Hudson Valley without a car this sweaty summer? Creative solutions (Poughkeepsie: taxis, to live in)

[GIrlnextdoors]

Hey there. I am a carless woman, I dont have one, I really cant afford to get one, and took a job in Rhinebeck this summer.....I am a pretty good biker, but sense the hills up there and the humidity might do me in, and I would much rather have the ability to get to cool hiking, rock climbing, kyacking spots, then spend all my time pedaling uphill. Anyhow, Rhinebeck is just shy of the Metro North line, and Amtrack is a bank robber....I was considering biting the bullet and trying to find a place in Poughkeepsie so I would be on the Metro North line....but was wondering if anyone had any other creative ideas. (I was considering getting a Honda Elite scooter, but kind of chickened out of the idea when I read the scooter accident stats).

Does anyone live up there without a car and if so, do you feel like you are always stuck on an island, do you spend many more hours navigating routes than being anywhere....does life without a car in the Hudson Valley really suck, or is it viable?

[Alter]

Where did you find scooter accident statistics?

[GIrlnextdoors]

Did I scare you? Sorry. No particular place for stats, more stories I picked up here and there all over the Internet. I am not the queen of coordination, so perhaps I chickened out because of that. Don't let my apprehension, influence your decision. Milage is good, and more and more people are using them these days so perhaps the biggest safety problem, the fact that you are semi invisible to cars in many places, will change, like in Europe where people probably notice scooters a lot more.There are safety classes too, people highly recommend taking those. Good luck/

[Alter]

No, no worries for me, I have 2 of them and ride daily. I have never seen "scooter statistics" though so wondered where you were getting your info from. I am aware of the risks and do what I can to give myself an edge. EVERYTHING has risk, I understand that.
Have you considered an electric bicycle? Maybe that would give you the push you need for hills while making you feel more comfortable?

[Pam& Bill]

I used to live in Germantown.(Southern Columbia County) I no longer am able to drive. So good luck finding reasonable inexpensive transportation. There are taxis in Rhinebeck I think, or there used to be a cab company, but I had heard their rates were expensive.
That is one shortcoming of this area of the Hudson Valley. There isn't any mass transportation available.
Good luck,
Pam
PS. If you do take the train into Rhinecliff, how you going to get to Rhinebeck to your job?

[ss58yy]

The Dutchess County Loop busses stop in downtown Rhinebeck (they used to, at least). That should get you between POK and Rhinebeck, assuming your job is in the downtown Rhinebeck area.

I live in Rhinebeck, and wouldn't want to live here without a car, though.