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Can one live car-free in Houston?


editor

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Maybe I should refine my question --

What are the BEST places in Houston to live if one doesn't have a car. I'd like to hear specifics. "Oakwood Estates" is a far more useful answer than "Midtown."

If you do not want to live in Downtown or Midtown...

Metropolis on W. Gray

Renoir on W. Dallas

Gotham on S. Shepherd

River Oaks Place on McDuffie

River Oaks Manor on W. Clay

All of these are within a block or two of River Oaks Shopping Center, providing groceries, restaurants and shops nearby. They are also on the METRO 35, which runs from the Galleria to Downtown and on W. Gray.

Four Leaf Towers on San Felipe

River Oaks Townhomes on San Felipe

The Four Leaf is in Uptown, so near all the shopping and on the 35. I don't like it though, because it is not near a grocery store (that I am aware of)

River Oaks is on the 35 and equidistant from W. Gray and Uptown, so near everything on the 35, but not necessarily walking distance to anything.

Red. Do you own a car?

Do you have a 10 year old with a broken arm?

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Oh man, you got me.

How do you use your car, Red? As an advocate for the "Live only where you can commute to work, Don't visit anywhere you can't get to by transit, never travel outside the loop" Lifestyle... Why do you own a car?

If you are suggesting to Editor that he can easily live in Houston without a car, yet you own a car, shouldn't you be listing the exceptions? Shouldn't you be disclosing to Editor why you wish you could practice what you preach, why while you're a transit man and wish you could live without a car, you choose not to ??

Why do you own a car?

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Not playing your BS games... You do own one.

What is the point of asking him if he has a car?

The only direction I see you going with this is an Ad Hominem Tu Quoque logical fallacy.

http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/ad-hominem-tu-quoque.html

Ex:

Peter: "Based on the arguments I have presented, it is evident that it is morally wrong to use animals for food or clothing."

Bill: "But you are wearing a leather jacket and you have a roast beef sandwich in your hand! How can you say that using animals for food and clothing is wrong!"

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What is the point of asking him if he has a car?

To get to Why he owns a car.

He isn't being honest with Editor. If Red has the desire to live car-free, yet doesnt or can't... Then obviously there are exceptions, realities, etc that he is failing to mention to Editor.

Editor's topic is "Can one live car-free in Houston?"

The two main people who say Yes are You and Red.

You actually are successful in living car-free. Red is not.

You have every right to tell Editor How you do it. Red does not since he can't.

Seems the person who wants to live car-free, but chooses not to or can't, would be the perfect person to explain the realities of Houston car-free living to editor... Red is choosing to not relay those realities however.

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Before I jump into the fray, let me state that I do own a car. Which I drive. Not daily, however.

I am familiar with/have used the bus/train/bicycle to do grocery shopping, run errands, go to work.

I knew a car-free couple who lived in the Medical Center. In UT graduate housing. They biked or took the shuttle in to the medical center for work. They biked to the grocery store. They rented a car for a weekend for trips out of town/Ikea runs/major Galleria excursions. I don't know how they got the wife to the hospital when she had a major intestinal problem, but I'm pretty sure they called an ambulance. She was fine.

If I had to live car-free, I'd probably be able to do it in my current neighborhood (Woodland Heights). I can easily walk to three bus lines, there is a grocery store close by, and enough restaurants and coffee shops within walking/biking distance to keep me amused. Despite the dire warnings that Metro does not post the bus schedules on the bus stop signs, it is pretty easy to print out the schedules you need, or view their website via Blackberry or iPhone and get the info you require. Metro also has its routes available to Google Transit, so those show up on Google Maps now.

Things I would give up by going car-free? My leisure time activities such as my hockey league. I could get to Memorial City on the bus, but it doesn't run late enough for me to participate in the adult leagues late in the evenings. Also, I doubt I could continue to go out to the NW to ride horses every week like I do now. Visiting friends outside the loop? I could catch a ride or call a cab. If the weather wasn't too awful, I'd bike it.

The heat I can deal with, but the torrential downpours are probably the worst for outside-the-car transit options.

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To get to Why he owns a car.

He isn't being honest with Editor. If Red has the desire to live car-free, yet doesnt or can't... Then obviously there are exceptions, realities, etc that he is failing to mention to Editor.

Editor's topic is "Can one live car-free in Houston?"

