To wonder why people 'don't drive'

[ZX81user]

..medical conditions aside.It is such a useful life skill.
I think it is part of a parent's responsibility to get their teen througj their test.

The point wasn't that transport is a barrier to visiting family

The point was that drivers have been saying 'but the non drivers leave their siblings to run elderly parents to the hospital for their appointments'

Most of us who live long distances away from family members aren't generally running around after them due to distance full stop. Mode of transport is irrelevant

You go to visit an elderly aunt every month
Most of us don't necessarily visit family every month

Transport isn't a barrier. It's just not part of most of our routines

Thinking about it I don't know a single non driver bar my granny who died 20 years ago. Personally think it's a life skill but then I grew up rurally so driving essential if you wanted a life. We didn't bother with a car when we lived in London you really don't need one in the big cities.

Read again, Slanetylor. Its not about visiting elderly parents -mine are 74 and still in excellent health, anyway- its about "are of absolutely no use to siblings vis a vis transporting elderly parents, popping over to see them when another sibling isn't free etc". Visiting an aunt once a month is an entirely different proposition to being available for hospital visits or dropping in.

Its a piece of piss visiting my parents as often as I want, because of trains and buses (and they do live in the countryside). But I'm simply not able to do day to day doctors appointments/other care.

I don't live in London, I don't drive, my partner does and we own a car.

I started learning but got horrendous migraines, then went to uni and met my DH.

We both commute to work walking and on the train because there's no parking. It just sits there, even most weekends until the odd occasion we go to visit family across the country. We only bought it in the last year and had managed 7 years with out one until we moved to our current house, didn't have any parking anyway. So I don't really see the need for me to learn now

'Aibu to think that any one (or was it 'any man'?) still using a bus at age 27 is a failure?'

Signed M Thatcher.

She does seem to have a lot of adherents on this thread.

'Aibu to think that any one (or was it 'any man'?) still using a bus at age 27 is a failure?'

Signed M Thatcher.

She does seem to have a lot of adherents on this thread.

I often think of that Thatcher quote while riding on a bus (at the age of 38), and reflect on what a stupid twat she was.

I’m not Thatcher’s greatest fan but there’s no evidence she ever said that. It doesn’t even sound like her.

I'm a non driver. My parents did offer to pay for lessons when I turned 17 but at the time, I didn't think I was mature enough to handle it, I was also extremely depressed and didn't trust myself with a car. When I was 18 I'd matured a lot and asked for lessons from my folks as a birthday present but they refused. I take lessons a couple of years later when I could afford to pay for them but I didn't get very far and gave up. I've always lived in places where driving isn't a necessity.

That Thatcher quote is from another era. Not only when nobody cared about the environment or knew they needed to, but Thatcher obviously disregarded the fact that needing the status of an expensive car is a different form of not having made it yet (if ever)

OutsideContext a very quick Google tells me that you are probably right, and she didn't actually say it. Nevertheless it's true that I often think of it while on the bus, and it's also true that she was a twat

Decent article on it here:
www.theguardian.com/Columnists/Column/0,5673,1560453,00.html

I couldn't leave my village if I couldn't drive, well, I wouldn't even move here in the first place. Much of the country would be closed off to me as would many jobs, even jobs that don't involve driving, I just wouldn't be able to get there. I think there's quite a strong argument for teaching children to drive in school. The cost of learning excludes the poor and therefore limits opportunities for poor children. I'm going to do my best to ensure my children can drive when the time comes, after that, it's up to them if the choose to drive or not. There are good arguments for not driving and using public transport but I cant think of a single sensible argument that its better to be unable to drive.

We just have a lot more money for taxis because we aren't running a car

Isn't it actually cheaper to run a car than use public transport? That includes factoring in the cost of the car. I know we (family of five) couldn't visit family/friends in other parts of the country as often if we didn't have a car, we couldn't afford the train fare.

I love those Landmark trust places. Do they still have the pineapple folly? I’ve promised myself when the kids are older I’m going there. Without them!

Neither dh or I have siblings, so I don’t know if that makes me more unreasonable or less. Am I expected to do every ones hospital appointments?

