Page 13 | To say people are totally over reacting about the fuel issue

JoborPlay · 28/09/2021 11:00

@Stellaris22

I do find it astonishing that the vast majority of people can't understand that owning a car isn't a possibility for a lot of people. Car ownership is expensive as is learning to drive. I've seen people state that its a luxury to live in a city where you have access to public transport.

Its not.

A lot of people simply can't own a car because they aren't financially able to, and this is continually overlooked. In the same way that home ownership isn't possible for a lot of people.

Abusing those who don't own a car isn't the nicest of things when those people are hardly in a great place (financially).

It depends where you live. Our car costs us £90 per month to tax, maintain, not etc plus approx £60 in fuel. It was £1500 to buy and we've had it 3 years now. So that's £195 per month.

A public transport pass for the 4 of us would be £347 per month.

SunShinesBrightly · 28/09/2021 11:04

[quote ivykaty44]@BananaPB

What do you think buses run on? www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and-offers/national/gas-buses[/quote]
I can guarantee that my DD’s school bus doesn’t run on gas or electric.
How do I know? The black fumes it spits out and diesel fog as it struggles to drive up the hill. 😅

Stellaris22 · 28/09/2021 11:22

It was £1500 to buy

That's the thing, a lot of people (especially now) just don't have that money, and definitely no room in the budget for insurance etc.

People walk, and choose jobs within walking distance, because they have no choice. Or cycle because a £20 second hand bike is a lot cheaper with no ongoing costs.

Bullying and the general nastiness to non drivers is disgusting.

Getyourownback · 28/09/2021 11:30

Where is this bullying and nastiness to non-drivers?

Stellaris22 · 28/09/2021 11:44

Where is this bullying and nastiness to non-drivers?

"What a foolish post"

"if you can't figure it out I really can't be arsed to explain it to you tbh"

"Also this one million percent

Clearly the OP has a full veg garden / fruit orchards/ hen hut out their back door and walks the few miles to the local fields to milk the cows …

Such a narrow minded post

Bet you still want your houmous and Pinot Grigio from Tesco though .."

"Sounds like an ivory tower / im all right Jack post"

"Please never learn to drive OP and stay well away from the roads."

"What a stupid post

I live 10 miles from a train station.

6 miles from dc schools in different directions.

Grow a brain op"

It is all very defensive when OP was within their rights to make a comment about the fuel situation, the nastiness is, well, everything you expect from defensive MN.

Its also important to recognise that perhaps car ownership ISN'T something everyone can benefit from. Just as people centre their lives around owning a car, others are forced to centre their lives around not having this luxury.

Getyourownback · 28/09/2021 11:56

A couple of those are directed at the non-driving capacity but most of them are just directed at someone who has started a goady thread who happens not to drive rather than because she doesn’t drive.

CityMumma78 · 28/09/2021 11:57

Obviously written by someone who lives and works in a city! I hate to break this to you OP but around the UK the transport links are not like major cities nor do people work in walking or cycling distance to their places of work (eye-roll). Also the reason for people buying fuel could be related to not just work but other commitments such as hospital appointments so get off your high horse!

Stellaris22 · 28/09/2021 12:01

@CityMumma78 have you considered people walk/cycle because they can't afford a car? It's so normal to own a car now that the idea of not owning one is completely alien. I know lots of people who simply can't afford it, or even the lessons.

It's not being on a high horse or smug, it's simply not having the option to drive everywhere.

passionfruitpizza · 28/09/2021 12:01

The trains here don't even start until nearly 7am. In the car I leave at 6 to drop kids then go to work which takes 1.5 hours. Yeah i guess it's not the end of world if I'm a couple of hours late for work i'll just cut a couple of patients off the list. I'll have to cut a few off at the end of the day too because without car i'll have to leave work early to pick up kids.

Underamour · 28/09/2021 12:04

I think that what the OP is saying is this:-

Probably under 1% of the population have been moderately inconvenienced by this

About 5-10% of the population gave been mildly inconvenienced by this.
80% live in cities and can choose other forms of transport.

