Car free lifestyle? advise plz (Seattle: home, bus, cars)

[GraceKrispy]

I walk and/or take transit during all times of the year- bad weather and all. The weather makes no difference to my commute (except that it may impact the traffic). We were a one-car family and I used public transit for almost everything I couldn't walk to. Invest in a good raincoat.

[CirculateRX]

I appreciate all of you on this forum. It's so nice to be able to run "stupid questions" by people who live it. I may know the answer already but it feels nice to have people confirm it, as simple as that sounds. Thanks for all the advice. I'm fairly certain we are committing to keeping 1 car (prob. moving into a townhouse with a 1 car garage), and I'll be using the e-bike and public transit 350/365.

[Arcos]

You may be over thinking this because you come from an area where cars are essential to even go to the nearest… anything? If you have at least one car, you are covered for ALL errands unless you have multiple kids or something. And for everything else, the bus or train works just fine. All you have to do is walk to the nearest stop, typically less than 10 minutes, and deal with the (mostly) light drizzle. You most often don’t need a raincoat, just a jacket will do.
Biking in the rain is unpleasant because you get wet… so wear rain pants and a rain coat, or take transit or a Lyft. Easy.
If you both had to commute out of town for work, that would be the only obvious reason I see where you’d need two cars. One is more than enough in Seattle.

Edit: and now I see your response above. Lol. I should go to bed.

[primaltech]

Yeah I've been car-free by choice in Seattle for almost 2 years, and it's been totally fine. I lived in Belltown for the first year, and now I'm more on the Denny Triangle side. But it's so walkable and compact. It's hilly, but not in every direction. Winter is cloudy but just misty more than rainy usually, and consistently cool but not super cold.

Compact urban area, good bus system (by US standards), small but good light rail, and no extremes of temperature or weather. All combined to make this one of the most walk-friendly cities in the US.

I occasionally will use a Lyft to get somewhere, and I also have used Zipcar a bit now. Although both of those can get expensive. Learn the transit system is advised.

[Swoods15]

I lived in Seattle for four years without a car; if you live in a walkable and transit connected area it shouldn't be too bad. When I lived there the light rail only went to downtown, so it's even better now! I only had a bike for part of that time; I actually prefer to walk if the weather's bad over biking, I found it easier to stay dry and comfortable. It's also my preference in the winter when it's dark on one (or both) ends of my commute - I'd much rather be walking on a sidewalk than biking in a bike lane, but that's just my personal feeling and I don't necessarily know which would be safer.

The bus system was pretty well connected for my needs (school and work). But it matters A LOT where exactly you're located. Do some research and figure out what major bus lines connect to your workplace and try to live within easy walking distance of those if you can. If you can afford to get a place that really is in a walkable area connected to transit that goes to your work I think you'll enjoy it a lot.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by CirculateRX

I'm asking what people do during the bad months. Do they ride bikes and take transit even through months of cold rain?

OP, the transit stops are set up for protection from the rain. They have sides and a roof. I never had any trouble taking transit during what you call the "bad" months.

[CirculateRX]

Thank you all

[NW4me]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

OP, the transit stops are set up for protection from the rain. They have sides and a roof.

I never had any trouble taking transit during what you call the "bad" months.

I'm sure I wouldn't like waiting for a bus in the winter in Chicago or Minneapolis.
But in Seattle? Not a problem.

[mayfair]

I've taken transit in both Seattle and the Upper Midwest and both are doable with the right clothes. A good Gor-Tex jacket in Seattle and a warm parka in the Midwest and it's all good. Umbrellas can get awkward on the bus, so a coat with a hood is better.

[Hemlock140]

I live in Sammamish, and from 2015-2019 I took the bus to work in Seattle. I would walk half a mile down the hill to the nearest bus stop on 228th, then get off at Westlake Center at 4th and Pine, and walk a mile to the office. I remember one day when it was snowing lightly, and I walked to the bus stop and waited with one other guy for about 90 minutes, and when the bus finally came we had 6" of snow. Apparently he couldn't make it up the hill and had to chain up. Going back down the hills to I90 was scary, with the bus slipping and sliding. When we got to Seattle, the snow was not as bad but I had to walk in it for that mile. Since then I arranged to work from home when it snowed, just had to bring home my laptop when there was a threat. As for the rain, it was never a problem. Just using a waterproof jacket with a hood and walking fast always worked, and when it was a heavy rain I would wear sneakers and carry my other shoes in a backpack.