Riding in the rain

& Freezing my fingers and toes. I dunno. It might not be the smartest thing in the world when you are sick to go out riding your bike in the rain/hail/snow?! If you happen to be running an experiment where you dont drive for a month, then I guess that's what you do. Never mind that your car is parked in your driveway and your bike is locked up in the garage.
2 more days and it will be a month without using my car. I will give a complete breakdown of costs and what I felt the outcome was like when the 31 days are up.
In the mean time, im glad I have a waterproof rainjacket and pants, serious gloves and gore-tex boots. Id say my look is reminiscient of Randy from a Christmas Story when he goes outside.

Building my trike and getting a ticket

Mostly its been nice not driving my car. I feel invigorated riding my bike and I have a sense of freedom that I don't have behind the wheel. The temperature has been dropping and last night, riding back from my parents place to the Bart station at 10pm my ears felt like they had frozen off. I started riding with my thermals and a heavier jacket which for the most part keeps me warm while riding. The only thing I really don't like is the extreme temperature changes from being outside to going inside.

I thought I would be saving money by not driving my car. As soon as I started this experiment the cost of gas tanked! As you can see, I got a parking ticket for parking in front of my house before the street cleaners came. $53.00 buh-bye!
I need to seriously consider selling my car and canceling my insurance because this experiment is starting to cost me money. Money for Bart. Money for Zipcar. Money for insurance...




In addition to the parking tickets,spiders have been making their home...


Aside from the cold, the parking tickets and the spiders, I finally put together my 2007 Burningman project. I had purchased a tricycle that I was going to mount a sound-system to. I balked when the theme was the Green Man and I couldn't figure out a way to have an environmentally friendly mobile set-up. I had been meaning to put together the tricycle anyhow but thought I didn't have the right tools to do it. Today I really examined everything and realized that not only do I have everything I need, but that it would be fairly simple to put together.


And after bruising my hand, and straining my back and bending the fenders I finally got it together. After I went on a test ride I realized I had to flip the platform over, as I installed it upside down.
The finished product is pretty cool and im anxious to explore different ideas of what I can do with it...

Carpool

Yesterday, B and I went to see Spencer Day perform at the Napa Valley Opera House. We didnt want to rent a Zipcar, especially because we knew so many people going. It turned out that my friend who lives down the block was able to drive us there and two other friends gave us a ride back.
We were scheduled to leave around 4:30 but B was running a little late, but to give him credit he called me when he was home and then ended up at my place 20 minutes later... We left around 4:40 and there was merciless traffic from my house to Vallejo. I'm just glad we weren't driving and that it was possible to make it happen to actually get there...
We went out to a place called Ubuntu, a vegetarian, yoga studio restaurant that got very good reviews. We enjoyed our meal, but not the bill, and in afterthought every dish was covered or made with cheese, and our tummies were a little non-plussed later in the evening. Maybe it was the entire bottle of wine??
The concert was great, with Spencer singing new songs, backed by a great group of talented musicians. He finished with Leonard Cohens, Hallelujah, which brought the house down..
After the show we got a ride back and B made the comment that it helps when you have a community of friends who drive too. Im leaning more and more towards the idea of getting rid of my car, but Im waiting for the rain to star first to see if I can make do.

Maybe it is possible?

Yesterday was a crazy bike ride! It started with an appointment in downtown Oakland, and then heading back home. I refueled and then headed to Ashby Bart and onto El Cerrito. Earlier I had gotten a call for a job in Kensington and I mapped out their house and decided that I could ride there but would take Bart to El Cerrito. What I didnt take into account was how much uphill there would be!
I arrived in El Cerrito and looked at my directions. It looked like I was heading to the top of the mountain (hill!). I starting riding and ended up in a cemetery. The roads didn't have any names so I just kept heading uphill. I passed small groves that had been overgrown with trees and brush and had toppled head stones. I looked out to the City which peaked through the hills, with a group of Asian headstones made out of marble lined up in front of me. I was out of breathe, wrapped in my Kafia, gloves and carrying too much equipment. I continued to head up and I found a gate that lead me to the street I was looking for. Unfortunately for me it was straight up hill. I wasn't prepared for the incline, and road and walked my bike up. Finally I made it into Kensington and to my clients house. She opened the door and asked where I parked. I said I left my bike in the garage. She was impressed, and frankly so was I. As I sat working on her computer sweat dripped down into my mouth as I slammed back 2 full glasses of water. I had planned on going to the gym, but felt fairly convinced that this was enough exercise for the day.
I realized that I was going to have to take her computer and my only option was to strap it into my basket on the front of bike. I saddled up, secured her computer and proceeded to head back to my house. The computer was blocking my bike light so I put that in my mouth and coasted down the hill. My crank started to give, and as I peddled, I thought my pedal was going to fall off. I had to hold the computer, my bike light (it was making me drool) and the brakes as I negotiated the turns and bumps back down to Shattuck. Every time I hit a bump, I would slow down and brace the computer so it wouldn't bounce.
I got near the Cheeseboard and thought now was a good time for a pizza. I propped my bike up and went in and bought a whole 1/2 baked pizza, tossed it into my bag, which had my laptop, disks, and cables, hopped back on my bike and road down Shattuck. I got to the Missing Link and thought they could fix my pedal. It was as simple as tightening a bolt, and they had me on my way. I continued down Shattuck until I got to my street where I disembarked and took the picture below.
Craziest ride ever. Oh, and I fixed the computer and I just finished the pizza. Delicious!




