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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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:
Everley · 27/09/2021 23:07

My DH is a builder and really can't get all his tools and materials on the bus. Plus he needs his van to get to and from different jobs and builder's merchants.

I would struggle getting the weekly shop on the bus due to disability.

We haven't filled our vehicles up yet but will need to at some point this week.

Jenster03 · 27/09/2021 23:07

In my village there's two buses a day. That's it.

Original poster
TikTokNutcases · 27/09/2021 23:08

I do think some people rely on their car far too much

That's the problem isn't it, so when people can't use one it's like the world has ended.

OP posts:
bg21 · 27/09/2021 23:09

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

RubyJam · 27/09/2021 23:11

@Ichangemynameagain

Aye, but how does the food you eat get from the source to you? Horse and cart?
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 ..

Original poster
TikTokNutcases · 27/09/2021 23:12

@bg21

if you can't figure it out I really can't be arsed to explain it to you tbh
Yes, please don't feel the need to.

I'm bored to tears of hearing about what a terrible disaster it is everywhere I go.

Fuel is being delivered already, plenty more is expected. This isn't some catastrophic marked event in history.

People need to relax.

OP posts:
Mreggsworth · 27/09/2021 23:13

50/50

I know some people who the fuel shortage should be nothing more than an inconvenience for as they can work from home, have no caring responsibilities, are able bodied and live close walking distance to shops and transport links who have been frantic in trying to get fuel despite already having half a tank. But most people I know are being fairly reasonable with it and not overreacting.

I have only been driving a couple of months so Its not an issue for me to not rely on a car for a little while.

However, I can see why those who are dependent on a car because they cant work from home, not In reasonable walking distance to public transport and shops, have caring responsibilities and are disabled might be panicking. The only person I know who is really fretting has a husband who is extremely unwell in hospital, while she can get public transport it's an hour each way, not awful as a general rule but awful when you are absolutely desperate to get their quick and are a teary emotional wreck.

HouseOfFire · 27/09/2021 23:13

Was it car drivers bulk buying toilet roll and pasta?

Can you show me your data?

LaPampa · 27/09/2021 23:14

We live rurally. There is a bus stop to which I can walk, but only five buses a day run from it, that go to two small towns, neither of which has a station. Neither bus goes to the place my kids go to school which is 5 miles away. The nearest railway station is 15 miles away. Luckily I work from home but when I didn’t, I had to drive as there was no public transport option that worked. So yeah, car is essential if we want to go anywhere, including, the shop for bread or milk.

PyjamaMamma · 27/09/2021 23:14

I drove past a petrol station on Friday and loads of school buses were queuing to go in. Might be alien to some people but at least 2/3 of the pupils in DD’s large secondary school rely on these buses - it’s not just cars that need fuel, you know?

Oldandcobwebbed · 27/09/2021 23:14

The nhs runs on private cars. In my area home visits from everything from the midwives, doctors that might detain you if you were mentally unwell, people delivering medication, district nurses and social Work carers are done in their own cars using their own petrol (they claim the cost mostly back)

We've had to cancel injections, and are waiting to see what we can do about homevisits. Using public transport would like mean we can reach maybe 1/5 appointments in a day. Car driving is essential on our job application

That's ignoring the staff that have to work from home as we have multiple stations with no fuel.

Sure if I knew I had no car, I'd of probably chosen a house with a public transport use, probably a totally different job and different start time. I'm sure infrastructure would be better if wide spread.

Its very different if you know you have no car for a long time, to losing a car overnight

RubyJam · 27/09/2021 23:14

If I don’t have fuel I can’t drive to work
If I don’t go to work I can’t get paid

Clearly you DONT have this dilemma

Sounds like an ivory tower / im all right Jack post

StrawberrySquash · 27/09/2021 23:17

You don’t see this type of hysteria among non-drivers……

No, I can afford not to drive because I live in a big city with trains to take me to work. If I didn't and the only way I could get to work, I'd be pretty stressed. And this is also symptomatic of wider problems, so while I am not worried about tomorrow, from a personal perspective, I am worried from a keeping the country functioning perspective.

Fizbosshoes · 27/09/2021 23:17

I have a car but I use the train to get to work. Kids can walk to school and I can walk to the supermarket. Good for me.

