It's on days like these.....

[glasgowcyclist]

Not so windy today but the rain was running out of my shoes as I walked into the office from the bike shed. Having said that, there is something very pleasurable in putting on dry socks and pants after a soaking wet ride.

GC

 

[kerndog]

Oh, I hope you've dug a trench and put on your tin hat

 

[bianchi1]

I love my car, and at times it's a necessity. My sons under 13 football league has a radius of about 30 miles. As much as we love cycling a 60 mile round trip plus a match may be a bit cruel!

I also work shifts in a busy kitchen. While I often commute (12 miles each way) in the week, the idea of riding back at 1 in the morning after cooking 160 meals in a 40+ degree kitchen is not appealing! I would get the bus but the last one leaves town at 10.30.

It's also the best way I have found for getting me and whoever else to the alps/Pyrenees for my annual summer jolly where it doubles up as a workshop and hotel.

I think if it weren't for my children I would buy a moped/skooter type thing for rough days and do what all my "I don't need a car" friends do, bother someone with a car occasionally.

 

[bianchi1]

So another example of necessity driven by choices made.

Believe me it's not a choice that my son has football matches 30 miles away! But I feel it's more of a responsibility that I am able to ensure he can pursue his hobbies.

 

[bianchi1]

As I say, choice.

As i say, responsibility.

 

[simon.r]

I moved to the house I now live in about 20 years ago. One of the reasons I moved here was that it was about 7 miles from where I worked. Since then I have had 7 different employers and been based at at least 12 different locations, ranging from 7 to 60 miles from my house.

Moving house to be within cycle commuting distance of each location would have been incredibly difficult, expensive and disruptive.

It's a choice in so much that I want to work, in the field I'm trained and qualified in and with a reasonable income.

Rightly or wrongly some of us need to be flexible with regard to our work locations and I have not yet found a more practical way of doing this than to use a car.

 

[bianchi1]

Yes, you are getting there. We dress our choices up as something else.

Choice...Noun...An act of selecting or making a decision when faced with two or more possibilities.
Responcibility ...Noun....The state or fact of having a duty to deal with something.

Now I suppose I could choose to ignore my responsibilities, but that's not the type of person I am.

 

[kerndog]

Yes, you are getting there. We dress our choices up as something else.

I think of them as needs rather than choices.

I need to drop my 3 kids to school 3 miles away and then pick them up for example, same with mateys boy who plays football. that's a need not a choice

do you have children?

do you live in a city?

 

[snorri]

but i just hung the washingout and the wind was gusting enough to

have all my clothes dry in 15 minutes..

Spring is great, and summer is just around the corner, spread the joy.

 

[simon.r]

So the possession of a car enabled you to decide to take a job 60 miles away, and you now view that as evidence of necessity to have the car.

Yes. Or you could say the possession of a car enabled me to stay in employment in a job which was reasonably well paid, that I am trained for and that I quite enjoyed. The alternative, had I not had a car, would have been to move house, or undertake a ridiculously long commute by public transport, or take a much less well paid job close to home.

It depends on your definition of 'necessity' I suppose.

 

[bianchi1]

I live where I do out of choice and planning for this sort of thing. Primary school about 1k, walked to and from with kids. Secondary school about 2k, kids able to walk. Work about 20k or if unable to cycle, station about 400m and train 25 mins then 10 mins walk. It came at a price though, no pub.

The irony is you don't have to pay for my choice of living where I do, my car use costs you nothing, but because you choose not have a car, I have to subsidise the rail network you use.

A thanks wouldn't go amiss!

 

[Brandane]

my car use costs you nothing,

Oh no; who mentioned a tin hat earlier? The resident cycle gestapo are going to have you for that one!

Edit: Must type faster; and I told you so....

 

[CopperCyclist]

I know of someone who could prove the OP completely wrong....

.,,, I couldn't do it though.

Ands that's probably the point No one should tell Brandane HE doesn't need a car. They could say 'I wouldn't need a car on your circumstances', but they can't really know or dictate his needs, in the same way Brandane doesn't say that others couldn't manage without one.

 

[bianchi1]

You do realise that this is a forum for cyclsts and not a moaning hard done by drivers one?

Or lazy rail users!

 

[Brandane]

You do realise that this is a forum for cyclsts and not moaning hard done by drivers one?

The name Cycle Chat kind of gave it away. I joined because I consider myself a cyclist. 3500 miles last year qualifies me for that I think, and 45 years cycling experience.
However I confess to being a member on a car owners forum, because I drive. Further to that, I am on a motor bike forum because I ride a motorbike. Oh, and a table tennis forum too. FWIW, I have been known to fight our (cyclists) cause on the bikers site when the usual anti cyclist threads come up. None of them have ever hinted that I shouldn't be on "their" forum just because I cycle!

Do all members of CC have to be one trick ponies? I don't remember reading that bit on the T&Cs.