#Modo Love Story

I joined Modo in spring 2003. At the time, my main transportation was transit. I biked sometimes & walked a lot too. I thought it might be handy to have a car sometimes, but had no desire to drop tens of thousands of dollars to buy a good one, or deal with a cheap but unreliable beater. Modo was a great solution!

Suddenly having access to a whole fleet of cars was pretty exciting, as I'd never owned one. I'd never  had my own vehicle waiting for me in my driveway 24/7, so the concept of making a booking online, then walking a few blocks to pick up a car wasn't a big deal for me. 17 years ago I wasn't thinking about reducing my carbon footprint as much as I do now, so I probably drove a bit more than I really needed to because it was such a novelty. Still, I rarely used the cars more than once a week.

Getting Hitched With Modo

In the fall of 2003, Oliver & I got married. We used a Modo car (our favourite one at the time: a little blue Volkswagen Beetle) to travel up to Squamish, where we hiked up to the Third Peak of the Stawamus Chief.

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To read the rest of the love story, head over here to Modo's website. 

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#CarFreeFamily 2019: How Much Does it Cost?

It's that time again... time to tot up what we spent on getting around in 2019. I decided to do a Twitter thread on this, so rather than reinventing the wheel, I'll borrow heavily from that & add in a little more context, since I've got a wee bit more space here.

This year's transportation costs include:

• Modo Car Co-op bookings
• Poparide trips for Oliver
• bike maintenance & parts for our fleet
• Mobi bike share memberships
• charging my Tern GSD e-cargobike

What I'm not including is:

• the Modo bookings made & paid for by my employer, HUB Cycling, for work as a cycling instructor
• transit trips made two & from my work, because this is also covered by HUB
• all the taxi rides I took because of my broken ankle, which were covered by Worksafe BC
• the cost of buying my Tern GSD

I suppose I could include depreciation for the bike or something, but honestly, I don't know how long I'm going to use this bike or what I'd get for it if I sold it, etc, so it's really hard to calculate. The Tern GSD S10 cost about $7900 with all the passenger & cargo accessories I got, extra accessories, extra locks, & $818 in taxes.

Carshare, Rideshare, & Bikeshare

Took a Modo car on a dark & rainy night to B's choir concert

We drove about as much as usual, 19 Modo Car Co-op bookings, a bit over 500km, but no rental cars, which is what we often use for out-of-town trips. Our Modo bills totalled $708 for the year. So MUCH less than owning one!

By the way, if you're interested in joining Modo, you can get a $50 driving credit if you sign up with the code SPOKESMAMA.

Oliver took a couple of rideshare trips to the Okanagan via Poparide, one of which straddled New Year's, so I've only included one way. These came out to $136.

Our Mobi memberships are also quite low cost--$20 each--because we qualify for their Community Pass program. More details on the Mobi site here.

Our Biking

Tern GSD on the Seawall 

I estimated that the cost to charge my Tern GSD e-bike was about $0.035 per KM, or $37 a year based on the past 5 months. I originally included $15 for this in the transportation costs. HOWEVER, I grossly overestimated this by multiplying the kWh by the time it takes to charge, which is wrong. So ignore what I tweeted, the total should be about six times less, or a bit over $6 a year.

2019 was a good year for bike maintenance too. We didn't have many flats or major issues with our bikes. Total: $559. Less than half 2018's total. Part of that may have been because the new Tern GSD hardly needed any work & it was my main ride for the last five months of the year.

However, we did buy a few things like studded tires for two more bikes, so that bumps it up by $140.

P.S. If you are looking for a good bike mechanic, take your ride in to Clint at Velo Star Cafe.

Transit 

Transit cost us a measly $102 for the four of us. Other than my work trips, which I mentioned above, we just don't take the bus, Skytrain, or Seabus that much.

