You don't have to live in the deepest countryside to need a car!

thorsoak

From reading threads on here, it would seem that there is a general assumption that a car is not an essential to all but those who live in the deepest, darkest countryside. Wrong! I give an example here - just 30 miles outside London, in Essex, just 5 miles away from Lakeside, there is what used to be a small village but is now quite a large suburban catchment area. It lies between the A13 to the south, A128 to the west and A127 to the north - all less than 3 miles from the centre of this village. It is just 9 miles from Brentwood or Basildon and 3 miles from Grays.

It is easy to get by bus to Basildon or Grays - although the services are only every 30-45 minutes and take around 30 minutes. However if one needs to get to Brentwood it is a totally different story. It takes 2hours 11 minutes - and it is impossible to get a bus which would get you into Brentwood for 9am. You'd have to get a bus into Basildon (going east) then change for a bus going west to Brentwood. And you'd have a 17 minute walk to the bus stop first! Heavens only knows what the fare is now either.

Please don't assume that everyone is served by a good bus service - they aren't - and it will get worse.

jackieglasgow

I have buses running past where I live every eight minutes or so, three different buses all going through the centre of Glasgow by different routes, but not one of them going in the direction I need them. For me to not need a car I would have to walk the kids at school for 8.30,(30 mins or so) walk 5 minutes to the bus stop, catch a bus for ten minutes or so, walk five minutes to the train station, catch the train, ten minute journey probably, then walk twenty minutes/half an hour to work. That's not including waiting for said buses or trains. I would probably have to start working five days a week for four hours a day instead of my current five hours four days a week, and I would have to also start paying for childcare after school as I would not get back in time for them. Instead Idrive to the school and drop the kids at ten to nine, and am at work for ten past nine, finish at 2.30pm and am back at the school for 3pm finishing time. I absolutely need a car. And I live in a very suburban area just on the outskirts of Glasgow.

GlasweJen

Jackie, I'm starting to think you live near me!

Also only 8 miles from Glasgow, live within commuting distance to Cumbernauld, Coatbridge and Kirkintilloch (all less than 10 miles from here).

Buses to Glasgow every 10 mins from the bus stop a mile and a half away. Buses to Cumbernauld every 20 minutes. Buses to Coatbridge - whenever it can be bothered turning up (I went to college there and more often than not the buses never turned up before 9), buses to Kirkintilloch - every hour and takes 45 minutes to take you less than 10 miles!

jackieglasgow

Not too far away by the sound of things but I am S Lanarkshire Jen

Deep_In_Debt

I live 6 miles from my place of work. The train service is dire to the town I work in although it's a fairly major town. Often have to wait ages at a station for a connecting train as there is not a direct train from my direction. The bus service is not much better. Not many of the buses near me go in that direction (plenty go in the other direction) and from what I've been told it takes ages, so I'd probably have to leave home at silly o'clock to get to work on time.

It's quicker, easier and judging by the cost of the train fare, cheaper for me to use my car and I don't live in the sticks either.

onlyroz

Deep_In_Debt wrote: »

I live 6 miles from my place of work.

Couldn't you cycle? 6 miles would take about 40 minutes.

thorsoak

Along A roads with large lorries thundering towards the docks? I wouldn't!

Humphrey10

No-one needs a car. Some people choose to live in places where they need a car, or do jobs that need cars, but they don't need to live there or do those jobs, they choose to.

I am about to move jobs. The new job is within driving distance of here, but not practical on public transport (3 changes, 90 mins+), so I was intending to drive. I had a car until recently. I now do not, and the DVLA say I cannot drive for 6 months.

Now instead of whining about it or sitting at home on benefits, I'm just going to move somewhere where I can easily commute to the new job.

I know a family with children without cars (some them can drive and hire cars/vans for eg moving house but not day to day), they cope fine - they choose to live in places they don't need cars. I imagine big cities like London are full of people who don't own cars, in fact I don't think any of the people I know who live in London have cars. Cars really aren't vital.

onlyroz

Humphrey10 wrote: »

No-one needs a car. Some people choose to live in places where they need a car, or do jobs that need cars, but they don't need to live there or do those jobs, they choose to.

In my experience, people *without* cars are usually the best at blagging free lifts off people *with* cars.

Barneysmom

Whether anyone needs a car or not, it should be a personal choice to make someone's life easier?

I don't think that there's a choice for some people if they drive for a living then they need a car.


Eg. How else does a district nurse do his/her rounds?

FATBALLZ

onlyroz wrote: »

Couldn't you cycle? 6 miles would take about 40 minutes.

If that, you could almost run 6 miles in 40 minutes. Having said that it depends on the terrain, I used to cycle 3/4 miles to work and it must have taken about 15 minutes, because it was up and down numerous steep hills.

If I lived 6 miles from work I'd definitely look at cycling in absence of pubic transport, unfortunately my commute is over 30 miles so I've no option other than driving and there is no usable public transport at either end of the journey.

In future though I plan to get a job nearer to home, I don't want to be driving 2 hours a day forever, I'd like to be able to do the commute in less than that and without paying thousands for a car.

I would say though that for families often the only way to have days out is to have a car, until very recently we've only had the one car between us, mainly because there are some things you just can't do without a car.