Car drivers might start to lose weight!

[tyred]

My car may not be absolutely necessary but it sure makes life easy in many ways.

I like cars, always have done, always will, but I'm not really a typical car enthusiast. I like the engineering side and take great enjoyment in running older, simpler cars on a shoestring budget by doing any work necessary myself.

 

[dellzeqq]

but are you losing weight?

 

[tyred]

I lose weight every time I go to the toilet and put it back on again every time eat.

 

[Sandra6]

Taxis or http://www.whipcar.com/. Far far cheaper overall than running a car yourself for those rare emergencies even if the particular journey is more expensive.

Taxis are really expensive now though aren't they? It was raining one day and I was feeling particularly lazy so rang one to get to work, I didn't get much change from my fiver and it's only a mile there!!!
Daughter tends to visit friends who live in the middle of nowhere and a taxi - which must be pre-booked - is around £35, granted it's less than the over all cost of the car but it doesn't seem like that at the time does it?
I hadn't heard of whipcar before, but actually do have a neighbour who will happily lend us her daughter's car so I'm probably making far more excuses than I need.
I don't even drive, but Mr6 can't bear to be car-less.

 

[theclaud]

Taxis are really expensive now though aren't they? It was raining one day and I was feeling particularly lazy so rang one to get to work, I didn't get much change from my fiver and it's only a mile there!!!
Daughter tends to visit friends who live in the middle of nowhere and a taxi - which must be pre-booked - is around £35, granted it's less than the over all cost of the car but it doesn't seem like that at the time does it?
I hadn't heard of whipcar before, but actually do have a neighbour who will happily lend us her daughter's car so I'm probably making far more excuses than I need.
I don't even drive, but Mr6 can't bear to be car-less.

A taxi for four people from the centre of Swansea to where I live (5 miles) is cheaper than the bus. Which is nuts, but there you go.

 

[mcshroom]

by way of a contrast...54,000 cars for about 270,000 people
http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/5756

car ownership is down in Southwark which stretches from close-packed streets in the north to leafy suburbs in the south.

I read that very passage from Ivan Illich in 1972, and it's stayed with me all my life. There's never been a day when I wanted to own a car.

That is great news, but unfortunately only small areas of the country have the alternative transport infrastucture to allow such low levels of vehicle ownership. One thing I really miss from my time in London is the comprehensive, integrated transprt system. It benefits from managing to resist deregulation in the 80s (TfL is what other PTEs should be and were, but aren't now after the system was privatised in a much harsher way than London), but the main thing is the population density allows it to work.

For contrast, my local line (Erith-Charing Cross) in london ran 12 carrage trains at 5-10 minute intervals which they could fill. My current local line (Carlisle to Barrow-in-Furness) can get away with single carrage trains every 70 minutes.

Admittedly I live in a reasonably rural area, but it would be nice to see much more emphasis on integrated transport to make it a more realistic alternaticve to driving. Big cities such as Manchester and Birmingham should be able to achieve as low levels of car ownership as London boroughs, but it will need a much better overall plan to be produced and implemented.

 

[Arjimlad]

My wife is regularly amazed by other mums who drive literally 500 yards to school, then 500 yards home again, and how much fuel they must get through doing these short runs. Staggeringly lazy, really. These are people who probably pay to go to a gym. Even the high fuel prices lately have not altered the habits of certain people !

 

[DiddlyDodds]

Ive just drove my car car to the end of the road and back in first gear at 6000 rmp just to use some fuel , coz i can do.
Tomorrow i may go kick a tree as well

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

And then people wonder why I'm a misanthropists?

Thanks for depressing me once again folks!

 

[Hover Fly]

I heard a new (to me) French expression t'other day, panse de voiture , which roughly traanslates as car-belly, similar to beer-belly but caused by excess car sitting.

 

[MrJamie]

Isn't the general consensus that healthy eating is more expensive, so perhaps as peoples pockets get squeezed they'll move towards a diet of tesco value cookies and 99p pizzas?

I'd guess a lot of people dont see enough of a financial incentive to cut down on shorter journeys in particular, with depreciation, VED, MOT, Insurance etc being relatively fixed.

 

[al78]

And then people wonder why I'm a misanthropists?

Thanks for depressing me once again folks!

http://www.wikihow.com/Restore-Your-Faith-in-Humanity

 

[dellzeqq]

That is great news, but unfortunately only small areas of the country have the alternative transport infrastucture to allow such low levels of vehicle ownership..

to be fair, car sharing could be a nationwide thing. People worry about the insurance - not unreasonably, and it's probably a great way for friends to fall out, but if you've got an old car that's a decent runner it's a smart move.

 

[bof]

A taxi for four people from the centre of Swansea to where I live (5 miles) is cheaper than the bus. Which is nuts, but there you go.

Why? My observation is Swansea buses, usually only have a handful of people in them. A bus has to cost a good deal more to run than a taxi.

 

[Over The Hill]

Isn't the general consensus that healthy eating is more expensive, so perhaps as peoples pockets get squeezed they'll move towards a diet of tesco value cookies and 99p pizzas?

I'd guess a lot of people dont see enough of a financial incentive to cut down on shorter journeys in particular, with depreciation, VED, MOT, Insurance etc being relatively fixed.

Isn't the general misconception consensus that healthy eating is more expensive


As to running a car- My car is 12 years old, does not depreciate and I service it myself. For about 8,000 miles a year it costs me about £2,000 (inc fuel, running, mot, insurance and tax). I cannot afford public transport!