Going car free doesn't seem to go down well with some

[Saluki]

I didn't have a car until I was 36 and I wasn't without relationships because of a lack of car. Might not be the same for women as men though. I did have a 900cc motorbike which I loved, until some bloody car driver wrote it off for me.

I was engaged to a lovely guy who had no car The lack of a car didn't seem to hamper him any. He had several bikes and cycled everywhere. He also had a couple of tractors but I don't suppose that counts.

 

[wmtlynx]

My family were completely car free for the first 18 years of my life. Me and my brother had a great childhood riding on buses and trains everywhere. I used to be of the opinion that a car would make life better, but I'm now back tracking my opinions. Since last October myself and girlfriend are car sharing, and I find myself hardly using it at all. I do, at times, resent the sheer cost-per-use of owning a car. Between us we do about 8000 miles a year at a cost of £1500 per year just to use it. That's without cost of buying it. So, if you do go for a car, £2000 should just about insure, t ax, mot, fuel and maintain it. If you cycle everywhere most of the time, that money will pay for a lot of taxis home on nights out.

Oh, and driving can encourage laziness, selfishness and impatience. Can't wait till the spring comes so I can see if I really can go car free!

 

[subaqua]

When I were young I bought a Capri 2.8i. Oh yeah baby, a real fadge magnet.

But what an utter waste of time. The bucket Recaros stopped the young ladies from opening their legs sufficiently to do the deed!

rear seats fold down nice long boot floor . rollout mattress in the boot XLH 878X 1600 crapi (sic) . I had estate cars for 2 damn good reason

1 = works vehicle
2= great for evening fun with the ladies.

 

[subaqua]

Ahh those were the days, Ford cortina's, good at coming of roundabout's sideways. Ford capri's good at coming of roundaboutsbackwards anywhich way they bloody liked and the same roundabout gave many different outcomes

is more accurate . the RAB at the top of tinkersdale in N Wales was always a favourite for it to decide it wanted to be a waltzer

 

[Arch]

My stepdaughter and her partner have gone for the car free life option and live 200 miles from us
Their day to day life is not effected but generally we end up visiting them (or paying their trainfares) and strangely when we are there we seem to spend a lot of time transporting large items, visiting the out of town superstores they never get to.
Family weekends away usually involve going out of the way to pick them up and family emergencies entail 400 mile round trips to pick up followed by the same journey a few days later

Generally the car less person / family is not inconvenienced and they usually have the martyr like mantra of "we dont drive" to fall back on to excuse rhemslves

If you feel put upon, stop doing it! Martyrs like that can only exist if others pander to them!

I wouldn't dream of asking my Mum to drive around for me if she came to visit in her car. Anyway, I can live perfectly well without recourse to out of town shopping and bulky items. I have all the bulky consumer durables I need. Anyway, anything up to the size of a large microwave, I can fit on the bike trailer if I have to. Or hire a car, since I may be car free, but I can drive. A colleague of mine pays some friends a nominal amount to be on their insurance, and borrow their car from time to time, since they use it infrequently anyway. There are plenty of ways to live without owning a car, but without relying on the goodwill of others.

I could also arrange to borrow a huge load carrying trike from work, if necessary. My colleague moved house with it recently.

 

[trio25]

When you have a car it is hard to imagine that it is possible to cope without a car. Me and my partner share and car and talk about how we would would go car free BUT.....then the list starts. The biggest one is she needs it for work sometimes. A lot of people at her work have no idea how we cope with one but a lot of the problems people suggest just aren't there. Shopping is usually peoples big one, but I do that on the bike currently, usually go twice a week on the way home from work. If I wanted to go only once I'd dump my work stuff first, panniers and things strapped to the rack works well.

As to dating, I was in a city when dating and noone drove!

 

[Drago]

I've been car free for a few months now. Sure, Woman has her car but fo remdical reasons she can't cycle unaccompanied (blind in one eye and has MS so doesn't have the confidence to ride alone).

I have a medical appointment next week at ther other end of the county, so I'll be borrowing Womans car for that cos I gotta get back to work afterwards, but I'm happy with a car free life and would be quite happy to hire a Fiesta 3 or 4 times a year when the need arises to visit family etc.

I thought it'd be hard work, but the hardest part was getting past the blockage in my own mind. The actual deed itself has been smooth sailing.

 

[lb81]

I sold my car but we still have one which my wife uses.

I make a point of not using it unless there is no alternative but with 2 young kids having a car around justifies itself easily...

 

[trampyjoe]

We still have a car, the wife has a job where it's in her contract that she must have a car. Ironicaly we live in tied accommodation so she has no need for the car as she can bike everywhere (and I refuse to pay for business insurance when her company has a fleet of cars she can use). As we have the car we use it for longer journeys (family visits) and to ferry the bikes and trailer around (wife not confident on roads but enjoys cycling enough that we travel to off road cycle paths etc).

My opinion is that if we wanted to go car free I wouldn't have a problem with it (visiting my family is a 2 day cycle with the trailer and the cost of overnight accommodation half way would be cheaper than car hire and petrol costs, inlaws live 4 hours away by bike with trailer), but the wife would as she likes to have it as a fall back. I could transport anything I needed by bike and anything too big we would I could just go without. Besides, we're moving onto a narrowboat next year so anything too big to go into a boat wouldn't be moveable by bike anyways.

Those that do choose to live a car free lifestyle should do just that - be car free which includes, IMO, not asking others for the loan of their cars.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

Not meet someone? Rubbish! That lass on the fitness singles banner advert looks game!

 

[Saddle bum]

Cars are useful, you can hang them on a bike rack!

Seriously, I could not afford to waste the time and effort I save by having a car.I would never get anything done.

It's a drain on finances, but the effect is the result of political decisions, wherein the Govt see motoring as a milk cow.

 

[Arch]

Those that do choose to live a car free lifestyle should do just that - be car free which includes, IMO, not asking others for the loan of their cars.

I don't see a problem with borrowing a car from someone - as long as it doesn't inconvenience them. After all, better to bung a friend a few quid/free lunch/return favour to borrow their car for an afternoon or a day (assuming insurance is set up, of course), than to give the money to a car hire company.

Cars are tools. Used wisely, they work. The problem is that too many people use them on occasions when it's not actually more convenient, or even when it's actually INconvenient, just because they can't see past the idea that you must NEED one to live, and once you've got one you have to use it all the time.

 

[Hip Priest]

Tell your Dad you'll borrow his car when you're going on a date.

 

[al78]

Tell your Dad you'll borrow his car when you're going on a date.

Bit difficult, he lives 240 miles away from me.

 

[ufkacbln]

Buy one of these:.


Or one of these

Simples!