Willing to give up your wheels?

“When I saw it drive away, I thought there goes my umbilical cord to life,” says Geraldine De Braune. The 46-year-old career woman opted to get rid of her car last fall and while she knew it was the best decision to make, still wondered how it would go. From managing grocery shopping to attending social functions, the then-single De Braune was taking the plunge into an uncertain world of being vehicle-free.

“There were a number of reasons,” she says about her initial decision to break free from four wheels. Primarily De Braune was taking on her first condo in Osborne Village. “I knew I couldn’t afford a car and live where I wanted to live.”

Cars mean possible payments, insurance, gas and maintenance, plus parking fees if you live in a condo. Realizing she lived close to her work—De Braune is manager of sponsorship development with The Forks North Partnership Development Corporation—and in a central area, getting rid of her car made sense. She would save hundreds each month and had the encouragement of a few friends and colleagues who had done the same thing.

One year later, De Braune is utterly happy with her decision. “I can’t imagine owning a car again.” She manages to get around just fine on her own two feet or with the odd ride from friends, family or a city bus. She’s taken a cab a few times but tries not to, pointing out that the cost kind of defeats the purpose. Her method of paying back friends for rides is by treating them or sharing the cost of gas. Being car-less has surprise benefits too. De Braune and her father get more quality time when they ride out to the country to visit De Braune’s brother. “It’s a good chance for us to catch up.”

She’s been amazed at how generous friends and family have been, even lending her vehicles for a weekend. De Braune has also sharpened her organizational skills. She has to ensure time to walk to work and plans how to most efficiently run errands. “I’ll do things on route,” she says. She’ll also cart around different shoes for work and walking, and in winter has to don the cold-weather gear. “I’ve been searching for a nice, down-filled coat that’s not industrial looking,” she laughs.

This is the area De Braune never really thought about before giving up her car—how it would affect her wardrobe. Getting to work in winter she has to deal with long johns, ski pants and a parka. She also owns more flat shoes than ever before. “I have four umbrellas,” she says when talking about this year's rainy summer. She’ll also think twice about what she buys and often her decision is based on her ability to transport the item. She’s paid more attention to buying locally now than before and often shops in Osborne Village or the Exchange District.

De Braune has also honed her hostess skills since giving up her car. “Historically, I’m not known for entertaining people at home.” But, she’s found herself having people over for dinner or get-togethers more often.

Not having a car hasn’t drastically affected De Braune’s social life. She’s on the board of directors for the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra and takes in many arts shows and performances during the year. There’s the odd time De Braune will opt to stay close to home than travel to a farther-away event, or when being car-less was a bit of a nuisance such as during home renovations earlier this year, but overall she’s seen mostly benefits.

She looks forwards to her walks to and from work, often taking the River Walk to The Forks and has turned down rides home in favour of the peaceful stroll. De Braune laughs when explaining about people trying to “save” her from taking the bus. “They’ll say ‘oh you shouldn’t have to take the bus.’” She doesn’t mind the bus but says she’s definitely noticed a lack of professionals taking transit than what she remembers from when she was younger.

From here on in De Braune is pretty pleased. If Winnipeg ever developed a car share, De Braune would definitely partake. “Sometimes you only need a car for a few hours.” She’s pondered purchasing a Vespa, but isn’t in a rush. De Braune admits that being in a relationship with a car owner (something that happened during the course of her experiment) does have its benefits but either way she’s confident about the decision. What started as a one-year experiment for De Braune has now become a lifestyle. A lifestyle she’s definitely happy with. 

 

 

Photograph by Ruth Bonneville