The two main people who say Yes are You and Red.

You actually are successful in living car-free. Red is not.

You have every right to tell Editor How you do it. Red does not since he can't.

Seems the person who wants to live car-free, but chooses not to or can't, would be the perfect person to explain the realities of Houston car-free living to editor... Red is choosing to not relay those realities however.

OK, I concede that I am wholly unqualified to respond to this post, because I own a car that I drive on average 10 miles per week, outside of work commutes. I will ask that all of my posts be deleted and only those who are qualified to respond, by virtue of not owning a car, post on this topic.

By the way, 6, I missed your expertise in this matter? Do you own a car? Do you live inside the loop? Do you take the bus? How's your 10 year old's arm? That must have been terrible getting him medical care, unless of course, you had a car, which would render you unfit to post on this thread.

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OK, I concede that I am wholly unqualified to respond to this post, because I own a car that I drive on average 10 miles per week, outside of work commutes. I will ask that all of my posts be deleted and only those who are qualified to respond, by virtue of not owning a car, post on this topic.

By the way, 6, I missed your expertise in this matter? Do you own a car? Do you live inside the loop? Do you take the bus? How's your 10 year old's arm? That must have been terrible getting him medical care, unless of course, you had a car, which would render you unfit to post on this thread.

Don't be overly dramatic. You are the Most qualified to answer Editor's concerns.

Editor wants to live car-free.

You want to live car-free. You own a car.

As someone who is a transit nut and desperately wants to live car-free... but can't... You are in the perfect position to feed Editor the facts of life.

As for my situation, I must have missed the part in Editor's original post where he said "Car-free people need only reply". This thread isn't only for those that live without a car, so the fact that I do own a car does not matter. I'm not the one advocating for a car-free lifestyle yet not living the dream, like you.

Editor wants to know if it can be done... only getting the opinion of those that successfully manage to live car-free would deprive him of the knowledge, perspective, and opinions of those that maybe want to, but can't. Perhaps the one big exception in your life Red, as to why you can't live car-free why you want to, is 100% applicable to Editor and a reason he has not thought of yet.

Crunch probably wants to live car-free... She has to tote a gym bag instead.. She chooses not to live car-free. See. That is perfect advice. That is advice to Editor from someone who wants to live car-free, but can't. She is giving Editor one new morsel to chew on as to why he might not be able to do what he wants and live car-free in Houston.

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How's your 10 year old's arm?

Oh look.. From page 15 in RedScare's Manual for Oppression of Dissenting Opinion. "Pretend other's examples aren't examples, but specific to the matter at hand, and Poo-poo all over them"

Guess what Red.. 10 yr old.. wife... doesnt matter. Editor has a family. So me coming up with an example dealing with possible family emergency without a car is 100% applicable.

Didn't know Red or editor had a 10 yr old.

HeY Red Jr. Ricco... This must have been the page you copied from... Go Write your own Manual.

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Don't be overly dramatic. You are the Most qualified to answer Editor's concerns.

Editor wants to live car-free.

You want to live car-free. You own a car.

As someone who is a transit nut and desperately wants to live car-free... but can't... You are in the perfect position to feed Editor the facts of life.

As for my situation, I must have missed the part in Editor's original post where he said "Car-free people need only reply". This thread isn't only for those that live without a car, so the fact that I do own a car does not matter. I'm not the one advocating for a car-free lifestyle yet not living the dream, like you.

Editor wants to know if it can be done... only getting the opinion of those that successfully manage to live car-free would deprive him of the knowledge, perspective, and opinions of those that maybe want to, but can't. Perhaps the one big exception in your life Red, as to why you can't live car-free why you want to, is 100% applicable to Editor and a reason he has not thought of yet.

Crunch probably wants to live car-free... She has to tote a gym bag instead.. She chooses not to live car-free. See. That is perfect advice. That is advice to Editor from someone who wants to live car-free, but can't. She is giving Editor one new morsel to chew on as to why he might not be able to do what he wants and live car-free in Houston.

Perhaps you missed it then. I posted in post #2. Number 4 on my list was to pay attention to transit options when looking at places to live. In my own circumstance, I used to take the bus downtown. My transit options worked. Because I now work in the suburbs, I cannot take transit of any kind, as it does not exist there. My decision to take that job is why I must have a car.

