The automobile represents privacy, personal security, and the freedom to go where you want, when you want. It's a central part of our North American society. But with an increasing conscience of environmental issues, many families are deciding to park the car to help the planet and pad their wallets at the same time.

The Halsted-Pelletier family phased out their van over three years. At first, Annette, the mother of Xavier, 12, and Jennifer, 16, cut down on commuting by riding the bus from her Gorge home to downtown, where she works. The kids car-pooled or took the bus to school. Then, the family set a gas budget -- $20 per week. When it was used up, the family wouldn't drive. Soon, the family was only driving on weekends. Then they went a winter without the car and sold it in January. They get around by cycling, skateboarding, riding the bus and car pooling.

Vic West residents John Zimmermann and his wife, Corinna, took a cold turkey approach to going car-free four years ago. The Zimmermann family bought a car when expecting their first child, Jake, now 15, and kept using it when Adrian, now 12, was born. When the time came to buy out their car lease or go car- free, they went car-free.

"We thought about it from an environmental perspective, and a financial one," says John, who commutes by bike from his home to downtown. "We figured, let's give it a shot, even though it's easy to zoom around in a car when you have a busy schedule."

The typical family vehicle produces slightly more than five tonnes of carbon emissions each year (a car consuming 9.4 L/100 km, driven around 19,000 kilometres). The Zimmermanns have saved at least 20 tonnes of CO2, but their financial savings are also impressive.

After purchasing new bikes, and taking maintenance, the price of a new car, gas, insurance and the high cost of downtown parking into account, John estimates the family has saved at least $20,000 by going car free. Giving up the convenience of a car for both families hasn't been without its challenges, though.

Getting around is a little harder, but it gets easier with planning, says Jennifer, Annette's daughter.

"You have to plan your routes. We decide a few minutes before what bus we're going to take, and figure out if we're going to take two routes to make it shorter than just taking one bus," Jennifer says.

"We plan our routes to pick up what we need, too. If we're going to Gordon Head, we stop off at a Japanese grocery store, and get back on the bus. If we're going downtown, we pick up what we need, and do what we have to do down there," her mother, Annette says.

For both families, time is always a factor, to ensure the kids make it to classes and activities.

"It was very difficult. We were addicted to the car. It was hard to find the extra time to get someplace by bike, but now it's just second nature to say 'Drum lessons start at 5 p.m., we've got to be there at 4 p.m., let's hop on the bus,' " John says.

For the Zimmermanns, going car-free is easier now that the kids can keep pace with adults on bikes. Moving the dog using a modified baby carrier trailer is a problem, but John has managed to move "massive amounts" of building supplies using it.

Both families agree that safety and security are important, especially to kids riding the bus alone. The Halsted-Pelletiers discuss bus routes, and what downtown stops are OK to transfer at. The Zimmermanns talk about cycling safety and the rules of the road.

"We discuss the rules. We always signal -- you get in major trouble if you don't signal in our family -- and we try to be aware of the dangers, and stay off the busy roads as much as we can," John says. "We go out of our way to take safer routes rather than quicker routes."

Annette's daughter Jennifer is 16, and can get a driver's licence. But she's not that interested, she says. Her brother, Xavier, is interested in a licence, but only so he can get a scooter or a motorcycle.

John's son Jake isn't interested in getting a driver's licence. He's content on his bike for now.

"He's anti-car. We'll see how that goes. Peer pressure to drive really hasn't taken over for him. He loves biking, and so there's no reason for him to drive," says John.

The fact his sons aren't interested in driving doesn't bother John, who relied on the public transit in Toronto and Montreal to get around, before getting his licence at 27. Annette says that if her kids don't want to drive, she's feels like she's done something right.

Fitness is an added benefit of going car-free. Both Zimmerman sons have taken up cycling hobbies -- Jake long-distance riding and Adrian mountain biking -- while John and his wife are getting plenty of exercise.

Another benefit is the social one. Both the Halsted-Pelletiers and the Zimmerman family are getting to know other people in their neighbourhoods who also ride or walk in the area. Getting back to nature by riding along the Lochside Trail or the Galloping Goose is also great, says John.

Automobiles have their place, in moderation. The Zimmermanns will rent a car if heading out farther afield than they can travel on their bikes, but find themselves doing it less and less, preferring instead to plan their trips around cycling. This summer they're planning a cycling tour around the Gulf Islands, and the family rents a car around six times a year, he says.

John doesn't count out buying an electric car, though, provided it's in the family's price range.

"The main reason we decided to go car-free was economic. And it's changed our philosophy, from the standard expectation that you must have a car or two to be part of society, to thinking of it as a luxury."

Read Steve's blog at timescolonist.com/rethink.

rethink@tc.canwest.com