That consciousness of how we use our cars is a huge, important step. I may need to use my car in a few weeks for some special trips, but I’ve pretty much ruled out using it for day-to-day use and for getting around town or any travel within 5-10 miles of downtown. I think we’re still on the right track even if we have to use the car for a trip or two here and there to visit friends, the Dunes, or other special destinations.

Awareness is key.

I certainly am even more conscious of my car use and this is a great beginning, no?

Here’s to keeping the streak alive.

It should be a future MyWHaT post, but the short of it for readers is that Julie is the new Executive Director of TART Trails. She replaces Bob Otwell, who now spends his time harassing bloggers, playing in the streets and examining the finer points of life.

Ashlea, I’d like to talk. There’s a story in this. If not now, when?

We’re new to Traverse City, but we’re a one car family ourselves with two kiddos under the age of 3. I think the one car won’t be as hard as you think. We’ve been single car family for 6 years now and have added a dog and two kids to the mix. I actually can’t imagine having 2 cars any more. I was told when I had a kid there’s no way we could stick to one car, but 3 years later and one more kid we’re still going strong. Good luck and have fun!

My wheels are still turning… and I’ve been second-guessing any trips I’ve taken in the car — good thing to do anyway, eh? Haven’t taken the plunge to no-car for a month. Will August be the month?!

If the routes and schedules work for you, there is BATA. I often used BATA even for short trips when the kids were little, say from F&M Park to State & Garfield, where we would walk the rest of the way to preschool. Don’t feel shy about hitching rides from friends, or even asking to borrow a car if you get in a real bind. The excess car capacity in this town is astounding.

And when all else fails, there is a taxi service. I remember reading an article, I think it was from Toronto, by someone who calculated that she would be better off financially selling her car even if she had to pay cab fare for every single trip. As one of our former car sharing members said, “a car is a huge depreciating asset.”

Here’s an NYTimes video story about a mom, her kids and going to school car-free, including a cameo by George Bliss of The Hub, who MyWHaT interviewed last week talking about glamor moms in “No Car Necessary“