Scrappage scheme 'to be extended'

lostinrates

Sapphire wrote: »

A large number of people who live in cities do not 'NEED' a car – in particular, families do not need more than one car. Many people buy cars as status symbols to impress others, not because they 'NEED' a car.

The car pollution in London is terrible. Having just returned from a place where there is very little car traffic, I can really feel the bad air clogging up my breathing. Apart from the pollution, it is obvious that the streets are far too crowded with car traffic, mostly with just one person to a large vehicle.

I've lived all over London and have never felt the need for a car.

Neither did I most of the time in London. Howver, when I had reduced abilty the car was invaluable. Much public transport can b pretty daunting to those who are less mobile. also, if your life is not totally London centric, its often cheaper to have a car. I rarely would opt to stay in Lodnon for a weekend (a choice though, not a life and death need) and driving out is cheaper than train followed by taxi, and significant;y more when mre than one person is involved. Its certainly more flexible.

We really wanted to stay a one car family, DHand I, but we now have two. Why? Because my little car was not upto what we needed from a vehecle but to run the Land Rover all the time would be expensive and unnecessarily pollutant.

Graham_Devon

Sapphire wrote: »

A large number of people who live in cities do not 'NEED' a car – in particular, families do not need more than one car. Many people buy cars as status symbols to impress others, not because they 'NEED' a car.

I'd say if they lived in the city and worked in a fixed place in the city, then you are correct, no need for a car.

However, many will live outside the city and work in the city, and there will be 10's of thousands of those people in cars working remotely. Public Transport becomes a problem when you need to be 3 or 4 places in one day, and you don't neccesarily know where those places will be in advance.

Generali

Graham_Devon wrote: »

I'd say if they lived in the city and worked in a fixed place in the city, then you are correct, no need for a car.

However, many will live outside the city and work in the city, and there will be 10's of thousands of those people in cars working remotely. Public Transport becomes a problem when you need to be 3 or 4 places in one day, and you don't neccesarily know where those places will be in advance.

I lived in the Barbican and worked in the City and it was fine not having a car. As soon as we moved to Kent we got a car as it's a PITA not having one, quite frankly.

Sydney would be a nightmare without a car.

Graham_Devon

Generali wrote: »

I lived in the Barbican and worked in the City and it was fine not having a car. As soon as we moved to Kent we got a car as it's a PITA not having one, quite frankly.

Sydney would be a nightmare without a car.

I've worked in London a few times, it's a PITA in itself!

But I was based just above the north circular, and had to keep driving in to different sites in London (and all over the south).

I remember doing the tube once as the company were going all green. I took my tools with me, i.e. the ones I thought I needed (I don't mean building tools, I mean IT tools, at that time it was a shed load of CD's, and your trusty screwdriver kit!).

Got there after roughly 50 mins travel which included a taxi and the call was wrong, it wasn't a software problem, was a hardware problem. So I was stumped. All my spare parts were in the car!

Never used public transport for work ever again!

lostinrates

Graham_Devon wrote: »

I've worked in London a few times, it's a PITA in itself!

But I was based just above the north circular, and had to keep driving in to different sites in London (and all over the south).

I remember doing the tube once as the company were going all green. I took my tools with me, i.e. the ones I thought I needed (I don't mean building tools, I mean IT tools, at that time it was a shed load of CD's, and your trusty screwdriver kit!).

Got there after roughly 50 mins travel which included a taxi and the call was wrong, it wasn't a software problem, was a hardware problem. So I was stumped. All my spare parts were in the car!

Never used public transport for work ever again!

If things are easily on th transport sytem its great, I love it. I didn't often use my car for work, in fact, partiularly when clerking and going bewteen courts I found tube/bus easier, unles truely weighed down by files (I used a wheely suitcase for files) but sometimes, at the less central courts, or ones less convenient distance from the courst I felt a safety element to using my car (after a rather unpleasant experience with a client). I had a couple of les thanplesant incidents on PT, not enought to stop me ising them, but I woudn't use a night bus alone, and have been quoted £60 for a tai after midnight just up to Hampstead, so thats hardly realistic as an alternative. Walking is if you are central, and driving is, if you don't drink.

SingleSue

My car is a need rather than a want because of the two youngest boys problems and the distance to the school.

This need is increased because of the myriad of appointments, therapy etc and the distance from our home which need to be got to...which is nigh on impossible on public transport and has now got even worse as appointments and physio has started for the eldest boy too!

I did try to rely on public transport for a little while when my Audi went bang but after a couple of weeks of being late for school (we would take the buses, when they decided that they were going to run, that was supposed to get us to the two schools with plenty of time to spare) and the high cost of using public transport (it was more expensive that having a car!) and having to nick my parents car for the distance appointments, my parents threw up their hands and lent me the money to buy another one!

Sapphire

Perhaps my view is to an extent coloured by people like a cousin (no children, but husband). They have a vintage car, a new Merc and a four-wheel drive. They specifically bought the last one because they are anti the green view, and they definitely have this lot in order to impress.

Relying on public transport is largely down to what you are used to. If you have rarely had a car you don't miss it, and I would hate to rely on traffic to get about London (though granted, public transport can be bad, though not generally that bad in my experience). I also occasionally get night buses, of which there are plenty hereabouts, and have never felt unsafe in the area in which I currently live – always plenty of people about, and relatively good-natured. I wouldn't do this in many other parts of London, however.

SingleSue

And therein lies the problem, not having a car and relying on public transport is not so bad in the big cities where buses run every 10 minutes but for those of us who live in more rural areas, the buses come every hour (if you are lucky!) and only go to the central points which still leaves a hike to get anywhere.

Oh and they are more expensive than using your own car...example 1 adult, 3 children, 1 school run = nearly £5 on the bus and with a 5 min walk at the start and a 10 minute walk at the end . 1 adult and 3 kids £5 diesel....several school runs and a door to door service.

Sapphire

SingleSue wrote: »

And therein lies the problem, not having a car and relying on public transport is not so bad in the big cities where buses run every 10 minutes but for those of us who live in more rural areas, the buses come every hour (if you are lucky!) and only go to the central points which still leaves a hike to get anywhere.

Oh and they are more expensive than using your own car...example 1 adult, 3 children, 1 school run = nearly £5 on the bus and with a 5 min walk at the start and a 10 minute walk at the end . 1 adult and 3 kids £5 diesel....several school runs and a door to door service.

Yes, I agree that in rural areas travel would be very difficult without a car – particularly in places like isolated villages in Herefordshire. There used to be local trains there once that connected villages (went through the most amazing countryside, incidentally), but all that was liquidated...

In big cities the problem is often that there are so many cars on the roads that they clog up the traffic and help to make public transport unreliable. Travelling by bus from Waterloo in the mornings, for example, can be a nightmare.

lostinrates

Sapphire wrote: »

In big cities the problem is often that there are so many cars on the roads that they clog up the traffic and help to make public transport unreliable. Travelling by bus from Waterloo in the mornings, for example, can be a nightmare.

One of my favourite quotes from a reasonably well known moral philosopher who I know was about the traffic in New York City, when I asked about driving there.

''Drive? Drive, no body drives'' in New York, there is far too much traffic there''. Sadly he didn't get his own joke...I'm giggling even now as I type it.:D