to think that the news is demonstrating our over-reliance on cars

[Bennifer]

I was watching the news this morning watching the petrol queues, I saw a mum on TV talking about how she needed the car to pick the children up from school. Then there was a story about Nottingham charging people to park at their place of work. As the reporter was talking about this on the streets of Nottingham, there was a stream of traffic behind him, I didn't see a cyclist or a bus.

I just think we've got ourselves into such a pickle over transport policy where so, so many people are dependent on their car to get around, and it's lunacy. I know we all have different circumstances, so I'm not going to judge individuals, but as a society, it just seems crazy. AIBU?

[HalfPastWine]

YANBU

I agree we do have different circumstances but there are many people who could use public transport more. The problem is that the car is just so bloody convenient!

[Whatmeworry]

The problem is that the car is just so bloody convenient!

And public transport is largely very expensive and very crap.

[valiumredhead]

PT is virtually non existent where I live.

[Bennifer]

I think public transport could definitely be improved, but I think part of its 'crapness' is having a walk 5 minutes to the bus-stop, and having to wait there for 10 minutes, and having a 5 minute walk at the other end. It's never going to be an on-demand door-to-door service, but I would have thought around most cities, buses are pretty good, at least in the day-time

[Bennifer]

I just think at a societal level, we've gone massively wrong somewhere

[hermionestranger]

Or doesn't go where I need to go. Ds1 school is 2 miles away, bus doesn't go there, plus pt is very, very expensive. If we go out as a family or web just 3 if us its generally cheaper to go by car.

For example I we wanted to go from our nearest station to town it's £3.60 each off peak return. If we wanted to get the team from there to the imperial war museum (ds1's favourite) you can add that on again each! Takes 30 mins in the car ad costs £4 to park. So we drive.

[MoreBeta]

I agree. I don't have a car and haven't for 25 years but my observation is that in most cases people use their car for five main reasons other than convenience.

1. because they have to pay fixed costs like the licence fee, insurance, depreciation and hence and want to use it as much as possible to spread the fixed cost over as many miles as possible every year.
   

1. because they work for a business that saved property costs by sitiuating itself miles from a town centre so forces its employees to drive.
   

1. because people buy a house miles from where they work or DCs go to school so they have to drive.
   

1. because local authorities have cut public transport to save money so everyone has to drive.
   

1. people drive also just because they can and never think about any other form of transport.
   

The car has become the linch pin of our society that allows people to live miles away from their work and school and shops. I live in a medieval/tudor city and everything is within walking distance and surrounded by villages that are a short horse ride away. I work at home or go by train most days and it is a very easy sustainable way to live.

I am no environmentalist and I admit not having a car is occasionally inconvenient and I do use taxis but getting things delivered, using public transport and walking are good options. I also think that people do too many small journeys they could amalgamate einto one journey. I have friends that drive to the shop every day. They could do one shop online once a week.

[Bennifer]

But 2 miles is a short walk! I'm aware that I don't know your situation, so I'm not judging.

[MoreBeta]

hermione - you forgot to add the costs of owning and running a car to your journey.

[ComposHat]

with the exception of thosevin remote areas, the public transport is crap argument is often trited out by car owners who haven't used public transport in years. My dad who hadn't used a bus in years hasn't applied for his free bus pass as he 'doesnt want to travel with like people'
What they mean generally is that I am too lazy to walk to a bus stop or train station or too
snobbish to travel by bus. Believe me, the costs of public transport lake into insignificance compared with running a car.

By all means stick to your car, but at least be honest about you reasons.

[theodorakis]

When I lived in London I always used public transport. I was young, childless and brave enough to travel alone late at night. Now I am old, I have a car and I am reliant on it, who isn't? I am not ashamed about that, I love my car, it's not exactly a crack habit.

[AutumnSummers]

YANBU. I've manged fine without a car because I've had to. We are a family of 6 and will never have a car unless the children learn to drived when they're older.

My life isn't in any way hindered by my not having a car. We have people willing to give us a gift if we really need one and taxis are cheaper than cars.

