What do you want in the place of cars?

[Dogtrousers]

Living without owning a car would be much easier if car hire companies weren't so awful to deal with. I look enviously at the cities with their car clubs that you book a car with website or app, then just ride to it, open the car with smart card or app, put the folding bike in the boot and drive off.

One of the main reasons I have a car is because most years we nip over to France and take the bikes. Not a cycling holiday, but a holiday where we do a bit of cycling. You can't get hire cars with bike racks, so it would mean hiring a van, which would be mega overkill. Maybe a big estate might manage it with a bit of disassembly. Oh, and I was looking into Zip cars, which would be great but you can't take them abroad.

Anyway, when I got rid of my last car I was on the verge of going carless and using Zipcar when it turned out my mate was selling his little Hyundai, complete with towball rack. So that's in my garage now.

 

[mjr]

My daughter got the train to Leeds then waited for the Manchester train for her university open day. Train cancelled, missed her talk and tour, came back home, day ruined....!

You wonder why people don't take public transport!!

She left no slack in the train timings for and disruption? That's like leaving home in the car exactly when the sat nav says your arrival time will be your appointment time: it'll work more often than not but there's no way to recover from any problem.

Also the trains around Manchester aren't in a good place lately. Trans Pennine express, northern and Avanti all having lots of problems, while cross-country has been overcrowded for decades.

 

[Jameshow]

She left no slack in the train timings for and disruption? That's like leaving home in the car exactly when the sat nav says your arrival time will be your appointment time: it'll work more often than not but there's no way to recover from any problem.

Also the trains around Manchester aren't in a good place lately. Trans Pennine express, northern and Avanti all having lots of problems, while cross-country has been overcrowded for decades.

Exactly the railways need a massive kick up the backside imo.

If you miss trains going trans pennine your not going to get another soon.

 

[chris667]

That's like leaving home in the car exactly when the sat nav says your arrival time will be your appointment time: it'll work more often than not but there's no way to recover from any problem.

If you book an advance ticket, then your tickets will not be valid for an earlier train - it's not possible to give yourself more margin for error. You either pay a supplement to have more flexibility, or get a more affordable ticket (sometimes much more affordable) to have the flexibility to have more time to wait for the next train.

I was certainly cursing Crosscountry (but not the staff) when I had to give up my seat for someone that booked it from Derby to Reading, that is someone who had an advance ticket with a booked seat when I went to visit my dad. It was a lot of standing up and one of the reasons I'll be glad to hire a car next time I see him.

@Jameshow - did she get compensation? Have a look at Delay Repay.

 

[slowmotion]

When did you last see an electric scooter or ecyclist stop at a red light or stop at a junction?

 

[mjr]

If you book an advance ticket, then your tickets will not be valid for an earlier train - it's not possible to give yourself more margin for error. You either pay a supplement to have more flexibility, or get a more affordable ticket (sometimes much more affordable) to have the flexibility to have more time to wait for the next train.

Huh? Just book your advance ticket for the one before. If that gets cancelled, your ticket is automatically opened to any reasonable substitute ( more or less. Check national rail terms for full details. )

 

[mjr]

When did you last see an electric scooter or ecyclist stop at a red light or stop at a junction?

Almost every group ride south. We usually get caught at one of the lights on the A148 and the e bike riders stop with the rest of us.

 

[marzjennings]

I genuinely don't understand this: I'm so glad I don't have a car when I hear colleagues talking about all the hassle of insurance, petrol, and maintenance. I see neighbours changing from summer to winter tyres (and back again.

People with lower incomes talk about the stress of wondering if their 15 year old Honda will pass the annual test, and if they can afford repairs if it doesn't; the same people then got pulled over a week later because despite test a light stopped working and now they have a fine...

I remember someone working out that a car costs about two months wages each year for most people.

It all seems a lot of unnecessary awkwardness to be able to choose to go surfing a couple of hundred kilometres away, especially as I know I'm adding to the noise and pollution of every town I go through to get there.

It’s definitely a sacrifice, but I don’t think a car has ever cost me more than a single month’s pay a year.

 

[albion]

When did you last see an electric scooter or ecyclist stop at a red light or stop at a junction?

I stop at lights. But sitting in traffic getting pollution puffed into my lungs does mean a fair few left turns get a mini diversion, when safe and convenient.

 

[Andy in Germany]

It’s definitely a sacrifice, but I don’t think a car has ever cost me more than a single month’s pay a year.

I suspect it depends where you are to some extent. If the person speaking was in Europe, we subsidise car use less, and it will probably cost more, and some parts of the US make it incredibly cheap to run a car.

Either way, that means I've been saving several thousand Euro a year.

 

[Gillstay]

That's what leaves me scratching my head about PCP. You have to pay to repair, service and MOT a car that belongs to someone else. Whoever came up with that wheeze was doubtless shocked when people actually fell for it.

I have a relative who daily makes big financial decisions and he got a car on that basis.

Told me later, `great car, very pleased, but never again as a terrible financial decision.'

 

[marzjennings]

I suspect it depends where you are to some extent. If the person speaking was in Europe, we subsidise car use less, and it will probably cost more will cost more, and some parts of the US make it incredibly cheap to run a car.

Either way, that means I've been saving several thousand Euro a year.

I don’t see not having a car as a savings, as I consider the cost of the car the ‘the price of admission’ to enjoy the life I want. I agree if I didn’t have a car my life would be a lot cheaper to life, no car payment, no insurance costs, no need for a garage so I could get a smaller home. No need for surf boards, paddle boards, camping gear, as I won’t be traveling to places to use them. Probably reduced hotel and restaurant costs as I won’t be taking road trips to remote places to stay and eat. I’d probably save more in tangential costs than the savings of getting rid of the car itself. A lot of this rambling is based on the fact I’m in Texas with almost zero public transportation, but I can’t see this changing much if I move home to the UK.

 

[chris667]

To be fair, I'm from Reading too. I definitely would want to be able to get away from home if I still lived in Reading.

 

[Drago]

I don’t see not having a car as a savings, as I consider the cost of the car the ‘the price of admission’ to enjoy the life I want. I agree if I didn’t have a car my life would be a lot cheaper to life, no car payment, no insurance costs, no need for a garage so I could get a smaller home. No need for surf boards, paddle boards, camping gear, as I won’t be traveling to places to use them. Probably reduced hotel and restaurant costs as I won’t be taking road trips to remote places to stay and eat. I’d probably save more in tangential costs than the savings of getting rid of the car itself. A lot of this rambling is based on the fact I’m in Texas with almost zero public transportation, but I can’t see this changing much if I move home to the UK.

Slightly off topic, but it must be awesome living somewhere where you can wear a cowboy hat every day.

 

[Badger_Boom]

Slightly off topic, but it must be awesome living somewhere where you can wear a cowboy hat every day.

What's stopping anyone? A neighbour of my late father in law wore one every day... in Devon.