Some conclusions

A lot of our savings come from living in an area that has everything we need within walking or biking distance, plus pretty great transit & bike infrastructure. We really don't need to drive for 90-something percent of our trips. I realize it ain't the same in most of the rest of North America, but it doesn't have to stay like this. Also, I recognize that many people can't afford to buy good e-cargo bikes like mine--I couldn't either, to be honest, until I got a settlement from ICBC after I got hit by a car in October of 2018. Here are a few things, let's call them action items, that I push for in my advocacy work:

• We need rebates for e-bikes & to exempt them from tax so more people can can & will buy them. They're expensive, but research shows they do replace car trips, which can only be a good thing for so many reasons!
• We need to expand frequent, fast transit & robust carsharing in other cities so more people have better choices than owning vehicles & driving all the time.
• We need to build a well-connected all ages & abilities cycling network in all our cities to make it safer & more enjoyable for more people including children to cycle for transportation.
• More employers need to incentivize transit & active travel to work like mine does!

The Total

Photo Credit: damiengabrielson.com Flickr via Compfight cc

Transportation-wise, 2019 was a bit of a weird year. Because of Oliver's new job & my broken ankle, we didn't go on any camping trips or travel anywhere as a family. 2018 was a more typical year, & we spent a bit over double this year's total, which you can read all about here if you're interested.

All right, now that I've made you read through my whole TED talk (drum roll please)... here is the total transportation costs for our family of four in 2019:

$1691

Now I know some people might include the cost of buying my Tern GSD e-bike, but even if I had included that, the total would still be less than the average annual car costs in BC!

Now, your turn! What were your transportation costs for 2019? Including travel, all car costs like parking, maintenance, insurance, etc. I'd love to hear about it in the comments below...

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#CarFreeFamily: How Much Does it Cost?

I love riding my bike & there are so many reasons why. I'm happier & healthier when I ride regularly. I feel more connected to my community & I've gotten to know my city so much better because of biking. But living in such an expensive city, the money we save from using our bikes as our main form of transportation is a big factor.

On Twitter recently, I came across this, which inspired me to open up a spreadsheet & tot up our transportation costs for the year too.

Transportation costs for #carfree family of 4 (all old enough to pay bus fare) in 2018- Bus fare, carshare, bike repair for 6 bikes (I don't do much maintenance or repair myself), parking and one new bike. In Ottawa, Canada where it is winter 18 months a year. $3375.

— bikeyknit (@BikeyKnit) January 8, 2019

After about an hour of logging into online banking, sifting through my email for Square receipts, checking each of our Compass card usage records, browsing Modo invoices, & calculating ferry fares, I came up with a good picture of our transportation costs for 2018.

Photo Credit: damiengabrielson.com Flickr via Compfight cc

Here's the summary for you:

Bike repairs, parts, & accessories: $1357
Modo car sharing: $1213
Car rental, insurance, gas: $400
New (used) bike for Linnaeus: $300
Ferries: $238
Poparide ride sharing: $207
Transit: $105

Total: $3820

This transportation includes the daily commutes to work & school (when I take transit or use carsharing to work it's paid for by my employer, so that isn't included in the above), all the errands & socializing, appointments, recreation, & whatever else we do around the city. It also includes three camping trips, three trips to the Okanagan to visit family, plus a road trip to Seattle & Portland during Spring break.

*Womp womp* flat tire #2 on the bakfiets

The bike repairs & parts total was higher than I expected, but this is for four different bikes, including paying to get flats fixed four times. I will sometimes fix my own flats, but it just isn't practical a lot of the time. When I'm on the road with the kids, I can't really keep them safe while concentrating on changing a flat. Our cargo bikes are a bit more complicated than a regular bike when it comes to flat fixes. With the bakfiets, we have a dynamo hub & disc brakes on the front, roller brakes & an internal gear hub on the back. If I can just pull the tube out & patch it, it wouldn't be too bad, but we usually need to replace the tube, which means half disassembling the bike.

We spent less than I thought we had on transit--this total represents an average of one round trip each per month. Our Modo bills are a little higher than previous years because used car sharing for two of the road trips, but we spent less on car rentals because of this. Overall, I think we spent less on car travel than previous years, & less than half what we spent per year than we did when we owned a car from 2006-2008.

