Mel has been car-free for over 28 years since he sold his car during his first year of college “out of frugality.” After moving to San Francisco, he discovered a large community of people who share his same car-free belief.
Mel explains, “Living without a car isn’t that difficult, but it is necessary to consider a lot of life decisions like where to live, where to work, who you date, where the natural food co-op is and other frequented places’ locations. Certainly, there are some sacrifices to being car-free, but they are far outweighed by the benefits!”
Mel is riding for Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates (SABA) but has also spent 7 years volunteering for the Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen — a DIY bike shop that provides a space and tools for anyone to work on their bike and learn bicycle maintenance. He also serves on the Sacramento County Bicycle Advisory Committee.
“I want to encourage and facilitate choosing a bicycle for transportation rather than a car by improving on-street cycling conditions and urban design.”
Mel currently commutes 16 miles to work and humbly describes his fitness level as “pretty good.”