Try Going Car Free

[presta]

For anyone in Oxford willing to try going car-free for three weeks, there's £150 on offer, along with paid travel expenses, free cycle training, and free use of a cargo bike.
https://www.wearepossible.org/actions-blog/going-car-free-in-oxford

You have to be willing to provide feedback, and agree to publicity.

 

[wafter]

For anyone in Oxford willing to try going car-free for three weeks, there's £150 on offer, along with paid travel expenses, free cycle training, and free use of a cargo bike.
https://www.wearepossible.org/actions-blog/going-car-free-in-oxford

You have to be willing to provide feedback, and agree to publicity.

I've effectively done this within the city in the past with a normal bike and rucksack.. however if you want to go anywhere outside it's going to be three weeks on the bi-monthly bus...

While parking can potentially be a problem depending on where you are, my ideal would be (was) to have a little-used car to lug big stuff / go outside the city outside of rush hour, and do everything internal on the bike. Had one summer when I did about double the mileage on the bike as in the car, which was nice

 

[Drago]

Thing is Wafty, if people only used their cars for out of town journeys and used their bike or walked the urban journeys the world would be a much nicer place.

 

[Mo1959]

Thing is Wafty, if people only used their cars for out of town journeys and used their bike or walked the urban journeys the world would be a much nicer place.

My next door neighbours are a prime example. Their car goes out and in several times per day and is back often in minutes so I presume they could have just walked. I’ve often met her in the supermarket after walking round myself. Unless you are doing a big shop, starting and running a car for a 2 minute drive seems silly, not to mention lazy!

Another interesting thread which will no doubt get complained about and shut down again.

 

[Drago]

I live a 13 minute walk from Mini D's school, one of the reasons for moving here. That 13 minutes is at gentle stroll speed, with pauses to pick up Bruce's Bum Bombs.

Every morning and afternoon I see folk who live closer than me pulling off their driveways to do the same journey. So many do so the parking outside the school is dangerous, cars on the path, on the crossing zig zags, etc. Its that sort of insanity we need to stop.

What is it about walking or cycling these short journeys that makes people put so much effort into avoiding doing so?

I enjoy it, it's hassle free, and costs nothing - why do so many others not understand this?

 

[All uphill]

This looks like a good idea, and I wish it success.

I hope three weeks is long enough to overcome the difficulties in changing an established pattern of behaviour, and to see enough the benefits.

I guess a lot will depend on help with route planning, clothing, bicycle security and base line fitness.

 

[Emanresu]

Car ownership does seem a bit bizarre in that according to the RAC they just sit there depreciating for 23 hours a day. But for some in the countryside near us, you only have cars as alternatives are not readily available.

https://www.racfoundation.org/media-centre/cars-parked-23-hours-a-day

 

[BoldonLad]

I live a 13 minute walk from Mini D's school, one of the reasons for moving here. That 13 minutes is at gentle stroll speed, with pauses to pick up Bruce's Bum Bombs.

Every morning and afternoon I see folk who live closer than me pulling off their driveways to do the same journey. So many do so the parking outside the school is dangerous, cars on the path, on the crossing zig zags, etc. Its that sort of insanity we need to stop.

What is it about walking or cycling these short journeys that makes people put so much effort into avoiding doing so?

I enjoy it, it's hassle free, and costs nothing - why do so many others not understand this?

We live near a Primary School, thankfully, the road layout means that we are not impacted by the traffic/parking chaos at around drop off/pick up times.

There is a neighbour who takes her child to the school, in the car. The distance to walk, via a pedestrian only route, is about 500metres, the mind boggles.

 

[BoldonLad]

This looks like a good idea, and I wish it success.

I hope three weeks is long enough to overcome the difficulties in changing an established pattern of behaviour, and to see enough the benefits.

I guess a lot will depend on help with route planning, clothing, bicycle security and base line fitness.

Interesting thought.

One of my drinking pals is a confirmed petrol head, car or motorcycle for almost every journey, the remaining members of the group will walk, but, not cycle (too dangerous is the usual cry).

We used to visit local pubs, either on foot or via public transport, I often opted to cycle to the more distant pubs, rather than use the bus.

A recent bus strike meant that we walked to some of the pubs we would have used the bus for (no chance of convincing my pals to cycle).

Although they are all "locals", and, have lived in the area from birth (now all in their 70s), I am always amazed at their complete lack of knowledge of walking or cycling routes which are not also routes for motor transport.

