I'll say this for Osborne...

[Nigel-YZ1]

Two easy solutions:
(a) Use the bike
(b) Move

or just recognise that you've made a lifestyle choice that impacts the rest of the world.

(a) I would love to! But I've stripped the cartilage off the back of my kneecaps (or that's the current theory the specialist decided on to account for the pain) - so I'm range limited.
(b) House has been up for sale for 5 months, 2 viewers so far.

As for the lifestyle choice, I sleep happily at night knowing I'm doing what I can to minimize it (Decent car, A Rated boiler, insulation, water meter, recycling, walk or cycle short distances, coach or train considered for long distances etc).

 

[Nigel-YZ1]

Cycle it. 13 miles is nowt once you get over the first few weeks.

I'd love to, there's a great road on the way I'm itching to try
But I'm range limited. My max distance is limited due to stripping the cartilage off the back of my kneecaps (that's the current specialists' theory). So I can only ride until the pain stops me.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

I'd love to, there's a great road on the way I'm itching to try
But I'm range limited. My max distance is limited due to stripping the cartilage off the back of my kneecaps (that's the current specialists' theory). So I can only ride until the pain stops me.

Electric assist bike? Bugger about the knees though.... sorry to hear it.

 

[stowie]

I was listening to the radio (Radio 5 live for my sins) and they discussed fuel prices. A woman (who she was, I cannot remember) was explaining that she was having to make choices between driving the children to school or buying food. It was at this point I realised that we have all collectively lost our minds. Especially when the presenter didn't simply say that this was a ridiculous statement, but gently questioned if there was another way to take the children to school and moved on when she answered "no".

People are so emotionally wedded to their cars that they cannot see how stupid their arguments have become.

 

[downfader]

I was listening to the radio (Radio 5 live for my sins) and they discussed fuel prices. A woman (who she was, I cannot remember) was explaining that she was having to make choices between driving the children to school or buying food. It was at this point I realised that we have all collectively lost our minds. Especially when the presenter didn't simply say that this was a ridiculous statement, but gently questioned if there was another way to take the children to school and moved on when she answered "no".

People are so emotionally wedded to their cars that they cannot see how stupid their arguments have become.

Now you see I wrote to my local radio stations and newspapers and asked them "make sure of the distance and route and offer an alternative!"

The thing is, when people see it working for others they're more likely to adopt an alternative approach to travel. We have to be a part of showing how things can work by contributing to these radio shows and tv programs. The more of us who tweet, email and phone the bigger our voice will be.

For the first time in ages I was listening to radio2 the other week (before the budget) and a guy phoned up and said "..I started cycling, found out how much money it saves and how fat I've burned [paraphrased] and would recommend it.."

 

[Raa]

The OP is so right.

Even a fairly chunky modern car can return about 40 miles per gallon if its driven reasonably, so that's 40 miles of load/people carrying ability in a 1500kg vehicle for less than £7! How much cheaper do the whingers want it to be?!?

Good on ya George for disregarding those antisocial AA and RAC lobbyists!

 

[DRHysted]

I wouldn't mind the price increase if it was due to cost. But to do it because some idiot who doesn't pay for his own fuel says so, irritates me to the extreme.

It's very similar to the discussions I used to have with environmentalist idiots when I owned a 4x4, they really didn't like it when I used facts to prove my clunky old girl (doing 20mpg) was greener than their Prius.

 

[srw]

It's very similar to the discussions I used to have with environmentalist idiots when I owned a 4x4, they really didn't like it when I used facts to prove my clunky old girl (doing 20mpg) was greener than their Prius.

I tell you what - post some of those so-called facts in a new thread over in Current Affairs and Debates and let's let the CAD Rottweilers at them. I'm sure that for every "fact" someone can post a rebuttal, complete with sources and scientific argument.

 

[subaqua]

I was never car dependent when I lived in the sticks. I rode a bike.

same here. until i was 17 and wanted a car. i was (mis)sold a dream that turned into a nightmare.
what i realise now is that all i needed wasa driving license so i could drive the vehicles in work. could have cycled to work more but as soon as i got a car i slipped into " welli willonly use the car when it rains" , then " well i will use it 2 days a week"

the rural bus service in N Wales used to be great but we were all dragged into a car dependent culture. My dad was a bus fitter for Crosville before he went on the HGVs , they had a huge number of depots across N Wales and Cheshire. they all got sold off for housing !! and all the houses had a garage and space for cars . and so the nightmare started.

Each party blamed each other for the decline in public transport, bus companies said the use of cars forced them to withdraw services that were under used, car drivers said no bus service caused them to use cars.

 

[subaqua]

I tell you what - post some of those so-called facts in a new thread over in Current Affairs and Debates and let's let the CAD Rottweilers at them. I'm sure that for every "fact" someone can post a rebuttal, complete with sources and scientific argument.

depends if you are looking at green at the factory gates or green at the exhaust .

battery vehicles are hellishly ungreen from the factory gates , making bateries pulls all sorts of toxic stuff out of the ground . but hey they don't pollute from a exhaust so they must be green. never mind the elastictrickery needed to charge the batteries. even a good domestic solar array won't offset that. The old FIT would make it economically viable but the govt pulled that.

 

[subaqua]

Thats great if you live in a village. It's still eight miles to the nearest village from my parents house.

how did people manage back in the days before car ownership was for the masses - the 30s for example ?

 

[srw]

There were shops in villages. Where my mum lives the last food shop closed years ago. She isn't up to keeping pigs any more. She's dependent on the bus, which only comes twice a day now since privatisation.

And how will people manage when car ownership becomes a matter of privilege again (say, in the 2030s?)

I'll give the doubters a clue - Uncle Mort has hit the nail on the head in his first sentence.

 

[tongskie01]

there is no perfect solution. humans will adapt to whatever situation you put them too. dont be scared of the changes.

 

[subaqua]

There were shops in villages. Where my mum lives the last food shop closed years ago. She isn't up to keeping pigs any more. She's dependent on the bus, which only comes twice a day now since privatisation.

and why did they close? because we were sold the dream of motoring , using the car for everything.

The car is useful and important for some things , but not on the scale we have them now. The rot started with Beeching report 1.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

There were shops in villages. Where my mum lives the last food shop closed years ago. She isn't up to keeping pigs any more. She's dependent on the bus, which only comes twice a day now since privatisation.

and until there are shops in villages again, there is home delivery. Electric milk float style delivery vehicles anyone?