Kendodd - family and friends railcard.

KennDodd - single, childfree & in possession of a railcard. Thoroughly enamoured of London & my career, and wouldn't dream of living somewhere I couldn't get around on feet & public transport.

Although I do agree that giving children the chance to learn for free at school would be a good thing. As long as it was optional.

I only use taxis when I really need one, ie if really pushed for time, late at night, or carrying a lot of luggage. I average one a fortnight, which is a regular event and it costs me a £5, I walk there and cab it back.
Probably one a week in the summer as we will have luggage to get to the station.

So maybe £10 to £20 a month, tops.

I do go through a lot of shoes though, but I do visit the cobblers to have shoes re heeled and re soled - or is that wierd as well ?

Sounds pretty sensible to me Ted. I live in walking shoes & normally have a couple of pairs on the go at once.

My only regret about walking so much is that I go through Fly London shoes and boots at a rate of knots!

It must be a bit of a challenge for drivers to hit 10,000 steps a day, I do 14,000 without having to make any extra effort which is good, as I'd never do it otherwise.

Not sure that schools should have to take on driving lessons as well as everything else. I'd rather see free public transport for young people. At some point we have to really think about the effect this driving has on the environment.

Regarding the job interview thing - do that to me and you’ve got a reasonably well evidenced case of disability discrimination. As the thread has shown, there are plenty of valid reasons not to be able to drive, and few of them are due to a lack of grit, gumption and strong character.

TBF sporadic, the only thing that poster is likely to interview anyone for is the vacancy of chief palm waxer.

KennDodd, how long is a piece of string? I can't see how anyone could say whether running a car is definitively cheaper or not. It would depend on your local public transport options and their prices, where you actually need to go and how often, how many people you're transporting, whether you currently do many of the one or two mile walking and cycling journeys that people tend to end up using the car for once they get one even though they don't actually have to, whether you use many taxis as a non car owner and whether owning a car would impact on that... so many variables.

Kendodd - family and friends railcard

Car. Five people can travel 200 miles at a time of our choosing for under £40.

I realise that this isn't right, public transport should be cheaper than it is. My mum (non driver) came to visit once and said it'd be fun to take the children into the local city by bus. First of all we had to drive four miles to the nearest bus stop before waiting for a bus, then changing to another bus. In total the journey that would have taken 25 minutes by car took TWO HOURS by bus and cost twice as much money. Plus we didn't have much time in town as we were restricted by bus times. It was shit. There is train station about eight miles away and we have taken the train into the local city (about 17 miles from my house) once, that was a nice treat but of course took a lot longer and cost more. We should make it an annual Christmas treat though. I'm sure most of the country isn't as badly served as we are for public transport though. When I lived in London I hardly ever drove, public transport was easier, even so I'm still very glad that I COULD drive.

Because they're lazy and it's easier to not have the responsibility and/or to be a passenger. I'm talking about my DH in case you're wondering

I don’t drive because I can think of better things to spend money on and the dh drives anyway and his a terrible passenger. Most of the people I know who do drive are extremely lazy, as in won’t even walk 5minutes to the shop because I have a car or are always running late as it’s only 10minutes up the road so they leave at the last minute. If I need to get somewhere when the dh is at work I walk or get a bus. It would be pointless for us to run and maintain two cars for me to do the school run, walking keeps me and the children fit. When the children are old enough I’m sure they will want to drive and that’s fine or maybe by then public transport will be even better and they won’t want or need too. My parents don’t drive and it’s never stopped them goinbg anywhere.

KenDodd depends on your individual situation really. I only have one DC and it just so happens that my exh is a train driver so DS travels for free with the family rail card. Exh and I are on good terms and so I can usually get a discounted ticket from him too for long journeys.

I spend £20 on a weekly bus ticket to work and that's about it really. l can use that bus ticket if I need to go anywhere at the weekend too.

Only ever get a cab if it's dark and late and I don't feel comfortable walking to and from the bus stops. A rare occurrence as a single mum I'm not often out late!