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Just my luck!

I have yet to use my car. It has also been relatively pleasant weather. The moment it starts to rain im going to have to figure something out. Rainproof gear is probably going to be the first priority.
Anyhow, I rented a Zipcar to pick some people up from the airport and their plane was delayed. I couldnt cancel the reservation or I would have been charged, and stupid me didnt realize I had only booked it for 2.5 hours, so I was able to extend it 1/2 an hour for free (i guess the lesson is always book hour increments, even if you wont use them).
The car was out of gas again, and had a few chips in the windshield. I wish they would outline what they will or will not charge you for, beacause when I picked up the car it was pitch black and I couldnt see anything until I got to the gas station.
I made it with three minutes to spare, the same as last time, but at least this time there was a parking space.
The idea of a bio-diesel car is sounding more and more appealing.....

The Day after Thanksgiving

As if I didn't need another reason to not drive the car. I did a great job today. B and I went to the Prospect 1 art project that was all over New Orleans. We took a shuttle and walked. I didn't feel rushed. I have to worry about parking. But tonight we had to get back to our hotel from my Aunt and Uncles. It was also the Bayou Classic, so all of the French Quarter was a mad house. We got downtown alright, but as soon as we didn't hit the quarter there was no way to get in. We had to drive in circles and go through road blocks. There was nobody to tell us how to do it, we just had to figure it out. All the time cars blasting load music, rain slicked roads, tons of traffic and 3 other people saying go left, go right, stop and go!
We got super close to our hotel when a sour interaction with a cop went nowhere. They weren't going to let us drive into the hotel and we couldn't get in any other way.
I parked the car and walked over to the hotel and asked them to valet park the car. I handed them the keys, a $10 bill and I went up to the room, glad t finally be rid of this huge weight.
I get so anxious and aggravated when I drive. I don't like how it feels, no matter how fast you get there, or how convenient it may seem, nothing can compare to the freedom of my feet or my bike. Traffic cant stop me, road blocks.. nothing...

Day ? In New Orleans and their aint no choice...

Sorry for the delay in writing ya'll. Im with the family in New Orleans.I called ahead a few weeks ago to see if there were any bikes here.. I guess I had high expectations as all the bikes are rusted through and all the roads are in horrible shape...
There isnt really any choice here. I told myself, Bosco and I would find some bikes and ride around. But one thing leads to another and I find myself driving the kids to Smoothie King, running back and forth to Whole Foods and basically not having any other choice then to drive.
Back at home I had to drive a friend back to his office because the situation didnt afford any other option and while I was doing some work at my place I had my car parked on the street where I got a parking ticket. Im feeling like I should have sold it already.
Its so easy back home with all the Bart, buses, walking and biking available. Everything is so centrally located, but I head back to my parents house and it's a real difference in how far everything is spread out and its only 20 minutes from Oakland. Imagine what New Orleans is like.
People, you cannot imagine what New Orleans is like, STILL. No recycling, houses boarded up, some stores and restruants are still not open (and probably never will), very few schools are open and not all the hospitals are open (the Dr's fled!)... I could go on here...
Anyhow, Im glad to live in a place where I can do this. What im learning is that its an option for people living in some big cities, but in other places it just isnt an option.

