to wonder where people get this expectation that they are entitled to drive round in cars, polluting the planet.

[totallybewildered]

How did it become an automatic right to drive round everywhere. Do people do it just because they can afford it? Does anyone avoid it for he sake of the human race, and the planet? I know some people have little choice, but many people who do have a choice, drive anyway.

Does anyone avoid it for he sake of the human race, and the planet?

I'm nearly 30 and never driven because everywhere I can get to by foot and public transport. My work journey takes 1 hour instead of 10 mins in a car but I don't mind.

My friend is a business consultant, he has a folding bike. He travels all over the country just using his bike and public transport and regularly promotes it to his customers to help encourage less car journeys.

So yep, some people care :)

I drive a lower polluting car, does that help?

I love being selfish. I drive everywhere. Sometimes, I just do it for fun or something to do. I love my car and I love driving.

Shoot me

yeah I do it for lots of reasons - not fucking up the very air we all breathe is one of them. I have a car that sits still for most of it's life. Everything else is done by bus/train/walking or

Often driving is just a default setting.

I agree OP. Same with air travel. People seem to think they can cause whatever damage they want to the environment if they can afford the airfare / petrol and car costs. People are ba$tards.

When folks have a stag/hen do abroad, or go 'shopping' in New York I despair slightly.

That's really nice whatstheT. We don't own a car either. We've always been able to manage without, where ever we've lived. Of course it isn't possible in modern life for everyone, but a lot more could.

Here you go. My first

Think it's a societal change rather than individuals. It is just expected that you work much further from home than in the past. Shops are all out of town now, as are supermarkets and cinemas.

Train is really dear. Me and dh price it up on occasion, usually works out chapter to drive for two of us, so that's what we do. London is the main place where we can travel to and it will be marginally cheaper to drive, but it has such good public transport it's worth it.

Yes Owlinatree!

We have a public transport service to the centre of town, pretty reliable, goes every 20 mins or so, takes 30 mins to town centre.. I take the car because return bus fare is £6 ish, 2 hours parking is £5.50. And if me, sh and dd got to town, it's £15 in bus fares which is more than a days parking. Economically, it doesn't make sense to go on the bus.

plus I need a car for work, not having a car is not really an option in my line of work.
And for sh to get to work without a car would take 2 buses and over 1.5 hrs, when he can go in the car for 20 mins.

For people to stop using cars so much, would need to completely overhaul public transport provision in this area.

Cheaper not chapter. Travel to London on the train if that wasn't clear in last post.

Here you go. My first biscuit is that because you don't like being asked about driving, fuckingliability?

Yy to iliketea. Plus you have to carry all the shopping home.

You are right. I'm such a selfish, entitled cow. I really should cycle to work. It would take me only about 30 mins, include two very steep hills (after dropping toddler off on the way with his two nursery bags), would require me to hang two large, heavy bags off the handlebars and have a laptop bag on my back. I'm only six months pregnant, what the hell am I thinking, driving a car?

Or, I could get a bus to my in laws, drop off DS at about 5am, get back on a bus going back the way I'd come from, 15 mins into town. Catch another bus there to a town near to where I work (though actually 30 mins out of the way) then catch another bus that takes me to the nearest small town to my work. At this point I would have to walk for about an hour, down roads with no footpaths, holding the aforementioned bags.

Or I suppose I could get a taxi, although I rather think that ruins the point I'd be making.

Not everyone who drives a car is entitled. I need to get to work and there is no public transport that is anywhere near. What would you suggest I do?

Are we all expected to line up and justify our reasons for driving a car?

Or put up the price of petrol for private use to an astronomical level. People will then eventually manage to car share etc. The vast majority of commuter drives into the city I ride into are single occupants. Quite how we, the species with the biggest brains on the planet conclude that this is a really good way to go is risible.

I wonder what sort of device OP is posting from. Or what sort of furniture they are sitting on whilst posting. And what sort of food they are currently digesting.

You are dodging the question. Do you eat meat OP?

or limit car engine size to max 1 litre.

Cool - being vegan or veggie is still better. Eating no meat or cheese for a week is equivalent to giving up average car use for 35 weeks.

Car sharing just doesn't work cool sharing because people have busy lives, and are not always just going back and forth to work at exact and time and route. People do overtime, they have days off, they get sick, they have to go to meetings off site. So it's hard to rely on a car share.

No, it's because you started a goady thread about driving, and are clearly trying to whip up an argument based on your own assumptions that people are selfish for doing it.

Exact same time and route.