 

[presta]

I've never been to Oxford by car, but I've been by bike, bus, & train, and walked both the Thames Path and the Oxfordshire Way using public transport based at Oxford. The bus services were adequate to divide the paths up into day-walk sections. The 'Oxford Tube' between Oxford & London gets the award for the most comprehensive bus service I've ever seen.

I hope three weeks is long enough to overcome the difficulties in changing an established pattern of behaviour

I had 5 months to get used to it when I lost my driving licence, and it was another 9 years before I scrapped the car.

 

[Kingfisher101]

Round here for anyone to give up their car the bus service would have to be massively improved and the train for that matter as well.
The bus service has got progressively worse over the years and the trains are often delayed due to the amount of people taking their lives on the line. I'm not kidding it was about 3 last week and its all the time.
I've never had a car and have always done my shopping by bike and trolley on foot etc and its very hard going. If you had a family at home and didn't have a car I think you would have to do an online shop really. The most affordable supermarkets e.g. Lidl and Aldi don't do delivery either.

 

[wafter]

Unless you are doing a big shop, starting and running a car for a 2 minute drive seems silly, not to mention lazy!

It's a terrible idea from every single perspective:

The driver (lack of exercise and cost)

Those in the vicinity (congestion, air pollution from gaseous and particulate combustion products, air pollution from particulates eminating from brakes and clutches, increased risk of accident through both increased moving traffic and the hazards it presents when stationary).

The wider envionment (pollution above, increased use of finite resources)

The vehicle (increased engine wear from repeated cold starts, increased wear on drivetrain, braking and suspension components, increased wear on interior and contact points from from getting in and out six times for every mile covered).

In addition cars (particularly petrol vehicles) are very inefficient when operating at below optimum temperatures and in stop-start traffic, killing fuel economy and massively increasing pollutants per unit distance travelled.


It's stuff like this that utterly destroys my faith in humanity, certainly in the UK. We have all these fantastic machines of empowerment and convenience yet refuse to use them responsibly / sparingly / only within circumstances where other modes of transport are not more appropriate.

In the minority we're clever enough to develop these items, but en-masse seem to be unable to apply any intelligence to their use - this being wholly eclipsed by lazyness and arrogance it seems

 

[FishFright]

My next door neighbours are a prime example. Their car goes out and in several times per day and is back often in minutes so I presume they could have just walked. I’ve often met her in the supermarket after walking round myself. Unless you are doing a big shop, starting and running a car for a 2 minute drive seems silly, not to mention lazy!

Another interesting thread which will no doubt get complained about and shut down again.

It's becoming a theme.

 

[wafter]

I've never been to Oxford by car, but I've been by bike, bus, & train, and walked both the Thames Path and the Oxfordshire Way using public transport based at Oxford. The bus services were adequate to divide the paths up into day-walk sections. The 'Oxford Tube' between Oxford & London gets the award for the most comprehensive bus service I've ever seen.

The Tube is the exception IMO regarding external bus transport. Busses do exist to the outside of course, but they're infrequent, inflexible, often inconvenient, take forever and are typically neither particularly cost-effective or reliable.

For example, best-case to do my commute by bus I'd have to leave the house at about 07:00 to get to work for 09:00. Conversely best-case in the car it's a 30-40 minute journey; more likely circa an hour with the hateful traffic. Doing the car / bike thing as I currently do makes the journey time a little over an hour, meaning I can comfortably leave at 07:30 - 07:40 (assuming I can get my arse into gear to leave at that time).

While my fitness isn't up to it, I could potentially cycle the entire 25 mile journey in a comparable time to that required on the bus.

 

[wiggydiggy]

I'm car free at the moment, I invested in a bike trailer after doing a few shops and probably overloading my panniers. The trailer is a bit rattly - if I was to buy another I'd probably get a mono-wheel design but this one is fine for shopping trips. My last car didn't fail its MOT but there were several advisories and I had the feeling it would be a money pit this year so got rid - sold it online, was collected from my door and money paid same day.


I've got 2 boxes now in the back, one can be lifted out and put in the trolley when shopping which makes things easier. I'd like to get a little rain cover for the top but haven't got around to it.

I've also been enjoying the train again, I've got quite adept at booking the advance tickets and working out which is the better route (hint - avoid transpennine trains at all costs!). Also delay repay is an absolute godsend, I don't mind delays now on the train as anything more than 15 mins gets a partial refund. In some cases I've had a full refund if the train gets cancelled, which is nice.