To think we could make housing estates like Center Parcs re cars

[QuertyGirl]

The USP of Centre Parcs is for many, the fact that they are mostly car free. Kids can play out and ride their bikes like I did when I was kid.

Can't do that now due to the amount of cars, speed and size of cars and, attitude of some car drivers.

People (including myself) pay a small fortune to holiday at CP.

Why can't we make housing estates more like that?

Communal car parks in walking distance, deliveries by small electric vehicles from a hub (like old fashioned milk floats), exemptions for blue badge holders and funding for electric mobility scooters for those that need them.

Yet, if the council suggests a couple of cycle lane and all hell breaks loose.

I have a chronic bad back but am nowhere near being registered disabled. Carrying shopping/anything when it flares is so painful. I'd never live anywhere where I couldn't be near my car.

Pushchair, cargo bike, sling? What do you think people without cars do, stay in the house the whole time?

Love to see just how much insurance premiums would go up as well as the number of blue badge applications.

Or people just totally ignoring the law because you know things like babies, British weather and so on.

OP you or other people managing something doesn't make it a desirable thing to do.

It wouldn't solve the issue. There would still be a significant amount of people with exemptions, like I'm a community midwife. I need to access peoples houses. Also, for homebirths. Can't be parking 10 mins away! So there would still be enough cars on the road to make it not what you're asking for. So what is the point in making it hell for 95% of residents?

How would I get my groceries from the car? How would I get to the car? Where would I store the mobility scooter? Who would pay the electricity to charge the scooter?

I really don't think we have enough space in the UK for significant numbers of people to live like that.

Do I leave my kids in the car while I traipse back and forward with all my shopping!? Or shall I take them home first then go back?
Usually have 6 heavy bags for life plus nappies and toilet roll etc so that's what 3 or 4 trips? Could take an hour but I'll just leave my one year old on his own at home while I do it shall I?!

I agree with this. We need to change our mentality around car being king. They have a lot of Shared Space too in the Netherlands which means cars driving slowly and giving way to pedestrians. It's so much safer for children. But they tried it in my city and car drivers just do not play ball.

Where would the space for all these cars come from?

I think that sounds lovely, but I'm a disabled parent and public transport user so I'm used to facing challenges every time I go out. Most people aren't willing to give up their comforts. Our high street has died because people can't be arsed to walk it from the free local parking, they'd much rather drive from one shop to the next in the retail park. People want easy, convenient, instant gratification. Despite my friends expecting me to struggle on crutches and spend an hour on public transport, they don't leave the house if there's something wrong with their car.

There should be some estates like this for those who want them but it couldn't be forced upon people. With self driving cars I'm sure it'll become a thing in future.

I think its a very good idea, OP

You could use the pram like those of us do that don't have cars. Also trollies/wagons could be available to those without children in prams.

No chance. Society is too lazy. Trust me, some people, without any physical or other issues would regard a 50 yard walk as too far.

We have people on our estate who have empty driveways and park their cars on their own lawns so they literally step out into their front door. The grass is ruined and it looks terrible.

I know of entire streets on another estate where the house builder provided 2 x spaces per house around the back of each house. Every single householder parks in front of their house turning the road into a nightmare single carriegeway. For the sake of a 20 yard walk from the car they would rather park on the street. All the parking around the back that they own is empty....

No thanks.
I've paid enough for my house with a drive and garage, and enough for my car too.

Allow people to park the car outside the house for unloading only. Then drive back to the car park. It's not rocket science.

Although I have known loads of people who have handled shopping without a car with two (or more) children under five. It's not the impossibility many like to make out.

(1) I don’t want to park the second most expensive asset I own in a communal car park 10 minutes walk away from my house, where I can’t vouch for its security.
(2) I own an electric vehicle, so need to charge it on my driveway. No communal car park will ever have sufficient charging points to accommodate everyone. The cost of such a scheme alone would be prohibitive.

It’s not about whether it’s possible or not though is it? There’s lots of things I might choose not to do even though they’re technically possible, because I prefer not to martyr myself 🤷‍♀️

Prams, shopping trolleys, cargo bikes and electric scooters could solve most of this.

People talk about the impossibility of managing family life without a car outside, yet plenty of people do it every day.

They even pay for exactly that on holiday. The premium price suggests that, that lifestyle is popular

Where would I keep the extra stuff? In the car? Extra weight and space. Or at home? More time spent walking backwards and forwards.

The idea is lovely but in the grey cold daylight very impractical. Unless of course you have all day.
Many people spent 8 hours at work, commute for around 60 minutes (30 minutes there and back) and then should spent an extra 15- 30 minutes walking to & fro the car? It's a no from me.

Building in less reliance on cars in new builds is definitely something that should be discussed/debated more, I agree. It won't work for everyone but as PPs have pointed out, similar set-ups exist in other countries. Mentalities would need to change, though!

I work for a living too.

It would be far better to invest heavily in public transport to discourage second/third cars per house, make residential road speed limits 15mph with speed bumps etc to help enforce this and lots of actual traffic police actually pulling people over for bad driving.

There are way too many cars on the road and way too many hopeless and/or aggressive drivers but making all of our lives more difficult isn't going to stop car ownership.

I sort of love it in theory but I'm thinking about the amount of online deliveries we get; a lot! We've had large pieces of furniture delivered this week. How would this work?

Yes! It can be done and it would be appealing to a lot of people especially if they add services and shops within a 15 minute walk. New build planning is shocking in the U.K. Loads of houses plonked down in a field with no where to walk, in sufficient parking, no public transport. It's a disgrace.