Walkability / Bike Lanes / Public Transportation (Portland, Bend: buy, living, cost)

[Pfhtex]

So I have this nutty idea that I might want to challenge myself when I move to Bend next month and live without a car.

I will be working, and living near the Old Mill District.

Factoring in winter weather, what might I experience if my goal is to bike, walk, and take public transportation. How limited would I be, if at all?

I know that one of the great things about Bend is its proximity to places like Sunriver, etc., but I just have this romantic notion that it would be a great experience for me.

OK, let me have it......

[Snownut]

I have only visited Bend however I have no doubt I could live without a car near the Old Mill District if I worked there.

Bike Hike Walk Run would be enough for me.

There are plenty of places to eat and a big grocery store(s) Safeway and Rays (whatever that is I did not go in?) just west of the river.

That said I would not want to live without a car just have it on standby for road trips out of town.

[Bendite]

You can't always rely on public transportation - it has been in a flux for a long time and bus routes are limited in where they go and in frequency. When it is a regularly scheduled route going where you want to go, and if the times meet your particular needs, then it works fine. There is little if any coordinated transportation between towns in Central Oregon though lots of talk the past couple of years to change that. There are car-sharing groups in other cities and I have read of some thinking about establishing one in Bend but I don't know if any have actually formed. Many people bike year round; however, the bike lanes can get pretty messy with debris, snow and ice on some days and there is a buildup of cinders and other snow removal products that can stay for weeks before a street cleaner goes by. Walking is a great option though as everwhere with snow, there are people who don't shovel their walks and in the shade, that means ice. To go anywhere outside of Bend except to Portland (there is an airport shuttle from Bend to Portland airport and downtown) you really need a car.

[delta07]

It definitely can be done. Bend's a small town, so getting around via walking/biking is relatively easy (save for a few days where the weather precludes this). Public transportation is another thing. As Bendite stated, it's not completely reliable. Here's a site to look into. Commute Options: Commute Options Week I don't know much about them, but it's worth checking out.

Personally, I don't know that I could live without my car in Central Oregon. We head up to the mountains quite a bit. You can access many lower trailheads from town, but it would be quite a haul on a bike just to get to some of the higher ones. I also like to ski. Of course, there are people who hitch hike up to the mountain and seem to get by (I usually pick them up if I have room). It just depends on the lifestyle you want to live and how often you want to bum rides.

[kapetrich]

I'll agree with almost everyone above. It depends what you expect to do in Bend/the type of lifestyle you want to live. It is completely doable if you are content with staying IN town - in fact, where you'll be living and working I can't imagine you'll run into one problem.

I've never ridden the bus system here, but as others have mentioned, I hear it's not the most reliable. That said, I doubt you'll need to use it much, if at all, given your location - just buy a bike!

I have two friends who don't have cars and have been living like this for over a year now. They seem fine with it. They're big snowboarders so they either bum rides or, more often, take the Bachelor shuttle when they want to ride in the winter. During the summer they essentially never say no to people who want to take them up Cascade lakes or the like which puts them in a bind from time to time, but to them it's worth the cost saving and eco-friendliness (is that a thing - ha - you know what I mean)

[AGKleinberg]

Here's a useful link: Walk Score of old mill district bend oregon.

[Snownut]

Originally Posted by Pfhtex

So I have this nutty idea that I might want to challenge myself when I move to Bend next month and live without a car.

I will be working, and living near the Old Mill District.

Factoring in winter weather, what might I experience if my goal is to bike, walk, and take public transportation. How limited would I be, if at all?

I know that one of the great things about Bend is its proximity to places like Sunriver, etc., but I just have this romantic notion that it would be a great experience for me.

OK, let me have it......

Did you move to Bend? So are you living without a car?