[Closed] Car dependency

Maybe he doesn't like jostling about with the great unwashed.

One of the reasons I drive instead of use public transport anyhow, but then I don't get stressed by driving. 🙂

I suspect it's partly just natural resistance to change, and partly boys and their toys (I assume he has a "nice" car).

But yeah, people do make odd choices don't they.

He should try mixing it up, eg train in the winter when driving is tougher in the dark and the wet and drive in the summer. I commuted by train for 25 years and don't miss it at all, I had no choice and it cost £600 a month. Half the time it was standing all the way so not very relaxing but driving wasn't an option.

He has no issues with the great unwashed, even where he lives, and doesn't seem overly enamoured of his aging Zafira.

Fear of the new I guess, and there will always be the risk of trains being delayed even longer than traffic.

I call snob. My dad was like that, refused to take public transport. Saw him on a train once his entire life. I don't think he ever caught the bus that I recall.

(on his way home from court for his second drink driving conviction - I had to pick him up in mother's car, then take him home, then walk to the station and get the train back to the court to collect his car, but I did get full custody of his car for two years, silver linings)

Cars are an extension of your own private space, you always get a seat for example.

I get the train to work and have done for the last 4.5yrs I very much doubt I'll be doing so as and when I move on from this job and I'll miss it. A wee snooze or read on the way home is a bit of treat tbh. I do have the odd grumble but it's about once a week at most, smelly people for example or the odd nutcase who sings out loud or argues with their partner/children. I used to commute 90miles a day and there was guaranteed to be an arsehole on the road somewhere doing something stupid/dangerous.

I normally cycle into work, but need the van to pick up bike boxes tonight. My 20 minute cycle ride took over an hour by car.
I really, really don't understand why people insist on using their cars.

Fear of the new I guess, and there will always be the risk of trains being delayed even longer than traffic.

For some reason though if a train's delayed I shrug my shoulders and don't get too bothered, if I'm stuck in traffic I can feel my blood pressure rising.

IMO in the main trains are more reliable than cars when it comes to commuting as well. Baring the odd horrendous delay day!

I wonder if psychologically the train is £100/month, whereas the car is "free" in his head?

I really, really don't understand why people insist on using their cars.

Agreed - I work with plenty of people who live less than 5 miles away yet schlep in by car.

I do enjoy highlighting how I get delayed by having to watch a heron or woodpecker on my ride in through the woods 🙂

TM

depends where you live.

i used to live in auchenblae and commute in to dyce on the train from stonehaven

i rarely had issue in the morning but at night often id find my self having got the train into aberdeen central and going to swap to the next train that the train had been canceled and i had to call for a lift or take the now over full bus into stonehaven - then get another bus from the centre out to the station to pick up my bike and ride home arriving home at about 9pm having left work at 4.

this happened 3 or 4 times before i thought **** this and took the van to the park and ride before moving house closer to work. central london may be a different story.

In my case it's about being in control of my surroundings.

On a train or a bus I have no control and have to put up with whatever I'm surrounded by.

I my own car I'm in control, and I prefer it. Simple as that.

Always feel relaxed in the car. Hardly ever feel relaxed on public transport.

I really, really don't understand why people insist on using their cars

I wonder if psychologically the train is £100/month, whereas the car is "free" in his head?

Probably something in that, car expenditure is expected and phased, whilst train tickets are potentially an expensive and otherwise unnecessary purchase, psychologically.

I wonder if psychologically the train is £100/month, whereas the car is "free" in his head?

Big element of this I'd say. He's paying for it to sit on his drive if he doesn't use it.

A few years ago I used to hire cars for weekend trips a few times a year, and it puts a price on a trip to Wales that makes you look at it differently than when you have a car sat outside your house. You're still paying for it but the 'point of use' cost is effectively forgotten about.

25-mile commute from the sticks to a febrile urban hell pit and back is not practical by any other means

Plus, not all non-car journies are quite as 'good' as the one mentioned by the OP.

I normally ride in, always the best option. If I need the car it'd be 15mins journey. Bus would consist of 10 mins to busstop, two buses (20 mins each) with a ten min walk in between them (unless I got a third bus...) plus waiting time.

