Without a Car in the World

Diane Meyer — “Without a Car” slide show from Orion Magazine on Vimeo.

Beneath the surface of the highways, thoroughfares, and traffic jams of Los Angeles is a widespread community of car-free people getting around town -- free of the expensive and obligatory DMV visits, insurance bills, and trips to the gas station.

Diane Meyer, a professor of photography at Loyola Marymount University, wanted to put a face on this community. Having been car-less for six months, she became intrigued with others like her who were navigating through an area synonymous with being behind the wheel.

 

Backed by a grant, she spent a year schlepping what felt like 100 pounds of camera equipment onto buses, approaching riders, and collecting their stories. When she finished, she had dozens of portraits, 100 stories, and 1,000 pages of transcribed interviews. Entitled "Without a Car in the World," the 2009 photo exhibition proved that the car-free community in the City of Angels was as diverse as the city itself.

"People got rid of their cars for financial reasons, but they found that their lives had improved in a lot of ways," she tells me. "Some felt they didn't have a choice. They didn't have a license, or they were handicapped -- they were probably more pessimistic about not having a car. But they were open to me, too, because they got to talk about the city's transportation problems. People were very open with talking to me."

Meyer discovered that in the city, and most other places in the country, the car is a deeply-rooted status symbol.

"In a lot of these interviews, they talked about knowing people who lived in really tiny apartments or bad neighborhoods because they needed all this money for a fancy car," she says.

The cultural attachment with cars, and the fear of getting around without them, discourages a car-free life. "For some reason it just doesn't occur to people to take the bus. It just doesn't even enter the realm of possibilities," she says. But doing so "was easier than what I thought it would be."

Meyer's story of ditching the car began when she moved from Brooklyn in 2005. Assuming she would need a car in LA, she leased a Volkswagen Jetta. She vividly remembers the car salesperson pushing her to agree to the added features, which inflated the price tag.

"I had a full-time job, but I was paying $900 a month," in total car expenses, Meyer says. "I would come home from work and circle for 20 minutes looking for a parking spot in my neighborhood."

After retrieving a bike and partaking in a Critical Mass ride, she tried commuting by bike –- seven miles each way from Santa Monica to Westchester.

"Because I didn't deal with traffic and parking, it took about the same amount of time to bike than if I were to drive," she says. That's when she knew she could give up the car for good. "I figured if I could even rent a car 20 times a month, it'd be the same as if I were leasing (the Jetta). But in three years I've probably rented a car four or five times total."

Having a car "was really stressful and I realized I could use that money for other things," she says.

Pictures by Diane Meyer. Visit her website. Video slideshow via Orion.

-- Brian Foley

Comments

[Bernard Forand]

I gave up car expenses as well. Went to bicycling and public transport. A side benefit was to my health. It took me off a $250 a months prescriptions to zero. Stress levels evaporated. Appreciation of leisurely scheduling of my necessities and enjoyments followed. No car and no medical cost is huge savings. Now if I could get my local anti green officials to allow me to add an electric system to my bicycle. Florida.. Anti Green LOL. Who would of thought?

[Brian]

Thanks for sharing, Bernard. Here's a video of a guy who took up bike commuting, lost a bunch of pounds, got healthier, and inspired his friends and colleagues to do the same.

http://sierraclub.typepad.com/compass/2011/05/bike-commuters.html

[Andrea McCuistion]

I have given up cars also, however it began out of force because my car just broke down one day. I live in Olympia, WA and the public transit is great! I used to bike it everywhere but Oly has a high bike theft issue and my bike was one that got stolen. In short, because I am not wasting my money on a car with fixing it, gas and insurance I am able to travel more around and outside the country on vacations...kind of ironic!

[David Schaub]

I lived without a car in Kyiv, Ukraine for almost two years and found it to be liberating. Of course it's much easier to do that in Europe where public transportation is much better. Not sure I could do it in Arizona now.

[Asyong]

Geez.

[Ivo Beutler]

Reminds me of my Professor back in college! She'd rather ride a bike than buy a car. She's in Europe now, taking up her masters in Media Culture. I strongly agree that most people from the ghettos strive hard just to fulfill their fantasies, and one of those is having a fancy car. Life is not just about purchasing fancy cars or dreaming of riches. What we have to understand is that each and every one of us has a goal to achieve. We are humans, and our thirst for our passion is never-ending. I hope I was clear enough with my explanation. By the way, are you the one who took these photos? They're definitely dramatic. I hope you continue this.