BTW, I wouldn't get rid of my paid off car, even if I chose to live car-free. It is too easy to keep it. However, editor does not want to buy one. That part of our situations is much different.

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Let's all play nice, folks.

I have a good friend who lives in Montrose, car-free. He doesn't have much money because he's on disability. He has a tiny apartment and a bicycle that I gave him which he uses for short trips. He is very familiar with the bus schedule and how to find information about it. He rarely buys anything he can't carry. When he does need a ride, he asks me or another friend. He is very sensitive about seeming to impose with his ride requests.

The biggest and most compelling reason that he is car-free, even more than the money, is that he never learned to drive. Since I work at a university, I see this fairly frequently among incoming students (especially non-Texans) also. I think it is fair to say that a driver's license and car insurance are going to be necessary if any kind of car or truck rental is part of the car-free strategy.

There are indeed cities in which having a car seems to be more trouble than it is worth. The borough of Manhattan comes to mind. I haven't spent enough time in Chicago to know where it fits in.

It sure seems to me that it is very difficult to justify going car-free from any kind of cost vs. convenience standpoint in Houston. Probably more so than any other large US city except maybe LA.

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Yeah guys, the bickering is even wearing me out..!

It might be helpful to ask folks who are car-free because they have to be, not because they choose to be. Like marmer, I know of someone in a similar situation - never has owned a car, hasn't driven in years (or ever? I can't remember), and wouldn't be able to financially support one anyhow.

As far as I know, he lives in Montrose and uses his feet and Metro to get where he needs to be. Like kylejack mentioned before, there are ways to haul things from the grocery store and alternatives to taking home your own Ikea furniture...

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Didn't know Red or editor had a 10 yr old.

As far as renting a car, I'm refering to extended trips or whem the schedules are overly packed.

My suspicion is that his emergency plans will have to change. Chicago and NYC offer abundant taxis and no wait, just as convenient as owning your own car. Houston does not.

Hey Ricco... Don't Turn into Red Jr by coming up with every loophole and exception. Come up with your own BS opinion put-down tactic. I don't give a crap if Editor doesnt have a kid. The topic is "Can ONE live car-free in Houston" ...... Not "Can I editor, and only editor, live car-free in Houston".

I'm merely bringing up YOUR 10 yr old BS explanation on the perils of not having a car. As in any emergency, if you can't adjust for your situation, you and your hypothetical 10 yr old are doomed.

HeY Red Jr. Ricco... This must have been the page you copied from... Go Write your own Manual.

And yet you bring this up 20 posts after I originally brought it up?

I don't know what your issue is, but I don't pretend to be a "Red Jr."

It IS possible to live in Houston without a car, plenty of people do it all the time without making a major whining production in it.

Oh yeah, keep it on topic.

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As a for instance, I live one block from the 40 line, and it passes both a Kroger AND a Target. Both are one mile away.

I assume you are talking about the Sawyer Target.. It's 2 miles from 11th and Heights.. By car... but a minor error.

Your choices...

a) walk to Studemont and take the 66 down to Target (19 min trip)

b ) take the 40 to Studemont and transfer to the 66 (19 min trip assuming minimal waiting)

c) take the 40 to Houston and Spring and walk the 3/4 miles to Target ( 22 mins )

d) hop in your car and take 5 mins.

Thats so cool that you live so close to the 40 and can take it to the Target a mile away. How lucky for you since you want to live car-free.... Unfortunately, you intentionally left out that the Target isn't also just a block away from the 40. You failed to mention that you either have to transfer/wait or walk 3/4 miles. I'm guessing since you own a car, you actually just do option D. But hey... way to leave out pertinent information and exaggerate while advocating for a car-free lifestyle.

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I do notice you have a tendency to have to repeat yourself a few times.

It's akin to simply listening to yourself speak. But I'm going off topic on that.

Ed, are you more apt to move into a High Rise or a particular neighborhood? Considering this is your site, I figure you would piece together quite a bit of what we have talked about in the past.

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I assume you are talking about the Sawyer Target.. It's 2 miles from 11th and Heights.. By car... but a minor error.

Your choices...

a) walk to Studemont and take the 66 down to Target (19 min trip)

b ) take the 40 to Studemont and transfer to the 66 (19 min trip assuming minimal waiting)

c) take the 40 to Houston and Spring and walk the 3/4 miles to Target ( 22 mins )

d) hop in your car and take 5 mins.

