to feel car driving is frequently unjustified

[Clairetree1]

Having sat in a traffic jam yesterday, in which I counted 10 buses being held up by around 45 cars, many of which only had one person in.

So say 60 people in cars holding up 600 people in buses....

just as a snapshot, throughout the whole journey, each person in a car seems to hold up 10 people in a bus, and if the cars were not there, those car travelers could easily fit on the buses, and everyone would be moving at least 3x as fast,

and I can't really see how this is allowed, or can be justified.

If you are in a city, or in another area with an adequate bus route, and are physically able to use the bus, how do you justify to yourself the danger, inconvenience and lethal pollution you subject everyone else to? Not to mention the further damage to the environment caused by concreting over parking spaces, car manufacture, etc.

I know some people are going to say they need the time, but if cars were banned from our cities and more people on public transport, everyone would be moving faster.

I know some people are going to say they are disabled, or have too much to carry, but some people who are disabled or have a lot to carry do use buses, they often have no choice! it doesn't automatically preclude you.

I know some people are just going to say they have a right to, but really, do you? Pollution is killing thousands of people a year in the UK, not to mention those killed in car crashes, the environmental damage done including global warming, and the sheer inconvenience to everybody else.

I know a couple of cities are planning on banning private cars, and I know petrol cars are on their way out, so things might well improve, but I just don't understand how we reached this position in the first place, so much death and destruction and time taken away by an entitled privileged few with such a selfish habit I can't understand how they justify to themselves.

I don't expect many people to agree with me, I think this privilege is so deeply ingrained in our culture that people genuinely feel they have a right to drive cars, when perfectly adequate public transport exist.

I don't think there is any moral right at all though, I think it is morally wrong in every way

Let’s face it, this isn’t the only place people are laughing at MrSpock.

It doesn't take six weeks to reorganise my classroom, where did I say that? I'm in for about 3 weeks probably, and only a week or so of that is reorgansing the classroom

I’ve never worked in a school that was open all through the summer. School was open for a few days after the end of term and will be open again the last week of the holidays.... plenty for our teachers.

A teacher regularly working 12 hour days is doing something wrong!

Our premises manager (and we only have the one) is in Cyprus at the moment so definitely won’t be unlocking the school this week or next week.....

At least some people aren't teaching their children to be thieves.

Yes create good drones for daddy government, they really hate those of us who dare question the status quo!

It’s hilarious people who literally destroy the planet think they’re in the moral right here.

It's way cheaper to run a car once you've bought it then pay for public transport! The amount I get about it would cost a fortune!

I’ve just costed my car for its entire life so far. Bought from new, smallish cheapish, has just turned 8 yo (and likely to be replaced in the next year). Capital cost of the car, road tax, mot, insurance and maintenance come to £18,450 over its lifetime, fuel and oil and occasional parking, around £3840. 74k miles on the clock, which is pretty average. Lots of rural driving, some city driving.

That’s roughly £2790 a year my car has cost to buy and run since new.
£233 pcm
£54 a week

My freedom to go where I want, when I want - priceless.

£233 pcm is incredibly expensive, wouldn’t you say?

the importance of ethics, morality

From the woman who refuses to buy a train ticket, thus pushing up prices for everyone else.

Depends how much you earn and how much your other outgoings are. If you're on 4 grand a month with a 450 mortgage it's not much really.

No. It’s worth every penny and more

slightly radical in my outlook

Ahh, you're one of those!

In my experience people who say they are radical in their outlook tend to be rather narrow minded and judgemental.

One of what? People who don’t just stand in line and take the metaphorical beating from those in power?

I’m proud that I have opinions, beliefs and principles. I believe we all have a duty to improve and change the world. I try to be the type of person I myself would like to meet and try to make the world one I would want my kids to grow in.

If that makes me one of “those”, so be it!

Op so the school shuts at 6pm in most weekdays and you do a 13/14 hour day at work mostly according to you. So you are getting to school at 4/5 am after an hours commute? So getting on public transport at 3/4am and essentially getting up at 2/3am to get ready and get to the station/bus stop to go and work in a school?

😂😂

Oh dear. I think you need to stop there because you are either lying or delusional and digging yourself into a hole all to try and prove a point about public transport

I live in Devon where even the OP has admitted that public transport is shit so guess I can continue to drive without further judgement

I live in Devon, but in a town. The bus service is pretty good there. I wouldn't want to live in rural Devon without a car, which basically means I wouldn't want to live in rural Devon, since I'd hate to have to drive everywhere.

I’m proud that I have opinions, beliefs and principles. I believe we all have a duty to improve and change the world. I try to be the type of person I myself would like to meet and try to make the world one I would want my kids to grow in

You're improving and changing the world by stealing from public transport companies, breaking the law, and taking advantage of the rest of society?
Please stop it. We don't want your kind of world, or people like you.

Autumn

A lot of this thread is anecdotal, people if pushed would find many different ways to travel if they had to.

Other countries mAnage even through snow to keep cycling.

You're improving and changing the world by stealing from public transport companies, breaking the law, and taking advantage of the rest of society?
Please stop it. We don't want your kind of world, or people like you.

Lol. You have no idea. You support companies that exploit the poor, not just in this country but in lesser economically developed countries, and contribute to the deaths of millions.

But as long as the CEOs get their bonuses, right?

Fucking hell, they’ve done a good job on people haven’t they. Turning the ordinary people into turkeys voting for Christmas.

@MrSpock I take it you're a vegan with a waste free lifestyle?

Otherwise you'd be a hypocritical wannabe hippy type right? Stick it to the man.
Oh and also to the law because you are a thief.

*A lot of this thread is anecdotal, people if pushed would find many different ways to travel if they had to.

Other countries mAnage even through snow to keep cycling*

I can’t cycle. It’s not possible right now.

So what options can I have?

Letticewrap

I hate to say it but road tax doesn’t exist, it’s car tax and only cars that pollute pay this tax. Road tax was scraped back in 1937

Op I just read back through the thread and read:

"well, I am a teacher, so 12hours minimum in school, more normally 13-14 hours, several hours work carried home every day, bus journey over an hour - I think that is a fairly normal working day, yes, and to be honest a lot of people with much shorter days than that, parttime workers etc, are also driving!"

Surely 12 hours is the max you can do if as you just said the school is open for 12 hours (7-7 or 6-6) yet you just said it was "normal" for you to do a 13/14 hour in school. How is that possible if it's only open 12 hours?

Op if you are going to lie at least make sure it all adds up first!

I think society in general has gone backwards though and am slightly radical in my outlook so I’m unsurprised you don’t agree with me.

There's nothing "radical" about being a thief. I hope you get caught out soon.

Jawieshammer

So because you can’t ride a bike no one else should? Don’t you think that if other ride bikes, ride on buses how much clearer the roads my be for others that can’t do those things?

So because you can’t ride a bike no one else should?

No. I’m saying you have these great plans about charging for short journeys and more people cycling.

You don’t seem to be acknowledging that for some people that’s not going to work.

I’m not vegan, no, because veganism is worse for the environment with the amount of land it takes to grow the supplies and indigenous tribes get their habitats destroyed when companies bulldoze the rainforests to make room to grow more crops for trendy vegan products.

I do grow my own veg, encourage bees, care for wildlife, walk almost everywhere, donate my old clothes to refugee families living locally, give to charity, volunteer for charity and buy either second hand or from independent British retailers and small companies though.

So while I’m not perfect, I’d say I do a darn sight more than most

Oh and every Christmas, I buy my DC a charity gift, as in donate something in their name, and we sit and tell them what we’ve chosen and why, so that my kids grow up knowing how important helping the less fortunate is.