Except I can't be too smug about it as I have to hope the train drivers can get to the terminus to drive the train that I'm going to get (I'm thinking they possibly don't all walk there)
....that the teachers can get to school as I know very few of them live in the same town.
...that the delivery drivers for the supermarket have enough fuel...to transport food/groceries

So while I might not immediately need to fill my own car up, I am going to be reliant on other people being able to access fuel.

Original poster
TikTokNutcases · 27/09/2021 23:17

Was it car drivers bulk buying toilet roll and pasta?

Most probably, given the over reaction I'm seeing from the people for whom this is only a mild inconvenience at best.

I don't doubt that for some people it could be extremely problematic should it continue for too long, this example being one of them:

The only person I know who is really fretting has a husband who is extremely unwell in hospital, while she can get public transport it's an hour each way, not awful as a general rule but awful when you are absolutely desperate to get their quick and are a teary emotional wreck.

But in general, most people can manage without the use of their car for a couple of days.

OP posts:
MereDintofPandiculation · 27/09/2021 23:19

I lived in rural Lincolnshire for 23 years, there were train stations dotted about. Yes, that's the point. Dotted about. Whereas people live in between, not all conveniently near to the stations.

I live on the outskirts of a city. I do have a station 20mins walk away. It will take me to the centre of the city. If my job is not in the centre, I will need to take another train out of the centre, and hope my job is only 20mins walk away from the station. Doing that twice a day will add perhaps 2-3 hours to my day. Now think about the people who live in the surrounding villages.

ElfDragon · 27/09/2021 23:20

I have 3 dc with SN, at school in 3 different counties (due to their needs). Only one would be eligible for transport, but I can’t actually use that as I cannot manage the pick up/drop off windows.

Public transport not an option.

So yes, I do worry when I can’t get the fuel I need to get them to school, as the disruption to their lives if they can’t go is huge. I wish I wasn’t so dependent on a car - I hate it. In my pre-children life I walked everywhere, and genuinely thought nothing of walking 3.5 miles to/from work each day (even with 6.30am starts!), but given the lack of SN schools (or decent support for dc with SN in most mainstream schools), I don’t have much choice.

spaceghetto · 27/09/2021 23:20

I have a car. I do use public transport occasionally. I don't use my car every day. I haven't panic purchased. I didn't bulk buy either. I do pick my nose though.

Droite · 27/09/2021 23:21

Fuel is being delivered already, plenty more is expected. This isn't some catastrophic marked event in history.

So you do acknowledge that some people need fuel and need to drive, then?

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

I've come across a number of non-drivers seriously worried about things like their children's home to school transport, transport to hospital appointments, and the empty shelves in shops.

nancy75 · 27/09/2021 23:21

But in general, most people can manage without the use of their car for a couple of days
With the exception of the many thousands of people who can’t

Original poster
TikTokNutcases · 27/09/2021 23:22

Doing that twice a day will add perhaps 2-3 hours to my day. Now think about the people who live in the surrounding villages.

An inconvenience absolutely but it's not dire is it? I commuted 2 hours on busses daily, with a walk in between, until 37 weeks pregnant.

It will all be over by the weekend there is just no need for the flapping.

OP posts:
ThreeLittleDots · 27/09/2021 23:22

Where do all of these super rural people live

Tell me how to get from TR19 7AL to TR1 3AY for a 6am start?

friendlycat · 27/09/2021 23:24

It’s because you don’t drive that you don’t see the problem then.
But I assume …
If your boiler breaks down you want an engineer. Similar if you need plumber etc.
You want all the essential services to be able to get to work so you have gas,electricity, waste water, bin collections, banking, WiFi etc
You want food delivered to you or your local shop
You want the Police and ambulance service to run
If you are going to take that bus or train you want the driver to be able to get to his depot.
As you can’t drive and you may need a hospital appointment the local taxi company need fuel to get you there, not to mention all the hospital staff who work at said hospital.

It’s utterly ridiculous to think all these people (and I’ve only mentioned a few as there are many more) can just walk to their place of work and do their job.

Of course some people can walk to work without hardship but many cannot.

Anordinarymum · 27/09/2021 23:24

@TikTokNutcases

Doing that twice a day will add perhaps 2-3 hours to my day. Now think about the people who live in the surrounding villages.

An inconvenience absolutely but it's not dire is it? I commuted 2 hours on busses daily, with a walk in between, until 37 weeks pregnant.

It will all be over by the weekend there is just no need for the flapping.

You are boring.
Branleuse · 27/09/2021 23:26

People in real life arent going on about it much. It does keep being on the news though, so it just perpetuates it

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