Going car free(ish)

[Andy in Germany]

I can't believe it's 18 months since I started this thread!

We have driven fewer that 2000 miles in the last year and didn't enjoy many of those miles. VED and insurance will be due in December so we are thinking seriously about our next step; Ms AU had to return her licence for health reasons and is unlikely to return to paid employment in the next couple of years.

Our thoughts are to talk to a couple of hire companies and see if they would consider a 20 day per year hire agreement at a fixed price. Has anyone any experience of that kind of arrangement?

We want to avoid a situation where, in an emergency, no car is available or only the most expensive Mercedes.

I can honestly say in 20 years I've never been in an emergency where I've desperately needed a car and not had one. I've occasionally had to use a taxi, and had help from friends on the very rare occasions where I needed to move more items a bit further than a bike could handle. We were in a car share for several years so we could book a car or a van if needed at short notice, but we eventually stopped that as we were paying a yearly fee and not using the cars.

 

[All uphill]

I've been car free for 120 days, one third of a year but not though choice, car written off and can't find a replacement (being too picky).
Shopping was my first worry OK can get it delivered at a cost of £4.50, didn't like that so bought a trailer for my trike, problem solved.
The valve on my bath broke, no problem walk to local hardware store, sorry don't do that one, you'll have to go to B&Q, OK is only 6 miles way......no where to lock your trike up.
Phone housing association ….in 6 days time OK
I wanted some wood 3 lengths of 2.5m long......great they do delivery.....
The saga continue.............
I can't see myself being car less for too long, OK we have had Covid and lockdowns so kayaking and fishing had to go, but now I would like to go but can't, kayaking I have not missed at all as I was finding it a struggle to get the kayak on the roof rack and another struggle to get it too the water so that could go, but the convenience of not having to get dressed up and just jump in the car to pick up small items or large for that matter is out weighing of going car less, also I have not left my village in the last 120 days, yes I have a free bus pass, but it takes too long to get any where, to be honest unless I'm forced to give up driving I'll be buying another one ASAP, I least I tried, but a petrolhead at heart.
I did ask another couple who does not have transport how they managed, "if we can't get it delivered we go without"..............

Thanks for your thoughts @numbnuts , it's interesting and helpful to hear other views. I've not found many things I can't have delivered or manage on the bike; a tricky one was bags of compost, so we have stepped up our recycling of garden waste.

We've decided this evening to give it a go for a few months.

Good luck with your search for a car - if you want a cheap Volvo s40 I may be able to help you out!

 

[All uphill]

I can honestly say in 20 years I've never been in an emergency where I've desperately needed a car and not had one. I've occasionally had to use a taxi, and had help from friends on the very rare occasions where I needed to move more items a bit further than a bike could handle. We were in a car share for several years so we could book a car or a van if needed at short notice, but we eventually stopped that as we were paying a yearly fee and not using the cars.

Thanks @Andy in Germany , I suspect we will be the same and that we won't miss it. I'm already enjoying the neighbours speculating about how bad things must be for us! Cycling, going without a car, no foreign hols, it's brilliant!

 

[gavroche]

We are now down to one car , my wife's car so technically I am car free myself but we share the use of her own car.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Thanks @Andy in Germany , I suspect we will be the same and that we won't miss it. I'm already enjoying the neighbours speculating about how bad things must be for us! Cycling, going without a car, no foreign hols, it's brilliant!

We got a lot of that as well, Stuttgart is Mercedes town and it's assumed that you must be really, really poor of you don't have a car (because obviously you'd get one the minute you could afford it, right?)

This changed when we got work bikes, especially the Bakfiets: the first question was "how much did it cost" with the inevitable horror when we said it was a little over 2000€ (in 2009). I still get that response, but I ask them how much their car cost in the last year.

This usually results in our name being removed from future invitation lists...

 

[Blue Hills]

I became car free after crashing my german car into a police car (not german) years ago.
My first thought was how will I do the shopping.
Proved to be no problem whatsoever.

 

[Craig the cyclist]

Thanks for your thoughts @numbnuts , it's interesting and helpful to hear other views. I've not found many things I can't have delivered or manage on the bike; a tricky one was bags of compost, so we have stepped up our recycling of garden waste.

We've decided this evening to give it a go for a few months.

Good luck with your search for a car - if you want a cheap Volvo s40 I may be able to help you out!

