Yes, you can live in Dallas without a car.

By Hexel Colorado on September 1, 2023

This is the first in a series of posts themed around National Week Without Driving, a campaign by non-profit America Walks and organized locally by Better Block and Dallas Bicycle Coalition from October 2-8, 2023. In this series, I’ll dive into the why’s and how’s of living without a car in Dallas. As someone who’s owned and driven a car for most of my adult life until getting rid of it almost two years ago, there are many popular assumptions that need correcting.

Despite all the challenges of living in a car-oriented city, the worst attitude to have is that living happily in Dallas without a car is not feasible at all.

So, without further ado, let’s answer the basic questions…

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Can you live in Dallas without a car?

Yes.

Not everybody does. Not everybody has to. Nonetheless, anybody can, and many people do, myself included.

Nobody’s obituary reads, “died for lack of car.” By contrast, hundreds are killed by cars every year in Dallas alone. Cars kill, on average, four people in Dallas every week.

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Is it easy to live in Dallas without a car?

Technically, yes.

Practically, it depends.

First, owning a car is incredibly expensive, especially in Dallas, where average insurance premiums are the second highest among Texas cities. Whenever I mention how the cost of car ownership for most people is at least $500 per month, everybody I talk to in Dallas quickly points out that it’s closer to $800 per month for them.

Car ownership alone can cost between 50% and 100% of most people’s rent in Dallas.

Imagine what you could do if you weren’t paying double rent because of your car. You could move to a slightly more expensive but genuinely walkable neighborhood (which I did). Or you could put those savings towards things you enjoy more than being stuck in traffic, like food, concerts, shows, and recreational activities with friends.

All these costs assume you’ve managed to keep your car.

Don’t forget: cars are difficult to keep and easy to lose.

Auto theft in Dallas is at a record high and climbing, with 13,412 cars and trucks stolen in 2022 in Dallas alone. Last week, I went out to dinner with three friends, and all of them had their car towed, totaled, or both within the last year; only one of the three managed to get their car back, and that’s who drove the other two that night.

There are challenges I used to have every day that I don’t even think about since letting go of my car two years ago:

• Am I allowed to park here?
• Will there be parking when I get there?
• How do I validate my parking?
• Is it safe to park here?
• How early should I leave to get a good parking spot?
• Am I too close to the curb?
• Am I too far from the curb?
• Will anyone judge my parallel parking if I go for it?
• Do I need to top up the meter?
• Should I fill up on gas in advance?
• Is my car too messy? Should I get it cleaned?
• Will that buff out? Will anyone notice?
• Should I fix this mechanical issue myself to save money?
• Will anyone care if I pretend to not see the Check Engine light?
• Which body shop should I take this to?
• Is this repair quote fair, or am I being ripped off?
• Do I really need the premium oil?
• Should I still go with the traffic speed or slow to the limit if there’s a speed trap ahead?
• What am I supposed to say again if a cop pulls me over?
• Will this person judge me by my car? Should I care?
• Am I safe to drive after one drink?
• If I take an Uber home, what happens to my car?

Of course, just because owning a car is difficult doesn’t mean not having a car is easy. What are the practical factors to consider? We’re getting there…

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Can you be happy in Dallas without a car?

Yes.

Will you be happy in Dallas without a car?

Depends.

This is where the rubber meets the road.

Do cars make some people happy? Sure. There’s plenty of evidence of that across DFW.

Do you need a car to be happy? Objectively, no. There is no mention of cars in either Maslow’s hierarchy of needs or in Max-Neef’s taxonomy of fundamental human needs.

Are there people in Dallas happy without a car? Yes. First of all, I’m not exaggerating when I say the last two years without a car have been the happiest, healthiest, and most satisfying years of my life. I wouldn’t say letting go of my car was the sole reason, but I can honestly say it’s a big reason.

Secondly, if we say cars are necessary for happiness, what does that say about everyone who can’t own or operate a vehicle? Do we dare suggest people with motor impairments have zero means of pursuing happiness in a city like Dallas?

It’s not the car that makes us happy but what the car allows us to do that makes us happy. But therein lies the rub…

What makes *you* happy?

And do you need a car for that?

The question isn’t whether you can live in Dallas without a car.

The question is whether your lifestyle requires a car.

If your lifestyle requires a car, then you need a car.

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“If it were easy, everybody would do it.”

- Everybody

Of course, it’s not simply a matter of having a positive mental attitude. Otherwise, the rate of Dallas households with a car would be more like 50%, not 95%.

According to their website, DART serves 220 thousand passengers every day. That’s a lot of people: greater than the population of Frisco, one of the fastest growing cities in the United States. Yet in a region of 7.6 million people, transit riders only make up 3% of the metroplex.

With a 97% chance of not riding transit, that pretty much gaurantees you’ll need a car. Right?

Not so fast.

Here’s how I like to think about it:

Imagine throwing three darts - one for home, one for employment, and one for your “third place” - at a floor-to-ceiling map of North Texas. Where each dart lands determines where you will live, work, and socialize. You can rethrow a dart if it doesn’t stick or lands somewhere not allowed (e.g., the dart for home lands in a lake or a landfill).

For the first round, throw the darts with your eyes closed.

Throwing blind, each dart only has a 3% chance of landing somewhere connected to public transit. The chances of two darts landing on a transit line are 0.09 percent, representing how likely you are to live car-light. The chances of all three darts landing on a transit line are 0.0027%: this is how likely you are to live car-free by default.

It sounds silly on paper, but many people have their lives configured this way: they live wherever they can afford, work wherever they can find employment, and play wherever their car can take them (or wherever the internet says is a “must-visit”).

For the second round, open your eyes and throw the darts with low accuracy.

If you’re not already skilled with darts, throw like you usually would. If you are skilled, pretend not to be (maybe spin until you’re dizzy).

With your eyes open, your odds of landing a walkable arrangement are no better than before when your eyes were closed. There are good schools and high paying employers in walkable and non-walkable neighborhoods alike.

If you aim for walkability, your odds of landing a walkable lifestyle are much higher than before. Fortunately for those hoping to avoid driving as much as possible, Dallas has some very walkable neighborhoods. Unfortunately, you’re unlikely to move into these pockets of walkability by accident as you would in a more walkable city. Locating walkable places and learning how to navigate them without a car requires homework (hint hint, topics for upcoming blog posts).

For the final round, aim for walkability with high accuracy.

Give yourself unlimited rethrows if you need to. If you cluster your darts in walkable, bike-friendly, and transit-oriented neighborhoods, then congratulations: your lifestyle is compatible with not having a car!

If you’re not in a position to change where you live, work, or socialize, then you probably already know whether or not you need a car.

Here’s the bad news: in Dallas, most lifestyles require owning a car by default.

But are you moving?

Changing jobs?

Searching for a new home?

Looking for new friends or hobbies?

Here’s the good news: when you find yourself in a position where you can change one or several elements of the geography of your life, Dallas has the ingredients for crafting a happy lifestyle without owning a car.