If you 'need'/pay for a car anywaythen like people say, the car is 'free'

In a previous job my rather pleasent cycle commute, down a canal towpath, took me 20 minutes. The hellish car journey on the road that ran parallel, took 45 as you crawled along at walking pace. I never, ever took the car. Everybody else in the office would do the 45 minutes car journey, sat in solid traffic

The thing was, they all thought I was the mad one 😯

But you might get wet or sweaty!

I used to rail commute into London.

Much less stressful than driving obvs, but being at the mercy of First Capital Connect's pisspoor services wasn't exactly a laugh-a-minute.

Then there was the daily sardine bundle onto the Tube. Well grim.

25-mile commute from the sticks to a febrile urban hell pit and back is not practical by any other means

In my case it's about being in control of my surroundings.

If you're stuck in traffic, you're not in control of your surroundings.

Without a car you wouldn't do that journey though.

Quite. I was faced with that prospect the last time I changed jobs - I chose to move house instead. I now have a very pleasant 10 minute cycle along the river path.

As a single car family, every now and again I have to relinquish control of the car keys and get the train in to work.

To be honest I love it, much prefer seeing the countryside going by whilst sitting back and relaxing rather than dealing with the A14.

If it wasn't £14.40 for a return I'd do it alot more. 45mins by car 30mins by train.

I know the economics probably work out to cheaper to not have the car and have a season ticket - but we do need a car as in the middle of nowhere.

I only live 2.5 miles from my office, and there are several people who live between me and the office that drive in, and still takes them longer, madness I tell you, utter madness.

These are the same people who's heads nearly explode when I tell them I often take the long way home on purpose because the ride home isn't long enough.

Often I can get a nice ride in the sunshine by the river or by the sea before my colleagues have made it home.

Without a car you wouldn't do that journey though

Statistics say most of the people jamming up the roads in cities every morning aren't doing that though

is the train actually reliable?
what happens if you miss it?

Many times I'd like to use public transport but it never seems to run on time, or when needed or have a backup.

These days my commute is from the bedroom to the spare room though

It's my choice which is why I insist on using my car

"Choice" is the key word. Many people forget that when they complain that there's no public transport, or it's too far to cycle.

I agree with him. I always prefer to drive, but I don't have a commute, I work from home, and visit London twice a week. I drive to London and get the tube in.

Reasons; I enjoy the freedom and space, and should bad stuff happen I have options. I've had my fill of franticly finding taxis, getting on buses, or getting a hotel thanks to train issues.

Personally I think that's the main driver (scuse pun) for people preferring to drive, not laziness, just freedom and space.

I'm a 30 minute journey from the station, it's then a 45 minute journey, then a 10 minute wait, then a 20 minute bus ride for me. Or an hour and a bit in the car.

The train's far more expensive now too

Personally I think that's the main driver (scuse pun) for people preferring to drive, not laziness, just freedom and space.

I've always thought being stuck in commuting gridlock to be the opposite of freedom, but each to their own.

I enjoy traveling by train, the last time I did the bloke I sat next to got up and moved away as soon as another seat was free because I kept talking to him 😀

I was really quite proud of that 🙂

It's a funny sort of freedom.

"If I can just afford to buy, insure, tax and fuel this car I can go and sit in a traffic jam on the way to another 12hr shift to pay for it."

The marketing for cars sells people this:
[img] [/img]

In reality they get something closer to this:
[img] [/img]

I would love not to commute in the car but I have a 75 mile a day commute, 55 mins in the car each way or 1 hr 40 to drive to the station, take 2 trains and then a bus. I have cycled it a few times but it takes too long and is not a nice journey traffic wise.

Although a long commute, it means I get to live in the countryside with beautiful surroundings, reasonable property prices and good schools for by kids.

We have 2 cars, but I still cycle. 8 miles each way, hardly a tour stage each day!

It takes about 30-35 minutes, ironically depending on the traffic.

I drove once. Took me over an hour & that was considered normal by other people I work with.

I couldn't do that every day.

We have a train station in the village so I commute by train, the wife could and occasionally does, it's about 90 minutes in the car and about the same via train and taxi, or a little longer by train and bus, she gets travel sick on the bus so that option is ruled out.
Cost wise, petrol is £20 for a return trip, train £17, then either taxi £8 each way or bus £3 each way.
Due to her shift times she would get to work around 45 minutes early and then have a 50 minute wait at the station on the way home so the whole journey takes longer than driving.

