Can you live like a human being without a car? (Boston: to live in, prices)

[AugustSpies]

Im an American and have lived in London for the past three years or so. I want to move back to the US, but I dont want to get a car (cant really afford it, its a hassle, etc).

Im thinking of Boston as the place to go. I worked there in the past but I lived in Rhode Island (had a car then). Some co-workers of mine were recent immigrants and they didnt drive.

Obviously, they got around on public transportion. But is it any good? Are there many non-poor/non-recent immigrant people who do this?

[eevee]

I grew up in Boston w/o a car and, no, I didn't live like an animal! and on top of that, I'm a US citizen! (yes, people other than the poor and immigrants use the T)

given the bad traffic (which has gotten better w/ the Big Dig pretty much done), limited parking, narrow, confusing streets, and now, high gas prices, you'll find lots of people use the T to get around. I don't even have a driver's license since I've always relied on the T and didn't want to deal w/ the hassle of driving.

the T is fine, not uber reliable, but an inexpensive way to get around. some lines and buses are more reliable than others, but overall, the system is great. there are some locations in Boston though w/ limited T access.

cabs are plentiful in the area (I was always a fan of the "gypsy cabs" despite the risk. are they still around in Boston? they don't have them here in Chicago) and zipcars come in handy for large shopping trips (I'll likely get my license just to use this program). Boston is compact enough that you can bike or even walk to many areas.. if you choose your apt carefully, you can be w/in quick walking/biking distance of everything you need

w/ gas prices as high as they are now, the T is a real bargain. even when you add in the cost of car sharing services like zipcar, you'll likely be saving money

[HurrMark]

Yes. Most of Boston, Cambridge, and Somerville are definitely doable without a car, as well as parts of Brookline (hell, even Quincy near the 'T' can be manageable). The only thing is that some parts of the area don't have the greatest of public transportation, so you want to make sure that there is no need to venture into those areas before you make your decision.

[AugustSpies]

Yeah, thanks for the information eevee and Mark. Seems doable. And I dont want to live in New York or Chicago so Boston is probably the best remaining option in this regard.

[xS☺B☺s]

Originally Posted by AugustSpies

Yeah, thanks for the information eevee and Mark. Seems doable. And I dont want to live in New York or Chicago so Boston is probably the best remaining option in this regard.

I think you live MORE like a human being without a car, and in Boston, it's definitely doable.

If you commute an hour in/out 5 days a week, that means, you spend 10 hours per week couped up in an automobile. In 2.5 weeks, you've spent a day. In a year, you've spent 20 days. 10 years = 200 days, and over a 30 year career, we're talking 2 years.

Maybe it's more convenient to just do the whole two year sentence consecutively. It's probably safer.

Getting out of the four wheeled prison is one of the best gifts any human being can give to him/herself.

[Mark8251981]

Originally Posted by AugustSpies

Im an American and have lived in London for the past three years or so. I want to move back to the US, but I dont want to get a car (cant really afford it, its a hassle, etc).

Im thinking of Boston as the place to go. I worked there in the past but I lived in Rhode Island (had a car then). Some co-workers of mine were recent immigrants and they didnt drive.

Obviously, they got around on public transportion. But is it any good? Are there many non-poor/non-recent immigrant people who do this?

If you ride the MBTA, yes you will sit next to a lot of immigrants, but also a lot of white middle class folks, the MBTA is excellent, usually on time, the fares have gone up over the last couple years to $1.50, I live in Belmont and communte into cambridge to work and even with the high cost of gas like to drive because of the obvious comforts, if you live in downtown boston or cambridge you will not need a car but if you live in the suburbs you will

[smarty]

Originally Posted by AugustSpies

Are there many non-poor/non-recent immigrant people who do this?

Only poor people (regardless recent/non-recent immigrant/nonimmigrant) takes public transportations. If one can affort a $50K car, $5/gal gas, $3/day toll and $400/mo parking... why would he or she wants to take public transportation? Oh yes, there are green people!

[eevee]

Originally Posted by smarty

Only poor people (regardless recent/non-recent immigrant/nonimmigrant) takes public transportations. If one can affort a $50K car, $5/gal gas, $3/day toll and $400/mo parking... why would he or she wants to take public transportation? Oh yes, there are green people!

ah yes, we must pity the "poor" folks from Newton and Brookline that take the green line into Boston. we must especially pity the "poor" folks taking the commuter rail in from Wellesley and Weston (those poor, poor people )

[smarty]

Here's some data regarding commuter rail/station ridership on typical weekday over the years.

http://www.bostonmpo.org/bostonmpo/resources/CMS/CRBoardingsFeb05.pdf (broken link)

http://www.bostonmpo.org/bostonmpo/resources/CMS/CRBoardings-2005.pdf (broken link)

[DCguy03]

Commuter Rail is great, because you can get work done or read on the train...as opposed to driving which is 100% wasted time.

I used to ride in from Concord a few summers ago and it is much much better than going on the deathly-slow crawl of 128. That traffic is so bad it seems like cars are going to start going backwards on this highway during rush hour!