To wonder why is Mumsnet so anti-car?

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There is at least one thread a week on here demonizing cars! What is with all the hate? I know they cause pollution and can kill people however they’ve revolutionized the way we live! Not all of us are fortunate enough to live somewhere with good public transport.

Most rural roads don't have paths, thats v true but there are usually alternative very quiet lanes... rural dweller like yourself would know this... even Lalalandshire has them in abundance.

You're right that there are plenty of alternatives - but they're often still not safe to walk down, especially in winter or at night. They also generally take much longer so aren't really practical if you're in a rush.

Well, in all honesty the way you bluster yourself through this thread, the SUV's would suffer more damage...

Aside, quite incredible you live in the middle of no where but also next to a net work of very busy roads.... i only can assume you live here?

Yabu. You clearly haven't seen all the threads here demonising cyclists. It seems very pro-car here

No need to hold up the trains round here they never fucking going anywhere. Never notice the bloody strikes as they’re always grounded for essential maintenance.

Bus service is grand though, you can get a bus to the nearest Lidl, as along as you don’t mind waiting two days to get back. This used to be a 2 hourly 6 day week service.

I wholeheartedly agree with all the pp’s who state improvement to public transport is a major need to reduce car emissions.

Councils are killing it. Never see Extinction Rebellion blockading MP’s in their car parks until something is done though. That I would wholeheartedly endorse.

Country roads are often national speed limit.
Couple that with no speed limit and yes they are dangerous.

Coupled with no paths even.
No paths because there's no room. So yes dangerous.

You do realise that your sneering attitude is literally why this planet is going to burn. No one likes a sanctimonious, hypocrite.

Offering solutions like no one should drive and everyone should move to the city is convincing no one. Or saying we're going to cure obesity if everyone is made to walk. I'm probably so much more actually eco than you in real terms, but yes, due to access and disability I use a car daily. What a crime.

Absolutely no one is arguing for your straw man argument that people should drive 100m school run in their SUVs, but you are soooo determined to be right you've invented that. The only thing anyone has said is that there are logistical, practical reasons cars are needed in particular circumstances and that one size does not fit all.

@OneTC The local group was awash lately with people getting their 4x4s stuck after the rain and needing towed out by a farmer.
Which again illustrates the point that "I need an SUV because I live rurally" is just plain daft. I remember a harsh winter a few years ago where people were posting "I've got a 4x4, I'll take nurses to work" on social media. Needless to say they ended up getting stuck, because you need more than just a 4x4 transmission to keep moving in slippery conditions, you need a car actually designed for off-road driving, and equipped with suitable tyres. Not to mention that the squishy organic element needs to actually know what they're doing in those conditions.

Regardless your point about their being no unmade roads in Europe is a nonsense.
But that's not exactly what I said. I said that I couldn't remember having encountered any. And they are indeed vanishingly rare.

it definitely doesn't require as many SUVs as there are currently,
Which is the most important point, the exception does not disprove the hypothesis that "most people don't actually need SUVs, particularly not those who live in Chelsea"

@Whewillmylifebegin The only one with a sneery attitude is you... i have said repeatedly a car has to used in many circumstances.. indeed recognised it for your sporting needs... you made that up...

Lanes maybe national speed limit but as you'll know, the driver also has to drive according to the conditions, the lanes outside my house are national limit but no one goes above 20 or 30mph, its not possible.

I said under a mile in regard to driving kids to school.. not 100m.. again making stuff up.

You love your car and will continue to use it come what may, fair enough but i'm out arguing with you now you ve gone into fantasy mode.

Absolutely no one is arguing for your straw man argument that people should drive 100m school run in their SUVs

Well someone must be in favour of it, otherwise who are the ones parked up outside the school with their engines running twice a day?

Offering solutions like no one should drive and everyone should move to the city is convincing no one.

I'm not surprised that it's convincing no one, not least because no one has suggested that.