Thats so cool that you live so close to the 40 and can take it to the Target a mile away. How lucky for you since you want to live car-free.... Unfortunately, you intentionally left out that the Target isn't also just a block away from the 40. You failed to mention that you either have to transfer/wait or walk 3/4 miles. I'm guessing since you own a car, you actually just do option D. But hey... way to leave out pertinent information and exaggerate while advocating for a car-free lifestyle.

1.5 miles by bicycle, just about 5 minutes depending on how fast you can pedal. 5 minutes @ 18 MPH, 7 minutes at 13 MPH. On a road bike its relatively easy for me to do 20 MPH. Plus you get to ride a bike which is a reward unto itself. ;)

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1.5 miles by bicycle, just about 5 minutes depending on how fast you can pedal. 5 minutes @ 18 MPH, 7 minutes at 13 MPH. On a road bike its relatively easy for me to do 20 MPH. Plus you get to ride a bike which is a reward unto itself. ;)

I agree with all of that. In fact, its almost undoubtedly faster than car since you can take the biketrail and avoid lights. ..... However, that doesn't help Red's wayward claim that he can ride the 40 to the Target a mile away.

I do notice you have a tendency to have to repeat yourself a few times.

I agree with all of that. In fact, its almost undoubtedly faster than car since you can take the biketrail and avoid lights. ..... However, that doesn't help Red's wayward claim that he can ride the 40 to the Target a mile away.

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I assume you are talking about the Sawyer Target.. It's 2 miles from 11th and Heights.. By car... but a minor error.

Your choices...

a) walk to Studemont and take the 66 down to Target (19 min trip)

b ) take the 40 to Studemont and transfer to the 66 (19 min trip assuming minimal waiting)

c) take the 40 to Houston and Spring and walk the 3/4 miles to Target ( 22 mins )

d) hop in your car and take 5 mins.

Thats so cool that you live so close to the 40 and can take it to the Target a mile away. How lucky for you since you want to live car-free.... Unfortunately, you intentionally left out that the Target isn't also just a block away from the 40. You failed to mention that you either have to transfer/wait or walk 3/4 miles. I'm guessing since you own a car, you actually just do option D. But hey... way to leave out pertinent information and exaggerate while advocating for a car-free lifestyle.

I don't live at 11th and Heights...but a minor error. To be exact, I am 1.2 miles from Kroger, and 1.6 miles from Target. You're right about the 40. Rather than walk a block to the 40, I'd rather walk 2 blocks to the 66, which drops me right in front of Target. The 40 is still good for Kroger, though.

My choices...

a) Take the 66 (9 minute trip)

B) Take the new bike trail straight to Target (6 minute trip

c) Take the care (6 minute trip)

Because the bike lane is a straight diagonal with no lights, chances are I could get there faster than a car. I may time it tomorrow.

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To be exact, I am 1.2 miles from Kroger, and 1.6 miles from Target. You're right about the 40. Rather than walk a block to the 40, I'd rather walk 2 blocks to the 66, which drops me right in front of Target. The 40 is still good for Kroger, though.

Cool. See, ya didn't need to exaggerate in the first place after all.

Because the bike lane is a straight diagonal with no lights, chances are I could get there faster than a car. I may time it tomorrow.

Don't knock yourself out on my account.. I agree that biking would be optimal, timewise. Carrying any amount of bags or boxes though on the way back ...ehhhhh not so fun.

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I think east Montrose is a good bet. You've got major bus routes on Westheimer, W. Alabama and Richmond. Plus, there are 2 to 3 rail stations within walking distance. You've got Disco Kroger, Midtown Randalls, along with Fiesta and Sears. Oh, and don't let me forget two Specs, Walgreen's, endless restaurants and bars.

I had a roommate from Chicago 25+ years ago and we lived in Montrose Commons. He was able to get by without a car way back then, because he didn't have wheels.

I moved back into the same general area a year ago. I have a car and will always have a car, but it's nice to know that if said car is in the shop I can take a 14 minute walk to the rail station and head downtown. I've yet to go shopping on my bicycle, but that's in the plan. There are tons of people walking throughout the neighbor daily with their purchases.

One more thing - you better be ready to go if you call a cab. I'm serious, they are usually there within a minute or two.

