Zipcar is in the middle of their Low-Car Diet event right now. It's purpose is to raise awareness of how easy it can be to use cars less. I've always wished I could sign up but I don't own a car. I've never owned a car. I do not plan on ever owning a car (well, maybe, someday, I'll get a MINI). Public transit is my primary mode of vehicular transportation and I walk everywhere else. Occasionally, I'll reserve a Zipcar if I'm travelling somewhere with limited transit options. I was living the No-Car lifestyle long before Zipcar arrived.
Today, I filled out a survey for Zipcar. I believe they were partnering with Portland's Department of Transportation to discover how Zipcar has affected people's transit and personal vehicle use. I'm always happy to fill out a survey that could help increase the transit options in Portland. As decent as Portland's transit system is, it could be so much better.
However, today, I found some of the questions to be flawed. For example, one question asked if I had sold my car because of Zipcar. I was only given the option to agree or disagree. Since I didn't have a car to begin with, I started to disagree with that statement, but that didn't feel right and I didn't want to skew the results in the negative. Instead, I skewed the results in the positive by agreeing that Zipcar had enabled me to sell my nonexistent car. Similar questions asked if I walked more because of Zipcar, if I biked more because of Zipcar, if I rode the bus more because of Zipcar. I "agreed" with all of them but the truth of the matter is, I've always walked, biked and ridden the bus to get where I need. Zipcar did nothing to change that aspect of my life. If anything, I've driven more because of Zipcar. I've gone from No-Car to Low-Car.
Zipcar has certainly made my life easier but I still rely heavily on other modes of transportation. My life is planned around public transit; I won't live somewhere without good transit options. My daily commute on the bus is a generally relaxing time, during which I knit like mad. I am also contemplating taking part in the Bike Commuter Challenge this year, although that would mean a significant decrease in knitting time. And, due to monetary restraints, I've decided to bus instead of Zip this weekend to a birthday party in Oregon City.
So, Zipcar, I love you and you have changed my life marginally but I'll continue on my personal Low-Car Diet without you this weekend.
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