We had just finished a long meeting when the chairperson David invited us all to lunch. The seven of us went to a pub, ordered some drinks and got to know each other.
‘How’s inner city life?’ David asked.
‘Really good,’ I said. ‘I’m really enjoying being able to ride the Melbourne Bikes to work.’ I explained to the others on the table, ‘We moved into our new flat a few months ago.’
‘Does your husband ride to work as well?’ Theo asked.
‘Yes. He has his own bike and goes in the opposite direction.’
Theo held his hand up to stop me. ‘Do either of you have a car?’
‘No. No, we don’t have a car.’ I said.
‘Wait, wait… You don’t have a car? You walk and ride everywhere?’
‘Yes…’ I wasn’t sure where he was going. Theo looked a bit shocked.
‘You’re doing it!’ Theo said. ‘You’re doing that thing we all talk about but don’t actually believe! Living the life! Not having a car. Working near home!’
‘I don’t have a car either,’ Andrew piped in. ‘We sold it last month. I ride to work from Northcote. It’s faster than the car and public transport.’
Theo looked at us both in awe.
i cycle to everywhere in London as much as I can help it (sometimes even when it’s showering) because it’s faster and cheaper. In KL, I drive to everywhere even if it’s just a few hundred metres. That’s because the roads back home are not made for walking and they are very dangerous.
I was in KL last year and was trying to cross two freeways to get to the national museum from the main part of the city. It was bloody scary! There were actually pedestrian bridges over the freeway but no footpaths to the bridges.