It really isn't a big issue in our lives.

[WorraLiberty]

YANBU

We don't have a car as we live in a London Borough so don't need one.

That doesn't stop most of our neighbours 'needing' them though...and mostly 2 or 3 cars per family.

We live literally 3 minutes walk from our local parade of shops and yet I've lost count of how many neighbours I've never seen over there...and that's in 17yrs of living here.

They just seem to drive everywhere.

[Bennifer]

Theo, I suppose the point is a lot of people aren't reliant on cars. I'll accept that I'm very lucky not to need a car. I live in a small city of 200,000. Work is 3 miles away, so I cycle. If I don't fancy cycling, there's a bus that takes half an hour to get to work, or I could walk in 45 minutes. I can do online grocery shopping, or pick up lighter stuff on my bike on the way home. If I need to do an out of town shop, if the buses aren't good, I get the occasional taxi. If I fancy a big weekend trip, I can hire a car for £30.

[MoreBeta]

I estimate that me and my family spends under £3500 a year on transport.

We use taxis, buses and trains and walk. Our children get taken to and from school every day in a taxi within that £3000. It wil go up when I startworking outside the home later thsi year but not by a huge amount.

I bet most people spend many multiples of that every year on using their car once road tax, depreciation, finance costs, repairs, insurance, petrol are taken into account.

[NowWeKnow]

I do laugh at the news coverage interviewing people at petrol pump queues. They all say how ridiculous it is that others are panic buying and yet... so are they Ie It's everyone else who panics; I otoh have a valid reason for needing to top up

I don't begrudge people their cars, we have two in our family. Life is lived at a faster pace these days and people need them. Public transport when I live is slow and expensive.

[2shoes]

I would love to get the bus, dd would love it, trouble is buses only have one WC space, so if it is taken by another WC we have ot wait, and if it is taken by a buggy we have to fight.
so I will use the WAV instead.

[MoreBeta]

Forgot to add car parking costs, speeding fines and the danger of having an accident and being held liable. Driving around looking for a car parking space and feeding a parking meter and facing the stress and hassle of driving does not seem very convenient to me.

[dreamingofsun]

it would take several days for my husband to get to work using public transport (due to the number of changes required), compared with 50 mins by car. what do you suggest as a solution? I doubt there's many people travelling from where we live to where he currently works. if we can't get diesel he will have to stay in a B&B

[wishiwasonholiday]

Public transport is not available to get my children to school, and it's 5 miles away (rural area) I do however car share with my 2 neighbours so we are taking 1 or 2 cars instead of 3 (am also a cm fir children who walk to me so that's taking another 3 cars off the road that would otherwise be doing the school run).

[WorraLiberty]

My Dad has been panic buying diesel.

So far he has 4 pairs of jeans, 8 shirts and 6 bottles of aftershave.....

[NoMoreInsomnia12]

We've always arranged work, school, where we live etc around public transport, bicycle or good old shanks' pony.

[Bennifer]

I appreciate that some people live in rural areas, which makes it difficult, and I appreciate people also can't choose where they work all the time. So I wouldn't suggest that every car journey is unnecessary, and therefore they will have to drive. But a lot of people, unwittingly, choose car dependence

[BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack]

But on the other hand.......seeing these idiots panic has just highlighted to me that I dont actually NEED my car, not in mild weather. I am going to dig out my bike if need be, cycle to work, walk to get DS etc etc...it may be inconvenient but its not the end of the world!

Media madness, it's just crazy!

[MoreBeta]

Bennifer - you have organised your life around not having a car and hence find it no inconvenience. Like we do.

Most of the rest of society organises its life around the car - hence our over reliance.

One anecdote that shocked me recently. I have some household electrical equipment that needs recycling. I rang the council. They said drive it to the recycling centre. I had to point out the irony. They were asking me to do my bit to save the planet by driving. Our council basically assumes everyone drives in every policy it has. The car dominates our small old city that was never designed for the car.