Get Over Yourselves

[Lower]

I've seen this attitude on Twitter a lot recently, but would never imagine it on a DIY forum. Most professionals here could not do their jobs from home, or without a vehicle.

As for specialist doctors, as in any field, often their skills are needed far from home. His wife is a nurse. And as mentioned, his kids have specials needs. In a carless world, is he expected to ditch his career helping save lives and work in Tesco? Or live separate from his family?

Anyway, the problem is not cars, the problem is that we have a terrible public transport system in the UK.

That's because the tw@tter fraternity have jobs they think they'll be able to do from home for ever. They think they don't need transport because they get all their food from Just Eat or supermarket deliveries, do all their shopping on line and have the goods delivered to their door and when they do need a car they hire one or get a taxi.

They don't consider the environmental load of their regular deliveries, or the additional carbon they create by heating their own houses during the day or the devices they constantly use.

Its too easy to claim that anyone who wants to use a car is an anti-environment nazi, or accuse them of not caring about our children's future. For many people, the reality is not black and white and to resolve that future is much more complicated than just telling off those who use a car on a daily basis.

 

[JP_]

That's because the tw@tter fraternity have jobs they think they'll be able to do from home for ever. They think they don't need transport because they get all their food from Just Eat or supermarket deliveries, do all their shopping on line and have the goods delivered to their door and when they do need a car they hire one or get a taxi.

They don't consider the environmental load of their regular deliveries, or the additional carbon they create by heating their own houses during the day or the devices they constantly use.

Its too easy to claim that anyone who wants to use a car is an anti-environment nazi, or accuse them of not caring about our children's future. For many people, the reality is not black and white and to resolve that future is much more complicated than just telling off those who use a car on a daily basis.

Exactly. A month or so back some nutter refused to believe that I couldn't get a bus to work, until I shared with them the best bus times available (assuming the busses actually arrive!) and I would need to catch a bus about 30 minutes before they start running. It would be a 90-120 minute journey each way, instead of a 20 minute drive. Some people just refuse to believe that public transport is crap. It's OK if you live in the centre of a town and want to go to one place, or if you live in one place and want to go to the centre of the nearest town. But should you need to go from outside of a town to another place outside of a different town ... well, you can get to Spain quicker.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Its too easy to claim that anyone who wants to use a car is an anti-environment nazi, or accuse them of not caring about our children's future. For many people, the reality is not black and white and to resolve that future is much more complicated than just telling off those who use a car on a daily basis.

Who said anything about Nazis? That is you changing the rhetoric to suit your perspective. What is certain is that it is just plain lazy to claim, as many do, that they must have their car for this, that or the other. It's as false as claiming that you must have a foreign holiday or a 80in colour TV. How many people in recent years have bought a house without any consideration of how they can get to work, or the kids can get to school because of the assumption that they can always use a car (or cars)? There is a need for all of us to be a lot more responsible and not keep assuming, as many do, that they will always be able to use a car to do everything. I admit that it takes determination and planning to cut your strings and live without a car - but it isn't impossible for most people to reduce their car usage.

In terms of household carbon footprints, with the aging housing stock we have in the UK there is a great need for us to do something about insulating homes better, particularly older homes, yet I've seen nothing in this government's manifesto or promises along those lines. All i';ve heard is guff about blue hydrogen. It's risible

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Some people just refuse to believe that public transport is crap. It's OK if you live in the centre of a town and want to go to one place, or if you live in one place and want to go to the centre of the nearest town

I live in a semi-rural area more some 20 miles from Manchester city centre. When we moved here travel by public transport was one of our considerations for location (my missus detests driving in traffic). I'll bet it wasn't one of your considerations

 

[JP_]

I'll bet it wasn't one of your considerations

I was born just up the road, so no, I did not really consider the public transport at the time.

But in recent years my job has changed, and moved. I also now have kids. Where I live has good public transport if you want to go to town, or on to London (I have worked in both). Less good if you want to go elsewhere though.

