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.

Ha ha all of this.

(though to be fair, some of the stuff MAMILs wear is frankly indecent)

I don't hate cars in themselves. They are an amazing invention. But, as with all technology, it depends how you use them.

In the UK, they are a bloody nightmare, for two reasons. First, the country is overcrowded. Basically, there are too many people which means too many goddam cars on the roads. It's like having flies buzzing round your head night and day.

The other problem I have is with how noisy they are (well, some of them). I am sick to death of selfish little idiots modifying their exhausts so they sound like fireworks going off, or canons exploding. They also do something to the engine so it screams like a race car. They make me jump out of my skin – they even wake me up in the morning.

If the population of the UK was 20 million instead of 65, and if all cars were electric and silent, I'd have no problem with them at all.

@usernamealreadytaken You say exactly as if you're saying the same thing as me, you're not...

There's choice involved but those choices are made in the context of an environment that makes certain choices more likely. Obesity is an increasing problem so it's not like the same percentage of people are making the choices that lead to obesity.

Eg there's a supermarket within walking or cycling distance from me, but the route goes under a motorway and along lots of busy roads, the roads/bike paths don't let you do a direct route so it takes longer than it should, you have to wait at loads of traffic lights for cars to stop. So I usually drive because active transport is made unpleasant by motorised transport. If you drive a car, you make it more likely someone else will because it contributes to a world dominated by cars.

Obesity has lots of factors and food is a big one, but activity is also part of the mix.

Ha ha all of this.

(though to be fair, some of the stuff MAMILs wear is frankly indecent)
Tell me about it.
DH ordered some Lycra once, put it on and wouldn't even show me because he said it was awful and nobody should leave the house in it. He has other lycra that is fine.

I don't like the nasty comments on here about men in lycra because I think we'd rightly call out the misogyny of men being nasty about women in their running gear. It's not acceptable to mock women's bodies in their exercise gear and rightly so, and the same should be afforded to men.

Exactly. New York is one of the healthiest cities in the US, and one of the factors is that it's to gridlocked to use cars. Therefore, people use the subway. They have to walk to the station, and then walk at the other end. If you are doing this all the time, it adds up.

You can make an environment that makes it easier to make these choices. The way things are set up in the UK currently basically really discourages any exercise at all.

If there was public transport that was actually usable, then people would use it, and would get exercise walking to the bus stop. They would get exercise without having to plan it and take a big chunk out of their day.

MN loves tiny electric cars as long as they are never actually used.

Hates anything larger than a micro car and loathes SUVs and believes anyone who drives one should be ritually slaughtered.

You are confusing individual situations with population- based strategies.

Yes, one particular person can walk to work and still make poor lifestyle choices. However, if you make an environment in which active transport is appealing, then on average, the whole population gets more exercise.

Secondly, public transport makes cycling and walking more appealing because it cuts down on the number of cars on the road. People are more likely to cycle if they are not battling heavy traffic and cranky, frustrated drivers.

In the UK, they are a bloody nightmare, for two reasons. First, the country is overcrowded.

The country is not overcrowded. The infrastructure and planning is the issue and it’s not gotten better.

There is a small but vocal corner of MN that demonises anything that makes life easy. You’re only a proper grown up if you’re miserable, struggling and making your life difficult.

You are confusing individual situations with population- based strategies.

Yes, one particular person can walk to work and still make poor lifestyle choices. However, if you make an environment in which active transport is appealing, then on average, the whole population gets more exercise.

Secondly, public transport makes cycling and walking more appealing because it cuts down on the number of cars on the road. People are more likely to cycle if they are not battling heavy traffic and cranky, frustrated drivers

I don't disagree, but no individual can change those things - it has to come from the government.

So, when posters come on here slating the people who genuinely have no other choice, they inevitably get peoples backs up. These threads always go the same way.

Yes, of course if we had better public transport then it would would be easier to cycle and walk places, but unfortunately that's not about to happen any time soon.

So for now, people are going to do what's quickest and cheapest for them - and for most, that means getting into a car and driving 🤷🏻‍♀️ criticising people who are only doing what they need to do to get to work and live their lives is never going to go down well!

Pheonixrose, the roads are over crowded, that's pretty undeniable

Kinnorafron,and some parts of mumsnet joke about killing cyclists

Is there? never noticed that at all.

I use a car because in all honesty, whats the alternative? what i don't want though is for car drivers and its a small minority to try and kill me if i'm walking on the lanes or riding my bicycle.

It never used to be like this.

Anyway.. the car will soon be dead, in 7 years time you wont be able to buy a new fossil fuel one and very few will be able to afford EV's..... Hydrogen is decades away and how long will manufacturers keep making parts for older fossil fuel vehicles? or afford the fuel?

Some are not all.

The only reason that it's not going to happen anytime soon is because the population isn't demanding it. The government is there to serve the population, not the other way round. If it became an election issue, you would see changed pretty quick smart.

People hate the resigned-to-cars spiel because it perpetuates the status quo.

Demand change.

Pheonixrose, yes especially the roads in low traffic neighbourhoods

Walking to the bus stop isn’t going to stop obesity. In cities, where fewer people have cars and more people use public transport, there are still high levels of obesity.

public transport can get people a little more active, but let’s not try to fool anyone in to believing it’s the cure for obesity. Putting less in your mouth and not normalising obesity would be good steps.

It doesn't matter how modern and clean an SUV is, it's still a nuisance on UK roads. Parking spaces aren't designed for vehicles so big, so they often foul the white lines. They pose a much greater hazard to pedestrians and cyclists and are often driven by people with no clue how to handle such a large vehicle.

And no, living in Surrey doesn't mean that you are "rural" and simply couldn't get about in anything else. If a VW Beetle can cross salt pans and ford rivers in Botswana then a tarmac road in Surrey poses no issue. Those who actually need to drive into fields don't buy SUVs, they buy a Defender or a Hilux.

As for those who live in London and use their SUV for journeys where it would be quicker to walk...

Before they inevitable pile-on, yes I am aware that many people with reduced mobility find it easier to get into a taller car. But no, I don't believe that the majority of SUV owners fall into this category.

The only reason that it's not going to happen anytime soon is because the population isn't demanding it. The government is there to serve the population, not the other way round. If it became an election issue, you would see changed pretty quick smart.

People hate the resigned-to-cars spiel because it perpetuates the status quo.

Demand change.

You're being too idealistic.

People will live their lives in the way that suits them best. For most, that means driving because it's quicker, more convenient and saves a lot of time and money - especially if you're transporting multiple people.

Getting angry at people for using legal methods of transport to get to work and to school isn't going to make them change and it's not going to sway them to your way of thinking.

It just makes them dig their heels in.

I've not been into a car showroom in years, but don't they make people carriers and estates any more?

Of course the UK is overcrowded (the entire planet is overcrowded, frankly), it's got the third highest population density of any major European country (only Belgium and the Netherlands are more packed). We haven't been able to produce enough food for hundreds of years - even though technological advances have increased yields, population growth has rocketed ahead.

I am not getting angry at people for using cars, I am angry at the government for building cities that mean that cars are the only way of getting around. When there is decent public transport and bike infrastructure, people use it.

The best way to prevent obesity is exercise that is part of daily life (as opposed to an extra obligation, like going to the gym). Active transport (bike/ walking to the bus stop) does this. There is good evidence for this.

😂 - very true, there are even people who object to humanity existing at all!