To find it annoying that some car drivers don't seem to know any other way of getting around?

[ApignamedJasper]

Somewhat confusing title but I'll explain!

I travel a 65 mile round trip on a motorbike to get to my place of study, last week it was snowing and extremely cold and I still made it in. Yet there were 2 people on my course who didn't, who live about 10 minutes away. One of them the road was too icy in her estate as the council hadn't gritted it, the other his car's locks had frozen and he couldn't get in to his car.

Fair enough, the road is icy, don't drive, much safer. But they only live 10 minutes away! They could have easily walked or got a bus!

I used to live in a house with a couple, the girl got a job but she gave it up not long after because her bf wouldn't give her a lift to work every day? Either walk, bus or taxi!

I've only just recently gotten on the road and before that I used to either walk or cycle if the distance allowed, or bus/taxi if it didn't. Aibu to find it annoying how some people who drive cars just seem to think if the car is out if action for whatever reason, they basically can't leave the house?

My dh is like this. He will not use public transport. We are in Devon now and pub. trans. is pretty crap, but when we lived in London with buses and trains galore going wherever you could possibly want them, he would insist on taking the car, even when traffic always made the drive a nightmare and took sooooo much longer. Then he'd spend hours complaining about it!

I think some of these people are just lazy feckers who like something to complain about.

I live very rurally, with a crap bus service and I have never been anywhere near a tube. So not poor me at all.

Some people need to look outside their own life experience to see that not everyone is like them. I suggest you try that.

And as a further point, my previous job required me to be on my feet all day, lifting and bending. My employer would rather I took one or two days off work when it wasn't safe to get in, than be on (non existent) desk duty for weeks due to injury. Its a no brainer really.

I said the OP was NBU because in general people do use it as an excuse, certainly the people in the OPs scenario did. But thats not to say that its so easy for everyone. But apparently I cannot make such a point unless I am disabled and employed.

I don't drive due to Dyspraxia, have had years of lessons and the stress of repeatedly failing tests, but that's another story! I've had ridiculous questions asked of me over the years though, here are some examples -

How do you manage to carry food shopping home? My answer - There's a taxi rank at 3 out of our 4 big supermarkets!

It must be SO hard, what if you need to nip in to town quickly? My answer - Bus stop is at the end of my road and they go every 20 minutes!

I don't suppose you're able to take the kids abroad, how would you get to the airport? My answer - We've done it several times, return taxi fare is cheaper than driving and paying parking fees, they're a very reliable firm and have never let us down!

I suppose you're restricted to our local town for Xmas shopping? My answer - No we often take the train/bus to the city, and to London too so plenty of choice!

Do your kids miss out on afterschool clubs as you don't drive? My answer - No the school is a 15 minute walk away and if it's pouring with rain a cab costs about £3!

And there have been many more!

Obviously we're lucky where we live, but it never fails to surprise me how people think we struggle with what are everyday things to us! I realise the taxiing may sound extravagant, but we pay for transport instead of owning a car, and budget for it, as a lot of people do for petrol and tax!

YANBU however it does depend on your workplace too, mine encourages working from home when there's snow because so much time is eaten up trying to get on the motorway or trains, not to mention very dodgy roads- we are out in the sticks though so most things shut down here. They find it more cost effective.

I'd rather take the train in the snow, as long as it's working it's not going to get hit by an idiot driver who won't drive in it correctly. I loved once being close enough to walk to work, yes it was shit in the snow but I just got some good grip ones and it was good exercise.

Nectar - online delivery of food is another option too if you don't want to leave the house at all. As is shopping online xmas stuff so it's weird people can't think outside the box.

slice you implied by your earlier post that you couldn't be expected to do the planning that it would take to get somewhere by public transport. That is feeble. If the transport is nigh on non-existent then that is a different matter.

We all have our reasons op....I drive 3 miles to a local country park to run 16 miles..... Then drive back again!

Ridiculous? Well, I have my reasons

I implied nothing of the sort.

If I woke up tomorrow and there had been snowfall overnight, planning to get a bus might well make me so late as to make the journey not worthwhile. I am able to check the internet, but until 2 years ago I didn't have broadband in my house, so if I had no credit on my phone or usage left in my bundle I wouldn't have been able to check so easily. On any given day I don't even have change in my purse to pay for a bus.

I could list you all the realities of my daily life when I was working, and all the other millions of scenarios people could find themselves in, or you could just understand that I was trying to demonstrate that its not always so simple for people to just hop on a bloody bus.

You do realise that the people you mention in your OP are just making excuses? It is nothing to do with being car drivers.

The year we got snowed in, a man on my team at work rang in to say he couldn't get in. He lived literally round the corner from me, and I was in.

Over the years wherever me or DH have worked it has always been the people who lived nearest that couldn't get in, while those further afield managed just fine.

And FWIW I drive everywhere, or walk. I do not catch buses.

If it snows or is icy here I can't do the school run which is less that 5 minutes away. But DH almost always gets to work 12 miles away.

That's because we live at the top of two steep hills. I could walk down to school but then very probably would be in so much pain that I couldn't make it back, (severe arthritis) and I won't drive the car down icy, steep hills because I think it is too dangerous.

Public transport is not for me. Stick it. I prefer my freedom.

It never fails to amaze me how lazy people are. We make sure we live near public transport routes or can walk /cycle to jobs. For some people the 15 minute walk to our local bus stop would be too much. We regularly talk to people who think just half a mile walking is hard work! Good god what's happened to people? And have any car drivers actually looked at the size of the machine you are using to haul your lazy carcass around? It's disgusting!

Yes some people have excuses -rural areas, disability- but the vast majority do not.

