Man chooses bus over car ownership, survives
BATA's Empire Connector hitting the city limits. The route serves a growing number of city workers choosing to ride instead of drive. (photo: Gary L Howe)
Since starting this BLOG, I’ve talked to several people who have gone car-less or as a household have gone down to owning one car. It’s possible. They all discover so many options even without a car-share company in town.
Still, most of those people live in or near Traverse City.
Michigan Land Use Institute‘s staffer Jim Lively and his family are proving that people living in the outlying areas can do it as well. He parked his personal car , left it behind and got on the bus.
He now takes the BATA Empire Village Connector for his daily commute to MLUI’s downtown offices. As he explains in a recent BLOG post:
I live 22 miles from my office in Traverse City, where I need to be most every day. I have two girls still at home—both several years from driving age—who are very involved in a variety of after-school activities. And my wife works a couple of part-time jobs in Traverse City. That’s pretty much the profile of a two-car family.
But it’s working just fine. In fact, now that I’ve been successfully commuting for nine months without a car, I’m starting to brag about it.
Brag away Jim. You can read the entire piece, including the hidden benefits, at: I’m Out of the Car-Commuter Game
Makes me wonder:
Could the city capture some-form of a city income-tax to fund a BATA boom?
Could this alleviate the perceived need for another $10 million parking deck?
As always. Just asking. Waiting for answers.
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A summary of the results of the recently completed BATA Survey are viewable at www.batasurvey.com
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i use the bus! (mainly because I haven’t passed my driving test)
But seriously, buses are the new cars! They’re cheap, sociable and you don’t have to park it yourself! I think we should come up with a chic bus company that plays music, has more sociable seating arrangements and gives you todays edition of the new yorker on the seats!
Don’t you think that would be great?!
lovess
Luna
xxx
check out my blog!
http://www.urbanoptimist.wordpress.com
too bad they don’t have busses in the mountains… wah.
This blog is awesome! I would have expected this to be in CA or FL or TX or a sun-belt state, but it’s great to see you’re in Michigan. Nicely done!
A few months ago we had a couple come in to Living Light Massage Center (downtown T.C. where I work); they rode the BATA bus all the way in from Northport. They wanted to “give it a try.” The result was a “great experience and very relaxing,” according to the 8 months pregnant wife.
–What a nice way to get back home after a massage treatment:)
Good to see someone using the bus over a car!!! Having a car isn’t everything! I don’t drive either, but my reason is because I was run over and I have some PTSD thing. Still way to go!!!
Love your spirit. Mine was beaten down by a very poor pub transit sys. Roll on!
http://GoodWitchBadWitch.com
Thanks for the comments. Jim isn’t the only rural transit commuter in the region, but it is one of the few. Talked to him yesterday and he is going to keep telling the story. The perception remains that it can’t be done conveniently. One unmentioned convenience: hitting happy-hour at the local local micro-brewery and still be able to catch the bus home.
And, Andrew–were not a sunshine state, for sure, but there is large percent of us here who want change…choices…