The older I get , the more I despise driving

[gavroche]

I have been driving since 1969 and still enjoy it. Yes there are more cars on the roads and more idiots too but the same can said about cycling. It is just a different means of transport.

 

[Drago]

I have been driving since 1969...

Blimey, you must be knackered!

 

[biggs682]

Must admit I don't enjoy it as much as I use to at all

 

[John the Monkey]

Blimey, you must be knackered!

 

[Crackle]

Don't mind it: It's far better than the alternative of trains or buses. I've only really enjoyed driving two vehicles though. One was an Audi A4 avant, a works car and the other was a campervan I owned, a Mercedes base left hand drive which just used to burble along nicely with no expectation of overtaking or people behind thinking you were going to go faster. Completely different to the Audi which was third lane clearer. Always used to fascinate me that, you'd come up behind someone and they'd move which never happens in the Peugeot or Clio I have now.

 

[GM]

I've driven about 10,000 miles this year in and around the London home counties, and I can honestly say I've disliked every one them. Earlier this year we went to Northern Ireland for 2 weeks and loved driving there, didn't want to come home. For anything other than work I use my Freedom Card or my Rail Card.

 

[NorthernDave]

This is why I use my bike on a weekend rather than the car:

Who'd want to be sat in that nose to tail slog on the dual carriageway when you could be flying around the country lanes?

 

[Lonestar]

When I hear that advert "another one drives a duster" I just want to get on the Turbo Trainer to ride off some of that frustration...Arghhh.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Years ago when I first past my driving test ,.I actually used to enjoy driving and heading off somewhere for a day out. Everything back then seemed so much easier. Parking , the lack of heavy traffic, tailgating and aggressive driving all seemed to be rare occurrences. Nowadays though driving the car is more like a chore as apposed to enjoyment. Even the simplest things like buying petrol are a pain in the back side ,with waiting in a long queues that often extends into the main road. , Gone are the days where the garage attendant would come out and fill your car up and have a chat with you for 5 minutes. Its now a case wait your turn ,.fill.up and pay your money in some sterile ,high turn over multi national garage. The traffic on our roads is now at virtually saturation point ,where you need eyes like an iguana ,pointing in every direction for hazards and danger. This combined with parking problems, the cost of insurance and cars, that are now virtually electronic boxes on four wheels that make them nay on impossible for the diy mechanics to get his hands dirty in a sunday morning.
No wonder people are turning to cycling in great numbers. There simple to work on in the comfort of your back garden, they cost next to nothing to maintain and no constant money out goings on fuel and insurance/tax and most importantly no parking problems. The benefits of cyling just go on and on. My work is around 16 miles away from home ,and if it wasn't for the dangerous A road ,I would cycle there most days but I would fear to much for my own safety using it on a regular basis. Traffic congestion is not going to go away for many years to come and it makes me wonder if this big resurgence in cycling will no doubt keep on growing at its incredible rate.uhh

I am falling out of love with driving these days - the roads are clogged to capacity in some parts of the country.

The Lake District where I live is pretty much ok for getting around most of the year and all points north of Kendal are fine. All the way up into Scotland and across to the north east are fine but head south and it's a world of pain.

What is going on with the smart motorway 'upgrades' is a farce. Miles upon miles of coned off lanes with a tiny workforce at work is beyond me. A 7 hour journey back from N.Devon to The Lakes last week has killed it for me and right now I don't want to head south ever again. We also spent 5.5 hours getting from Stratford upon Avon to Lynmouth the week before due to an incident on the M5 that left us rerouted and struggling to get through a very depressing Bristol city centre. Just takes the edge off of a pleasurable break. I am not convinced that these smart motorways are going to make a jot of difference - from what I recall of the M25 variable speed limits they just exacerbated stop-start shunting and jam build up.

Fortunately I no longer have to venture out of Cumbria more than once or twice a year. And maybe a further two or three times a year out of choice.

 

[Pedalbob]

Agreed. I drive when I have to.

 

[Brandane]

I still enjoy driving, with some exceptions:
Anywhere south of Preston can be a little fraught due to congestion. Especially the M6 around Birmingham.
Inside the M25 is a no go area for me (car or anything else). My idea of hell.
Aberdeen at peak hours is almost as bad as London; bring on the by-pass.
The M8 motorway is unbearable between Glasgow and Edinburgh.

We are lucky that in Scotland there are still large swathes of low density population with networks of roads that are still fun to drive. Even more so on a motorbike. If only nobber visitors from those densely populated areas in the south would learn how to drive properly; especially when using single track roads with passing places. And remember that motorways north of Preston do not require that you sit in the rightmost lane in your Audi/BMW/Merc when the left lanes are not occupied.

 

[JtB]

This is why I use my bike on a weekend rather than the car:

View attachment 367864
Who'd want to be sat in that nose to tail slog on the dual carriageway when you could be flying around the country lanes?

For me that captures an essence of the sense of freedom that you get with cycling. In a car you get to view primarily the road from within a tin can, while on a bike you get to actually experience the countryside.

 

[keithmac]

I can remeber, probably 18 years ago now.

Me and my now wife used to pop to Bridlington for fish and chips in my Mk2 Golf GTI 16v, no traffic to speak of and a nicendrive there and back "just beacause".

No chance of that now unless you do it at midnight.

Had the "joys" of the A64 to Scarborough two weeks ago, sheer hell is how I'd describe it..

 

[GuyBoden]

7.5 billion is a lot of people on the planet...........................

 

[Lonestar]

7.5 billion is a lot of people on the planet...........................

How many is that in Cars?