But on here 89% of people are saying what a disaster this is and how the country is going down the tubes - a reaction that is disproportionate to the actual level of inconvenience they are currently experiencing.

Underamour · 28/09/2021 12:06

Can I have a vote on how many people right now are unable to get to work/ visit their sick mum etc???

Offmyfence · 28/09/2021 12:09

@Underamour

Can I have a vote on how many people right now are unable to get to work/ visit their sick mum etc???

Not me, I filled up yesterday morning. Queued for about 20 mins, so not long.

Should last me about 10 days.

Hopefully lots of people have managed to get petrol so their lives are not disrupted,

Underamour · 28/09/2021 12:09

Lets hope so @Offmyfence

SunShinesBrightly · 28/09/2021 12:14

@Underamour

Can I have a vote on how many people right now are unable to get to work/ visit their sick mum etc???

DD couldn’t get to work on Sunday bus via local public transport. Not because I didn’t have fuel in my car , I did, but because the rail replacement bus was cancelled due to fuel shortages.

DarlingFell · 28/09/2021 12:14

I live rurally, 8 miles from the train station that takes me into London. There are NO buses, nothing. One taxi for the entire village, and he charges a fortune. I have too much stuff to carry to cycle; laptop, documents, files, coupled with the fact that it's raining heavily and I don't think turning up to work like a drowned rat is considered to be professional in most circles

SunShinesBrightly · 28/09/2021 12:17

As for filling up my own car and getting to work -I drove straight into a garage Saturday AM and queued behind one other car.
DH drove in at tea time yesterday no queues at all. Admittedly local garages were closed to all but emergency services Sunday -Monday afternoon.

Orangejuicemarathoner · 28/09/2021 12:19

@TikTokNutcases

People adamant they can't go to work, so get a train.

Ride a bicycle.

Use the bus.

Talk of closing schools for god sake, whatever next.

It's ridiculous that people rely so heavily on the use of their car that life appears to stop still when they can't drive it.

You don't see this type of hysteria among non drivers, ever.

I don't drive and never have. I've never flapped like this about not being able to go to the supermarket, work etc.

I am a non driver

I am not in work today

Because the bus system has failed

due to fuel shortages

Mickarooni · 28/09/2021 12:38

@TurnUpTurnip

Many people live in London or other cities but commute much more rurally or need their cars for the job they do. Yes, many people are flapping about short journeys but most people who are anxious have valid reasons. I’m not going to list every single one but it’s quite obvious.

Mickarooni · 28/09/2021 12:39

@Stellaris22

It was £1500 to buy

That's the thing, a lot of people (especially now) just don't have that money, and definitely no room in the budget for insurance etc.

People walk, and choose jobs within walking distance, because they have no choice. Or cycle because a £20 second hand bike is a lot cheaper with no ongoing costs.

Bullying and the general nastiness to non drivers is disgusting.

And nastiness to the people who deliver our food and medicines is ridiculous!

(No skin off my nose, I am not a delivery driver but people are so arrogant.)

ivykaty44 · 28/09/2021 13:17

*What about other forms of transport? How many years does it take to build a train and railway network?

Why bother the train station would be 20 miles away from where anyone lived so no one would use it

Holskey · 28/09/2021 19:48

@Stellaris22

Where is this bullying and nastiness to non-drivers?

"What a foolish post"

"if you can't figure it out I really can't be arsed to explain it to you tbh"

"Also this one million percent

Clearly the OP has a full veg garden / fruit orchards/ hen hut out their back door and walks the few miles to the local fields to milk the cows …

Such a narrow minded post

Bet you still want your houmous and Pinot Grigio from Tesco though .."

"Sounds like an ivory tower / im all right Jack post"

"Please never learn to drive OP and stay well away from the roads."

"What a stupid post

I live 10 miles from a train station.

6 miles from dc schools in different directions.

