Car-free living

[Oldhippy]

All of those distances are so cyclable though! I used to walk or cycle 3 miles to and from school no issues.

 

[Stephenite]

All of those distances are so cyclable though! I used to walk or cycle 3 miles to and from school no issues.

If it was only me no problem whatsoever.

But the kids have to get to and from school each day. Then..

The 7 year old has to get to wrestling twice a week. And to swimming once a week.

The 11 year-old to swimming twice a week. Plus optional at the weekend.

The mother works from 8 til 4 Mon to Fri.

The father works a rotating shift pattern six days a week 7 til 23.

 

[Deleted User]

If retired I could probably live without a car but I enjoy riding motorcycles and having a campervan so I suppose its me being selfish that would prevent me from going car free, my job would be impossible without a van as I do call out and visit numerous sites and carry loads of kit.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Cars are a wonderful modern convenience - life was bloody awful before they became 'mainstream' imo.

Our consession to the environment is that the car we drive is much smaller and less polluting than the behemoths that used to sit on the drive.

I get the impression that some people would like to return to the paucity of modern tech' that prevailed in the 50's.

 

[Deleted User]

I get the impression that some people would like to return to the paucity of modern tech' that prevailed in the 50's.

Only when it suits.

 

[toffee]

The joy of driving , the thrill of the open road, that lovely "alone time" ...

it's all degraded a little when you ponder the harm you're (unintentionally) doing to everyone else.

I don't think many ponder

 

[Deleted User]

I don't think many ponder

I certainly don't.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Cars are a wonderful modern convenience - life was bloody awful before they became 'mainstream' imo.

Our consession to the environment is that the car we drive is much smaller and less polluting than the behemoths that used to sit on the drive.

I get the impression that some people would like to return to the paucity of modern tech' that prevailed in the 50's.

I'm not sure that we can universally equate life being "Bl**dy awful" with "Not many cars". For many people life has become considerably worse as cars became more common.

Personally, I know the damage it does so I prefer not to use them; The memory of standing on a cold street waiting for an ambulance to come for a sick baby stays in the memory.

The discovery of how it improved our life came later and was an unexpected bonus.

 

[Andy in Germany]

I don't think many ponder

Sadly this is the case in a lot of areas.

 

[mjr]

But what many cyclists don't realise is that for most cyclists cycling is not a lifestyle choice but a sport, a hobby or a leisure activity. It has to fit in around everything else.

I'm pretty sure it's a mode of transport for more than anything. It ain't a farking 'lifestyle choice' any more than motoring is for most.

I started cycling seriously when I was thirteen, but apart from when I first started work two years later and had yet to get a licence the bike has never been used to commute or for any form of basic transport. I find it too slow and inconvenient, you are at the mercy of the weather and the terrain and are extremely limited in what you can carry.

I don't recognise any of that as unusual to cycling, relative to motoring. While the carrying capacity is lower on a bike, it's not all that low, with a suitable workhorse and a trailer for planned purchases. But I've never cycled "seriously" and I hope I never do, if it limits possibilities that much!

Not all of us live in cities or work in an office where we sit down all day and have somewhere to dry our clothes and after a day on your feet doing any sort of manual work the thought of riding home into a wet headwind is not attractive. I raced and trained in it many times but never felt any desire to do any utility cycling in it. And believe it or not, a lot of people actually enjoy cars and driving as you'll see on the motoring thread here.. I can understand that others don't, but each to there own.

I've lived in villages most of my life and a bike is ideal for covering the greater distances between places but still big able to use the tracks most of the year and not only the made roads. Don't need to dry clothes after medium or short journies if you wear good rainwear, and it doesn't rain half as much as most drivers think: the average is something like a dozen wet commutes a year out here in the wild wild east.

Of course some people enjoy driving : there'll always be some who can, for a while, ignore the harm they're doing to their neighbours, plus a few who actively like the idea of harming others.

 

[All uphill]

Cars are a wonderful modern convenience - life was bloody awful before they became 'mainstream' imo.

Our consession to the environment is that the car we drive is much smaller and less polluting than the behemoths that used to sit on the drive.

I get the impression that some people would like to return to the paucity of modern tech' that prevailed in the 50's.

For years I drove everywhere, and occasionally cycled on a day off. It took me years and years to realise that time in the car, for me, was often frustrating and miserable. I took the opportunity of a job change to move to a small town where shops, hospital, theatre and station were all within cycling distance.

Great that you have chosen a small car; I still see plenty of behemoths in my neighbours' gardens ( and on the pavements). Camper vans seem to be the latest must have.

I certainly wouldn't want to give up easy Internet access, improved medicine, digital cameras, phones or lots of the other amazing things that we didn't have 60 years ago; I would, however, like it to be as safe for kids to cycle on the roads as it was for me.

 

[biggs682]

I have become that infuriating old man driving a Volvo within the speed limit.😉

Please tell me there is more to expect as i get older

 

[All uphill]

Please tell me there is more to expect as i get older

Hairy ears!

 

[biggs682]

Hairy ears!

Give me hairy ears any day over a Volvo

 

[yello]

My post summarised: a car is needed as a fall back option.

We live rurally. Vehicle expenditure is around 20% of our total outgoings. We've talked about going carless, primarily for cost reasons. We could actually manage carless for the vast majority of our needs; nearest local shop is 5km, nearest supermarket is 18km, nearest railway station 20km, doctor 5km, dentist 15km... all perfectly do-able by bike (I actually walk to doctor's appointments). Some purchases might require a bike trailer but again do-able. We can catch the school buses if needs be (obviously not year-round) but there's otherwise no bus service. Taxis are obscenely expensive; a cab to the railway station would probably be around €50. Nearest decent sized town (with hospital and most ammenities) is 50km, I've cycled it but accept not everyone would/could. Nearest city is 100km, 2 trains per day from local station. So carless is perfectly possible with forethought and planning.

However, I'm of the opinion it leaves us too vulnerable, too close to the edge. If we can't cycle for any reason (illness, weather, whatever) when there's an unforeseen occurrence then we could find ourselves dependant on the kindness of others (something I don't like to do), and/or scuppered. So whilst we minimise car use we feel more comfortable having access to one, even though it mostly sits unused in the garage. It's an expense we accept for 'just in case' - having run the carless scenario.

Yes, rural living and car it is a trade off. We've decided that we'll move into a town when the balance shifts (and/or can't, or don't want to, drive)