Why and how do I live car-free in Durham?

I suppose a blog about living car-free wouldn’t be complete without telling my car-free story. Why did I give up my car? How do I get around town and travel now that I don’t have a car?

The easiest way to explain my reasoning is that I simply didn’t want one anymore. My car that I had driven for the past five years, a reliable 2006 Honda CR-V affectionately named ‘Martha’ by my friends, did not have A/C and was approaching 200,000 miles. No A/C in the hot and muggy North Carolina summer doesn’t make for a fun combination. But getting a new car would’ve cost me a hefty down payment and subsequent monthly payments, and it would’ve been a stretch for me to afford those payments.

This would have been for a car that I’d drive to the office twice a month for my otherwise-remote job and to run errands that could be achieved by simply biking 10-15 minutes out and back. Once I figured out how to patchwork GoTriangle, the local bus system, and Amtrak into a manageable commute to my office, it made financial sense for me to ditch my car.

Amtrak is a crucial part of my car-free commuting and travel strategy. I have the option of taking either the Carolinian line, which goes through Durham from Charlotte to New York, or the Piedmont line, providing more direct service from Charlotte to Raleigh. Amtrak gives me the option to not only commute to Cary and Raleigh while getting work done, but to travel to Charlotte, DC, Philadelphia, and New York to visit friends and family.

Despite its convenience at times, Amtrak has its drawbacks. Amtrak trains don’t run as frequently south of DC and are often delayed due to giving right-of-way passage to CSX or Norfolk Southern trains, the freight companies that own many of the tracks on the East Coast. As a result, it can take over seven hours to get from Durham to Washington, DC by train, a car ride that lasts less than five hours. 

Amtrak is also restricted by where it stops. Some parts of the Triangle, including Chapel Hill and RDU Airport, are not accessible by Amtrak and require riding the GoTriangle bus system, which often involves multiple transfers. But with Amtrak tickets ranging from $6 for local rides to $60 for travel to DC and GoTriangle currently offering free service, I couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to save hundreds of dollars a month on car payments, insurance, gas, and upkeep.

My car-free story is certainly not without caveats. Since Durham and the Research Triangle as a region are both very car-dependent, I occasionally have to rely on carpooling with friends to shared social engagements. Apart from that, it’s a privilege that I have a remote position that allows me to work without commuting, that I can afford rent in a semi-walkable neighborhood, and that I’m an able-bodied person who can walk and bike. Moreover, as a man, I don’t have to worry as much about walking alone as my female counterparts do. Not everyone has this privilege and is forced to either financially struggle to afford a car or navigate an unreliable and incomplete public transit system.

I also acknowledge that I'm one car accident or health scare away from not having full capability over my body, making a car-free lifestyle infeasible in Durham. This is a reality for disabled folks across America who face an urban design that doesn't accommodate their needs, even in the most walkable of environments.

If you enjoyed hearing why and how I live car-free, be sure to subscribe and check back in two weeks to learn more about the finances behind living car-free. Take care!