Grow a brain op"

It is all very defensive when OP was within their rights to make a comment about the fuel situation, the nastiness is, well, everything you expect from defensive MN.

Its also important to recognise that perhaps car ownership ISN'T something everyone can benefit from. Just as people centre their lives around owning a car, others are forced to centre their lives around not having this luxury.

Eh? How is that bullying non-drivers? The OP isn't standing as a representative for all non-drivers and all those comments were aimed specifically at the OP.

Yes, the OP is entitled to share her/his views, and we're entitled to point out that her argument (which is essentially "fuel shortage isn't a big deal") is ridiculous, and many, many posters have offered plenty of sound reason to explain why it's ridiculous.

Flowers500 · 28/09/2021 19:55

@Stellaris22

Where is this bullying and nastiness to non-drivers?

"What a foolish post"

"if you can't figure it out I really can't be arsed to explain it to you tbh"

"Also this one million percent

Clearly the OP has a full veg garden / fruit orchards/ hen hut out their back door and walks the few miles to the local fields to milk the cows …

Such a narrow minded post

Bet you still want your houmous and Pinot Grigio from Tesco though .."

"Sounds like an ivory tower / im all right Jack post"

"Please never learn to drive OP and stay well away from the roads."

"What a stupid post

I live 10 miles from a train station.

6 miles from dc schools in different directions.

Grow a brain op"

It is all very defensive when OP was within their rights to make a comment about the fuel situation, the nastiness is, well, everything you expect from defensive MN.

Its also important to recognise that perhaps car ownership ISN'T something everyone can benefit from. Just as people centre their lives around owning a car, others are forced to centre their lives around not having this luxury.

Wow the levels of literacy in this country are worrying… none of these are sneering at non drivers, they are’s responding to OP’s moronic thread which claims that doctors not being to work, carers not being able to reach vulnerable people, and shops not being restocked is just not an issue. If you can’t understand that…

By the way, I don’t drive. But I live somewhere where I don’t need to. But this is still (mildly) affecting my life because of the knock on impacts, and seriously harming others. I’m not a selfish cow so I would rather they weren’t harmed. HTH.

Lancrelady80 · 28/09/2021 20:00

I lived in rural Lincolnshire for 23 years, there were train stations dotted about.

Then you need to redefine rural. Our nearest train station is 22 miles away. The next nearest is 40 miles away. We have two buses a day which are mini bus size and cater for retirees wanting to potter about the shops for a couple of hours and then come home. No use at all for commuting.

If you're saying people who live in places like this shouldn't be reliant on cars, then you're either providing us all with magic carpets or want us all to suddenly pack up our things and move to totally different areas with public transport. Literally overnight, and three days ago. And of course if we did so, the resultant crowding on public transport would be unbearable and also you would suddenly have created ghost towns/villages from the areas that we all left.

The only one being unreasonable here is you. People are panicking about fuel because for some it is vital, for a myriad of reasons. Some are overreacting for sure, but it's understandable.

Be glad it's not you wondering how to get to work/the shops/the hospital and have a bit of empathy for those really struggling.

Lancrelady80 · 28/09/2021 20:07

[quote Stellaris22]@CityMumma78 have you considered people walk/cycle because they can't afford a car? It's so normal to own a car now that the idea of not owning one is completely alien. I know lots of people who simply can't afford it, or even the lessons.

It's not being on a high horse or smug, it's simply not having the option to drive everywhere.[/quote]
Agree... But...those people have structured their lives in such a way they can function without a car, due to necessity.

But those who have the option and have structured their lives around that are worried they might end up stranded and in real trouble.

If everyone is to live in a way where driving isn't essential, we will end up with hugely overcrowded areas where public transport exists, and large chunks of the countryside abandoned.

Keladrythesaviour · 28/09/2021 20:33

Yeah I don't get it either. In my village we can easily get a bus into the local town for work. We can't get back the same day, but if we just stopped worrying we'd quickly realise we could sleep in a doorway until the single bus the next day.