I can rant extensively on this subject. Flat rate per line, go on, you know you want me to.

I usually travel to work by motorbike (bigger than a 125). Occasionally I'll cycle in, much to the amazement of my colleagues who carry on like I've arrived in a stagecoach or something. On a couple of sunny days I've walked the 6 miles, but that takes about 2 hours.

Very rarely use the car. In fact, car is 9 years old and has circa 24k miles on the clock. Bike is 3 years old and has circa 12k miles on the clock already. Bike parking is free, running costs are approximately 1/3 of the cost of the car.

I have noticed more people commuting by motorbike/bicycle lately. I think people are cottoning on to the fact that its (a) much quicker, not having to sit in traffic and (b) cheaper.

I used to work with a bloke whose wife (SAHM) would drive their 3 children about 200 yards to school every morning. Then go straight home again. I was always at that. It must have taken longer to get everyone in the car, get out of their road in rush hour traffic, park outside the school and get everyone out again than it would have to just have walked there in the first place.

Me too SoleSource And why do people at bus stops always look so miserable?
The people that really piss me off though are the ones that drone on and on about how they don't own a car, walk everywhere or use public transport and aren't we just so wonderful blah blah. But if you offer them a lift, they'll practically knock you over in the rush to get to your car. You know the sort, real eco-warriors until there's a lift on offer

I'm a car addict!

I just couldn't do everything I do without my car. Even when not working I'm often in my car up to 4 hours a day running errands, driving family around. I just wouldn't be able to get to so many places in a day without my car!

The alternatives don't appeal:

Bus- expensive, need change, need correct change, need to guess what the fare will be, never on time, unpredictable arrival time, cold wet windy bus stops, rough ride getting bumped around, smells, dirty, uncomfy seats, rude drivers, boost passengers, no privacy to eat/do make up, don't go from door to door, can't transport 'stuff', worst of all: strangers touching me- makes me feel sick

Taxis- very expensive, waiting, got injured in one once when he sped off before waiting for me to get my seatbelt on, don't feel safe- another unpleasant incident

Walking- I'm a slow walker. Can't go far. Not safe at night. Not safe in some areas. Can't carry much. Not safe when icy. Not pleasant when wet/cold. Clothes/hair get wet/ruined. Shoes wear out. Time.

So lots of reasons to favour my car!

I am astounded at the number of otherwise sensible people who drive everywhere in central London, complaining about the cost of parking and bad traffic.

Some of you may wonder why it is my business. Well, I am breathing in their exhaust fumes, listening to their noise pollution, unable to cross at the pedestrian crossing because an idiot is parked across it in gridlock traffic, worrying about my childrens' road safety. So yes, it does affect me.

We walk, cycle, use public transport, very occasionally if a journey requires a car we hire one or use a taxi, much cheaper than running a car and the depreciation costs. Obviously not a feasible strategy everywhere in the country.

An acquaintance complained about the regularly terrible traffic on her way to work and I suggested she use public transport, which would be much quicker and more reliable and a pleasant journey as that route is quiet even in rush hour, but she said she couldn't be bothered to walk fifteen mins (no mobility issues). Lots of people want to go door to door. Really it is very lazy.

These people might have hidden disabilities though which is why they need to use a car.

Jackie that would be my idea of hell, being in a car 4 hours a day!

I just don't find sitting strapped in one position a relaxing way to spend my time. If you are driving you need to be paying attention, you can't do anything else. On a bus or train you can move around and read/ listen to music/ study.

Do you regularly do your make up or eat lunch in your car?!

If I had to get a bus it would involve more planning in advance, finding out the times and routes, and the same for getting home.

this is what you said, slice - if that's not implying that you couldn't be expected to do the planning, I don't know what it is. Yes, if your normal mode of transport is out of action for whatever reason, you have to plan. What does it matter that you didn't have broadband 2 years ago? - you do now. If you live rurally with limited public transport and it's winter and the weather forecast is bad, surely it's up to you to ensure that you have credit on your phone and change for the bus should you need it to get to work.

I get that lots of people love their cars and don't like public transport. But to refuse to make short journeys to work or college because you are unable to drive for whatever reason but refuse to do anything else is, I'll say it again, feeble.

Jackie my sentiments exactly - except you can add horrible travel sickness to the list! I visited London recently and felt awful from
30 seconds into the journey- I almost vomited on the tube - had to run off to find a toilet. Never again!

Yanbu

My particular bugbear is people who say how terrible the buses are even though they never actually use them.
The bus service round here is ok

I like my car and the anonymity it gives me.

I don't like public transport for more reasons than I care to mention.

YABU

Yes I often eat & make up in my car.

Can you imagine the comments I'd get on here if I did that on a bus?

I don't like using earphones so to me there's no music on the bus. In my car I can play whatever I want, play it loud on the open road and sing as loud as I like!

The busses here are too busy, bumpy and cramped to read or study. Not that I'd get peace to do that if the DCs were with me!

Also in the car I can divert if there's a jam- in the bus in stuck on their route.

Another advantage on long journeys - toilets. Train toilets are bogging! Plus I have to leave my stuff unattended. In my car I can stop whenever I want, lock it and go to a service station toilet.

But pretty, what would you do if you didn't have the car, temporarily, for whatever reason? Just not go to work? Some people can't afford to be that fussy.

Very true Mollie, I live rurally too and there may not be many buses but the ones they do have are ok and surprisingly not full of stinky weirdos :D

Jackie, I used to read, eat my breakfast & do my make up on the train every morning, sometimes do work too if there was a table free.

Any kind of public toilets can be a bit minging but having nearly instant access to one can be a huge benefit rather than having to wait till the next services see my other thread about bladder problems