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Should we ban private car use?

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo

"A NASA study declared that automobiles were officially the largest net contributor of climate change pollution in the world."

For example, the area of Little Island on the east side of Cork City has 87% of people travel by car each day into the area. That is going beyond the unthinkable when it comes to trying to tackle climate change.

We rely on our agricultural industry far more in Ireland than other countries, so that is a much more difficult issue to tackle.
But weening ourselves off our massive over reliance on the automobile should be top of the agenda if we genuinely care about the environment.

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Dravokivich

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo wrote: »

For example, the area of Little Island on the east side of Cork City has 87% of people travel by car each day into the area. That is going beyond the unthinkable when it comes to trying to tackle climate change.

WHy is unthinkable?

Where are they coming from? Where are they going after? How does public transport line up with their requirements? What is the time offset by using public transport against driving?

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

I think the future is car sharing, current useage where cars spend on average 90% plus of their time sitting idle is unsustainable.

I don't plan on driving in my sleep... You've also got to consider it's a mode of transport. To get me from one place to the other. So when I'm my car I'm using it 100% of the time.

wexie

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

I think the future is car sharing, current useage where cars spend on average 90% plus of their time sitting idle is unsustainable.

Why not? When they're sitting idle they're not causing pollution or congestion? It's not the sitting idle of cars that's causing problems it's them being used.

So if public transport were to improve and become a viable option for people you'll see private car ownership drop soon enough. But for the moment for large parts of the population there is no alternative.

Until that changes I think the focus of the conversation should be on providing viable alternatives rather than banning or outlawing that for which there is no alternative?

Dravokivich

Deleted User wrote: »

"the average American is responsible for 19.8 tonnes per person, and the average Chinese citizen clocks in at 4.6 tonnes."

Is that not being dilluted by the sheer number of Chinese?

dr.fuzzenstein

LeinsterDub wrote: »

The roads would be far less dangerous if cars were banned

If the thinking is "harmful activity = ban", here are a few more examples.
Meat, bad for the environment and your health, banned.
Smoking, well that's a no-brainer, banned
Alcohol, same, banned
Sugar, you better believe it
Fat, same
Drugs, off course

In fact, forget what should be banned (the list is too long), and go with what will be allowed.
A sensible regime of government approved diet and excercise, with meals and workouts assigned to you and a suitable intake of supplements and mood controlling drugs is definitely the way to go.
Since people insist in engaging in harmful behaviour, their behaviour will have to be carefully controlled and steered.
This will save thousands of lives and the environment! To disagree would make one accepting and complicit in untold suffering and death, so there is no argument.

Cee-Jay-Cee

We have a non existent public transport system in the vast majority of the country. OP how would you propose all those people get to/from work etc?

ELM327

Only over my cold dead hands will they pry my private car keys from me.

Dravokivich

Deleted User wrote: »

I recently learned to drive and its the best thing I have ever done. Public transport in Dublin is terrible, unless you are travelling to city centre. Areas are not linked well at all. I will give some examples.

I live in Carpenterstown in Blanch and the in laws live in Clondalkin. There is no easy way to get from Blanch to Clondalkin. The best option was to get the 239 to Liffey Valley and then a taxi. Another option was to take a train to city centre and then a bus to Clondalkin. Both options were VERY time consuming. Now I can drive in less than 30 mins.

When my mother in law was in Tallaght hospital, we had to take a train to city centre and then a Luas to Tallaght. Now I can drive in 30 mins.

Going shopping was difficult previously. 30 min walk to tesco. 30 min walk home with heavy bags. And I avoided buying things that were too heavy to carry. Now I can drive down in 5 mins and buy whatever I want.

Used to walk 1 hour to work each morning. Now it takes 10 mins to drive.

Thats just a few examples of how driving has benefited me.

