How much of a necessity is having a car where you live?

[OneRealFinch]

Not very maybe at night more so

I can get a bus every 10min, a train every 30min but they all run East - West.
I need to travel North - South.
My 20min commute would be about 90min by train bus combo and probably a lot more expensive.

My working day is pinned by drop of and pick up at either end so travel time eats into the hours I'm able to work.

I'm absolutely convinced that getting people out of cars and onto public transport needs to start with the town planners and having shops and offices in back in town and city centres. Out of town suits car drivers but a PITA for public transport operators.

As I live 8 miles from the nearest supermarket, 2 miles from the village and cannot walk far, I couldn’t stay here unless I have a car. We have a very unreliable, sporadic bus service that doesn’t run after 3pm, nothing on a Sunday or Saturday after midday.

I don't drive so chose where I live to be in a busy suburb of a large town.

Can walk to a shop, pub, hairdresser, pharmacy (work) and chip shop In 5 min. 10 min to supermarket. Bus to town and next city is 3 min walk away - it takes me to the railway station, bus station and right outside doctors, dentist and library. Bus to hospital is 5 min walk away.

Only place I can't get to easily is MIL who chose to keep living in the arse end of beyond and now has dementia (and carers almost round the clock).

"If only you drove..." was spouted many times. I'm glad I don't.

This poster sounds like me - walks to local amenities on a regular basis, but uses the car when I dont have the time or want to go further afield (cinema, a new hike, a day trip to a nearby town, visits to family).
Are you honestly suggesting we should exist only within the confines of our small town because of the climate emergency?
Do you know how much business travel the average large company is responsible for?

We live in the suburbs and have a lot of things on our doorstep but I'd say it's pretty essential for our lives. My office is 45mins away by car - to get there by public transport would mean a 45min bus journey into town and then an hour's train journey there. It would make nursery pick drop offs and pick ups pretty much impossible.

Even visiting family would take forever. To see my parents would take a 45min bus journey, an hours train journey, a 20min walk to the main bus station and then another 45min bus journey to their house.

They keep talking about building a train station around the corner from our house - which would make things a lot easier. It was meant to have been up and running in 2020, but it's still in the planning stages now 🙄

We have 2 cars- both essential.

I can’t even get to the bus stop safely in my wheelchair because of the lack of/poor maintenance of dropped curbs, so it’s irrelevant to me how often or where the bus might go!

My work is 12 miles away, and the bus would take at least a couple of hours, and I'd have to change twice. I certainly couldn't walk there! Adult dc works over 30 miles away with unsocial hours, and DH's work involves him visiting farms and other out-of-the way places. My hobby involves a lot of buiky stuff that needs carting about, and the venues are between 40 minutes and an hour's drive each way, with bigger events all over the country.

The trains from the nearest railway station (nearly an hour's walk away) don't go to the town I work in - they are on a different line, and the local buses are once an hour, and stop after 6pm anyway. At least we have a bus though, a lot of local villages have lost their service altogether.

Your own vehicle is essential round here, and we don't even live that rurally.

I disagree, it is necessity as I can't stand public transport. Don the odd train or tub off peak for going out for a bit to eat/enjoy central london but not done the bus since leaving school. It is a necessity for me, thanks

Complicated? No. Just needs a plan.
You pick them up or they stay with a friend who lives near whatever it is they were doing. Or a parent picks up a few and keeps them overnight.

You dont seem to understand what necessity means

Personal choice when there are other options available is not the same as necessity because there are no other viable options

Sorry, I do understand what it means but you are not able to comprehend my definition of what is a "necessity" to me.

The issue here isnt my ability to comprehend things 🙄

The entitlement here. Doesn't give a flying feck about anything else other than what she wants.

I would be deeply embarrassed to write something like this

Necessary - my 30-35min drive to work would take nearly 2 hours on public transport, and that's if the bus turns up as they're often cancelled.

In the range of posts from that poster this one is fairly mild

Tokyo. Don't need a car at all and most people I know here do not have a car. Some people belong to a car-share scheme so they can have access to a car now and then. Owning your own car here requires the payment of several expensive car-related taxes, it's illegal to buy a car unless you have a dedicated off-street parking spot and illegal to leave a car parked on your street overnight, and "shaken" (the MOT equivalent) costs about 800 pounds a time. Parking is private-sector here and costs a lot of money in big cities. Cars over 10 years old mostly have to be scrapped and replaced with a new car. All in all, it's not even remotely worth it in our location.

You'd need a car in the Japanese countryside though, like rural areas everywhere.

My parents live in a suburb in the north of England and it's very difficult without a car. My husband and I are reluctant to drive in the UK (faster roads, bigger cars, more aggressive drivers, roundabouts, potholes!) so we have to do some Uber/taxi stuff and deal with the terrible public transport. It's not great. I'm looking forward to visiting France and the Netherlands this year as I am so fed up with the UK situ every time I go back; neither the roads nor the public transport actually work properly!

I have not had one ever since I moved to North London.

Completely optional, fairly good public transport system can get to nearby towns and city, hospital and beach easily. I didn't drive at all until 7 years ago, got picked up by taxi with the 'big shop' or got it delivered.

The only thing I use my car for that I couldn't do via public transport is traipse around the county taking DD to sport training and matches.

Essential, I couldn't get to work otherwise.

Essential, I live rurally, my work (and the children's school) are in the city 12 miles away. Council cancelled all bus services in our area (they've just launched a commuter service, but wouldn't get the kids to school on time, and I'd have to leave work early to get home. Oh, and the nearest bus stop is still 2 miles from home).

Not at all. Lived in SE London most of my adult life and never ownrd a car. I can drive as I grew up rurally so learnt at 17.

Not at all.

Live in central London. 5 mins to tube, lots of buses all the time.

I do own a car, but only use it if we are leaving London.

I would hate to live somewhere I had to drive everywhere.

We live in London so we don't have a car anymore because we hardly use it.

Necessity, rural Scotland. The one bus is scheduled several times a day but service starts at nine and ends at five.