Calling people 'townies' adds little to the debate, especially given that thousands of people who live in cities have moved their from rural areas, so know all about the issues of transport in non urban areas

why not answer your own question instead of asking others?

most people where you live, for all anyone knows there are 5 other houses in the place that you live? It’s irrelevant really as that’s not the norm and if you want to ignore the stats then come up with an argument you can back up with evidence, instead of your anecdotal stories

You are referring to what used to be known as "Chelsea tractors", I assume. Modern SUVs are often just cars but higher with a bigger boot; they don't have a considerably larger footprint but offer convenience for those who want the higher driving position. Some are a similar size, or smaller, than a large estate car.

As I've previously said, people in cities tend to have fewer cars. Is obesity in cities at a lower rate than the 'burbs?

As a cyclist who uses single-track country lanes, I can assure you that they do have a considerable footprint.

I find the opposite on mn re cars

This is the annoying thing about modern car design though, even the small cars are only ever short, everything is becoming super wide.

Obesity and its causes are wide ranging... do people in cities have fewer cars per capita?
The UK for its size has an amazing amount of cars and usage, 40m cars in UK, France with a similar pop. but 3x larger, has 45m.

We ve also got the largest amount of people classed as obese/over weight.

Yes a lot of SUVs are not 4 wd etc but they are bigger and more importantly wider, increasingly so because of EV and carrying batteries, most people took their test in a totally different vehicle and our roads were never designed for these vehicles.... i think also they give some drivers a sense of self importance and they then drive accordingly!!! :(

I ve had a few close passes by SUV's.... folk just don't realise how much extra room they have to give... when you re cycling along and a car comes past at 50, a little extra room makes all the difference.

A sedentary lifestyle causes more problems than just obesity. Ill health from long term inactivity is blamed for about one in 6 deaths in uk.

And the drivers haven't recognised the growth of their cars (mostly down to crashworthiness regs) and tear around like they're in classic minis.

Newer SUVs have no greater environmental impact than any other newer car

they do because they are too big for the roads and cause obstructions.

As an example, if you are waiting to turn right out of a side road, I might be able to get past you and turn left. But if you are a big SUV, I can't. So I sit there with my engine running, causing pollution myself (I have a hybrid but even so).

And they take up too much room in car parks so people have to drive around looking for a space they can fit into.

Surely single track country lanes are exactly where SUVs should be? Higher driving position, enabling better overall view. Likelihood of bad weather affecting driving conditions, tall hedges, muddy roads, probably taking children miles to school and fitting in a dog. YABU in this scenario!

If I can cycle home from work on a road bike along these lanes, there's no reason that a small car couldn't manage. A higher driving position doesn't gain a better view at all, it increases the risk to pedestrians (who have more right to use the roads than any motor vehicle). In fact, I witnessed a near-miss the other day where such a car pulled out of a junction in town (with excellent visibility, no parked cars or pavement furniture) straight into the path of a car pulling into it.

No they aren't designed for those roads. They are designed with wider roads in mind. Late 80s and really 90s car designs were loads more practical in almost every situation

There used to be a class of mini jeep that were popular late 80s early 90s, prone to flipping over if you drove them too fast. These morphed into rav4s which kind of led the revolution of them just getting wider and wider. The jimny and that kind of thing were actually quite suitable because they were tall and narrow

Yes, people in cities have fewer cars per capita. Are people in cities less likely to be obese?

www.nimblefins.co.uk/cheap-car-insurance/number-cars-great-britain#:~:text=Average%20Number%20of%20Cars%20per,every%20household%20has%20a%20car.

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/manchester-car-ownership-trafford-london--12618226

www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwj3i_zr9sv8AhWoSEEAHbl2DokQFnoECA0QAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.racfoundation.org%2Fassets%2Frac_foundation%2Fcontent%2Fdownloadables%2Fcar%2520ownership%2520rates%2520by%2520local%2520authority%2520-%2520december%25202012.pdf&usg=AOvVaw1LNFactViro7b1dMYuNuxc