World Car Free Day: How Someone Smashed My Car & Changed My Life

It’s World Car Free Day, but is it truly possible in Philadelphia?

I remember the day I bought my first car. In May 2007, I proudly picked out a navy blue (in honor of my Alma Mater, Penn State) Nissan Sentra.

Obligation to four wheels

Although I’ve been writing Green Philly for seven years, I’ve always had full-time jobs in the suburbs. GPB began when I was working in Malvern and commuting to Northern Liberties. I was overjoyed when I simultaneously landed a higher-paying job that instantly cut my commute by 2+ hours/day.

As I worked in the mortgage industry, I found myself unhappy. The salary raise didn’t feel significant and lack of buy-in couldn’t move ideas forward. After my original boss left the company, new management came in… and left me out of any marketing plans. Despite my suggestions and requests, I was ignored.

This past February, I sat down with two of my managers. It was a world peace type about meeting expectations – which I was ironically thrilled about, because I could never get answers about strategy in the first place. The quote that left an impact from that day?

“Quite frankly, your job is in danger.”

But it started a conversation about my work environment, that I became miserable in. And how we could work together to change things for the better.

Two days later, I walked to my car to pick up a friend. To my dismay, someone (shocker – no note) had smashed my car on both the side and front. It had a ton of damage. Chatting with neighbors, I discovered the crash was approximately at 1 AM – prime time for a drunk driver.

The News

After I called Geico and dropped off my car at the repair shop, I discovered stunning news: my car wasn’t only in need of repair; it was totaled. After holding back tears due to this unforeseen scenario, I reflected on the situation. I had two choices:

1. Replace the car – so I could drive everyday to the job I hated. OR:
2. Take the insurance money and invest in myself – and my business.

I chose my business. And more importantly, I chose my happiness.

This wasn’t a totally irrational decision, mind you: I had prepared by taking a business essentials classes a few months earlier. I started to build my freelance clients on the side.

My parents kinda freaked out. My friends questioned if I was making a quick decision. There were others who doubted me. I decided to hustle harder than I’d worked before. Over the next couple of months, I continued to get my ducks in a row. I started marketing myself. And at the ‘day job’, I moved the needle (slightly) forward to make an impact while I could.

On April 23, 2015: I worked my last day in the corporate world. (One day after Earth Day!)

I’ll admit it: Working for yourself isn’t all roses. There are new challenges and expectations. There’s days I question my sanity and if I’m going to make this work in the long run.

But, I’m on the right path of where I want to be. I’ve worked with a variety of businesses in my short time out of the corporate world – most of whom have sustainable ties. Additionally, I recently took on a project working with a local nonprofit. Their mission helps improve our park system; the people are incredible, and I genuinely enjoy the work.

5 lessons about Going CarFree

So what lessons have I learned since I’ve been carfree for 6+ months?

1. It’s doable. One of the side effects from my totaled car was becoming a full time cyclist, pedestrian & Uber-user. Although I’ve secretly wished for a pair of wheels just to make getting from Point A to Point B easierm modern options between biking, SEPTA, Uber and Zipcar have made it easy. Renting a car isn’t as bad as I anticipated.

2.  No one type of transit user is perfect. For those who can’t stand bikers/pedestrians/crazy drivers: I’ve seen all sides of the carfree spectrum, and here’s the biggest truth: There are assholes biking, driving, walking and on public transit.

3. I don’t care about gas prices. Seriously, what are they right now? I have no idea. And I just refilled a rental car on Saturday.

4. Some skirts aren’t good for biking. I’ve officially torn a dress and realized one of my skirts was too short for biking. #whoops.

5. Pay attention to others, regardless of your transit method. My dad taught me to be a defensive driver. But you need to be a defensive biker/walker/driver regardless and always anticipate someone’s unexpected move.

I can vouch – going carfree in Philadelphia isn’t only doable, it’s a relief. No parking, no PPA tickets and no worrying about moving your car for the Pope.

Readers, what have you found from going carfree? Tell us in the comments.