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Ethical living

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Original poster

Would you give up your car for a day?

66 replies

frankiemum · 26/02/2008 13:45

another interesting programme on tonight involving ethical and environmental issues.
'Woman who stops traffic' it is in 3 parts and involves Kris Murran visiting 3 of Englands most congested towns to try and get people out of their cars for a day..I personally would love to have the nerve to challenge some people round here who drive their children 5 mins down the road to school.

OP posts:

Othersideofthechannel · 27/02/2008 11:36

Yes. We don't have school or work on Wednesdays and I try to ensure the car stays in the garage one Wed per month.

I would be upset if someone challenged me about driving 5 mins down the road for school though. DCs school is 5 mins down the road but that is 2.2km. We have walked it on non-school days and it takes over an hour!

needmorecoffee · 27/02/2008 16:40

I walked 3 miles to school and got 3 A levels and didn't end up a farm labourer! Went to uni.

Tortington · 27/02/2008 16:45

i could theoretically give up my car for a day.

but
a) i think global warming is bollocks

and

b)the train fares are ridiculous.

a return would set me back £7.90

a £5 in my car does me that twice.

mazzystar · 27/02/2008 16:48

don't drive myself - dh is required to have a car for work, it gets a run out about once a fortnight so mainly we use it to keep the maps in.

our local rail service is excellent, i'm 3 mins walk from a station, buses are a bit more erratic but plentiful

i honestly couldn't justify driving day to day

FrayedKnot · 27/02/2008 16:50

I could give up my car b ut my journey to work would take over an hour instead of 10 minutes at non-peak times, involving two buses, a fair bit of walking, and lots of waiting around - I would feel it was just such a waste of time, I think, sadly.

It would be great if our public transport system here was more integrated.

I work on a business park which is inbetween two mainline railway lines but has no station, and is serviced by two buses a day No good if you work p/t!

DH couldn;t get to work without his car, but he could car share, in theory.

Lomond · 27/02/2008 16:51

I don't have a car and survive

HonorMatopoeia · 27/02/2008 16:53

I detest driving and would gladly give up my car if public transport was a little more reliable. It's not as if we live in the back of beyond (on the outskirts of a small town) but public transport is a joke. I also feel DD1 would suffer as I have to drive her to loads of events about 7 miles away. So, unfortunately, the hideous car stays.....and I continue to detest driving!

OneWordPoster · 27/02/2008 16:56

yes

redwino · 27/02/2008 17:50

My children walk home or to school 3 -4 times a week. It is hard to do it everyday because they have to carry a lot of stuff these days. I dont remember having half as much to carry. My DD really struggles with school bag full of books, lunch , violin and games kit all on the same day. She does not lack stamina but is a slight build.

Bramshott - we have the option to pay and I used to when just one child went to Middle School but to pay for 2 would cost me about £800 a year. Far too much when the bus is going that way anyway with spare seats!

BrummieOnTheRun · 28/02/2008 12:25

Yes. When people with buggies are given priority on public transport in rush hour. (So that'll be when hell freezes over).

hana · 28/02/2008 12:28

yes - only use the car on the 2 days I work, rest of week we walk to school/preschool and take the bus if goign anywehre exciting.
dh sometimes calls our car the tesco trolley

needmorecoffee · 01/03/2008 09:20

try being in a wheelchair Brummie. Can't even get them on our buses cos there are steps.

berolina · 01/03/2008 09:31

Car-free and proud. But I live in Germany, home of functioning and reliable public transport.

CitroenDrivingFootballMum · 01/03/2008 09:38

gosh yes.

gave up having 2 cars after dd2 was born nearly 2 years ago.

dh always has car during day for work

i have the finest arse i have possessed since about age 16

Minum · 01/03/2008 09:49

Redwino, know that feeling, sometimes my DS disapears under his instruments/sports kit etc, and you can just see a pile of bags shuffling down the road .

I would find a car-free day easy as I dont drive, and DH rarely uses the car more than 2 journeys a week We have excellent public transport, but the main reason I dont need a car is we moved to a house within spitting distance of school/shops/church etc.

Wish I could say the same about my arse CDFM

littlefrog · 03/03/2008 13:16

for those who say they'd have to walk too far to the station etc., how about cycling? get a folding bike, you can even cycle at both ends (ok, not when you have children with you, perhaps)

Original poster

frankiemum · 04/03/2008 17:13

I have a folding bike , I dont think train companies make it easy to take bikes on long journeys but I think it was in America I saw busses with bike racks !!

The second part of woman stops traffic is on tonight at 9pm -this time in Boston, should be interesting to see if the samereletive success is had with getting people to give up their cars for a day

OP posts:

Blu · 04/03/2008 17:20

Yes -and if everyone else gave up their cars and especially lorries for a day I would cycle on that day.

Otherwise would use bus.

Blu · 04/03/2008 17:21

I would walk for 4 hours in London before I would cycle amongst traffic.

RTKangaDYSONMummy · 04/03/2008 17:23

she is on channel 4 now

richard and jusy

Rhubarb · 04/03/2008 17:24

Yup. I managed to live for 32 years without a car quite well. I got those big things called buses, with buggies and kids in tow as well! Other than that, I walked. I was very fit in those days, I walked everywhere. Not having a car didn't bother me in the slightest. If I had to get somewhere inaccessible I had to think creatively, but I usually got there one way or another.

needmorecoffee · 05/03/2008 13:20

quite often it is being creative or shoosing not to live in a rural village with no shops/school/jobs so you have to drive. I hate cities but we chose to live in one for co-reasons so we wouldn't need a car.
Gawd knows what people would do if maybe they were suddenly dx with epilepsy and weren't allowed to drive but I bet they wouldn't curl up in a corner, they'd find a creative solution and just deal with it.

eleusis · 05/03/2008 13:27

No. Not unless you provide me with dependable and affordable public transportation.

Hulababy · 05/03/2008 13:28

No I am afraid not.

Can't get to work without my car - it isn't possible to arrive on time at all via public transport and I don't live near anyone else who works with me so can't share the travel.

School run - DD's school is 3-4 miles away. We drive it in 10 minutes. Whilst it is on a bus route it would take at least 3-5 times as long door to door. It would be doable if I really had to though. As it is now thouhDH drops DD off on his way to work (no detour necessary so no additional travel) and I collect on way home from my work (again, no detour required so no additional travel on top of what I am already doing).

Brangelina · 05/03/2008 13:41

I hate driving and have never owned a car myself, mainly because I've always lived in big cities where having a car was a complete hindrance, what with traffic jams and the impossibility of finding parking spaces etc..
We now live in a smaller town with a less ample public transport system and have one car between us, which DP uses all the time. I still manage to get where I have to go (including visiting clients in way out places) using my feet or bike or the cheap public transport if available. We would actually like to do away with our car and subscribe to a car sharing scheme, but alas it doesn't exist in our area.

Re the global warming issue, I think it's irrelevant whether or not you believe in it, the more immediate issue is air quality in towns and cities and the pollutants we and our children are being subjected to now, not so much what might happen in the future.

Lol at the pert buttocks! I like to gloat about my lack of cellulite myself.

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