Arlington's Car-Free Diet Blog

Car-lite in Clarendon-Courthouse

The four of us—mom, dad, and two kids—live in Clarendon-Courthouse with one car. Dad bikes to work, mom takes the Metro, and we walk to elementary school and drive the preschooler. We walk to the grocery store, the farmer’s market, etc. As the kids get older, there are more and competing demands on the car . . . that’s when a Zipcar comes in handy. But sometimes we bike to make up the difference—our seven-year-old loves that. We consider living in a walkable and bikeable community to be a huge blessing and an important choice. The extra money we spent on housing is balanced by the money we save on gas, no car payment, less insurance, and less time spent commuting. Walking and biking places makes us healthier and better connects us to the community.

- Kristine Wood

Biking and walking in Clarendon

I’ve been a walking commuter in Arlington for quite some time. When I was a kid, my bike was my transportation. Then I grew up and was able to drive myself to wherever I needed (or wanted) to go. Now I’ve seen my future, and it’s back in my past! Biking in Arlington is awesome. When I originally thought about getting a bike, I thought I would be doing more recreational, fun biking—e.g., on the many trails around here. But now that I’m becoming more comfortable on the bike and more familiar with the bike lanes and bike ways, I’m discovering that bike as transport is incredibly convenient. And, yes, fun. I found this neat wire basket that snaps right onto the rear rack of my bike. It’s sturdy and has a handle, so I can carry it right into the store, into work, and even around the farmer’s market. And since it snaps onto that standard rack, my husband can use it, too. The other morning, I biked to a meeting at Central Library, then I biked to my office at Courthouse Plaza. A quick commute in the gorgeous weather—and fun, too!

- Diana Sun

Car-lite in Columbia Pike

My family just sold our second car and are doing great without it. We stopped using our second car about six months ago to determine if car-lite living would work for us. Our little experiment proves to me that we’ll thrive as a one-car family. Our initial inspiration for car-lite living was the film Who Killed the Electric Car? Although we own a gas-electric hybrid car, our hybrids of choice are human-electric hybrids—namely, electric bicycles. We have substantially minimized our driving, saved money formerly spent on car repairs and gas, improved our fitness, and reduced our waistlines. Plus, our bicycles are much more fun than driving. The electric bikes virtually flatten hills and make restarts at traffic signals easy. Since our nearest Metrorail station is approximately three miles away, I was initially hesitant to give up our second car. It turns out that transportation without a car is easier than I expected. I walk to stores that are near my home and commute to work by bicycle. I ride Metrobus on the few days that the weather is snowy or icy and have signed up for Flexcar in the rare case I need a car for a few hours.

- Amy Adler

Car-lite in Ballston

I guess we would fall under the car-lite category. We have just the one car, a small Geo Prizm for a family of four. We bought it for its fuel economy. The car is used pretty much daily to take our son to preschool and to run errands, but we don’t put many miles on it. It’s twelve years old and going strong, since we use it so little. We try to avoid driving. I’d much rather be doing other things. I walk about 1.5 miles to the Ballston Metro each day to ride downtown to work, and then I walk about four blocks downtown to my office. I do the reverse to get home. I’ve been doing it every day from this house for the last ten years. When we were shopping for our house back then, it was a requirement that it be walking distance to Metro. I’ve been taking Metro to work for sixteen years. The walk each day is a relaxing way to unwind after work as I come home, and it really keeps me in shape. We walk to the nearby playgrounds, and walk to the Safeway for small trips to pick up a handful of items if we have run out of something. Our daughter and I ride bikes on the nearby bike paths for fun.

- Karen and Daniel Ruff

Car-free in Arlington

I’m actually kind of a poster boy for no-car living. I’m forty-eight and have never owned a car in my life! I’m lucky. For twenty years I’ve lived near the subway for getting to work, so public transportation is easy for me. I bike to work when the weather is warm enough and dry. I use my bike and panniers for routine shopping trips. I use my bike for exercise and to stay in shape. I keep a shopping list going and save up errands or heavy purchases (like jugs of detergent) and then I rent a car, usually about once or twice a month. I also try to organize my shopping trips for Saturdays, then use the car in the evening to go to a party or visit friends. Sometimes friends will loan me a car if they go out of town. I always return it full of gas and usually I wash the car and vacuum it for them so they get it back fresh and clean. With a little planning, it’s really quite easy to live without a car if you plan ahead and don’t have to be spontaneous every moment!

- Jeff Morin

Car-Lite in Virginia Square

My wife, eighteen-year-old daughter, and I do very nicely with only one car. We live in Arlington, about a mile from the Virginia Square Metro station and only a few blocks' walk from the supermarket, pharmacy, and hardware store. Normally, my wife and I bicycle to work (about six to seven miles each way). On days when bicycling doesn't work, one or both of us bicycle to the Metro. Or one or the other walks two blocks to the bus stop and takes the bus to Metro. Our daughter sometimes bicycles, sometimes gets a ride from a friend, and sometimes drives our car. In a pinch one of us will take a taxi.

- Peter Harnik, 58, center director

Welcome to Arlington’s Car-Free Diet, the easy, fun way to see how incredible it can feel to live a car-free or car-lite lifestyle. Each time you leave your car at home—choosing instead to ride ART or Metro, bike, walk or telework—you can save money, improve your health and clean our environment.