To say car ownership shouldn't be seen as the default

[Sidslaw]

several posts on here about financial problems, all claiming the car is "needed" and not up for discussion

People tend to set up their lives with the assumption that they will drive - surely with the climate in the stat it is in it should now be the other way around? People to set up their lives with the assumption that they will not drive, as the default.

I don't drive, I am dyspraxic, so can't and always knew I wouldn't, and it has never been an issue, as I have chosen the places I live and the jobs I do on that basis. I use public transport, walking, cycling, taxis. I have raised my family as a single mother like this, and my children ( not dyspraxic) have grown up to set up their lives the same.

There is always going to be people who rightly or wrongly think they are an exception, but surely the default should be, don't own a car, don't drive?

Lol at OP lecturing about the planet when she’s chosen to have children. Why didn’t you choose a life without kids if you’re so concerned about the planet? You could have set you’re life up differently, no kids, just like you’re telling others to set their life up differently.

I mean I’ve spent the last year having operations after which I couldn’t drive. For those periods I spent an awful lot on taxis and even more on a childminder specifically to get my kids to school (No safe walking route and I was too ill to walk even if there had been). Not driving is expensive.

This is true in theory, but the reality is somewhat different as there is no public money available to invest. Neither of the two main political parties in the UK have shown much evidence that they are able to manage the economy correctly, and administer the money they have, so your suggestion would require someone to start a new political party and get elected. I will stick to driving the car while I wait, but will happily vote for you depending on your other policies.

I don't want this to sound like I'm attacking you personally as I'm not, i dont know you. Your view of cars being unnecessary is one that is only true for a certain percentage of the population I'm afraid.

Depends where you live. When I lived in Edinburgh which had decent public transport I was a member of a car club (handy for ikea trips/ weekend) but didn’t own a car. Now I live rurally there is one seasonal bus that doesn’t go in the direction of work.

Should everyone live in a city? What should happen to people who live/ work in the countryside.

i like driving, my car and where I live. Sometimes I take public transport. Other times I drive, ya know like going to the supermarket or garden centre or friends houses for the weekend. Don’t want to be carting crates of beer and wine on the bus with my suit case.

so you do you. I will do me and raise my kids to learn to drive too.

For now!

My local bus service got slashed at the start of September.

The problem is not car ownership that puts a strain on people's finances it's that they don't save up for one they can afford, they have to have a giant blingy one they can't afford on a loan or lease presumably to show everyone how rich they are 🤔
Many a thread from people 'struggling' yet have a car loan for £20k or leases for ridiculous amounts such as £500 a month. The same people that wail about boomers and pensions and how they will never be able to retire.
I have seen examples in real life but MN made me realise just how shit people are with personal finance.

If i lost my ability to drive, either my husband would have to reduce his working hours to be able to pick up our son from nursery, or we’d have to pay for more nursery and i’d be priced out of work. It would impact us a lot financially.

My husband’s work is having to be very understanding when I have a c section later this year and can’t drive for a bit.

We’d also struggle to get my medical appointments as there is no bus to our local hospital.

Why do you think my life is depressingly narrow?

This is the whole point of the thread- people have such views as this

Takin responsibility for the environment is "depressingly narrow" and so I have a right not to do it, because "why should I live such a depressingly narrow life"

No appreciation of the massive cost in lives and environmental damage caused by your entitlement not to live a life you consider "depressingly narrow" although I expect if we were to sit side by side and compare lives, yours would be a lot more narrow than mine!

What you mean by "depressingly narrow" is "without the luxury and privilege I feel I am entitled to, no matter what the cost to other people"

The thing you are missing @Sidslaw is that however much you lecture, most people will only change their behaviour once the green alternative is broadly as convenient and cheap.

So it would be far better to campaign for much better, safe, clean and cheap/free public transport.

(I studied environment and behaviour as my dissertation I predicted recycling would only take off once it was as easy as putting rubbish in the household bin... )

I am fairly anti car tbh. But my child 's health condition left me with no alternative for getting them to the relevant hospital. (Ironically a health condition exacerbated by air pollution)

You aren't connecting with people by posting in this manner, if you really want to bring about change you have a lot to learn

Bollocks to climate change. Of course car ownership should be the default.

Agree.

I used to live near a market town and had a friend group that mostly didn't drive. Most still don't in their 30s and are pretty boring tbh. They tend to live their lives within a 1.5 mile radius and go weeks without leaving this area.

I now live 45 mins train journey away but mostly don't bother inviting them as it's like a massive excursion for them which needs a week's notice. My other friends will just say 'yeah, let's go for some food tomorrow' and will drive up.

We live semi-rurally. My DH hates driving, hates cars, never wanted to own one. He always used to rely on public transport to get about and it worked ok for him. After covid they cut the bus route he took to work- mean his commute went from an hour round trip to four hours!! It wasn’t a sustainable situation. He tried every workaround and alternative but eventually had to give in and get a car.
I’d love better, more reliable public transport but outside of the big cities, it’s almost non-existent so if you need to commute or attend medical appointments then you need a car.

You are ok with that? A dyspraxic person by definition cannot judge speed and distance, and you think it is ok for him to put himself behind the wheel? seriously?

Emergency services here, joined when couldn’t drive, specifically chose to live somewhere near where I was based, six months later I got moved to a different location, 4 months later the same. Spent a small fortune in taxis and was pretty skint. driving was a necessity and still is now in any role connected with the emergency services or nhs etc as you can be posted anywhere in the force area with very little notice .

I'd have no choice but to close my business and find a job in the local supermarket or a local shop. If DH couldn't drive, he'd have to take a massive cut in pay to go and work for someone else.

Neither of us could do our jobs without cars. It would be impossible.

You have children OP, yes?

Having a child with complex medical needs is hard enough, doing it without a car would be even more difficult even with access to public transport, we are dependant on a wheelchair space being available on a bus and need help at train stations. Infrastructure needs to be in place and it needs to be reliable and truly accessible to EVERYONE before I can give up my car.

Maybe they're happy that way?

I'm a non driver and I am probably the most social of my friends. I'm off to London this weekend on the train.

You can use a taxi on those days, - using a taxi for appointments is cheaper and less environmentally damaging than owning a car which has depleted the earth's resources to be made, and spend more than 95% of its time taking up space without doing anything

I really think you are being ludicrous if you think you could take every car out of the UK and there wouldn't be people who would end up as hermits, effectively.

We can't all live in city centres on a regular public transport link. It's just not logistically possible for every human being in the UK to do that.

Lol, dyspraxic truck driver checking in.

I drove around one of our biggest cities today in rush hour traffic without breaking a sweat. My truck is pretty much on the white lines on each side.

I think you need to educate yourself a bit better on dyspraxia.

It’s ok the Op says we should just all live closer to the hospitals. Strangely she ignored when I pointed out that the hospitals Ds visits are spread over a 40 mile radius!

so I'm guessing you don't like anyone pointing out to you that your luxury life style is destroying the planet and killing children with pollution,

I wonder what gave that away 😂

See this just makes me want to drive even more miles (I love driving!) just to piss you off 😂