Would You Give Up Your Car For A Day?

inishindie

No car days work in some countries.

China is holding a No Car Day in more than 100 cities as it tries to reduce smog ahead of the 2008 Summer Olympics. Beijing onthe other hand was very unsuccessful

But correspondents say that in the capital National No Car Day appears to be making little impact, with high levels of traffic and most streets open as normal.

Environmental campaigners say China must overhaul its transport system to tackle pollution.

Is a No Car Day the way to combat pollution? Or does it just hit personal freedom?


How else can we address the problem?

Cheers

http://inishindie.blogspot.com/

I'd give up my car altogether if there was reliable public transport between the areas I live, work and train.

There isn't. There's no bus between Tallaght and Lucan and it would take me around two hours to get from Terenure to Lucan.

So no, I won't be leaving the car at home.

Kenjd

Im quite fortunate cos i live bout 2 miles from work, so i cycle most days!
A lot of people aren't so lucky though. I did drive for a week there a while back and couldn't get over the cost! So on with the raingear and start peddling for me!! The powers that be dont make cycling attractive, the cycle lanes we have in this country are a joke and very dangerous. If i was to use a cycle lane around a roundabout the way I'm supposed to I'd be dead by now.

Bassman

To answer your question, no. I live 6 miles from work, 20 mins in the car, hour and a half by peasant, er... public transport. So, no. Keeping the car and I urge Gormless and his eco warriors to keep their grubby hands off my car thank you.

BendiBus

I don't have a car. PT everywhere with the occasional lift or taxi.

probe

I drive a car once or twice a month. The rest of the time I use public transport. A car is fun to drive when you don't use it every day.... familiarity breeds contempt type of issue.

All you need is good public transport - and there is less and less reason to use the car.

.probe

inishindie

We don't have much public transport up here in Inishowen. There is a bus that goes on the main road to Derry but that is about it. Most people here rely on thier car.

Car sharing would be a good idea but again there is a real reluctance to share your personal space (for some it's the only bit of peace and quiet they get in the day!!) It might be the way to go though (?)

It amuses me to see just how desperate folk are to get their cars as close to their destination as possible (in car parks that is usually the disabled parking zone!)

Hi Bassman, I gather you are not very happy about John Gormley's new policies!


Cheers.

lordgoat

I gladly only use my car when i can't use public transport.

myjugsarehuge

I do love driving I must admit, sorry, but I love the freedom of being able to go somewhere when I want to. I broke my arm a couple of years ago and couldn't drive for 3 weeks or so. It was very hard being so cooped up in such a rural place. Walking for pleasure or exercise is great, but if you forget the milk it is no fun walking 2 and half miles each way to the nearest shop.

There is no public transport where I live and just one bus a day goes from town to Cork at about 7.30am and returns at about 6pm, thats it, so if you start work before 8.30am you have no choice but to drive.

My children attend 2 different schools both over 8 miles away and although a school bus picks them up & drops them back I do have to fetch them physically from school when they have homework club (on different days, so 3 days a week). Car sharing is an option but only 2 families live as far out from the schools as I do so it isn't always easy to organise as everyone has their own lives to lead.

probe

Bassman wrote: »

To answer your question, no. I live 6 miles from work, 20 mins in the car, hour and a half by peasant, er... public transport. So, no. Keeping the car and I urge Gormless and his eco warriors to keep their grubby hands off my car thank you.

While I totally agree that the majority of public transport in Ireland is "peasant transport" - and therefore the entire system is "peasant transport" -- I challenge you to bring your car to Zurich for a week. You probably won't use it once in the city - even though it is easy to get around in a car and parking is cheap by Dublin standards.

Zurich public transport provides "valet parking" everywhere you go on it. Your "limmo" (usually a tram) gets priority at traffic lights (a level lower than emergency service vehicles on call out). And nobody is hiding in the bushes to breathalyse public transport passengers.

.probe

casey212

How about this. Give up your car for a week and then see petrol prices slashed. How about consumer revolt??? Not for the green movement scam, how about people campaigning for their own rights to live.

The same goes for airports. No one go for a week in protest at these stupid terror searches. Then it will be "yes sir" once again, not "take off your shoes" grunted by a stupid, power hungry pig.

(Can anyone tell me how many terrorists were caught in Dublin airport in the last 10 years.)

muckety

Anyone who lives in a rural area will find it virtually impossible to give up their car. There is no public transport where I live and the nearest supermarket/shopping area is a 20mile round trip...

SALE

Deleted User wrote: »

I'd give up my car altogether if there was reliable public transport between the areas I live, work and train.

There isn't. There's no bus between Tallaght and Lucan and it would take me around two hours to get from Terenure to Lucan.

So no, I won't be leaving the car at home.

