Is car ownership dying out among the younger generations?

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Electric_Andy

Heavy Metal Fan
Location
Plymouth
making stuff up about it being 'essential' is unnecessary
It was essential where I grew up, and still would be if I was 17 and living there today. Absolutely no buses pass the farm, it's 3 miles from the nearest town either side. Nearest train station was 13 miles away. Taxis non-existent (there was 1 Taxi man in town and he only worked short hours; the rest of the time he was in the pub). So it was "essential" if you wanted any sort of social life or independance
 

ianrauk

Tattooed Beat Messiah
Location
Rides Ti2

Is car ownership dying out among the younger generations?​


I sincerely hope that is the case.
 
Car ownership isn't essential since social life isn't essential. Independence puts overrated and not essential neither.

Car ownership is a choice and it's becoming more important to justify it more critically.

We moved to 1 minute walk from the station which allowed hourly trains to on site work locations for both my partner and I. However a flaw is the nearest bus route with regular buses is about 40 minutes walk away. That bus goes towards a station which has mainline trains stop at it l great when our train isn't running but not exactly great in our wet weather. There is a bus from our village, one in and one back. If you miss those it's an expensive taxi.

All that doesn't work for my work site, to get there when trains aren't running I've got to walk 40 minutes, catch a bus to a small village near to a local town, then catch another bus to the town I work in. Then a 20 plus minute walk. All in all it would probably take me about 3 hours to get to work each way without the train.

So that means car isn't essential. I have a few options. Preferred is WFH which is what I mostly do. Second is train, I also do. Third is car when train isn't running and I have to go in. Fourth I have no intention of doing. That is personal choice and in the interests of family life I take that choice over bus and walk. It still doesn't make car essential.

It is this idea that if the alternatives are too difficult then car use is essential that is the problem.

For me it takes a lot to make it too difficult, a 6 hours round trip is too difficult for me but car use is usually still avoidable.

A 13 mile cycle ride might be too difficult for some, I'd see that as a positive option personally. Good training potential! Fitness and health benefits.

Just checked bus route. Next option is 7:49 tomorrow morning to arrive 3 hours 32 minutes later. That is my only non train or car option BTW. I start work by 830 and do 8 hours. Buses don't work for my work hours. I can walk to a few villages away, bus, walk, bus and more walking which takes at least 2.5 hours!

Anyway, I digress. Cars are avoidable so not essential. However alternatives have varying levels of feasibility. This is my view as a countryside dweller. Suburbanites and city dwellers imho have more options or often a lot better options. You could say no excuses cars aren't essential for town and city dwellers, but it's a choice made with excuses to opt for a car.
 

vickster

Legendary Member
. Cars are avoidable so not essential. However alternatives have varying levels of feasibility. This is my view as a countryside dweller. Suburbanites and city dwellers imho have more options or often a lot better options. You could say no excuses cars aren't essential for town and city dwellers, but it's a choice made with excuses to opt for a car.
I could live without a car and I use mine as little as I can if it's just for me...however as I have to support my fairly disabled and recently widowed mother, it makes things far easier for me and more importantly more comfortable for her and enables her to go to medical appointments, get out to the shops, for a meal, see friends etc. She can get taxis and does if it works but if we're going out together, it makes much more sense for me to drive her.

A social life might not be essential to you and your partner, but some people prefer not to live their lives in isolation
 
My point being not essential means there's other options. Essential is breathing, eating, etc. If you don't have to do it because there's other options it's not essential but easier. Might not be a distinction others see but that's their choice.
 

vickster

Legendary Member
My point being not essential means there's other options. Essential is breathing, eating, etc. If you don't have to do it because there's other options it's not essential but easier. Might not be a distinction others see but that's their choice.

The other option for her is a taxi...which is still a single use road going vehicle. She cannot get on and off buses or trains for example even if she could get to the bus stop or train station.
It sounds like from your post that you still have a car, why if it's not essential for you? Why don't you just use a taxi if that's the case?
 

Emanresu

Senior Member
Cars parked 23 hours of the day. 73% of the time they are parked at home (depreciating)

https://www.racfoundation.org/media-centre/cars-parked-23-hours-a-day
 

iandg

Legendary Member
2 of my 4 kids don't own a car. One lives in Edinburgh and can't drive, the other lives in Knoydart, drives big stuff for his job but has no use for a car out there.
 
The other option for her is a taxi...which is still a single use road going vehicle. She cannot get on and off buses or trains for example even if she could get to the bus stop or train station.
It sounds like from your post that you still have a car, why if it's not essential for you? Why don't you just use a taxi if that's the case?

You're right, we do make the choice to keep and use a car. In fact a campervan so that's worse. I however do not see it as essential but a choice. I also chose to change my lifestyle by moving to where we are to use the train and to reduce travel overall. We're talking 20k plus annual mileage down to 6.5k miles a year.

The remaining mileage is one annual holiday in the UK a year, taking our son to sports events in a village 40 minutes plus walk away (car sharing with at least 3 other famikies) and monthly visit to elderly relatives other side of the country (one might not have too many years left if even a year). A few other local journeys as a choice when we could theoretically get things deigned

The thing about car ownership is the fact it has been built in the first place. I believe pollution due to production of the car accounts for a significant proportion of total pollution. If you have it you'll use it more than really needed. Whilst taxi use equals single user the production pollution isn't wholly on you. No idea how things really balance out. I certainly think a car in your driveway does create a temptation to just get out on a whim.
 

Slick

Guru
2 of my 4 kids don't own a car. One lives in Edinburgh and can't drive, the other lives in Knoydart, drives big stuff for his job but has no use for a car out there.

To be fair, I've never liked driving in Edinburgh, I think it was the tram fiasco that put me off but I've never particularly liked it, and I certainly wouldn't bother with a car if I lived and worked in the city.
 

Hicky

Guru
My eldest has just turned 21, he’s been driving 10months…his insurance is/was 3k for a 1.2 fiesta with a black box 8k distance limit.…it’s ridiculous.
 

vickster

Legendary Member
You're right, we do make the choice to keep and use a car. In fact a campervan so that's worse. I however do not see it as essential but a choice. I also chose to change my lifestyle by moving to where we are to use the train and to reduce travel overall. We're talking 20k plus annual mileage down to 6.5k miles a year.

The remaining mileage is one annual holiday in the UK a year, taking our son to sports events in a village 40 minutes plus walk away (car sharing with at least 3 other famikies) and monthly visit to elderly relatives other side of the country (one might not have too many years left if even a year). A few other local journeys as a choice when we could theoretically get things deigned

The thing about car ownership is the fact it has been built in the first place. I believe pollution due to production of the car accounts for a significant proportion of total pollution. If you have it you'll use it more than really needed. Whilst taxi use equals single user the production pollution isn't wholly on you. No idea how things really balance out. I certainly think a car in your driveway does create a temptation to just get out on a whim.

I probably do half that mileage. I rarely drive on a whim these days. I cycle and walk as far I drive probably. My car is nearly 12 years old and has done less than 40k miles
 
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