Believe it or not. I could have written the exact same thing a few years ago. Used to live up that way with my folks in Clondalkin. I'd have to plan to visit my folks. And if it involved the kid, it more then likely meant someone was going to pick me up. Just to be there a few hours, was an all day thing. Both places are pretty much around the corner.

ELM327

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

It would be like the 1800's again. The very wealthy had horses and the rest walked.
A brisk 20 mile walk to work and back is very good for the health.
Bring back the 1800's, it's the wet dream of the Greens.

+1

The greens and mr gormless can go die a slow painful death in my opinion.
There's too much state interference in private lives already. The same green party who were responsible for diesel uptake in the cities now expect us to believe them? Idiocy.

The world has moved on, progress, industry, commerce. We are a far distance removed from the unwashed hemp wearing typical green party supporter.

Green policies are great but they should not inconvenience people.

ELM327

Dravokivich wrote: »

Believe it or not. I could have written the exact same thing a few years ago. Used to live up that way with my folks in Clondalkin. I'd have to plan to visit my folks. And if it involved the kid, it more then likely meant someone was going to pick me up. Just to be there a few hours, was an all day thing. Both places are pretty much around the corner.

I used to live in Dublin 12. To go to blanchardstown shopping centre for instance, a mere 15 minute drive, would take over 2 hours as all buses seem to go via An Lár for some reason. I can only assume "An Lár" is a place where people don't have any time sensitive appointments.

Wanderer78

ELM327 wrote:

Green policies are great but they should not inconvenience people.

They certainly don't seem to be inconvenient to the fossil fuel industry

Your Face

We should ban car companies who lie about emissions.

ELM327

Wanderer78 wrote: »

They certainly don't seem to be inconvenient to the fossil fuel industry

What do you mean?
If there was no rules, interference, taxation, etc (heretofore known as "inconveniences") we would all be driving proper cars with lazy v8 engines that last for decades.

Instead they are forced to make fake economy cars with planned obsolescence after 8-10 years for the EU.

ELM327

Your Face wrote: »

We should ban car companies who lie about emissions.

We should ban emissions requirements and remove state interference.

Ray Palmer

It always amazes me how blind people are to the amount of space given up for vehicles. It isn't just the roads it is the parking. Cars are scattered all over the place all the time.

Majority of commuting cars are used by one person in a vehicle designed to hold 5 people. It is madness when you consider they also burn a substance we need to produce food and medicine that is finite.

People are more bothered about a personal freedom.

Dravokivich

Ray Palmer wrote: »

It always amazes me how blind people are to the amount of space given up for vehicles. It isn't just the roads it is the parking. Cars are scattered all over the place all the time.

Majority of commuting cars are used by one person in a vehicle designed to hold 5 people. It is madness when you consider they also burn a substance we need to produce food and medicine that is finite.

People are more bothered about a personal freedom.

Just because you see 1 person in the car at any one time. Doesn't mean they were the only one's there for the entirety of the commute. My son is with me for only 1 third of it.

In saying that. I'm not too favorable towards on street parking, and feel more needs to be done about removing them and assessing multi story carpark availability.

Mrs OBumble

wexie wrote: »

So no more building pretty much anywhere outside of the main cities then?

Nonsense.

Tuam. Athenry. Lougjrea. Moycullen. Clifden
Oranmore. Claregalway. Clarenbridge. Headford. Kinvara. All fine to build in town.

wexie

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Nonsense.

Tuam. Athenry. Lougjrea. Moycullen. Clifden
Oranmore. Claregalway. Clarenbridge. Headford. Kinvara. All fine to build in town.

Yet someone living in Moycullen and working in Spiddal would take minimum an hour and a half on public transport to travel the 15 or so km.....

Are you honestly saying that you believe that's a viable option?

Public transport outside of the main cities is essentially useless unless you're traveling to or from the main cities, or somewhere that happens to be on the way.

