Colleen Newvine Tebeau of the Associated Press writes about her experience moving from the car culture of Michigan to the walk and subway culture of the Big Apple, and adapting to not having a car. Among her tips: Grocery shop for fewer items more often, wear appropriate clothing and footwear, and learn to multi-task.
Montreal, like New York City, is a great place to be vehicle-free. Getting rid of the car is greener, cheaper, healthier and less stressful overall. Of course, there are some drawbacks, most notably our much harsher winters, but it can still be done.
For Montrealers looking to eschew the car in favour of the old BMW (bus, metro, walk) methods, I’ll add the following pointers:
- Consider car-sharing. CommunAuto is a great option for urban dwellers who only occasionally need a car for things like road trips, suburban excursions, or Ikea shopping trips. CommunAuto has cars available in convenient parking lots all over the city, and for a small fee and a bit of advance planning, you can take advantage of the conveniences for a fraction of the price and headaches.
- Learn the underground routes. For a good part of the winter, when the weather is less-than-pleasant, learning the maze of the Underground City is a great way to make your walks more pleasant… and even get some shopping done on the way. The STM site provides a helpful map of the underground networks around downtown.
- Invest in good winter boots. In the winter, nothing matters more than having the right boots. They should be high enough to protect your clothing from slush and snowbanks, give you enough traction to navigate icy sidewalks, and be comfortable enough to walk distances, all while keeping you warm. The right pair of boots can be worn daily, so it’s worth spending a bit extra. I like La Canadienne boots a lot.
- Get a backpack. A small backpack is more practical than a purse or a shoulder bag for walking around a lot. You can also carry home purchases and groceries more easily, and reduce waste by cutting back on plastic bags. For when you want to be a bit more stylish, stash the purse inside the backpack, and change it over at the same time as you’re changing your shoes.
- Discover specialty shops. Forget the big supermarkets; the best fruits, veggies, meat and condiments can be found local neighbourhood specialty stores. Shopping at smaller stores means you’ll buy less at each stop, making it easier to transport home on foot. And the quality is much higher, too. One of my favourite spots for food splurges is La Vieille Europe. The markets – Atwater and Jean-Talon – are great options, too.
- Have a Plan B. Giving up your car means giving up some freedom and some control. With service outages, strikes and general stoppages, the metro and the bus can sometimes be horribly inconvenient. Have a usual route and an alternate route to get where you need to be, just in case you’re left stranded.
There is a lot that the city could do to improve the quality of public transportation, and to make walking and cycling easier options. But that’s the subject of another post altogether.