I have no car. Problem is that I can't ride around on a bicycle in this city, too many other cars. I would be happy to see a ban on cars in the city. Only public transport and bicycles allowed.
Use your car only for long roads. Build railways and subways for commuters. Build giant parking zones at the edge of the city for everyone's car.

But what am I saying, all these things imply there is a "us" somewhere planning everything for our own good. There is no such thing. Our civilization is a swarm of locusts. From time to time I propose solutions but it's like adding a better engine to the car with square wheels.

I live in downtown Montreal where owning a car is completely useless unless you're a traveling salesman. All of my basic needs are within a four block radius. If I need to travel out of town in an area not well served by public transportation, I simply rent a car. I've saved more than enough money to afford it by now.

I've found those kiddi trailers for bicycles to be indespensible for going to the store on a bike. I can carry at least 4 paper grocery bags in the cart and sometimes more. I can carry books from the library in my backpack or in the cart (often need more room than a backpack can offer) and I can walk almost anywhere in my town for the store, library, cityhall, grocery store, gas station (for convenience store items) and anywhere else. I can't get to work on my bicycle in 90 inches of snow since they don't clear the back road completely and a bicycle isn't really suited for riding over several inches of built up but not hard packed snow.

I have lived for a whole summer without a car and did quite well. UP north we have too much snow to bicycle year round. Busses are quite handy in some cities and were so in my last town but up here in the UP there are no taxies for 30 miles in any direction and only one bus in the morning and afternoon here.

there is no way I could do without a car

besides not living in a location with a lot of mass transportation, I travel way too much playing disc golf

there is insufficient public transport in the UAE and im forced to use a car.

id love to ride a bike to work, but as you can imagine, riding 50km each way in 120-150 F temperature in summer isnt really fun

There is actually pretty good public transit in my town it just sucks as far as getting me to work. It's just the way the bus routes are laid out when compaired to my work to home or the reverse that I would really have to be desparate to take the bus.
I do ride my bike a few days a week when it isn't freezing cold but once winter hits I need my car to get to work.

Frozen feet, frozen hands runny nose...
Besides I love winter driving.

Why all the car hate? It's an advanced tool for an advanced society. jeez. Turn off your computer and go to a library if you want information. Join a sewing circle instead of joining forums.

We made cars for ease of transport. Not all of us can tolerate living on top of each other with zero privacy in big crime ridden cities with increasingly miserable public schools. Out here in the suburbs, we like quiet. We need more effective forms of transportation because we can't put reins on advancement. Stuff is far away and to be productive citizens, we need to become faster and faster. There are only so many hours in a day, folks.

If I didn't have a car, i'd be on welfare. Public transportation sucks here, not to mention it is NEVER where I need to go and the hours I need to go there.

I will admit though, when we go into the big city here, we usually park on our side, and take the ferry across the river. We spend the day walking around the city and take the ferry back.

...and really, posting all the crap about insurance and breakdowns is laughable. There are things that responsible people do and that includes maintenance on anything they own...not just their car.

not to forget that public transport has its own downs too.

my number 1 being catching infectious diseases, getting sick and touching bacteria laden handle bars and buttons.

Here in Vancouver, BC (canada) transit is really reliable (shuttle bus, big bus, skytrain..etc) so getting from one place to another is no problem. I get to sleep in transit (longest transit trip with several switches is about 1h 15mins) so when i wake up im at my destination. I do drive now and then (rent a car or borrow parents car). Nothing will beat the convenience of having a car though

If only there were a way of riding a bike without having to put on one of those stupid helmets...

its like having sex without a condom...until they made colourful, tasty and ribbed condoms

go out and buy a cool or funky one. ive seem them 'round.

life without a car would be impossible where I live (no services aside from the post office) - it is 5+ miles to the nearest town bigger than 600 people (12 miles to Colfax where there is nothing for buses, ect) and using city buses there would get me nowhere fast.

Taking public transport to work takes me well over an hour, and driving takes me ten minutes. I have considered cycling or walking, but I wear a suit to work and I haven't worked out a way to handle the shower/change/carry and iron clothes aspect of that. I'd like to though.