Going car free(ish)

[All uphill]

As @Dave7 said "hospitals" I also looked in to this if had to go for an appointment I would have to catch two buses, OK I have a bus pass, but waiting around if your not well is not good and to go by taxi would cost £30 return.
If and when we get to have a covid booster jab would be two buses and a long walk or 8 miles trike ride on unpleasant roads and hope to God it's not bad weather as mine is due in later November.
I suppose I have been brought up “car minded” and many people have never leant to drive, but they manage, but do they miss out on a lot, it would be like the olden days were people just stayed in their villages born, lived and died in the same place.

I completely understand that and other good reasons to have a car.

When I moved to this area thirty years ago one of the things i wanted was everything within walking distance, so our situation is well suited to going car free.

 

[numbnuts]

How about an inflatable kayak which you could carry on the trike?

I have thought about seeing if I could find one that packs down small enough to carry on my CX bike.

The trouble with that the trike and trailer would not be there when you got back, the other thing I'm not a great lover of inflatables, buy the "new breed" look really good.

 

[ColinJ]

The trouble with that the trike and trailer would not be there when you got back

I am not keen on trusting locks either!

I lock my cheap DIY singlespeed bike outside the local supermarkets, but (a) that bike doesn't look worth stealing, and (b) there are usually lots of people wandering about which might deter any would-be thief.

Locking a decent bike somewhere quiet where there might not even be anything solid to lock it to...

 

[All uphill]

I am not keen on trusting locks either!

I lock my cheap DIY singlespeed bike outside the local supermarkets, but (a) that bike doesn't look worth stealing, and (b) there are usually lots of people wandering about which might deter any would-be thief.

Locking a decent bike somewhere quiet where there might not even be anything solid to lock it to...

I completely agree; this takes us back to inadequate infrastructure again, after 70 years of prioritising car users. It's strange that we can feel OK to leave a £20k car but not a £100 bike!

 

[All uphill]

Well, our decision about going car free becomes urgent. We were planning to defer any decision until MOT time next April but it is suddenly is extremely difficult to engage or change gears.

Our brilliant local garage will advise on Wednesday, but does anyone have advice on scrapping a car?

 

[yello]

Don't expect a lot (if anything?) for it. If you can get it to the scrapyard yourself then maybe a token amount, but if they come out to recover it...

I guess it depends on the car but that's certainly how it works here in France.

Wait and see what the garage say. It might be affordably repairable, or it might be a repair you can't not afford to have done (a car often being worth more to you than it's worth on the 2nd market, if that makes sense)

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Well, our decision about going car free becomes urgent. We were planning to defer any decision until MOT time next April but it is suddenly is extremely difficult to engage or change gears.

Our brilliant local garage will advise on Wednesday, but does anyone have advice on scrapping a car?

My experience was similar to yello's - a token amount.

I'm sure your local garage may be able to help.

While it's not the best time of the year there is an argument to be made for just biting the bullet!

Owning a car there'd never a 100% right time to go car free. Personally I think fear on some level is a big part of the difficulty of letting go.

You'd be amazed at how you can manage without. Of course, personal circumstances play a big part.

One thing to bear in mind is loss of an insurance "no claims bonus" which may make insuring a car again in future more expensive.
My insurance co. (Dutch) had a two year moratorium whereby I could be uninsured and reclaim my full NCB with them within two years.

Good luck!

 

[All uphill]

Thanks for that @yello and @HobbesOnTour

We are not too worried about the relatively small amount of money the car is worth. I agree that we just need to take the plunge and see how it works out.

 

[byegad]

I have friend who has never driven, or cycled. He manages really well........ by relying on those of us with cars to run after him, and when that doesn't happen, taking a taxi, bus or taxi then train.

Living 15 miles from his job and relying on all of the above got him through 35 yrs of working, but his commute was 1-3 hrs each way. Not being shy about asking for lifts no doubt helped!

 

[yello]

Just as an aside, are people aware of the cost of taxis in France? The 20km journey to our nearest (small) town would cost around €50... well probably more, more like €70, because the nearest cab would have to travel 15km to get to us. Maybe it's the same in the UK, I don't know.

 

[Drago]

Thats always assuming you can find one that isn't on strike, demonstrating somewhere, or blockading something.

 

[All uphill]

Just as an aside, are people aware of the cost of taxis in France? The 20km journey to our nearest (small) town would cost around €50... well probably more, more like €70, because the nearest cab would wave to travel 15km to get to us. Maybe it's the same in the UK, I don't know.

I remember getting the ferry across the channel to Brittany in 2017, then a taxi for a few miles to the airbnb. The taxi cost more than the ferry crossing!

When I got home I bought a folding bike for the next time

 

[All uphill]

I liked this poster seen last week in Ireland.

 

[tyred]

I liked this poster seen last week in Ireland.

View attachment 678211

Obviously somewhere in the Dublin area or the south where they have those new-fangled railway things and lots of money for new electric buses.

There hasn't been any kind of rail service around here since 1959 and I think just nine bus services operate in the entire county and the government don't realise there is life north of Dublin.

 

[biggs682]

It's the same here not many years ago if I wanted to catch a bus into town I had a choice of 3 stops all within a 3 minute walk now the nearest one is a good 10 minutes walk .
Loads of bus stops but not many of them are on operational routes around here .