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Yes, well when your 10 yr old break his arm jumping on the bed... you go call up enterprise and wait an hour, Editor can call a cab and wait 30 mins, Red can go waste $1000 and 15 -20 mins on an ambulance, Lucky Redline resident can walk his crying son 1/4 mile and still wait 10 minutes for the train.... Me, I'll thank my lucky stars I own a car.

I get your logic, its one of common sense. I have no doubt that between the two of them (Editor and his wife) they will probably own some sort of vehicle if they moved here. Its inevitable. I think Editor's just trying to find the most pedestrian friendly neighborhood in the city, where a car would not be needed on a daily basis.

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they will probably own some sort of vehicle if they moved here. Its inevitable. I think Editor's just trying to find the most pedestrian friendly neighborhood in the city, where a car would not be needed on a daily basis.

Oh, I hope that's not all he wanted... I'd hate to think all our sparring today was for naught.

But I'm glad to see another check in the "need a car" column.

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I agree with all of that. In fact, its almost undoubtedly faster than car since you can take the biketrail and avoid lights. ..... However, that doesn't help Red's wayward claim that he can ride the 40 to the Target a mile away.

I agree with all of that. In fact, its almost undoubtedly faster than car since you can take the biketrail and avoid lights. ..... However, that doesn't help Red's wayward claim that he can ride the 40 to the Target a mile away.

What Chicago needs is a Texas redneck to jump in here to help answer the question. I've driven pickup trucks all my life, own horses, and live in the country, so I can't relate with not having a personal vehicle. However, I can tell you that in our company ( @ 450 employees ), a large number of them live, and work 24/7 schedules all over Houston with no car, and don't want one. They ride every mode of transportation, know the schedules, can recite them from memory, and though they don't know each other, they help others on a daily basis. For mostly all of them, it is a generational fact of life, taught to them by their family members and their friends. They are truly resilient people, hard workers, and good folks. They pay a price for this life style: Sick as everyone else on the bus passes germs, and coughs, they get robbed, shot, and raped, minor assaults, and bloody noses are pretty common. They fight the wind, and rain, cold, and heat. They grew up this way, and they will be that way all their lives. Most of them are content, however I would guard against using the word, "happy". Finally, without a personal vehicle in the Houston - Galveston metro area, your chances of landing a career position are ( I would say ) impossible. "Jobs" are plentiful, and more flexible. "Careers" are too demanding. You don't have to believe me, go to any Houston Businessmen's Luncheon, and ask how many of them are hiring career employees who do not have reliable transportation. With, or without a car you can adjust your lifestyle to fit most any large city - either way takes careful planning. Best of luck Chicago - come on down!

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  • 3 years later...

West Midtown, between bagby and lousiana, pierce elevated and mcgowen, though pricey, is probably the most walkable area of the city. You have access to numerous buses (53, 81, 82, 66, 3, and the southwest corridor p&r buses), the rail, and you could walk to downtown if you felt like it even. Randall's is walkable distance, but you could take a bus to Phoenecia or HEB or train to Fiesta. Also the area is full of restaurants, bars, clubs, etc. Bagby is probably the most walkable street in the city at this point.

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I've given this some thought in the past, mostly as a what-if since there's no way I'd ever convince my wife to take the bus much less convince her to let me drag my children onto one, but it's also possible in certain places outside the betlway.  In my hood out near Dairy Ashford and Westheimer we've got West Houston Med Center, numerious attached doctor's offices, Walmart, HEB, two Targets, two Krogers, a Randall's (plus another a mile or two down Westheimer), Fiesta, the original Phoenicia, Home Depot, Lowes, Best Buy, restaurants and bars too numerous to name, plus assorted retail and West Oaks Mall (for what it's worth).  All this is on or near the Westheimer bus route which runs pretty frequently and late into the night (except for the Krogers which are on Briar Forest at Dairy Ashford and Eldridge).  All of it I can and do bike to on a regular basis.  If you wanted to, and didn't have an onerous commute via bus to deal with, you could live quite well anywhere within a few blocks of Westheimer from the loop all the way out to Highway 6.  I would imagine there are some other suburban corridors of similar car-free livability around town, though you have to be a little pickier than you do inside the loop.

 

Frankly, if I had to live car-free, one of the  things I'd look for is a Walmart within walking or biking distance.

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