Why do you use your car?

[Alex C.]

Do people actually do that? I drive a lot but I'm not that daft.

 

Yeah they timed a group of office workers, some went on foot, some went by car (from the office to town for lunch) - those on foot easily beat those in their car - and whilst they estimated the time taken as 2 minutes, it actually took 10

[newvanandman]

Yeah they timed a group of office workers, some went on foot, some went by car (from the office to town for lunch) - those on foot easily beat those in their car - and whilst they estimated the time taken as 2 minutes, it actually took 10

 

Those on foot might have beat them,but was it raining,did they have much to carry?Did they have 3 kids to take with them?

I guess that the answer to all was no.

I would expect to find a bigger percentage walking where possible in the summer but the reality of this country is poor weather.

[Darbees]

Yeah they timed a group of office workers, some went on foot, some went by car (from the office to town for lunch) - those on foot easily beat those in their car - and whilst they estimated the time taken as 2 minutes, it actually took 10

That's an artificial scenario which anyone knows would be quicker to walk and doesn't need proving. Question is who would do it in real life?

[beckelina]

That's an artificial scenario which anyone knows would be quicker to walk and doesn't need proving. Question is who would do it in real life?

 

Some of my OH's co-workers (who live AND work in Buxton) drive to work. Some days they need their car at work, most days they don't. They use their cars for what is at most a 1-2 mile walk. I think it's generally because they end up running late and the car is so convenient...

We don't own a car as we bought a house in a location where we could both use public transport to get to work, and being central to Sheffield means we don't need one for anything else either.

We do forgoe luxury trips to the Peaks etc but that's no bad thing as we can't afford much!

When I have borrowed my friend's car we end up using it for pointless journeys that could be done by foot/public transport, just because it's easier and doesn't require any effort.

Cost us loads in petrol though.

[max]

I work in Halifax and it would take over 3 hours each way using public transport. I run a fencing club and need to bring the kit home every week. I go to competitions at the weekend which entails carrying large amounts of kit to exciting sports centres all over the country.

 

I'd guess that those 3 activities account for 90% of the 22k miles I do a year.

[Savannah2]

We have a car and my partner is the main user who uses the car for commuting to and from work.

Apart from that I use the car for commuting from Manchester to Sheffield and when we go on days out or holidays.

I never use the car for short journeys or small shopping trips preferring to walk instead.

[Darbees]

Not driving because of the cost is a different issue though. In this discussion I think it should be assumed you have a choice.

[beckelina]

Not driving because of the cost is a different issue though. In this discussion I think it should be assumed you have a choice.

 

Having made the decision for (mostly) environmental reasons not to be a car-owning couple it did come as a bit of a shock how quickly I slipped back into my old ways of being lazily reliant on the car (going to miss the bus, looks like it might rain, need to pop to the shops at lunch etc etc) when I have got by perfectly well without one day-to-day for the last three years.

 

We do still hire cars for the occasional weekend visiting family in Cornwall, but justify that by saying that the newest cars are the cleanest and most fuel-efficient, and then offsetting the carbon emissions with ClimateCare.

 

I thought for a while I was going to be given my parents' old car for my birthday, and had a little inner turmoil before deciding that I would refuse it as we really had no need for one, and my sister should have it instead. Was actually looking forward to being so selfless and environmentally responsible, until I realised they sold it instead...

[Alex C.]

That's an artificial scenario which anyone knows would be quicker to walk and doesn't need proving. Question is who would do it in real life?

 

Maybe I didn't make it clear - it was a route that the office workers regularly used (all in their cars) in real life, its wasn't a made up scenario, it was just a test of peoples perceptions.

 

And to newvanandman, they were office workers, mainly in their 20's, nipping out for lunch - no kids in tow, just their lunch to carry and it wasn't raining on the day in question...

 

I do wonder how we coped when cars genuinely were a luxury though, anyone would think we'd dissolve the way some people talk about the rain.

 

But at the end of the day, theres no need to justify your use of the car - 99% of people have reasons that are perfectly valid in their personal context, and I can accept that

 

Also if you look at the cost/benefits it gets skewed as you get older and insurance prices come down - I'd pay at least £1000/year insurance, plus tax, plus insurance and so on, so I'd probably be looking at a minimum of £100 per month if I owned a car.

 

As it is, most months I spend absolutely nothing on public transport and if I do a big weekly shop will pay the £2.50 taxi fare from our local Asda

[Becky B]

I don't use my car very often, as I went without one for 6 months between getting rid of my old car (MOT due!) and finding a new one, and found I could manage quite well without!

The closest option for me on the list was visiting friends/shopping and hate public transport, but that was only half right - I don't hate public transport and I do use it!

Visiting friends - I went to my friend in Cockermouth a couple of weeks ago, and while it takes 3.5 hours in the car on a good run, it would have taken anywhere between 5 and 13 on the train and even then I probably wouldn't have made it all the way without being picked up in a car at some point!

Even visiting friends in and around Sheffield is prohibitive on public transport unless you have most of the day to do it...