(by the way if your argument is that we should encourage people to live where they can avail of public transport then I'd cautiously agree with you, provided there are big improvements made in the availability of said public transport)

ELM327

Ray Palmer wrote: »

It always amazes me how blind people are to the amount of space given up for vehicles. It isn't just the roads it is the parking. Cars are scattered all over the place all the time.

Majority of commuting cars are used by one person in a vehicle designed to hold 5 people. It is madness when you consider they also burn a substance we need to produce food and medicine that is finite.

People are more bothered about a personal freedom.

My commute does neither of those things.

pwurple

Why isn't poll just phase out petrol and diesel?

lalababa

Acidogusto wrote: »

I get the impression the people who suggest such nonsense took the environmental propoganda too seriously in primary school.

Governments will be banning many things in the future that we take for granted today. Just like they've done in the past. Only thing is will they ban the right things in time before tipping points for climate change and species's mass extinctions.
ICE private vehicles we hear will stop manufacture within 10yrs. Plastics are next for the chop..see plastic straws and disposal coffee cups.
Big likely hood of large and important coastal cities being underwater in next 40 years due to climate change according to most world scientists. Goodbye Cork.
You mightn't be able to drive your private car ( that you obviously cannot do without) to Cork anymore .
Getting rid of alot of cows wouldn't be a bad idea either. Go to veg and grain.

By the way all these 'green' changes are logical. And cannot be argued against in an idealogical way.
They can however be argued against in a illogical but everyday practical way. E.g.
Too many vehicles cause too much pollution versus my Johnny 'll get wet if I don't drive him to school ,today ,with my car ,that everybody else has, so f**k off.

Steve F

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

I think the future is car sharing, current useage where cars spend on average 90% plus of their time sitting idle is unsustainable.

In 24 hrs the average car user drives their Car for 3% of the time but spends 33% of the same 24hr period in their bed.Fun Fact!! :P

jacksie66

This post has been deleted.

lalababa

jacksie66 wrote: »

We could ban all cows, cars, trucks and everything else out of this country that emits greenhouse gasses and we still wouldn't make the slightest difference. Countries like China, USA and India are the ones that need to cop on. We're getting punished for their mess.

"Patsy up the road is doing it soooo....why shouldn't I do it!!"

Your Face

lalababa wrote: »

"Patsy up the road is doing it soooo....why shouldn't I do it!!"

Feckin Patsy

DEFTLEFTHAND

Why isn't oil running out at the rate we were told it would? There was some asshole from Shell Global on the radio last wk stating that he would conservatively estimate their reserves at 300+ years.

We were taught in 1990s Primary School that oil would run out in 30 yrs. :rolleyes:

xckjoo

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

Why isn't oil running out at the rate we were told it would? There was some asshole from Shell Global on the radio last wk stating that he would conservatively estimate their reserves at 300+ years.

We were taught in 1990s Primary School that oil would run out in 30 yrs. :rolleyes:

Used to wonder the same myself. It's due to improvements in oil discovery and extraction technologies. Think shale oil extraction and deep subsea drilling (finding and extracting).

Ray Palmer

Dravokivich wrote: »

Just because you see 1 person in the car at any one time. Doesn't mean they were the only one's there for the entirety of the commute. My son is with me for only 1 third of it.

In saying that. I'm not too favorable towards on street parking, and feel more needs to be done about removing them and assessing multi story carpark availability.

I also work with people who drive to work and it is only ever them in the car. Why so many kids get driven to school is crazy? I am old enough to remember schools that more students than now and barely a car would arrive to drop kids off. Now less students and much more cars.

People have gotten lazy as have their kids

colm_mcm

This is NASA, the crowd with the rockets and that?

xckjoo

colm_mcm wrote: »

This is NASA, the crowd with the rockets and that?

Nah. That's SpaceX you're thinking of

atilladehun

Driverless electric cars ordered on an app will replace private cars and taxis in cities. No more idle cars, no more ICE. All those apps and car hire companies are only the tip of the iceberg.