Life is grand

The Petersons don’t drive. They haven’t since 1987. No one in the family has a driver’s license. At 17 and 20 years old, the Peterson kids have never been behind the wheel.

As the rest of the country frets over the highest gas prices in history, the Petersons carry on as usual, biking, walking and riding the bus wherever they need to go.

from A family of 4 — but no car.

For a few months I was without a car in Ireland. I cycled to work everyday* and walked to the shops. But not having the option of a car is tough. Something simple like going to the laundromat is a mission without a car. You have to plan your weeks a lot more carefully when what is a 5 minute pop-over in a car becomes a 30 minute cycle or walk.

Now that I have a car though I am working towards a balance. Trips that involve carrying a load require the car as do taking the girlfriend out for dinner or down to the beach. Otherwise the bicycle is brilliant. You skip traffic, get fit and feel good about doing your part for the world.

* In light of the article it is ironic that I have been slacking since I bought a car. I want to get back to cycling to work everyday.

Over the past few months I have been dependant on a bicycle for getting around. Through rain, mist, pot-holes, the cold and narrow country roads I have cycled to and from work. There have been a few hairy situations but all in all I enjoy the daily cycle and it is keeping me fit. What doesn’t work so well though is pretty much everything else. Shopping is a pain and I either end up walking for an hour laden down with groceries or I spend some money on a taxi. Popping around to a friend’s is a chore and any sights I want to see in the area have to be in cycling distance. Then there are those few days were I wake up and the last thing I feel like is a 10k cycle to work.

And so it is that last week I bought a car. A red 2005 Ford Fiesta with just 6000k on the clock. I bought it from Sheridan’s in Waterford for €14,200.

So far I am very pleased with it. It goes well, looks good, has all the mod-cons I could ask for and is in good condition. I made use of the sun-roof over this past long May weekend. The audio system is surprisingly good though I will be getting some 6×9s for the rear.

Irish roads are a bit insane. The further you get from large towns the crazier they get. A country road barely wide enough for one car has a speed limit of 80kph. The mad bit is that the Irish actually do 80kph.

Now that I have the car I’ll be able to see more of the country. I’ll get a bike-rack fitted which should make for some good cycling further afield over the weekends.