No, Really, I Don't Usually Drive!

[Dr. A]

As a civil engineer, I occasionally need to drive to a project site, as I did this morning. Whenever I'm walking to my car or at a gas station in the morning, I always feel like I should be looking over my shoulder to see if anyone I know is watching.

The whole time I'm thinking "No! I don't drive to work! Don't think I'm like you people, I'm not! You shouldn't be driving either, and it's not OK just because I did it this one time! I wish I were on my bike!"

It was even worse this morning when one of the employees where the project is rolled in on her bike and asked what I was doing there.

[schimt]

You seem too concerned about what other's think, unless you see yourself as a role model and people are actually going to drive less if they know you don't drive. Which i find tough to believe!

Most people here express the frustration of dealing with people giving them a hard time about being too frugal and not following the normal consumer lifestyle.

[Dr. A]

Well, I exaggerate for comedic effect.

It's more like, to me, driving to work is something that just "isn't done", and so it feels like I'm doing something bad when I have to. I imagine that I should have sneak around when I do it because it makes me chuckle.

Similarly, when I didn't own a car, I would to refer to that as my "status symbol", because it turned the idea of the traditional status symbols upside down, which amused me. That, and a dash of "It's funny because it's true! ".

[skunkfunk]

Do you get to keep a car at the office? I started biking in March, and I left my vehicle here for those unexpected site visits that sometimes pop up. I was told that this is not acceptable. They have also given me a hard time about anywhere that I try to park my bicycle.

[galaxie]

I think it's only a matter of time before it becomes fashionable to have one pant leg rolled up all the time.  People who drive will start doing it without knowing what it means.

[Eric]

The whole time I'm thinking "No! I don't drive to work! Don't think I'm like you people, I'm not! You shouldn't be driving either, and it's not OK just because I did it this one time! I wish I were on my bike!"

Ha!  I do that too.  Like if I feel sick and it's raining (a rare combo), then I make sure to let everyone else on the drive in know that this is a one time thing.  I think they really do care!

[happy]

Huh, colleague of mine started walking to work and all his patients thought he'd been done for DUI.

[Vilx-]

You know, this "no driving" thing is about you, not about others. What others think about you driving (or not driving) is pretty much irrelevant. If they ask, sure, explain it and tell them how nice it is, but otherwise, unless you want to evangelize bicycles, you don't need to feel good/bad about what others are thinking about your mode of transport.

And, of course, as you've noted, there are perfectly legitimate reasons for using a car. It's a miraculous invention of humankind, let's not deny it. The benefits it has given us are immense. It's just that, like any other tool, there are times when it is useful, and there are times, when it is not. Walking has its place, bicycles have their place and cars have their place (and various modes of public transportation as well, from taxis to airplanes). Use the right tool for the right job, and don't feel ashamed about it.

[NinetyFour]

I totally get what the OP is saying.  (And a couple of these responses are far too serious!)

Two days ago, I accepted a ride from a colleague so that I could get from work to a party in a reasonable amount of time.  I put my bike in the back of her car and she drove us.  She asked me, half jokingly, how it felt to be in a car--if it felt "kind of dirty".

I will be driving my vehicle today, for only the third time since March 22nd.  I'm going to visit a friend who lives 160 miles away, over three 10,000 foot mountain passes.  It would be quite a challenge on a bike.