Where do you live @All uphill ? Taunton Council are looking at starting an all electric Car Club. Just hire your time, use the car, then drop it off, almost like Boris Bikes for cars.

If I lived in a city I would definitely just use a car club and ditch the car, but I live in a tiny village and it's not quite so easy unfortunately, especially with the woeful bus service!

 

[Deleted member 1258]

I was car free for over 30 years then brought my first car in 2012, I found the car made life easier, gave us extra options and gave us access to places we couldn't get to without the car. Now my Good ladies mobility is non existent and she can't get in our current car, I really need to look into wheelchair adapted cars, it means I get to look at both sides, if I'm on my own I just hop into the car and go where I want, when we travel together we use the bus, it takes twice as long to get anywhere on the bus, for example, going to the hospital, it takes less than half an hour in the car, on the bus its takes almost an hour, using the bus also restricts where we can go, not only does it take twice as long we can't get to a lot of places we want to go.

 

[dodgy]

I can't believe it's 18 months since I started this thread!

We have driven fewer that 2000 miles in the last year and didn't enjoy many of those miles. VED and insurance will be due in December so we are thinking seriously about our next step; Ms AU had to return her licence for health reasons and is unlikely to return to paid employment in the next couple of years.

Our thoughts are to talk to a couple of hire companies and see if they would consider a 20 day per year hire agreement at a fixed price. Has anyone any experience of that kind of arrangement?

We want to avoid a situation where, in an emergency, no car is available or only the most expensive Mercedes.

That 20 day per year arrangement sound fanciful I'm afraid. But car hire need not be expensive, I find that going through a comparison site tailored for car rental gets the best prices and choice. We'll be renting a car in July 2021 (hopefully) to drive to the French Alps as we no longer have a car capable of reliably making the journey.
Try https://www.rentalcars.com/ but please share anything you've seen that is better.

Back to the original thread, I have a thread elsewhere on here about our car choice, we're not quite car free yet, but we have substantially downsized our car and possibly will go even smaller (again another thread on here) in the future. I used to enjoy having a car, but having got ride of our lease car and now just have a very small Mazda 2, I'm being gradually weaned off large car ownership. For us, we'll always have a car, but it will be the smallest possible. I very rarely drive now, I just nip out on the Gocycle for shopping and other utility stuff.

 

[numbnuts]

As @Dave7 said "hospitals" I also looked in to this if had to go for an appointment I would have to catch two buses, OK I have a bus pass, but waiting around if your not well is not good and to go by taxi would cost £30 return.
If and when we get to have a covid booster jab would be two buses and a long walk or 8 miles trike ride on unpleasant roads and hope to God it's not bad weather as mine is due in later November.
I suppose I have been brought up “car minded” and many people have never leant to drive, but they manage, but do they miss out on a lot, it would be like the olden days were people just stayed in their villages born, lived and died in the same place.

 

[All uphill]

Where do you live @All uphill ? Taunton Council are looking at starting an all electric Car Club. Just hire your time, use the car, then drop it off, almost like Boris Bikes for cars.

If I lived in a city I would definitely just use a car club and ditch the car, but I live in a tiny village and it's not quite so easy unfortunately, especially with the woeful bus service!

Thanks @Craig the cyclist , yes I'm in Taunton, but didn't know about those plans. That's good to know!

 

[ColinJ]

OK we have had Covid and lockdowns so kayaking and fishing had to go, but now I would like to go but can't, kayaking I have not missed at all as I was finding it a struggle to get the kayak on the roof rack and another struggle to get it too the water so that could go

How about an inflatable kayak which you could carry on the trike?

I have thought about seeing if I could find one that packs down small enough to carry on my CX bike.

 

[Oldhippy]

I gave up the car a few years ago. I go everywhere by cycle. I have a trailer, panniers so all combinations possible. Train and bike if it is more than 30 odd miles away. I've always wondered why Outspoken (cycle courier delivery company extraordinaire) haven't expanded outside Cambridge. They are proof that you can indeed use a cycle for anything in the delivery department.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Where do you live @All uphill ? Taunton Council are looking at starting an all electric Car Club. Just hire your time, use the car, then drop it off, almost like Boris Bikes for cars.

Is this a new idea in Taunton?

 

[All uphill]

Is this a new idea in Taunton?

My research today shows it was tried here ten years ago but didn't take off. The district council consulted on this in June 2021 with a plan to have Co Car providing one or more shared electric cars. I can't see anything since then but will call in the morning.