DO YOU USE A CAR AS WELL AS A BIKE ??

[mr Mag00]

no options out here in the sticks, actually 4 vehicles, my partner and i drive to work, have a business van and a land rover languishing in he garage for collecting wood for the wood burner when it gets fitted

 

[Rhythm Thief]

I'm afraid I drive about 35 000 miles a year in a 2 litre Saab (which I've just bought for £360). And I drive an artic.
With any luck it'll all change in the new year: I'm hoping to get a job in Bristol or Chepstow, and I can cycle to Chepstow, or drive there and then cycle to Bristol. I've got to get back on the bike soon, I really miss my commute and I never get the time to do any other cycling these days.

 

[John the Monkey]

I don't drive ours much - I find driving an absolute bloody chore, and would far rather walk or cycle. Ours tends to get used (like many here) for the weekly shop, and errands that require the taking along of heavy stuff, or the nippers).

I'm currently agitating for a cargo bike to be added to the household, on the grounds that we'd need the car even less then, although the missus says she won't ride one ever[1].

[1] Although she's happy enough with her bike with its rack and panniers for short trips to carry light loads.

 

[Amanda P]

What about a trailer? Takes up less space than a cargo bike, and on the way to the supermarket, when it's empty, your regular bike goes better towing it than the cargo bike would.

It's not as much fun as a bakfiets or long john or eight freight, its true...

 

[John the Monkey]

What about a trailer? Takes up less space than a cargo bike, and on the way to the supermarket, when it's empty, your regular bike goes better towing it than the cargo bike would.

It's not as much fun as a bakfiets or long john or eight freight, its true...

I was thinking more along the lines of the Surly Big Dummy, or a Kona Ute (just so's there's a bike whose job it is, sort of thing...). You're right to point out that the trailers have a lot of advantages over a dedicated bike though.

 

[jezhiggins]

I don't drive ours much - I find driving an absolute bloody chore, and would far rather walk or cycle. Ours tends to get used (like many here) for the weekly shop, and errands that require the taking along of heavy stuff, or the nippers).

I'm currently agitating for a cargo bike to be added to the household, on the grounds that we'd need the car even less then, although the missus says she won't ride one ever.

I bet she would, because they're bags of fun.

We used to be a two car household, but one was written off in a tornado (no, really) we didn't replace it. We've since also scaled down the remaining car to something smaller. Trips which don't involve kids, dogs and/or large quantities of shopping happen on bikes. We recently bought an 8 Freight in order to use the car less. As an added bonus, you meet all kinds of interesting people ...

 

[Rhythm Thief]

I don't drive ours much - I find driving an absolute bloody chore ...

I love driving, even after ten years as a lorry driver. I think some people just have the temprement for it. I do like to have a nice car though.

 

[gbb]

Only use the car one day a week (grudgingly) for work...on shopping day.

 

[John the Monkey]

I love driving, even after ten years as a lorry driver. I think some people just have the temprement for it.

Oh, I'd agree completely - both my brother and father in law drive vast distances for their jobs (carrying parts and tools to sites) and enjoy it - it would drive me mad in short order

 

[Plax]

I have a car and its usage depends on if I can get out of bed in the morning. I hardly used the car over the summer (just for carrying large loads and getting the shopping etc). However for the last few months my commuting by bike has started to slip. I must have SAD or something as since around September it has been a struggle to get out of bed soon enough in the mornings. I keep hitting the snooze button. Even putting the alarm clock at the other end of the room doesn't help as I just get up hit snooze and go back to bed.......

 

[Nigeyy]

My family (me, wife, 3 kids) has a car and a people carrier (aka "minivan" over here). It's much cheaper to run a car over here.

Whenever and where ever possible I'll cycle, run or walk to go somewhere -though I do think I'm viewed rather strangely at times for this in the land of drive thru's (c'mon, why leave your car when you don't have to?). Yes, I've seen people drive less than a 100m to get a cup of coffee -seriously.

I'll half commute into work most of the year, but stop when it gets to be too dark on the way home, or if there is ice or snow around. The older I get, the less I like automobiles -they really are the cause of so many deaths, pollution and rage incidents. Having said that, they are a necessary evil (not a lot of public transport where I am even though I'm in the commuter belt of Boston, and they allow me to take my family on vacation!) and I also appreciate they have opened up people's lives and saved them as well -I just think western culture has gone a little crazy on them to the detriment of our society.

 

[Lazy-Commuter]

<snip> I also appreciate they have opened up people's lives and saved them as well -I just think western culture has gone a little crazy on them to the detriment of our society.

I wholeheartedly and totally and completely agree with that. You only need to look at your 100m coffee drivers and some of the examples Bollo and I posted in the "Beat Yah!" thread ..

 

[tyred]

I live in the country so need to use my car a lot. I also enjoy driving and am generally interested in cars so I can't see myself ever not having one. But I take the same approach to car ownership as I do to bike ownership. i.e., the skinflint approach. My car's 13 years old, is maintained by me as I enjoy working on cars and like classic cars. I don't really like newer cars as they are to complicated for me to fix.

 

[Bodhbh]

Never passed the test till around 30 and then only had a car for 2-3 years. I think the radiator went, I got shafted on a MoT by the garage, the road tax and insurance were 500 odd quid each and I thought **** this, I was happy using the trains and buses anyhow...and I didn't weight 20 frigging stone then. Probably doesn't help my cycling around town much although, I think my road sense is very bad.

 

[Niall McL]

Both my wife and I run cars. Seriously considered getting rid of mine but we both work shifts and I'm on call for work during the night and it does happen she's on nights and I get a call out so despite being a reluctant driver I hope at least I have a pretty good reason for keeping my car.