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Original poster

To say people are totally over reacting about the fuel issue

439 replies

TikTokNutcases · 27/09/2021 22:54

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.

OP posts:
MolyHolyGuacamole · 29/09/2021 13:37

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

Well no, because a fuel shortage wouldn't affect you.

MolyHolyGuacamole · 29/09/2021 13:38

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

🥇🥇🥇⭐️⭐️⭐️ A star twunt

ivykaty44 · 29/09/2021 13:39

I feel pretty conflicted - a terrible inconvenience for many, but also delicious comeuppance for the Brexiteers and anti-cyclist brigade!

why would anyone be anti cyclists this week?

these are the people that haven't been queueing at the pumps taking all the petrol for those that can't cycle? doesn't make sense

ivykaty44 · 29/09/2021 13:41

MolyHolyGuacamole hardly a taunt - these are the people that aren't taking the petrol you want, there not the drivers in front of you int he queue. Can you really not see that?

MolyHolyGuacamole · 29/09/2021 13:42

@ivykaty44

MolyHolyGuacamole hardly a taunt - these are the people that aren't taking the petrol you want, there not the drivers in front of you int he queue. Can you really not see that?
The quote I highlighted doesn't mention anything about petrol so not sure what this has to do with me calling the OP a twunt?
luckylavender · 29/09/2021 13:42

@TikTokNutcases - have you always been so smug?

luckylavender · 29/09/2021 13:45

@IvorHughJarrs - you know nothing about people's situations. They may have hospital appointments, be scared of losing their independence. Any number of things. Blame the government who created this crisis.

ivykaty44 · 29/09/2021 13:51

@MolyHolyGuacamole

If someone doesn't want or need what you want, then you can have what they don't want, unless that is other do want what you want and get to it first

Stellaris22 · 29/09/2021 14:04

@Xenia do you really believe relying on public transport and having to live close to work means you are rich? Do you think people who do this have the luxury of owning their home, let alone a car?

Or maybe people are renting and centre where they rent (probably a tiny flat) based on how easily they can walk to work.

It's easy to forget car ownership is a luxury.

Newkitchen123 · 29/09/2021 14:04

OP where do you do your shop? Your big shop for the family I mean not just a few bits

RandomLondoner · 29/09/2021 14:04

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

People whose lives are set up in such a way as to never to require them to travel by car don't get hysterical when car travel becomes impossible?

Amazing. It never occurred to me that people who don't have a problem wouldn't be upset by the problem they don't have.

tabulahrasa · 29/09/2021 14:25

@ivykaty44

tabulahrasa

so you think they should go without fuel as they use them for private use?

if private car owners that can get about by other means left the fuel for people with the vans to get to do there work then there'd be enough to go around

those that can gt about by other means should and leave the fuel for the small business van drivers, that can't and the other people with disabilities that can't etc

No... I was pointing out that you can’t class commercial vehicles as somehow separate to private ones as they’re often the same single vehicle.

Some work vans are also private vehicles outwith working hours and some cars are company vehicles during working hours.

So for instance if fuel was reserved for commercial vans and trucks... parcels could be picked up in a van to the closest parcel depot, but the truck to take them to the next depot might not have a driver because he can’t get to the truck depot and the courier who picks it up from the parcel depot to deliver it to a house can’t do that because she uses her car.

As one example

Offmyfence · 29/09/2021 14:38

@RandomLondoner

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

People whose lives are set up in such a way as to never to require them to travel by car don't get hysterical when car travel becomes impossible?

Amazing. It never occurred to me that people who don't have a problem wouldn't be upset by the problem they don't have.