It's hard to say exactly what our costs would be if we owned a vehicle. The average vehicle in BC costs $9,500 per year, according to CAA, but we tend to drive less than the average family. I used the CAA car cost calculator, assumed we owned something like the Honda Fit that we often drive from the Modo fleet. Looks like we'd be spending around $5000 annually in payments, gas, maintenance, insurance, parking, etc. However, owning one car wouldn't cover all our transportation needs. I assume we'd still make at least some trips by bike & transit, plus the occasional Modo booking to use larger vehicles or when we need a second car. My guess is we're saving $3000-4000 per year by not owning a car.

Have you ever sat down & calculated every cent of your transportation costs for the year? I highly recommend it--you may be surprised at what you find!

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Some Inspiration for Winter Biking

Our brief winter back in December

This winter in Vancouver wasn't as cold as last year, thankfully, so we only had to deal with snow & ice for a week or so.

But the rain.

OMG, the rain.

January was brutal for rain & I am glad to see February is slightly better. But there are definitely fewer cyclists out there on the roads & I get a lot more comments about how "heroic" or "hardcore" I am for riding every day in the rain.

The thing is, I don't really have a choice. We don't own a car & picking up a carshare vehicle for the school run would be a hassle, honestly. Plus, driving to get Linny to or from school actually takes longer than biking: while the trip takes ten minutes for either mode, finding parking around the school takes a few minutes longer in a car. Transit from where we live to where his school is means several blocks of walking on each end, or a bunch of transfers. Not worth it.

So on my bike I go, rain or shine, snow or sleet or hail. & it's okay--I haven't melted yet. & most days, I really enjoy it. Even on the worst days--with the exercise & fresh air & that feeling almost like flying--it's a net positive.

For those of you who have an easier way to get where you need to get--maybe you own a car, or the bus routes work better for you--here's a little more visual inspiration to go for it on two wheels. Check out this Flickr set of cyclists just getting where they need to go in wintry Montreal:

Velo d'Hiver, by Zvi Leve.

You'll see riders of all ages from toddlers in baby seats to seniors on trikes. Just ordinary people, just doing their thing. No big deal. :)

& if you're interested in even more intrepid winter biking, you should head over to visit Coldbike: Cycling With Kids, Sometimes in the Cold. Jim heads out on all kinds of adventures with fatbikes in the snowy wilderness. Definitely worth following Doug on Instagram too for a more regular dose of adventure.

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12 Holiday Events to Bike To in Vancouver

Santa Claus Parade 2016 "box seats"

The holiday season is fast approaching & I've been making a list, checking it twice... of things to do with the kids. I try to focus on the fun activities & family time when our family celebrates Christmas, & not so much on the gifts. They're also at the age where they're really into Christmas & both still believe in the magic, but I know (le sigh) that won't last for much longer. So I'm determined to make the most of the magic this year & take advantage of the many holiday events right here in our backyard.

The kids love thecarousel at the Vancouver Christmas Market

While I was compiling a list of activities that we want to go to or have gone to in the past, I thought I'd share it with you too. Since we mainly get around by bike, I have kept this list to places that are within Vancouver city limits, generally less than a 30-minute ride from home for us. Most of these locations also feature rockstar parking for cyclists--there are generally racks right by the front entrance so you don't have to pay for car parking or dodge SUVs in the parking lot as you walk to the event with your small children in tow! Bonus: more than half the events in my list are free to attend!