Says it all - always blame it on someone else, this is global warming mate which requires us all to do something regardless of how sh!t public transpiort is. By the way, you're part of the reason why we're in this situation. If you'd been prepared to mpay an extra 10er in tax then perhaps there would have been a train or bus service between your house and the nearest pub - get real!

casey212

SALE wrote: »

Says it all - always blame it on someone else, this is global warming mate which requires us all to do something regardless of how sh!t public transpiort is. By the way, you're part of the reason why we're in this situation. If you'd been prepared to mpay an extra 10er in tax then perhaps there would have been a train or bus service between your house and the nearest pub - get real!

Your brain washed mate. Just watch how all your freedoms/standards of living are eroded over the next few years because of an environmental hoax.

Capt'n Midnight

Deleted User wrote: »

I'd give up my car altogether if there was reliable public transport between the areas I live, work and train.

There isn't. There's no bus between Tallaght and Lucan and it would take me around two hours to get from Terenure to Lucan.

So no, I won't be leaving the car at home.

http://www.dublinbus.ie/your_journey/viewer.asp?route=76b
but a long walk at the Lucan end and a long wait too

80% of workers living in Lucan / Clondakin have to commute to work outside the area.
East-West buses are fine.
North-South public transport isn't really an option for most.

The 151 is a useful addition, pity the bus stops aren't in use :rolleyes:

djpbarry

Bassman wrote: »

I live 6 miles from work, 20 mins in the car, hour and a half by peasant, er... public transport.

How could it possibly take you 90 minutes to do 6 miles using public transport? You could easily walk 6 miles in that time!

djmc

yes when there is an underground metro system in dublin,cork,galway and limerick and a bus to all rural places
Or when I spend the day on the piss and ill get a taxi home:)

Bassman

Well, bus/train from Leixlip, Co. Kildare into Dublin and then bus out to Clonee, Co. Meath would take on average 90 minutes door-to-door. I drive my car on the back roads and it takes 20 minutes door-to-door. I could walk it but would you walk on dark, narrow Irish country roads in all weathers with all types of traffic? There's dozens of trucks as they're still building houses and apartments around Clonee. I'd use a bicycle during the summer but it's just too dangerous. So, I'm keeping my a** in my warm, safe car. Apart from that I just love to drive.

B.

blackbox

I could give up my car for a day...

I could give up eating for a day...

...but why would I want to?

casey212

blackbox wrote: »

I could give up my car for a day...

I could give up eating for a day...

...but why would I want to?

Because it would save the world. And to think some people remain oblivious to this "global warming/environment" dilemma.

Come on people watch more TV and go back to sleep.

Archeron

SALE wrote: »

Says it all - always blame it on someone else, this is global warming mate which requires us all to do something regardless of how sh!t public transpiort is. By the way, you're part of the reason why we're in this situation. If you'd been prepared to mpay an extra 10er in tax then perhaps there would have been a train or bus service between your house and the nearest pub - get real!

Blame it on someone else? Are you joking?
Where possible, I would use public options. I think the Luas is brilliant, and the frequency of it is great. I also like Bus Eirreann too, but its a shame the last bus home for me from Dublin is 8 o clock. Why cant we have 24 hour transport for a start and make so many more options for people? Many of the potential partial solutions are quite simple, but oh wait, theres no funding. There are no new buses being bought, so there goes that idea. Yes, much easier to get people out of their cars when you DONT provide new buses.

I currently spend app 45 minutes travelling 45 Km to my job. If I was to use the public transport options I would spend app 2 and half hours into work and probably quite a bit more getting home, so no I wouldnt give it up at present, because it isnt feasible in any way.
As it is, like so many other people, I spend 10 hours a day in work paying a big mortgage and huge cost of living, I spend 1.5 to 2 hours a day travelling on some of the shi*test roads in the western world, I spend 3 hours a day doing what I can to help a very sick relative who is in hospital for months now who has suffered immensely at the inefficient and frankly disgusting health care system that we have, and so on and so forth. Perhaps you dont care about the daily drudgery of people living their everyday lives in the best way that we can, and fair enough, we all have our own issues at heart, but the whole "give up your car" argument is just tiresome.

Until viable options are put in place, I suspect that an Irish version of car free day is a poorly conceived attempt at showing the world (or those who care) that we too are trying to do something, when in reality, we all know thats is nothing more than a cynical publicity stunt that will nothing other than cut the number of cars in the city (obviously) and slash business levels in the city on the same day.
God, how I would love someone else to drive me to work, but it aint gonna happen anytime soon.

And by the way, we're all part of the reason Global warming is happening, so trying to pin the blame on certain individuals or such small groups is just silly, particularly in a country as globally insignificant as Ireland. If it hadn't been for the industrial revolution, the levels of CO2 in the air would be a hell of a lot smaller, so lets blame that too. Until recently, and still the case in many ways, progress will bring more pollution, new types of pollution and will affect the planet. Should we revert back to life in the olden days, or should we continue to progress and find ways of dealing with these issues? I vote the latter. But a "car free day" in a country like Ireland is just pointless and an utter waste of money and time.