Exactly!!
Ceebeegee · 29/09/2021 14:45

These discussions have been done to death but heres my two pence.
I live rural East Midlands, my sons school is 9 miles away from my home, I work full time in the same village as the school.
We don't own bicycles. There is no footpath or pavement for the majority of the busy A-road to the village, so walking isn't safe. The first bus gets the village at 9.22, so I'd be late for work, and my son would be late to school.
If I don't get fuel, then it's absence from school for my son, hopefully home learning at best case scenario , and no wages for me if I can't get into work (it can't be done from home)..
Which means no wages to pay the mortgage, bills etc. So into debt/on benefits if I can't work.
But that's okay, because otherwise it'd be an overreaction right?!

ivykaty44 · 29/09/2021 14:58

tabulahrasa

you're over complicating the difference between a company van for a plumber and a family saloon car, for no actual reason

ivykaty44 · 29/09/2021 15:01

Newkitchen123

why would it matter which brand of supermarket the op shops at?

marchingtotheend2021 · 29/09/2021 15:06

When people become so reliant on a car and suddenly you can't use it is a massive pita! I was like you once couldn't/ didn't want too drive always used to say oh ill just get a train or a bus or whatever. So much more freedom with a car even though it most times comes with a big cost, I couldn't dream of not having one now. Obviously some people are quiet happy to live the lifestyle car free etc everyone has options/different ways of transporting them self's around. Smile

CynsterBitch · 29/09/2021 15:30

I don’t live super rurally, but without my car i couldn’t Get to work. It takes 30 min to drive, there are no buses to take me from my town to work town (or nearrby), train would take about 2hrs each way (3xhsnges)
Cycling would be possible but iy’s along a busy (and frankly scary) A road so not really for me.
If i was still a non driver none of this would be a problem though but that’s because i would never have got a job in the same location

People’s needs are different, this should not be hard to understand

FanGirlX · 29/09/2021 15:32

It's easy to forget car ownership is a luxury.

Not if you live rurally with limited / no public transport.

TuftyMarmoset · 29/09/2021 15:48

That doesn't make it not a luxury @FanGirlX. If anything it makes living rurally a luxury. If you couldn't afford a car or had a disability that meant you couldn't drive then you wouldn't be able to live in that place.

FanGirlX · 29/09/2021 15:58

@TuftyMarmoset

That doesn't make it not a luxury *@FanGirlX*. If anything it makes living rurally a luxury. If you couldn't afford a car or had a disability that meant you couldn't drive then you wouldn't be able to live in that place.
Actually, living in London with good public transport is a luxury. You either have to be a high earner or have won the council house lottery to be able to afford the rent / mortgage.

Only London has a good public transport network. I live in suburban Manchester and while getting into the city is easy on public transport, getting around the suburbs without a car isn't easy. I'm going out for dinner tonight in a suburb that is about a 15 minute drive away. If I wanted to go by public transport I would have to go into the city and out again making it a 1 hour journey. The same thing applies to my job, I would have to take the metrolink and then 2 trains to get there on public transport, which would double my commute time.

I grew up rurally and a car is essential. If everyone who currently lives rurally got rid of their car and moved to London, who would do the essential jobs rurally like teaching, care work, policing? Do you consider people doing these jobs and earning lower than average salaries to be living in luxury because they own a car to get to work? You realise not every car is brand new Audi don't you? Plenty of older cars on the roads in rural areas.

Stellaris22 · 29/09/2021 16:00

@FanGirlX

It's easy to forget car ownership is a luxury.

Not if you live rurally with limited / no public transport.

It is a luxury. You might not view it as one, but it's an expensive asset that not everyone is able to afford.
Stellaris22 · 29/09/2021 16:10

Living rurally isn't the excuse you think it is. Living rurally is an option when you can drive and have ready access to a car.

It might be difficult to understand, but not everyone has the privilege to have had driving lessons (cost or time), and car ownership is as difficult financially as home ownership.

If you didn't have a car would you be living rurally?

And bus services outside of London are actually quite good. Not giving away where I live, but bus services are perfectly usable.

FanGirlX · 29/09/2021 16:11

It is a luxury. You might not view it as one, but it's an expensive asset that not everyone is able to afford.

DPs sister is a carer she drives around in a 12 year old Honda, worth less than a grand. She needs it for work. She earns NMW.

Not every car on the road is a brand new luxury car. This is particularly noticeable in rural areas.

FanGirlX · 29/09/2021 16:12

If you didn't have a car would you be living rurally?

That's the first time I've heard suburban Manchester described as rural Grin

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