Meagan at Chicago Moms Blog posted recently about car free living and wondered if it's actually doable in Chicago. Judging by the variety of responses to the post, it looks like the majority of commenters believe it is. Though the thought of going car free left at least one commenter "sweating just thinking about it."
It may take a different kind of planning to execute successfully, but not necessarily more planning, just of a different variety. For instance, you might need to allow for delays a bit more, in case the bus/train is late, though I've found you can usually make up the delay as you ride, especially if you're on an express bus or the train, which obviously doesn't have to sit in traffic.
You may need to observe bathroom breaks before you depart, as you wouldn't want to be stuck on a train without a potty if the urge presented itself in your child. However, you'd still have to locate one if driving by car and you found yourself in the same situation, right?
My kids always seem to argue and nitpick on each other less on public transit, since there are more interesting things, people to look at along the way than in the back seat of the car. That alone, makes for a much more pleasant trip by far. (Now, if I could just figure out a way to keep my 3 year old from suddenly announcing "I want to get off, I want to get off!" as she was prone to doing last summer.)
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