Sure, it’s nice to hear people say they are impressed, but that’s also a big part of the barrier of bicycling. People learn we commute, and we want to be like, “Yeah, I know. I DO ride far.” Maybe it’s because we want validation. But we shouldn’t be concerned with impressibility as much as accessibility. That’s what 4onaquarter.com seems to be about for me.

Now that we are up to three kids, living centrally is even better and easier with one car. My wife and I rode our bikes to Colibre for dinner Saturday night, and last night I was at the park last night watching my oldest son play soccer and flying my kite with my four year old. Life is good.

It’s a HUGE deal, especially for a family. I give big props to all of you who have chosen to be single car families. And especially those with long commutes. UCF is a hike from here… although, despite the distance it is much more enjoyable to drive it on a bike vs a car

BTW, my family is down to one car, and it is a big deal. It’s a huge cost savings and I am healthier and happier not having to spend 1+ hours a day in a steel cage.

@Kevin~ I think it’s wonderful you are in such a progressive area. That’s kind of the whole point of this challenge. I think it’s hard to make a case for those kind of changes when no one is riding, so we are trying to be a part of that movement. As Jesse puts it, “Portland wasn’t built in a day.” ;p Like LisaB, my round-trip commute is ~28 miles. With two kids, it definitely makes it challenging to get around. I encourage you to read this article to get a feel for “Sprawlando” (I *love* that, btw!!!): http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/03/orlando/allman-text.html. I especially like the part where he says, “But in Orlando people love their cars as much as they hate paying taxes.”

Anyways, I could ramble on forever about this, but I’ll try to save it for the blog. ;p

Kevin’s comment:
And when I present best practices to City Council or Committee meetings I sometimes get feedback along the lines of “This is not Copenhagen.”

My reaction is always the same. We are allowed to benchmark best practices from around the world to build a world-class city. Or we can ignore best practices and what everyone else is doing and wallow in mediocrity.

Once upon a time, not so long ago, Toronto was almost as car-crazy as Orlando is today. Just google “Spadina Expressway” to see the battles we fought.

We won those battles, and Orlando can too. To see where we’re at now, just take a look at:

http://www.ibiketo.ca/blog/2009/11/07/developers-losing-money-required-parking

An excerpt:

“More buildings in Toronto are being built with less car parking, and most are finding that they just don’t need it. The mainstream media highlighted a new condo [with] no car parking on the site of the Royal Canadian Military Institute.”

Personal note: As a veteran, I am a member of the RCMI.

THIS IS NOT TORONTO.

The Ross Family Challenge is a HUGE undertaking in this car-centric, rapidly-growing metropolis. Have you ever lived here? Have you experienced first-hand the range of challenges residents face using a bicycle for their primary mode of transportation? For some, like myself, sprawl means commutes of between 25-50 miles roundtrip. Add in all the other the time pressures of family, motorist behavior (starting with foreign tourists who don’t normally drive on the right side of the road!) and attitudes and you’d appreciate the Ross family’s endeavors.

I’ll follow the Ross Family journey with awe and admiration. I suspect others in the CommuteOrlando family will, too.