This weekend is the annual Bike Month Kick-off at the Aeronaut (Sunday, April 28, from 1 to 6 p.m.). During the event, a panel at 3 p.m. will focus on the topic of how we, as a community, can reduce the number of cars on our streets. Have you ever wondered if you could live with one fewer car? If so, take a look at the advice in this column and attend next weekend’s event. Residents will share their thoughts on the benefits and challenges of car-free living.

If you don’t want to give up a car yourself, that’s OK, too. It’s not going to work for everyone. In that case, share this information with a neighbor who is interested (maybe the one who didn’t shovel out their car for a month after a blizzard). If your neighbor can go car-free or car-light, that means we’ll have one fewer car parked on our blocks or backed up on a detour route.

As lifelong car-free resident Karen Molloy put it, our cities may never become car-free. But “given how choked with traffic and fumes Somerville is, reducing car-dependence is a worthy goal to aim for."

Read on to learn more…

Lifelong or newly car-free

Some people have been car-free their whole lives, while others shifted to car-free living in more recent years or months.

For the lifelong car-free residents, some didn’t drive because they lived in a big city. Some avoided driving because of a physical limitation, a fear or a dislike of driving. Porter Square area resident Mary Person said that she’s lived in Somerville since graduating from college 40 years ago. “I never owned a car, or had a desire for one,” she said. “It quickly became a way of life.”

Others got a chance to try being car-free because the car they owned broke down. “Our 13-year-old mom-mobile died at the same time as our rental garage was slated for demolition,” said Christopher Ferry, who became car-free in January. “We couldn't really justify owning a car for the little we drove it.”

Roberta Bauer, who has been without a car for six years, had a similar story: “We had decided that when our 25-year-old car died, we would not replace it,” she said. “The tipping point was when it failed the annual safety inspection.”

For Bob LaPoint, car-free living started in 1994 when his car “was stolen from off my street.”

Some ditched driving to reduce stress or their household’s environmental impact. “It was a personal decision to make an impact and reduce my carbon footprint,” said car-free resident Katjana Ballantyne and City Council president “I knew it could be done for our family of four.”

Going car-free allowed Lena Webb to stop worrying about parking logistics: “I think the harrowing experience of my first snow emergency was the final nail in the coffin,” she said.

It’s not just parking that makes car ownership stressful. Diving itself can push people to the edge. “I realized that the cumulative effect of driving was to make me feel worse and worse,” said Bill Dearing, who has been car-free for almost 15 years. “Over time, I thought that driving was exposing me to the worst in people and making me a worse person because of it.”

Numerous benefits

Benefits of being car-free include getting to know neighbors better, experiencing stress less (on a good day), cutting expenses and exercising more.

“I love the processing and transitioning I do walking from place to place,” said Sarah Davila, who runs programs for English Language Learners and Family Partnerships for the Somerville Public Schools, and who grew up in Cambridge never wanting or needing to drive. “While I’m walking, I think, I do writing in my head, and I leave the last thing behind and look forward to the new thing.”

Dearing agreed, saying he finds driving boring and stressful at the same time: “This means that you’re both doing nothing most of the time while having to be fully attentive.”

Many people expressed a happiness with the freedom being car-free gave them. “We have so many options available to us,” said car-free resident Webb. “Commuter rail, bike, buses, the T, my own two legs - and I can and do use any combo of these modes that I please.”

Car-free resident, dad of two and City Engineer Brian Postlewaite also said that car-free life means freedom and fun. “We have the flexibility to traverse the city in various ways, going one-way only to return in another,” he said.

Car-free East Somerville residents Devon and Jesse Moos said that their proximity to Sullivan Station makes it easy and fun to get around. Their dog Indiana joins them.

Taking the time to explore the city by foot, bus or bike makes it easier to notice the details and interact with people. “You meet or observe all sorts of people,” said Person. “You see so much more of the world around you when you don't drive. You can discover all sorts of things at walking pace or gazing out a bus window.”

That can also connect you to more neighborhood people, places and businesses. “Your orientation is local,” said Ballantyne. “We shop and do more locally.”

An additional benefit is saving money and time, according to some. “We don't have to shovel snow, find parking, pay insurance or fix the car,” said Bauer. “There's actually a lot of tedious stuff that you need to do for a car that is noticeable when you don't have to do it.”

Another way it can help save money is “if you only buy what you can carry, there’s not much room for impulse buying,” said LaPoint.

New technology that makes car-free life easier

Some advances in recent years have made it easier for a household to drop one or more cars. Many people say the following technologies help: bus tracking applications (e.g. TransitApp), dynamic maps (e.g. Google), better bicycle infrastructure, car hailing services (e.g. Lyft and Uber), greater ease with getting items delivered (e.g. Amazon, Home Depot, grocery delivery), and car-sharing services (e.g. Zipcar). Mobile technology can turn a park bench or coffee shop into a mobile office while residents wait for a delayed bus.

Others have worked out their own strategies to handle car-free living, like using an old stroller, utility carts or bicycle trailer to carry the heavy stuff. Some arrange to borrow a neighbor’s car when needed. They coach their kids to learn to navigate the city at an early age. “We taught our daughter to walk everywhere from the time she was a toddler,” said Amanda Ferry. “She's comfortable getting around on her own by foot.”

But it’s also frustrating sometimes…

Car-free living is not all easy. Some of the hard parts include frustration with the MBTA, inaccessibility of some neighborhoods outside of the city and even within the city, and navigating the spotty bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, especially in bad weather.

“In Boston the hardest part has been traveling to the exurbs where the public transportation options very limited,” said Blake Willmarth. “In these cases I will carpool or rent a car.”

For Emily Gonzalez, “running more complex errands, in multiple places, is hard.”

Having work, stores and schools nearby or accessible by public transit makes it much easier to be car-free. Some neighborhoods, though, are short on amenities AND transit, in particular, parts of Winter Hill, Ten Hills and far West Somerville. Add in any mobility challenge, whether difficulty walking or the transport of children, and the situation gets even worse.

Infrequent or unreliable bus service is especially difficult in cold weather or when transporting children. “The MBTA is criminally underfunded and needs dramatic improvement,” said car-free resident Julia Toof.

Sometimes the transit options are so frustrating, people choose to stay home. As Person said, “Sometimes it can be very time-consuming to get somewhere…That can make traveling feel like drudgery and just not worth it.”

In general, it can be hard sometimes “just not having the general freedom to go where I want whenever,” said Gonzalez.

Finally, those who depend on bicycling and walking called for better cycling infrastructure. “People who want to become car-free can do so in an environment that they feel safe in,” said Willmarth.

“Navigating what streets are going to be safe and pleasant as pedestrians and cyclists carting a child, can be somewhat challenging,” said Catherine Mingoya.

No regrets about their choice

“In some ways it’s more challenging, though it doesn’t have to be,” said Dearing. “Still, I’m happier overall because of it.”

“I have never had a driver's license and, thus, never owned a car. For many this is unimaginable,” said Daniel Kimmel. “I'm 63. I've never doubted that I made the right decision for myself.”

Postlewaite said, “Many people don't realize that being car-free can be a liberating choice and not a trap.”

And finally, as Webb suggested – if you’re curious, give it a try: “It can be scary to give up what many consider ‘convenient’ about having a car at the ready. But stepping out of your comfort zone is an adventure, and one you just might like.”

Stephanie Hirsch is a Somerville resident.