Day 5- First time using Zipcar

Sorry about being a day late. It was Shabbat, and I had the family over for dinner last night. I ended up making some crazy ice cream concoctions that came out delightfully. Chipotle ice cream anyone?
Yesterday was my first experience with Zipcar, and it left a slight mettalic taste in my mouth. I arrived at Rockridge Bart around 8:58am and swiped my card and and listened as the clack of the door locks sounded. Im not going to lie. I was giddy, I hadnt driven in 4? days and I wanted to get behind the wheel. I hopped in and started the Toyota Scion up. I pulled out of the parking spot and stopped. I thought it might be a good idea to check and make sure the car is in good condition. I had heard horror stories of people getting charged the deductible, $500, for things they werent responsible for. Good thing I checked, cause someone had made sweet love to a pole or something that didnt agree with the rear side of the car. It had a few deep scratches and dents. I called Zipcar and informed them by leaving a message.
As I made my way to Alamo to pick up a couple to take them to SFO, I realized I didnt have enough gas. Great! I had budgeted 2.5 hours total to go from Oakland to Alamo to SFO back to Oakland and now I had to make a pit stop.
I arrived after getting gas 5 min behind schedule. I tried to play a game of tetris to get their luggage in the car. This car is a lot bigger then my corolla, yet I couldnt fit two suitcases in the "trunk!" We finally got on the road at around 9:15am. A smooth drive back to Oakland, but as soon as we got near Childrens Hospital the traffic had backed up pretty bad.I was starting to worry because I had to be back by 11 and traffic was crawling...
I asked my friend to call Zipcar while my phone was on speakerphone and I told them I thought I was going to be late. They said someone had reserved the car right after I brought it back, and asked me if I wanted them to call them and say I was going to be late. Great! Zipcar said to call back around 10:45 if I was still running late.
We slowly inched our way along and thought we were home free when the freeway split, but then the traffic continued. Again we thought, since there are three of us, we will be a carpool. No such luck, the traffic backed up in the carpool lane and by the time we got there, they asked for $4.00, we missed it by 3 minutes cause of the traffic.
Traffic continued across the bridge but finally let up as we got into the city. We made it to the airport and I dropped them off with plenty of time. I looked at my watch and it was 10:35. I had 25 minutes to get back to Rockridge Bart or else I was late and someone else was screwed. I drove faster than usual and it felt like I kept ending up behind really slow drivers. My shoulders got tense, and I was sitting forward in an akward position as I tried to weasle my way into a clear lane.
I arrived back at the Bart station to see all these orange cones saying that I couldnt park in the spot. The cars have to be in the same location because thats where the next user picks them up and I coudnt park it somewhere else in the Bart station because i wasnt riding Bart. I moved the cones out of the way and parked it. 30 seconds later, someone else came up and drove off.
I wonder if they noticed the dents and scratches and called in too?

Day 4- Public Transportation

A lot of people complain about Bart. It doesnt run 24 hours and you cant bring your bike on during commute hours. I guess because I live so close to 3 Bart stations, and B lives close to one, I find it hard to fault it. I can see that for certain people these would be real issues. I've been meaning to explore other methods of transportation. Bus, ferry and casual carpool?! I know that the bus runs from SF to Oakland 24 hours a day, maybe even stopping at Rockridge?
Tommorow morning will be my first use of a Zipcar. I know its just a car, and maybe im having withdrawls, but im excited. I really want to wave, or swipe or whatever you do to get in the car. I want to experience how it all works, or maybe i just want to get to my destination without dodging flying bits of gravel that have sprung up while they repave Shattuck...
I notice that a majority of people who wrote comments and who dont have cars also live in SF. It seems much easier to do this in SF, than other places. Oakland isnt far behind, but imagine if I was still in Concord, or Pennsylvania, where my family is from.
Im heading to New Orleans next week, and I called ahead to see if they could oil the bikes and have them working...
Lets see how it goes when im away from home!

Day 3- Whats up with the cars?

Why is it that when you are on a bike you become fair game for anyone who happens to be driving by? Ive gotten into verbal arguments with bus drivers and other people who feel like just because they drive a car, they own the road. My favorite obstacle is riding my bike on Shattuck ave and trying to avoid people getting in and out of their cars, traffic on your left and road work at the same time.
It was mighty cold today. I did something ive never done before. I put on my thermals. I can only guess that it will get colder and colder and soon I will be riding in my rain gear!
I had an appointment in downtown Oakland in the middle of the day and I headed into the city tonight.


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Day 2-It's getting colder!

