The Car Swappers
Switching journeys from car to bike doesn’t just save money, it changes lives and places. We spoke to a handful of converts
Switching journeys from car to bike doesn’t just save money, it changes lives and places. We spoke to a handful of converts
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What prompted you to change?
About nine years ago I had to sell my car for financial reasons. On the day I sold it, I cried. I grew up in Texas where car was king — you absolutely had to have a car, there was no public transport and no choice.
When I moved to London that was my headspace. I lived in Zone 2 and I would drive the 15-minute walk to the tube station, then spend 10 minutes driving around looking for a parking space.
What were you most worried about?
I had all the fears — how will I do my shopping, how will I get around? But more than that I felt like I was losing a part of my identity, losing status. Eight years later, I laugh looking back at myself.
What journeys have you switched?
Everything. When I need a car I’ll hire a Zipcar, I use the e-bikes a lot too, Lime and Dott and all that. And I walk. The slower-paced journeys mean I’m discovering so much more of my neighbourhood.
It was such an eyeopener for me. When I was in a car I didn’t notice things.
The need for carers to drive is an argument I hear made often by the driving lobby.
But I’m a carer for an elderly friend of mine out in Tooting. I cycle down to see him and it takes 20 minutes, zipping past all the cars. When I take him to appointments, I hire a car, I get an Uber, I get a taxi.
“We’ve been sold this idea that driving is essential, that the car is freedom — look at any car commercial, driving down empty city centre streets — and it’s just not true.”
How has your wider week changed?
I’ve set up and run the Wandsworth Bridge Road Association, liaising with the council and community about making our area better. Even when I formed the association I was very ‘anti’ Low Traffic Neighbourhoods.
I knew nothing about induced demand or the science behind traffic. But now our association has planted our flag and we want to deprioritise cars; we’ve got a new 20mph speed limit, we’ve got an e-cargobike hire scheme, we’ve run three full-street closure events. I’m really proud of how far we’ve come.
What are you most enjoying about being car-free?
I have a slipped disc from around the same time I gave up my car, due to all the stress. All the physical movement I now do helps keep me pain-free.
What’s the financial impact?
I did a very methodical calculation and I reckoned I saved roughly £2,000 a year by getting rid of the car. And I don’t take £2,000 worth of Ubers so it’s definitely saving money.
What prompted you to change?
The £2,000 ULEZ scrappage scheme. My car was ancient. Every year with the MOT there was something that needed fixing and when I put the registration plate into webuyanycar.com it was so old they weren’t interested.
So if someone was going to give me two grand for scrapping it, that seemed like a good deal. I went for £1,600 cash, plus a free annual bus and tram pass.
What journeys have you switched?
I used to drive 250 miles a year so I wasn’t using it a lot anyway. The main journey was driving to the swimming pool because it’s at the top of a hill. So now I plan my swimming sessions around the tram strikes.
What were you most worried about?
I worried about my parents who live in Oxfordshire. My dad’s 90 next month: what if I need to go at short notice or to ferry them around? But it’s fine. The rest of family live nearby, so there’s plenty of help available.
What are you most enjoying about being car-free?
Not having to worry about parking. We’ve got 19 parking spaces in our cul-de-sac and it’s often full, and I still check out of habit to see if I can park, but of course now it doesn’t matter!
More broadly, I have been an amputee for 30 years and realised early on that cycling is great as it’s non-weight bearing exercise. I avoid walking as much as possible, but cycling gives me mobility.
That’s partly what led me to London Cycling Campaign, where I’ve done part-time bookkeeping for more than 10 years, and I’m also a regular volunteer with Wheels for Wellbeing.
What’s the financial impact?
All the general costs that come with fume-belchers: MOTs, insurance, vehicle tax. The £2,000 from the ULEZ scrappage. And I’ve stopped having to pay attention to petrol prices — what do I care now?
What prompted you to change?
The Cycle Sisters ‘Switch Your Journey’ initiative — it’s a campaign this summer asking us to try switching one of our normal journeys to cycling. Switching is a process and unless we get a push like that our family wouldn’t want to try out something new.
What journeys have you switched?
I switched my school pick-up and drop-off from car to bike, and now I ride to and from school with my daughter. Before this I would take the car to go to my daughter’s school, even though it’s less than one mile.
I didn’t actually think I would switch, but Minha’s eight, she already had a bike and she did some cycling last summer.
I told her she’d have to get her bike out. The first day she was excited, she came along and we started just like that. Since then we take our bikes together and go to the school, and we’re always early!
What were you most worried about?
The routes. When I ride with Cycle Sisters we’ll find a quieter, slower route, but there have been times this month I’ve needed to go direct and it’s just not safe enough.
How has your wider week changed as a result?
I hope this change is for good. It’s just a few weeks left until school closure and I hope I shall continue cycling and drive less, including for the monthly family food shop, but all those things that are near like getting milk and the school run I can do with the bike.
What are you most enjoying about being car-free?
Particularly I like some more mum & daughter time: Minha enjoys cycling along with me.
And my husband is enjoying me not constantly asking: “Oh, will you go do the school run?” He’s really happy that he’s also not having to drive her, so he gets some time back in his day.
What’s the financial impact?
I don’t see the cost of the petrol, my husband is the one who takes care of putting the petrol in the car. But he seems happy!