If you 'need'/pay for a car anyway then like people say, the car is 'free'

+1, I managed about 2 years after graduating without a car. Then bought an old MG more as a toy than a car, but I did end up using it for jounreys that I'd otherwise have cycled as it was nice to to arrive sweaty, late due to punctures, muddy, etc.

Eventualy crumbled properly and got a proper car a couple of years later, partly because I wanted to actualy do stuff at the eweekend beyond ride the local trails. The incramental cost of a commute is about £2/day in petrol, which is from a tank I paid for 2-3 weeks ago, so it does get used a bit to often for that!

In my case it's about being in control of my surroundings.

On a train or a bus I have no control and have to put up with whatever I'm surrounded by.

Exactly this. Two reasons...

Security: You get crazy drunks on buses and trains. Unruly kids. Drug addicts. Etc. OK, the vast majority are mostly pleasant people, but when you get in the car, you're protected. Safe from the outside world. It is one of the great appeals of the car.

Convenience: You have absolute control over your destination and you can change it at any time. Need to pop to the shop...you're there.

Motorbike FTW. Amazes me that people sit in traffic when they could ride up the middle 8)

Security: You get crazy drunks on buses and trains. Unruly kids. Drug addicts. Etc. OK, the vast majority are mostly pleasant people, but when you get in the car, you're protected. Safe from the outside world. It is one of the great appeals of the car.

You're about as likely to be assaulted by a drunk on a train as being car-jacked. You're much more likely to be in a car accident than a train or bus crash. So I'm not seeing how that's "safe".

You're about as likely to be assaulted by a drunk on a train as being car-jacked. You're much more likely to be in a car accident than a train or bus crash. So I'm not seeing how that's "safe".

It's the perception. Outside of the car you're interacting with a world you have no control over. Inside the car, whilst participating in a potentially dangerous activity, you're only interacting with yourself and your chosen passengers. The outside world is separated from you. The car can be a very comforting place to be. Like a security blanket.

I used to cycle to work. Then I moved and, pre health issues, 1.30 each way on the bike on top of 8-12 hours at work was too much. So I drive the 25 miles each way. In the summer the traffic is fine, but the winter is the sort of awful carpark this thread bemoans. The upside is that I listen to lots more music than when i was commuting by bike. Because it's in the north and I work on an industrial estate, there's no realistic public transport option that would take much less than 3 hours each way.

These days I spend between 1 and 5 days a week in London, and relish the super fast journey on the West Coast mainline. 3 hours door to door, get work done during the two hours on the train, and have the chance to spend time in a city I love (as much as I resent the effect the place has on the North).

Security: You get crazy drunks on buses and trains. Unruly kids. Drug addicts. Etc

Not at commuting times!

As previously argued endlessly with TJ, you don't ONLY buy, tax and insure your car to commute. At least I don't. I got my first car when I was commuting by bike and train, and I continued to do so. I got a car so I could pop out to the crag, the climbing wall, a non-local bike ride, some friends etc whenever I wanted. I did this most weekends, often for two days, so it was much cheaper than hiring a car.

It's the perception. Outside of the car you're interacting with a world you have no control over. Inside the car, whilst participating in a potentially dangerous activity, you're only interacting with yourself and your chosen passengers. The outside world is separated from you. The car can be a very comforting place to be. Like a security blanket.

Well, as I said earlier, being stuck in traffic doesn't seem very comforting...just a waste of time,

In my case it's about being in control of my surroundings.

On a train or a bus I have no control and have to put up with whatever I'm surrounded by.

Yes and no.
Stuck in traffic, you have no control and what's worse, there's nothing you can do about it - you can't just go and get a coffee or find an alternative means of transport, you're stuck there.

If a train is cancelled or a bus is late I can (usually - depends a bit on where this happens!) just wander off and find something else to do or get another form of transport.

At my first job, it took about 2 [b]years[/b] for people there to accept that I rode to work - every morning there'd be comments in the canteen:
"did you ride in?" (yes, I always ride, you asked me the same yesterday and the day before...)
"weren't you hot/cold?" (no, I have a range of clothing that I can adjust as necessary)
"you must be very fit?!" (well yes I am but FFS I rode 8 miles, it's not exactly swimming the channel...)
And somehow I was the odd one cos it took me half an hour every day and all the people that drove in could take anything from 15 minutes to an hour depending on traffic.