I spent the first half of the day waiting for the plumber to come and snake my drain. He arrived about 11:30 and spent about an hour snaking the line, cutting up roots and chip-chopping anything that happened to be preventing stuff from going into the sewer. Gotta love This Old House!
I put some effort into comparing Zipcar to City Car Share vs owning a car, and it seems like maybe City Car Share might be less expensive and they are a non profit! Im going to use Zipcar for the month, but might check out Car Share later.
I also had to figure out how to handle a job I have on Friday. I have a client who lives in Alamo and they are not accessible by public transportation. I checked 511, and the bus only runs by there house 2 times, and the last one is at 7:15am!! In addition to fixing their computer, im giving them a ride to the airport. It looks like im going to rent a Zipcar to drive to their house, then drive them to the airport, and then return the Zipcar.
Shortly thereafter I hopped on Bart and headed to Concord to stop by my sisters house and my parents too. They both needed a little bit of computer help and then I headed over to a clients office and worked for several hours. I was happy to have some work, but bummed I missed the farmers market.
Gabriel Farms and I are forging a little relationship. Tory gives me some fruit and I make ice cream and sorbets with it. I had Fiojas that I turned into a tart sorbet, but I will have to wait till Saturday to give him some. Boo for him, yay for me!
I hopped back on Bart and rode home. Around 7 I headed over to the gym. Its getting colder, but as I was riding I noticed a really skinny guy who only had a t-shirt zip by me, so maybe its just my imagination?! After my workout, I headed over to Breads of India where Kevin and I chopped it up about Goa and on the way home, I decided to ride up a random street. I smiled to myself, because I knew had I been in a car, all I would have seen was the same old homes and gardens and here I was discovering new trees and such.

Home-->Parents House

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Parents-->Client

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Client--> Home

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Day 1 without a car

Hello, my name is Jonathan. I live in Oakland, CA. I do a lot of driving but care deeply about the effect that this is having on the planet and have always felt conflicted by this. I've heard about bio-diesel and Waste Vegie Oil cars as well as electric cars yet I still drive a car that takes fossil fuels. (2000 Toyota Corolla, 145,000 miles!!) Im trying to lessen my impact on the planet despite the driving. I compost, I (try) to grow food and shop at the farmers markets, I recycle and I operate a computer consulting business where my goal is to repair computers instead of having people just buy new ones. Less consumption = less waste. (I was inspired when I saw thestoryofstuff.com).
When I met my partner I wondered how he ever lived without a car, yet the more time we spent together the more I started to realize that he didnt need a car. There is no parking where he lives and he is a 5 minute bike ride from his office. During the times he seldom needs a car, he utilizes Zipcar.
I wondered if I could follow his lead. Could I still operate my business, do my laundry, go grocery shopping and run the day to day errands that I depended on my car for doing? I decided to do an experiment! Im going to pretend like I don't own a car, join Zipcar and ride my bike and take public transportation for a month.
This all started when my brakes started to go. I had to invest about $1000 to fix my car and I have been thinking that instead of repairing my car, I would invest in a VW TDI Golf and convert it to run on Waste Oil. I had wanted to do this about year ago and was thinking about converting a 4-wheel drive vehicle, but I balked when I heard from my cousin that it was more difficult than I thought. This past weekend I attended the Green Festival in San Francisco. I decided I would join Zipcar and see if instead of buying a car and converting it, I could do without a car.
Today is the end of day 1. I woke up in San Francisco and rode my bike to the Bart station and got home around 9:45am. I had to deal with a plumbing problem and wanted to get to the Tool Lending Library to get a sewer snake. I rode my bike to the library but found the snake was to large and had to walk my bike and the snake back home. After futzing around trying to unclog the drain and getting brown water all over my clothes, I decided this wasnt something for me to do, and went to Angieslist to find a plumber. After the plumber came and was unsuccessful at clearing the drain, I walked back with the snake to the library and then walked back home. I threw all my clothes into my back packing backpack and got on my bike and rode to the laundromat. On the way I stopped at the Cartridge World and got two refilled cartridges and then headed to the laundromat. Surprisingly I got it all done with relative ease. I think it was due to the fact it was such a nice day. Had it pouring rain, it would have been a different story.
I came back home and did some work. I hopped back on my bike and went to the gym. I just got back. Its the end of day one and I feel like it was a relative success.
Im including maps showing each trip.
From SF-Oak

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From my house to the library:

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My house to the laundramat:

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