The car and being away from it for a length of time

veryangryman

Hey - i hope this is something relateable to people

I have been driving 4-5 years now - i very rarely take public transport. The car is so handy, gives you the freedom (and to an extent, the confidence) to go anywhere at the drop of a hat. If i want to head to Malin Head at 4am, i can do it.

So now, i am abroad with work the last month and pushed back into the public transport circle. Not a problem really, but i have to say i now understand the people in big cities who despite transport options and carbon taxes, still take the car.

The comfort, speed of travel etc is just too big a carrot on stick to keep one wanting the car. Indeed, one of the first things i do when back will be to take a long drive to nowhere particular and chill out.

They say your home is your castle, but for me, the car is!

unJustMary

I might have felt like that in my early 20s.

Then I was without it for a bit (pillocks stole it, and it took almost 6 weeks to be found and put back together again) - and found that life was so much less stressful. There were things I simply couldn't do, so I just said "no" to 'em. Never had to worry about parking, or NCT or maintenance of whatever.

I've been living in inner-city Galway for a couple of years, very happily without a car. When I have work, I rent one every couple of weekends (via a broker, it's cheaper to do this than even to pay insurance and parking for a year, not to mention the other costs).

YMMV, as they say.

markpb

In my experience (as a non-driver), there are disadvantages to driving to work. I depend on DB and Luas to get to work and yes, I bitch and moan about the delays, the poor Sunday service and the odd time the bus doesn't show up. But when I want to go for a drink, I just do - I don't have to plan my nights out. When I'm going somewhere, I don't have to worry about where to park, if it's safe or how much it costs. When I wake up in the morning, I don't have to worry that my car won't start, that it needs a repair or an nct - I walk to the road and unless conditions are trecherous, a warm bus will pick me up leaving me free to read, work and grumble about traffic.

I can totally understand people keeping a car for weekend driving and those 4am trips! :-D

veryangryman

markpb wrote: »

those 4am trips! :-D

_Kaiser_

I'd have to agree with the OP on this one...

Having relied on public transport for years - and being far too frequently let down by it (buses not showing, DARTs late or held up meaning I'd miss the connecting Commuter train, buses don't start till half 9 on a Sunday and then spotty all day etc), I could NEVER go back to that since I started driving.

Personally I'd rather be stuck in traffic in my warm/cool climate controlled car (as opposed to a wet, cold rain sodden bus where your arm gets soaked if you leave it against the window), comfortable seat (never have to stand!), my own choice of music/radio station (rather than what the guy next to you has on his MP3 player), and where I can also change my route mid-journey to allow for any traffic problems, than sitting (or more likely standing) on a bus/train for my entire journey regardless.

Plus I can also travel from A to B without having to unnecessarily detour via C(ity Centre), and leave when I want to - not some arbritary timetable that is rarely kept to anyway.

Then there's the benefts of having a boot/back seat, rather than trying to drag around with bags and kids all day.

Oh and let's not forget that unless you live in Dublin or Cork, public transport is practically non-existent anyway!

Car wins everytime for me! *goes out to lovingly pat his big, comfy, enviornmentially - and socially if the Greens/PC brigade had their way :rolleyes: - unfriendly 2.0 TDI Passat*

veryangryman

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

Car wins everytime for me! *goes out to lovingly pat his big, comfy, enviornmentially - and socially if the Greens/PC brigade had their way :rolleyes: - unfriendly 2.0 TDI Passat*

As the man said...

Problem is..It just takes 1 bad day with the bus to make me think "fukc this im going back to the car"

Theres a reason people are willing to pay the expense. Its a shame really but i cant talk, i think i might just shag my car when i see it again on Saturday for first time in a month

antoinolachtnai

You need to have a really good public transport service to entice people out of their cars.

In the old days, mass public transport was basically in competition with bicycle shops. It is a lot more difficult to compete with private cars.