All too often there isn’t another road as everything else is blocked, or at least leads to the expressway not in the direction you want to go. This pushes cars to the expressway (which is faster anyway), and away from places where people live. However it means you can’t get very far via non-car.
Your local bike store should have a nice selection. I use my EV bike all the time and the car I keep for those few trips where the bike doesn’t work just sits… You should too. Don’t forget to check out the local transit options (and if - as is likely - they are bad demand better)