I was surprised to find that the most challenging part of carless commuting wasn't selling my car and getting used to a new way of life, but getting outsiders on board.
I was pretty much sold after one glorious ferry ride across the San Francisco Bay. I now have dedicated reading time built into my day. It's incredible. I arrive to work and come home feeling happy and relaxed, rather than consumed with road rage.
And the views. Holy cow. I am treated to views that people travel across the world to see.
Convincing others that my new carless life was a good idea was an entirely different story. Colleagues were actually taking bets on how long I would last. Our custodian regularly asks me if I have a car yet, unable to believe that I don't by choice.
If getting people to believe that I enjoy commuting by train and ferry was hard, getting work to support me in my endeavor has been even more challenging. I am working with our school to incentivize green alternatives to driving. They encourage students to bike, walk, and carpool. I would like to extend this encouragement to the staff. There are great programs out there that financially incentivize public transportation. I am currently advocating for Commuter Checks: a fantastic program that pulls out money pre-taxed from paychecks to be used for alternative transportation. Another option, is the Bike Commuter Benefit, a program which rewards people for carbon free commuting. With so much red tape to get through when dealing with public education, this may be a process. But, I think we're getting there.
Can we also address for a minute how amazing San Fran Livin' is. Genius.
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