^^^ that although I favour the train over the bike for the commute. Cycling in in anything other than the height of summer is bloody miserable usually 17 miles of aggressive stupidity from drivers and there's probably only three stretches over a mile without a traffic light or roundabout. Add properly dangerous side junctions and that three becomes one.

I drive once a week as I go out on a ride after work beyond that I try not to drive except in mid summer (quiet roads and short journey times) and when my work arrangements dictate being mobile

I lose far less time to screwed up trains than I do traffic jams overall and while I am on the train I can post garbage on here as an added bonus. 😀

Breaking the car habit is tougher than it should be. As an nation we attach av lot of importance / status / self esteem to our cars and "skills " behind the wheel.

And somehow I was the odd one cos it took me half an hour every day and all the people that drove in could take anything from 15 minutes to an hour depending on traffic.

Yep, one of the great things about cycle commuting is it always takes exactly the same amount of time, so no need to leave early for the nursery run in case I get stuck in traffic...

Ten years of commuting 60 miles each way by car mean that I have served my time! I would have much preferred the train, but I used to ride 12 miles, bus to london and ride another 6 miles. Still 2hrs each way, which is too much.

I now cycle 10 miles each way and live next to a train station into Waterloo. I'll never go back to driving. I was spending 1/12 of my life in the car. Fortunately, I love what I do when I get to work, so was happy with the sacrifice. Nearly three years as a single car family now, which is what I always wanted.

There is of course negotiation over car use for bike duties though!

"25-mile commute from the sticks to a febrile urban hell pit and back is not practical by any other means"

"Without a car you wouldn't do that journey though"

Nope, you are right. I wouldn't be able to work. the odd day where its a few miles drive or even walk comes along maybe once a month.
actually I split the difference and use the m/c when its not too bloody miserable

For me I'd just get a MotorBike like I have in the past, half the journey time and constantly the same time.

Still in 'control' and my own time/space.

But, at my last place it was an eye-opener as it was the first time I'd really worked local. And as it's in the 'country' most folk used cars, including those living in the village less than a mile away who'd all drive - even though there were pavements, cycleways and easy ways of avoiding the main roads.

And then struggled to park...

Case in point this morning. Saw someone drive away from the local convenience store on my way to the station with nowt more than a paper. 2 minutes and barely 200m later said car still covered in morning dew is parked outside a house up the road. Something tells me he hadn't stopped at the end of a long overnight drive back from the Highlands. 🙄 😯

nside the car, whilst participating in a potentially dangerous activity, you're only interacting with yourself and your chosen passengers. The outside world is separated from you. The car can be a very comforting place to be. Like a security blanket.

You're actually supposed to be, and indeed are anyway, interacting with other road users, including people on bicycles, and also pedestrians. Your attitude of separateness is not uncommon and is at the root, I believe, of most of the unpleasantness on the roads, not to mention a significant proportion of accidents. Those other metal boxes you're driving around with also contain, and are controlled by, people.

^ very nicely said sir/madam.

/fishes?

Agreed, well put.

Nope, you are right. I wouldn't be able to work.

Yes you would - nobody forced you to live 25 miles away.

Your attitude of separateness is not uncommon and is at the root, I believe, of most of the unpleasantness on the roads, not to mention a significant proportion of accidents.

I’ve been cycling to work pretty much every day for the last 4 months or so. For several years I’ve been doing it once per week but using the car on the other days. I only live 5 miles from work so don’t really have any good reason as to why I didn’t ride more, other than the fact that I have a parking pass at work as one of my benefits so it’s “free”. Interestingly I used to cycle to work a lot more regularly until I became entitled to that particular “benefit”.

The strange thing is that the more I cycle, the more I come to dislike using my car. To the point where I’m now disappointed if I have to take the car to work because it means I can’t cycle. And it’s not just my commute – I seem to be driving less at the weekends too. I would have a wider choice of stuff if I drove to the supermarket (or indeed ordered online) but instead I walk to the smaller shop at the end of the road. I don’t like the feeling of detachment from my surroundings, and I notice far more stuff (such as new shops and bars) on the bike. I can stop where I want or mix my routes up in a way I just don't do in the car. So now I try to work out if I can get somewhere without the car (cycling, running, walking or public transport) and only use the car if I have to. We have one car between us and it sits on the drive for the majority of the week. I like that.