 

[transam]

Ban all non commercial vehicles during the week or vehicles not being used for commercial purposes

getting to work don’t count

you can walk
Run
Train
Bus
Or push bike

or companies can organise a bus / coach and you can get picked up

ban all petrol domestic lawn mowers

get a leccy one or a push mower

ban barbecues
Ban patio heaters

bonfires in particular november 5th damn stupid caper any way

 

[JP_]

you can walk
Run
Train
Bus
Or push bike

Great in theory. But when your child does not get into the local school, or when you need to visit a doctor with a baby etc. it is not possible to walk, run, cycle etc.
And what about all the people with mobility issues - there are millions in the UK.

companies can organise a bus / coach and you can get picked up

That would likely result in even more fuel being used, unless all staff lived in the same village.

get a leccy one or a push mower

So burn gas to make electricity, then use leccy to power mower?

All these ideas are great, but people are not choosing cars and gas because they love them, it's because there are not viable alternatives at the moment.
Just banning stuff doesn't work.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

@transam - are you a lyricist for Paul Simon by any chance?

 

[Deleted member 174758]

All these ideas are great, but people are not choosing cars and gas because they love them, it's because there are not viable alternatives at the moment.
Just banning stuff doesn't work.

What is being said is that without a car you do have less choice, and we will all need to learn to live with this - or the environment will collapse (at least then you won't have to worry about choices). And as far as mobility is concerned, I've had one leg in a brace for 2 years now, so I know first hand what that is about, but it still isn't justification for driving

 

[transam]

Every one will have to shop local

granted less choice but hey ho this is a planet emergency

any one with an allotment that produces excess veg gets tax relief

 

[just pumps]

@transam - are you a lyricist for Paul Simon by any chance?

More like Dylan

 

[transam]

Country is full of hypocrites

I re- Wilded my back garden

do yer bit for nature and you end up With neighbours grizzeling

than you end up with some fruit cake waste of space bloke from the council around yer house

taking the whingers side over the affair

explain to the bloke about nature / rewilding ect and it all falls on deaf ears

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

The government closed down branch lines, bus routes, trams etc. and now want us all to travel by public transport.
Public transport has never been so expensive and so poor, it just does not work for anybody in the countryside. Some villages around here still only get 1 or 2 busses a day at best.
Then people moan that we have cars. Now, if all the small shops weren't forced to close, or all the high street shops, because of out-of-town-drive-in-only shopping centres and supermarkets under cut them, maybe, just maybe, some people could live without a car.

I was happy without a car in London, and again in the town centre, but out of town not having a car is just not possible if you want to function properly.

As for parking on pavements - yeah, burn the ****ers.

Out in the sticks a car is the only answer, but in more urban areas, then the car should never be the first choice. I have my car parked inside my garage, which is in my drive, behind my drive gates - which act as a great deterrent to think before deciding to use it. If it's not too far, then I walk, a little further, like one of the local towns I use the bus. Only if the bus is not adequate, or it's not sensible to use it, or what I am out for cannot be carried do I take the car.

If cars were not able to be parked outside the door, then I suspect many would look at alternatives. Many do park on the pavement, for no better reason than to save themselves walking the extra few feet.

 

[JP_]

Every one will have to shop local

What, even those that don't have a local shop? There are so many hamlets and villages that do not have anything local at all, and many of those that do are stocked with very over-priced goods.

I fully support a more environmental lifestyle, but without massive investment in local infrastructure, local jobs, local schools, GPs, services etc. it just is not possible.
In my village / suburb we used to have 2 banks, now we have none. If you want a haircut you're OK, we have about 5 hairdressers. But no bank, the opticians closed, the only tailor has retired, even the fishing tackle and gun shop closed down.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

If cars were not able to be parked outside the door, then I suspect many would look at alternatives. Many do park on the pavement, for no better reason than to save themselves walking the extra few feet.

A lot of new housing developments in towns and cities deliberately have insufficient parking spaces because councils are trying to drive change through planning consent