To wonder why is Mumsnet so anti-car?

[Ticketsto]

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.

Places with great public transport don't need more people using it to get even better public transport!

They do as then the councils can implement more and more routes and services, this is the agreements between councils and bus companies

But that only benefits the minority of people living in just a handful of cities. Why should the majority of taxpayers throughout the country pay to give free bus passes that benefit only those living in those few cities?

I'm "anti-car", but I'm not saying cars should be banned.

What should happen is that tons of walking and cycling paths should be build and a radical overhaul of town planning. People in suburbs shouldn't have to use a car to get groceries, safely get their kids to school or go to a train station.

More funding needs to go to rural areas too, to keep GPs, libraries, playgroups etc accessible to villages. And some decent supermarkets! I used to live somewhere with 5000 people and only one measly, expensive Co-op. The next village over didn't have a proper supermarket either til they got a Lidl. Planning permission for a medium-sized supermarket would have reduced the need for a car by a lot.

You have to be careful though. I live in a village of 9,000 inhabitants, so more of a small town really. We had quite a few shops along the main street. Then we got a Tesco built around a mile away (the only big plot), and it's completely decimated our shopping street and we've basically nothing now within walking distance. A mile away on a main road, parts of which don't have a pavement, means it's not feasible for people to walk to Tesco, so they drive instead. I think we'd have been better with a small co-op style of shop as it could have been built within the village itself, so people could have still walked to it, like they did with the other shops, and it may have helped some of the other shops to survive if it was close enough, such as the butchers, bakery, etc., which sold different things to what the co-op does.

Yeah I agree you do have to be careful. Building the Tesco a mile away is the exact opposite of what should have happened, especially if there's no safe way to it without a car.

The Lidl in the village I was talking about was build in the centre and enhanced the high street. They were forced to allow non-customers in their car park. When I would make the drive there I would often visit the other shops there too, because it was so easy.

It took years and years for the planning to get through though, mainly because of nimbies complaining about the extra traffic. They did not take into consideration that the situation before the Lidl was horrible for people in the village without a car.

Cyclists hold up everyone cycling in the middle of the road at.5 mph. They are a hazard waiting to happen. There should be a little cycle lane instead of letting them drive with cars

Standard sized cars don't fit for a lot of families especially those with both kids and dogs. It's our right to take our whole family out

And if I want to drive to the corner shop out 9f convenience it's my right too.

I drive anywhere between 35 to 45k miles per year, i can count the number of times i'm held up by a cyclist on one hand, normally its accidents, shear volume of traffic, roadworks, agri or construction diggers.

I think anyone who beams in on cyclists as the reason for the UKs traffic congestion problems is to be frank, a fucking idiot.

And if I want to drive to the corner shop out 9f convenience it's my right too.

You have to have a licence to drive which if you break the rules 2 or 3 times you get the license taken away and therefore it’s not a right to drive a car.

Huh? I'm not talking about driving disqualified. The post I quoted said she hates people who use cars for somewhere they can walk too

The funny thing is that at the same time non drivers are treated like incompetent, childlike subhumans that lack independence.

Why do zombie threads about cars getting resurrected?

The posters doing it all have the same style too...

People live where they can afford to live. I’d love to live in London/Home Counties as I never needed a car when I lived there. I can’t afford to now.

Public transport was also a lot better in some areas just a few years ago. Many bus/train services have been cut and replaced with nothing, leaving people with no option but to use their cars. I posted on another thread about the guided busway near us. Launched with great fanfare a few years ago, route got cut meaning people now have to get 2 buses (with a wait in the middle) instead of one, so they naturally use their cars as it’s quicker now and no risk of getting stranded if the connection is late or doesn’t show up.

Im writing about the perceived "right" to drive a car, you don't have a right to drive a car.

As for overuse of cars for short trips, that around 75% of trips in cars are under 3 miles and 50% under one mile and why we are in the mess with stuff like ULEZ etc due to misuse of a great invention that is just being abused by many.

DatumTarum ask the car activists?

I do have a right. I pay road tax . Its my car. I pay insurance. Its my right. Cars are not bad for the environment. The environment is fine. People are just nuts. Plant more trees if you are that concerned.

IMO zombie threads get resurrected mainly because people click on one of the similar threads links and don't look or think that the link may be old or the thread out of date.

But in general I don't see the problem with zombie threads that most people seem to get very excited about. So long as someone is adding to the discussion I don't see a problem. A lot of threads are timeless and the discussion is still relevant.

Mumsnet is not 'anti car'. Mention that you are a non-driver and you are inundated with posts about how you're not a proper adult and by default are a CF who expects all and sundry to act as your personal chauffeur.

@X2trouble

You have a licence to drive

That's permission, not a right.

@GasPanic

It's car threads specifically- someone is trying to start a fight

I've found the opposite too. MN is incredibly disparaging of non-drivers.

I do have a right. I pay road tax

yeah right... show me the paper work that states you've paid road tax......

it's not a right, you need a license to do so therefore its not a right. Not everyone is allowed to drive.

I am saying u have a right. I'm not saying u do

no road tax paper work 😂

@X2trouble

You're not saying very much at the moment

While I get what you mean.. this is coming across very entitled..

Some people don’t really have a choice and have to “take” homes in places where it’s cheap or rural.
maybe it’s finances, maybe taking care of an I’ll or elderly relative, maybe it’s all that their local area has to offer.. who knows..