What prompted you to change?
It wasn’t by choice! Before I joined Man Maid all my previous handyman jobs were driving jobs. But it became so stressful. The same route might take one hour or four hours, depending on the traffic.
The driving rather than the work became the hardest aspect of it.
What journeys have you switched?
When I started at Man Maid, they used trikes for all their handyman jobs around west London. I was a bit unsure of the whole concept, to be honest with you.
But I’ve taken to it, it’s brilliant and now I’m not sure why people don’t use trikes more. They fit an ideal range where you’re carrying a fair amount, but not a tremendous amount.
What were you most worried about?
The handling. I’m old school: I grew up cycling in London when it wasn’t fashionable – Raleigh Choppers, racing bikes. But I’d never ridden a trike and I was a bit sceptical if it would actually take the weight.
But they handle fine. The effort it takes to cycle them is minimal and you’ve got the electric assist uphill as well.
How has your wider week changed as a result?
Although a van is quicker on paper, you have to give at least 15-30 mins leeway — you can’t ever really predict the traffic. Whereas on the bike, if you’re running five minutes late you cycle faster!
You can keep to allotted times and you’re not at the whim of the traffic, so it makes timings with customers a lot easier.
“Although a van is quicker on paper, you have to give at least 15-30 mins leeway — you can’t ever really predict the traffic. Whereas on the bike, if you’re running five minutes late you cycle faster!”
What are you most enjoying about being car-free?
Less pressure. You’ve got the wind in your hair and you’re cycling along. It’s just great.
What’s the financial impact?
Going back to a van now wouldn’t be financially viable. Because of ULEZ, you can’t just pick up an old van so it’s at least £20,000 for a larger-type model, whereas a cargotrike is about £6,000. Then the van’s £1,500 a year to insure.
Plus if you go electric you need a charging point, whereas with a cargobike you just carry the batteries upstairs.
And with a van you’ve got to park it. I like the electric vans but I don’t think it’s a practical answer to a lot of the issues, whereas a trike is.
Tony works for Man Maid, a bespoke handyman service in west London who travel to and from all their jobs by trike (man-maid.co.uk).
What prompted you to change?
We were thinking about moving out of London and wanted more access to the countryside. A couple of years ago my partner passed her driving test and bought a car to share with her brother.
At the same time I was struggling with our two boys and my singlespeed bike. Seven months after buying an e-cargobike my only regret is not doing it sooner.
What journeys have you switched?
Holidays, and journeys to and from school. Walking takes about 30 minutes. Now the round-trip takes less than 10 minutes with them both on the bike, so it’s saves a lot of time and stress.
What were you most worried about?
Getting it in the lift at the station. There’s a real patchwork quilt of services when it comes to integrating the cargobike with train journeys. But after careful prep we have managed to take it with the boys on a trip to Suffolk.
How has your wider week changed?
It gives me more time; after school drop-off I can get a swim in. I feel we’ve now got more quality time as a family.
What are you most enjoying about being car-free?
People’s reactions! I’m about 5ft4in and the bike with two kids on is quite big. I’ve lost count of the number of conversations it’s started. People say things like: “Who needs a car?”. Or “Love it!”, or “I think it’s brilliant.” And I’ve even been filmed by a Russian woman while waiting outside the hairdressers!
It’s great to have these positive engagements with people while I’m out and about — I’m just a woman in my 50s riding around in normal clothes and I feel like I’m an ambassador.
What prompted you to change?
We had a company car in the Netherlands, and then we moved back to the UK and carried on doing everything by bicycle and public transport. The car was just standing around, so I gave it back. Now the driveway is empty.
Living in Zone 6 in Bromley this is very unusual: most families have two or even three cars. Our children going to university was the final push. We just didn’t need it.
What journeys have you switched?
Everything. I find it much more pleasant to cycle in central London than round here in Bromley, but I won’t be deterred.
There’s a local music centre maybe two miles from my home, and I’m the only one from our choir of nearly 80 people who turns up by bicycle. Everybody else drives.
They complain about lack of parking, but don’t think that they could do it differently. I feel like an activist every day just by getting on my bike. It’s shocking.
What were you most worried about?
Having to cycle everywhere because there is no alternative has taught me that the British weather is not actually as bad as its reputation. I have rarely gotten completely soaked.
How has your wider week changed?
People round here wonder how I can manage without a car. Well, quite well, actually! We’ll take the train and walk.
I’ll take the bike on the train and cycle to my final destination: it’s much nicer than sitting on the tube. I work from home a lot of the time anyway.
For shopping I’ve got big panniers so I can carry fairly heavy loads, and of course I get supermarket delivery. Yes there’s the odd taxi journey, but that’s within reach because we don’t have the monthly outgoings from the car.
What’s the financial impact?
What we save on car expenditure we spend on nice holidays now. Because of our lower outgoings we splashed out on the holiday of a lifetime — we went to Indonesia, diving in the Raja Ampat islands, and a cultural tour in Sulawesi.
It was a really big adventure and the most spectacular holiday imaginable.
This article was originally published in London Cyclist autumn 2024, London Cycling Campaign’s exclusive member’s magazine. Join as a member today for quarterly copies of London Cyclist delivered to your door, free legal advice, discounts in independent bike shops across London, and much more…
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