By Phillip Stone, PAL Board Member
It may not look like it to your average resident of Spartanburg, but it’s increasingly possible to live a low-car lifestyle in parts of our city. On a recent Thursday during a vacation week, I got my morning coffee, ran errands, and worked on a neighborhood project, and never once got into a car.
On Thursday morning, I walked from my house in Hampton Heights to the Little River Coffee Bar for a cup of coffee and to chat with a few others who meet in the Coffee Bar on some mornings. I enjoyed the nice weather on what is, from my house to Morgan Square, about a 7-minute walk. Finishing my coffee, I walked back home, read the newspaper, and did a few of the tasks on my vacation to-do list.
A few hours later, I walked to the Hub City Co-op on the corner of Liberty and St. John streets. My walk took me through Morgan Square and along East Main, or about 12-14 minutes along pedestrian-friendly sidewalks. I browsed the aisles at the Co-op, picking up some local produce, some spices, some bulk goods, and a snack or two that I enjoy, and walked back home. That trip, including a little extra time looking around the Co-op and enjoying some samples, took about an hour.
A little later in the afternoon, I remembered that I needed to pick up some clothes from the dry cleaner, so I stepped around the block and picked up my shirts.
Finally, in the evening, I met with a few neighbors to plan a neighborhood project, walking the 7-8 minutes to one of my neighbor’s homes. And when we were done, I walked home. All told, on that Thursday, I recorded 11,202 steps, or 5.14 miles, on my FItbit.
As I thought about it, I didn’t actually get in a car but once in the four days from Tuesday to Friday of that week – and that one time was a ride with a friend that only went about 4 blocks – from East Main street to my house. The rest of my trips in those four days were on foot – to the coffee bar, to one of downtown’s gyms, to trivia at one downtown place and karaoke at another. Including miles I logged while running, I can account for over 22 miles in those 4 days.
It may not be possible in every Spartanburg neighborhood, but Hampton Heights is the city’s downtown neighborhood, and with many of our cultural institutions – such as the headquarters library, Hub City Books, and the Chapman Cultural Center –and a fine collection of restaurants nearby, it is becoming a lot easier to live a low-car lifestyle. Had I needed to visit the post office, the bank, or a pharmacy, I could have walked to one of them. And I bet with continued growth downtown, there will be more activities people can participate in with only a short walk from their home.
