I will sell my car, but not yet!

[GetAGrip]

Just my imagination? Or anybody else noticed how residential roads seem to have more parked vehicles (at all times of the day) for us to be aware of now?

Not that long ago (well, maybe fifteen years or so), these same roads would be virtually clear of stationary traffic during the ‘working’ day.



Apart from increased neighbour disputes, (sure seems that way in our road anyway), is making an attempt at reducing our carbon footprint, saving our pennies or improving our health, actually making these ‘side’ roads more dangerous for all to use?



It seems to me, that peds (especially children), cyclists and even car drivers attempting to negate from their own drives at times, have more hazards to engage on their own doorstep now than ever before.



If it’s not my imagination, and more vehicles are being laid up more often, what would it take for you personally, to decide enough is enough and get rid of your own personal motorised transporter?

For me, it would simply be down to cost . I would go as green as possible, but I would sooooo miss the independence having a car gives me.

 

[Archie_tect]

Depends where the road is, our previous terraced house was half a mile from the town centre Metro on a busy through street so office people filled every space available and parked up on both sides of the street from 8am to 6pm Mon-Fri- then walked to work or caught the metro into Newcastle. At week-ends all the residents parked there but it was quieter.

In our estate it's still like the Marie Celeste during week days.

 

[byegad]

My street used to be empty during the day. All the car owners worked and few people had a second car. Now several people have two cars and most people don't work, some, like me are retired and others are out of work. Result? There are always between a dozen and two dozen cars in the street during the day. The only reason we don't have real issues at night and the weekends because there are a number of empty properties among the 70 houses.

 

[albion]

I hummed and harred for a good few years about the car. Whilst I seldom used it, it was always usefully there.
However, a failed MOT emission test helped push me towards that correct decision.

Being car free is not for everyone and certainly a lifestyle choice. Maybe without any cars the 'ahead of its time' Sinclair C5 would have been revolutionary . Instead of course, it got 'run over'.




Anyone know the real story behind that Sinclair X-1?

 

[coffeejo]

It's a week or so short of a year since I got rid of my car and I can honestly say that there's only been a handful of occasions where I've regretted that decision.

 

[XmisterIS]

My road is used as a rat-run, typically by impatient executive types in their BMW prestige cars who have no time for residents. Luckily, I'm at the end of the road furthest from the station; the other end is used as a parking lot for executive types going up to London on the train - they routinely park their Range Rover Sports across people's driveways - and don't seem to give a toss either.

 

[Archie_tect]

.... they routinely park their Range Rover Sports across people's driveways - and don't seem to give a toss either.

The Police can 'remove' an obstruction blocking a driveway, as far as I know.

 

[Night Train]

I won't get rid of the car until I can move 500kg plus over 30+ miles by some other means.

I am working on designing and building an electric reverse trike to do more of the lighter and shorter journeys that I can't use the bike for but ultimately my car will pull a 1400kg trailer and the trike won't.


I do keep my vehicles on my drive but as I live on a tiny cobbled cresent I am very aware of the times when other people park here as the road isn't wide enough for me to get my car out if someone parks too close to, or opposite, my drive.

The main culprits seem to be people visiting neighbours who have ample parking of their own and the Friend's Meeting House who's congregation park everywhere except in the meeting house carpark!

 

[GetAGrip]

I've made an effort not to use the car whenever I can walk, bus or cycle instead.
Public transport in a fairly rural area can be both sparse and expensive and I guess I have reached the point of thinking that for financial reasons mostly, it has to be one or the other!

Loads more people cycling would be a brilliant thing in loads of ways yeah? But, if we're all out on our bikes and we've left our cars parked up and clogging the highway, are we not increasing other types of road hazards for ourselves?

Sorry, just a thought. Probably a dumb one at that!

 

[XmisterIS]

The Police can 'remove' an obstruction blocking a driveway, as far as I know.

I know ... and they do! I've seen the owner returning and getting upset - like it's not their fault. Some people, I tell you ...

 

[Archie_tect]

I know ... and they do! I've seen the owner returning and getting upset - like it's not their fault. Some people, I tell you ...

That would be worth seeing!

 

[GetAGrip]

Due to the age of some of the properties, the drives don't have adequate splays onto the road.
When some bright sparks park right close to the drive each side, it makes it ni-on impossible to manoeuvre out onto the road. It obstructs you, but not sure it's an 'official' illegal park though.

 

[lulubel]

I know ... and they do! I've seen the owner returning and getting upset - like it's not their fault. Some people, I tell you ...

I remember late one evening I had to call the police because I couldn't get the bus I was driving along the usual bus route because of a badly parked car. After a lot of messing around and trying to find the owner (who was obviously in the area on holiday) they eventually called a tow truck to come and take it away.

Once the road was clear, and we were about to go our separate ways, I asked the policewoman, who had attended, how the owner would know what had happened to the car.

She just smiled at me and said, "They'll call us."

And on the topic of the thread, we're almost ready to sell our car - almost. It sits in the garage 6 days a week, and goes 2 miles into town one day a week to do the food shopping. I think it's a lot harder to make the mental/emotional adjustment to being without a car than it is in practical terms (for a lot of people).

 

[Mozzy]

Is it to do with rising unemployment maybe? Has always been a case if you want to move and buy a house you should always visit the area of a weekend. Then you see how many bloody cars are parked. Not noticed it during the week down yere in the SW.

Mozzy

 

[Archie_tect]

Due to the age of some of the properties, the drives don't have adequate splays onto the road.
When some bright sparks park right close to the drive each side, it makes it ni-on impossible to manoeuvre out onto the road. It obstructs you, but not sure it's an 'official' illegal park though.

You could always reverse out into the tight gap they leave until the 2 people either side arrive and try and get out... perhaps not.

Back to the thread [sorry]: the local bus has one stop in our village and goes every hour into Newcastle so there is nothing to stop us using it.... but I work all over the NE so can't get to clients' offices or planning offices in a reasonable time unless I take taxis- wonder if that would work out more cost effective than running a car as I could then charge the taxi fare as an expense... ay'up, I'm liking this already.