One of the homes along Trinity Street several years ago

1. Scuba Claus at Vancouver Aquarium The aquarium is fun any time of the year, but it's even more exciting during the holidays. Spot Scuba Claus in with the fish & catch an interactive version of the holiday classic, Rudolph, in the 4D theatre. Stanley Park is easy to get to via the seawall & several of the bikeways through downtown.
2. VanDusen Festival of Lights  get your VanDusen tickets online here to save money & skip the lineup. Bike up Heather or take the 37th Avenue bikeway.
3. Bright Nights Christmas Train is on for the 20th year, raising money for the Firefighters Burn Fund. If you don't necessarily want to pay & line up to ride the train, you can always just wander around the lights display with some hot roasted chestnuts or popcorn from the vendors there.
4. Bike the Lights! There are quite a few neighbourhoods in the city that vie for the title of best decorated during the holiday season. Keep an eye out on your travels & plan a route near home that takes you through the twinkling lights. Or check out Family Fun Canada's fairly exhaustive list of locations that have good lights displays. PS: though the Trinity Street Lights Festival officially ended, the neighbourhood still goes all out with their lights & decoration displays. 
5. Visiting Santa at Oakridge I love looking back at every year's Santa photo & it was something I grew up doing, so we've continued the tradition with our kids. Photo package details & pricing are here. The absolute best Santa is the one at Oakridge Mall. Besides the fact that he's a family friend, he ranks on the lists of best Santas every year from many other families in the city. Oakridge also offers Quiet Days with Santa, a more sensory-friendly event for kids who may get overwhelmed by all the lights & noise.
6. Vancouver Christmas Market Taste a little bit of Germany, right in the heart of downtown Vancouver, in Jack Poole Plaza. The market has been part of our holiday tradition since its inception--eight years now, I believe. It's easy to bike to along the protected lanes downtown & there are usually racks available at a nearby building. Stay tuned: I'll be writing a more complete review of this year's market soon!
7. Vancouver Christmas Tree Lighting December 1st, come out for the hot chocolate, treats, live music, & activities. The event is also a fundraiser for the Vancouver International Children's Festival--so it's a great chance to support another amazing family-friendly event. 
8. Christmas at Canada Place Woodwards is long gone, but the holiday window displays live on, inside the halls of Canada Place! It's nostalgic good fun & it's free.
9. Holiday Heights at Bloedel Conservatory is a fun newish event. The view is fantastic from the ferris wheel there & you can warm up inside the tropical paradise of the dome afterward. It's a bit of a hill to bike up, but if the roads aren't slippery, it's doable.
10. Robson Square Ice Skating is free, skate rentals are $4. In contrast to my childhood, where I swear I spent several hours a week on ice skates, my children have barely skated. I play to remedy that downtown at Robson Square this year.
11. Lumiere Festival at Jim Deva Plaza is a relatively new event in one of Vancouver's newest public plazas. Besides the gorgeous light installations, there are performances during the week that it's open--December 2-9 only. Looking forward to seeing this one for the first time!
12. Candy Town is happening in Yaletown, as always, on the 25th of November. This year we don't have any conflicting events, so we might actually make it to see the event.



Linny meeting Scuba Claus in 2012

13. Santa Claus Parade is back for another year, Sunday, December 3 in downtown Vancouver. Bring non-perishable, nutritious food donations to the parade for the Vancouver Food Bank & Telus will help your gift go further by giving $1 for each item, up to $20,000.

Are there any other fun events in the City of Vancouver that I've missed? Let us know in the comments!

Also: if you're interested in biking with us & other local families to some of these events, join the Vancouver Family Biking Facebook Group--we may post some organized group rides there or you can let people know you're heading out & informally meet up along the way. Nothing more fun than a little "bike parade" of families riding!

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I'm on the Family Pedals Podcast!

A while ago, I was contacted by Sarah of Family Pedals to do an interview for her regular active transportation themed podcast. She lives in Bloomington, Indiana with her family & they get around by bike like we do. We have a lot in common & though we've never met in person, Sarah was really easy to talk to.

Sarah & I talked about how biking & carsharing works for our family here in Vancouver, as well as the work I do in promoting cycling for kids, families, & adults. If you'd like to listen, the interview is here: Active Transportation Advocacy with Lisa Corriveau.

Are you a car-free or car-lite family? If you're interested in being a part of the Family Pedals podcast, drop Sarah a line at kopper (dot) sarah (at) gmail (dot) com.

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