Why do people drive to/from work?

[jamesrw 10]

I can never understand why so many people rely on cars to get to and from work in Sheffield? I understand it if you live more than 3 miles away because it would take you a good 45-55mins to walk it. The problem is a car journey of the same distance could take that amount of time if you pass the city centre.

 

So I woke up this morning thinking 'urgh! its raining, shall I drive?'

I instantly banished the thought knowing that any escapade I make in my car will not end nicely. I'll end up annoyed, because clearly i'm the best driver on the damned road, and wishing i'd walked/cycled, even, dare I say it, caught the peasant wagon.

 

I posted this thread because i'm interested to find out what seduces you to drive to work and battle with the gridlock, horns and general mayhem of our roads? (please don't say the school run, walk the kids to school, its actually good for them)

 

P.S. I walked

 

Edit:

A lot of people admit they have the choice to catch the bus and use a lot of excuses to avoid it: The cost, the rowdy kids, the smell, the infrequency of the service, sharing a seat (My bourgeois arse is too important for that! What a shameful excuse).

 

If the buses are so terrible try wakling, in the 15-20 minutes you stand like a muppet in the bus queue you could have walked a mile.

 

Unless you live more than 3 miles away people seem to be avoiding the fact that they have legs. However, when there short drive home is lengthened by an accident they will come on here moaning to high heaven about how bad the roads are.

 

Weather is not really an excuse for not cycling or walking unless you are that vain/scared. When I do either I wear waterproofs which I bought from Decathlon for about £7.. much cheaper than petrol, car insurance, parking fees, the long term cos of high blood pressure induced by the stress of rush hour driving.

 

Because who wants to spend a second longer than they have to with scummy dirty people on trams?

[Cayenne 10]

I drive the 3 1/2 miles to work because I have a car, have had years earlier in my life getting wet and cold waiting for buses, cycled 1000's of miles, but now have a free car parking space in the centre of town. It takes me 10 minutes to get to work when the kiddies are out of school but 20 when they are back. Plus it's all downhill to work and uphill the other way. If Sheffield was on a hill instead of in a valley, maybe I'd cycle. But after 8 hours at work, pedalling up 1 in 6 hills does not appeal much.

[troyhark 10]

Because who wants to spend a second longer than they have to with scummy dirty people on trams?

And I'm sure they are equally pleased not to have to share it with a bigot like you.

 

A friend of mine used to cycle to work and he said he always felt so much better and more alert when he cycled in. Quicker too.

As for those who complain about the hills, once you are used to cycling, they are no big deal. Though make sure saddle is high enough, too low, even a few mm and it makes it really hard work. It's amazing how quickly one can get fit by cycling. I have to say when I cycle less, I feel more tired and lethargic than when I get plenty of excercise by riding bike.

 

 

Someone commented that Sheffield had the worst public transport in the UK. Not true. But we certainly used to have the best until the 80s and as a result the lowest car ownership in the UK and far less congestion/pollution. So everyone was better off. It's amazing how quickly people forget how good the buses were in Sheffield. Stupidly cheap and very frequent.

 

 

Interesting to note how many people justified their trip by saying "well I live 16 miles away" when the question was if you live within 3 miles of Sheffield and drive in, why do you choose car over other potenially quicker and cheaper means of transport? How did they pass test if they can't read?

[badgerslikeh 10]

Because who wants to spend a second longer than they have to with scummy dirty people on trams?

 

What about using your feet?

[Squiggs 11]

In the car, I can get to work in 10 minutes and use about £5 petrol per week.

 

Public transport, it takes 30-45 minutes (even if the transport is running on time) and would cost at least £15 per week.

 

So it's a no-brainer really.

 

Same for me, about 15 minutes-20 minutes in car, 50 minutes on the bus including waiting time in the rain for 2 buses.

 

The times when traffic is heavy are still far outweighed by the times that traffic is flowing OK, at least on my route to and from work.

 

And I neither want to walk an hour each way in the rain, nor would my employer appreciate my turning up in the morning all bedraggled from the rain.

 

I also occasionally use my car for work and may need to drive home from a different location and quite frankly, am not prepared for a 2 or more hour walk home in the evening.

 

What a terrible person I am.

[tisgrim 10]

Spent a few years doing that better car, better car thing, studiously ignoring the massive depreciation, outrageous service costs, insurance and whatnot - "its only costing me a tenner a week in petrol".

Then got lucky enough to get a job 2 miles from my house so cycled in. Kept car though as you have to have a decent car don't you - "if I'm going to be sat in a jam then I might as well be in comfort". Only costing me about a quid a week in petrol now as I never used it.

Then worked out that it was actually costing me the equivalent of about 5 grand a year of my gross salary to run it. Well, wash it. Thats me working a day a week to support my car. Sold it soon after that.

 

So I suppose I can understand the arguments for car ownership - public transport is inconvenient, cycling dangerous, walking too slow - but can't really get my head around how much we willingly spend on cars. Shopping at Ikea, DFS, Matalan (maybe) etc raises no eyebrows but turn up in your Skoda...

[jfish1936 10]

It's nice to be able to give up your car. No emergencies like having to run a sick kid to the doctor (BTW taxi-drivers don't like vomit in their cabs), good household planning meaning no-one has to travel across town outside public transport hours, a short one hour bus trip to a railway station for a 90 minute train trip to our nearest major city, and ten minutes walk to the twenty minute bus ride to the hospital where I have my appointment.

As I've got to have the car for these, I'm paying all the taxes and insurance, suffering the depreciation anyway; so my costs are fuel, tyres and service for a trip to the shops.

Maybe replacing flat rate road tax and insurance by a road usage charge would help to keep cars in garages and encourage public transport.

[pumatic 10]

Maybe replacing flat rate road tax and insurance by a road usage charge would help to keep cars in garages and encourage public transport.

What like fuel tax, the more you drive, and the thirstier your car, the more you pay, efficient, and easy to collect, no need for expensive and intrusive tracking technology. If it ain't bust, don't fix it.

[Livewirex 10]

Here is a few reasons just from today's posts why a car is better/safer/warmer and quicker.

 

Here's why you don’t travel by taxi

http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=181270

 

http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=175603

 

 

 

Here’s some reasons why you don’t use a bus

http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=180612

 

http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=178075

 

http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=181822

 

As for walking you can if you want to be cold and wet and left standing waiting for the bus that's not going to turn up, otherwise no contest here, car every time nice and warm and its parked close by, all paid for ready to jump in and go.

 

But the more that walk and use the bus the clearer the roads are for me. Please carry on.