layers 😅

Annual #TreeByBike today! Giggled as I rode home and a kid in a minivan with a tree tied on top pointed at me excitedly.

#carfree life

Happy frigid last day of fall!

Still #carfree, and still using my #yegbike to get around. Not the coldest temperature I've ever biked in, but getting there.

Yes, you can cycle in cold weather, you just need the right gear (layers- layers are key)

46/

One thing #carfree life has taught me is to watch winter weather. I don't mind riding in cold, but paths here are cleaed in 81h after snow ends. Due to constant snow, paths haven't been clear for awhile.

So with more snow forecast, I headed out to stock up on groceries

/47

#carfree recap- Weeks 26-30

347km- including Christmas shopping 😁

Gas average was 148.1/L=
$52.42 in fuel, $811.50 insurance & car payment, total $863.92

Total savings $5204.72
3281km biked since in 6 months

Dealt w/ a decent snowfall, sick kids & didn't need a car
48/

#carfree life highlighted on CTV

ctvnews.ca/mobile/video?c…

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#HappyNewYear2023

Spent New Year's Eve with family & got my first 5km #yegbike of 2023 in by 1 am.

Fantastic start to the new year 😊

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