There are many reasons why increasing numbers of older adults are exploring ways to get around without a car.
They have no regrets.
“And we feel mental health benefits, too.
We have more contact with people and lead a more convivial life.”
Americans today remain in the drivers' seat later in life than during earlier generations.
But less time behind the wheel makes sense for everyone’s long-term plans.
And think what you could do with an extra $9,000 each year.
(That’s the amount AAA calculates owning a car costs.)
“It’s not some kind of statement about our virtue or our weirdness.
“I ride trains, buses, one of my bikes, and I walk.
“Now it’s not a big deal to them.
And for me, it’s getting easier and easier all the time.
We have more bike lanes, and I have a folding bike I can take on the train.
“A lot more of my neighbors are out walking now.”
Other times he bicycles to a Metro train stop about a mile from his house.
Once every six months or so, we need the car at the same time.
Then I’ll call a cab.”
“The key is that we schedule our lives with a shared electronic calendar,” he says.
Louise and I are always aware of who needs the car when and for roughly how long.
The native New Yorkers jokingly compare their single sedan to operating a New York City cab.
“The seat never cools down.
Its been working beautifully for more than a decade.”
Blakely’s main reason for ditching the car was financial.
But Blakely has discovered other unexpected benefits.
She rides the bus downtown to work and to shop at a Target store.
Blakely will occasionally grab a cab if inclement weather arises, and she will rent cars for longer-distance journeys.
She just signed up for a carshare program.
“A lot of people thought of me as a character,” she says.
“But I really enjoyed it.
You use your senses so much more on a bike.
Says Miller: “I’m not Wonder Woman!”
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Page published September 2015
