Ginny and Laura Brooke: “Car-Liberated”

Ginny and Laura Brooke

When Ginny and Laura Brooke moved to Montpelier a few years ago, they had two old cars that were falling apart. They’d been discussing the possibility of downsizing to just one car in an effort to reduce their carbon footprint (as well as to reduce the amount of money they’d been spending on repairs), only to have one of the cars abruptly die. 

“Okay,” thought Ginny, “I guess we’re down to a one-car household!” 

Given the condition of the remaining car, they began discussing whether or not they would replace it in the event that it also bit the dust. Just a few months after the first car quit, the second car followed suit, launching Laura and Ginny into the journey of being a car-free household. In the words of Laura, “The cars kind of decided for us!”

Where the money goes

One of the main reasons that Ginny and Laura chose not to replace their cars after they died was because of how much money they’d been pouring into them. In addition to the frustration of the extensive money needed to maintain the cars, there was the added discomfort of knowing that every time they filled up their gas tanks, they were supporting the fossil fuel industry. Choosing to forgo car ownership simultaneously freed up their finances for more fun and rewarding purchases while also cutting off that steady stream of revenue to an industry that profits enormously off of environmental harm. 

Walking and rolling

Ginny and Laura use a mixture of walking, bicycling, and public transit to get their everyday travel needs met. Laura usually walks to her work at the Sustainable Montpelier Coalition, which is less than a mile from their home. Ginny typically rides her bicycle along Montpelier’s mixed-use Siboinebi Path to and from her work at a daycare center each day. When the weather isn’t well suited for cycling, Ginny takes advantage of Green Mountain Transit’s new MyRideprogram, an on-demand public transit option that offers flexible-schedule, flexible-route bus service in Montpelier. Laura worked with the group that helped implement the MyRide program, which replaced several pre-existing bus routes in Montpelier in an effort to increase efficiency and make public transit more convenient for people to use. Riders can simply schedule a ride to their desired destination through the MyRide app rather than organizing their day around an existing bus schedule and designated bus stops. 

For longer trips, Ginny and Laura have gotten inventive with their transportation choices, utilizing a mixture of buses and trains. For their honeymoon, the couple took a train from Montpelier’s Amtrak station down to Savannah, GA, for a bicycling and camping trip. They were able to bring their bicycles with them on the train and embark upon their cycling adventure once they arrived in Savannah. 

Laura and Ginny on their honeymoon bicycle trip in Savannah, GA

 The joy of the journey

Ginny and Laura have also found ways to turn the journey itself into a fun and exciting experience rather than simply a means of reaching a destination. “We've gotten an Airbnb in East Montpelier for a weekend before and just biked out there and spent the weekend there,” explained Ginny. 

Another instance of deriving joy from the journey was on Ginny and Laura’s wedding day; they had a friend who owned a PEBL, a micro-car eBike, who lent it to them as a fun way to make the trip from their ceremony to their reception. The newlyweds had a great time pedaling to the reception together and got some delightfully unique wedding photos.

Ginny and Laura on the way to their reception in the PEBL

Planning ahead

Laura and Ginny realized quickly after the cars left them that they needed to have more prep time and had to give more thought to factors like their energy levels and the time of day when it came to getting tasks done. For instance, grocery shopping on a Monday night after a long day of work was suddenly not such a casual decision, given the energy that’s required to pedal a grocery-laden bicycle and the inconvenience of riding in the dark.

The first six months of being car-free were the most challenging for Laura and Ginny because they simply weren’t used to it. As time passed, though, they became more accustomed to planning ahead and navigating the world comfortably without a car. “Once we started to think more about our time and be more intentional about it,” Laura explained, “It felt pretty good.” Even tasks like getting their pets to the veterinarian became doable (and even fun!) once they figured out a system. When their cat or either of their two bunnies is in need of a checkup, they get secured comfortably into a little trailer that attaches to the back of a bicycle, and their appointment is just a bike ride away.

Short-term stress, long-term relief 

Laura and Ginny acknowledge that there is some stress that comes with not owning a car. In emergency situations where they need access to a vehicle right away, it’s frustrating to have to consult a list of friends who have said they’re willing to lend their cars to them instead of being able to just step outside and have their own car right there. 

That said, the acute stress of not having a vehicle available at any given time seems to be outweighed for Ginny and Laura by not having to deal with the constant, low-grade stress that comes with owning a vehicle. Ginny and Laura’s afternoons are not spent shoveling snow out of the driveway, scheduling oil changes, or driving to the auto-parts store to purchase new windshield wipers. 

Montpelier’s Amtrak station

“Car-liberated”

Laura and one of her car-less coworkers from the Sustainable Montpelier Coalition refer to themselves as “car-liberated” rather than merely “car-free,” because the phrase more accurately reflects the sensation of being liberated from the burden of car ownership. Being car-liberated is less about the absence of a vehicle and more about the presence of a wide-ranging variety of positive experiences that come from living a life that doesn’t require regular car-use.

One of the improvements to quality of life that Ginny and Laura experience is the sense of peace that comes from not worrying about a car. As Ginny explained, “I remember when we used to have the car parked on the street, because we live in an apartment, and every time a car alarm went off, I was like, ‘is it our car?!?’ And I just don’t think about it anymore.”

In addition to a reduction in worry, Laura says, not having a car has actually made them more social. Whereas in the past, the two of them could just climb into a car and drive somewhere to go hiking whenever they felt like it, now, they’ll reach out to a friend or two to get a carpool going and turn the hike into more of a social event. Laura and Ginny are also fortunate enough to have a supportive network of local friends who keep the couple and their car-free situation in mind and regularly reach out to invite them along if they’re going on an outing.

A privilege

Laura sums up their situation well when she says, “It’s a privilege to have a car, and it’s a privilege to not have a car.” There are benefits and costs to either choice, but Ginny and Laura are happy with the decision that they made. When asked about anything they’d like to say to someone who’s considering going car-free, Ginny replies, “I always tell people, like 80% of the time, I love not having a car.” She adds that there are challenges that come with transitioning to being car-free, and both passion and creativity is needed to navigate those challenges. While Ginny and Laura’s experiences and solutions are unique to them, it’s encouraging to learn about a couple who channeled their passion and creativity into forging a satisfying life without a car in a car-centric society. 

All photos by Amelia Sherman.