Not driven for over a month........and no regrets
Discussion
I know a few people who have never owned a car, and some never even driven before. In their 30s. Had always been curious as to how they got by without a car (a vital component in the mobility chain, the chief mechanism by which we achieve flexibility in our travel plans, and the most useable means by which we can express our freedom of movement).
Some of you may have served driving bans, been in comas, spent time at Her Majesty's fine guest houses, lost use of your limbs etc etc etc and not been able to drive.
I am currently spending extended periods in Austria (1600km from London) and am perfectly happy without a car. Public transport works well and a cycle can be put to good use if required.
Has anyone not had access to a car for a significant period and not found it to be too problematic? Just got in with it and adapted? And not regretted not having the car?
Some of you may have served driving bans, been in comas, spent time at Her Majesty's fine guest houses, lost use of your limbs etc etc etc and not been able to drive.
I am currently spending extended periods in Austria (1600km from London) and am perfectly happy without a car. Public transport works well and a cycle can be put to good use if required.
Has anyone not had access to a car for a significant period and not found it to be too problematic? Just got in with it and adapted? And not regretted not having the car?
2.5 years into a 3 year driving ban, following 10 years at 65,000 miles a year.
I live in rural Cumbria, where buses are rare events. On a social level, I don't really miss driving that much at all. I certainly don't miss rushing up the A1 on Friday night or trundling down the M6 on a Monday morning.
The only driving I've done the entire time has been a day playing about off road in a friends Land Rover.
I'm in a position now where I'm going to need my licence for work though, so might be appealing to get it back a couple of months early.
I live in rural Cumbria, where buses are rare events. On a social level, I don't really miss driving that much at all. I certainly don't miss rushing up the A1 on Friday night or trundling down the M6 on a Monday morning.
The only driving I've done the entire time has been a day playing about off road in a friends Land Rover.
I'm in a position now where I'm going to need my licence for work though, so might be appealing to get it back a couple of months early.
I've done 6 month stints without driving at all whilst travelling round Asia and Australia. Heathen though it is to say it, when the public transport was good I didn't miss the car too much. Trying to get to remote places on a Sunday afternoon or going out for a hoon with mates as a passenger was a pain, but I reckon I could go without a car for a long while again. I currently cycle to work and my car rarely gets used during the week anyway though I don't know how I'd cope without hooning for 6 months!
Skylinecrazy said:
This is a car enthusiasts forum and there's people saying they've got no regrets about not driving?
Maybe you should join another forum.
Why? I think spending 650,000 miles on the road in the past 13 years gives me a reasonable insight into motoring, as did all the trackdays and the MSA licence and the on-road driving courses. Then there was the accident and the trial and the prison sentence.Maybe you should join another forum.
No, I have nothing of any use to this forum.
Frankly, if this site is supposed to be a room full of drooling plebs frotting over Ferraris and nothing more, it isn't going to be as successful as it should be.
Yes, there are times when I miss driving, particularly on track, but that doesn't mean I have to miss 6 hours a day trawling up the congested motorways of our nation to qualify as being a 'Pistonhead'.
Edited by 10 Pence Short on Saturday 21st November 13:42
I drive every day for work and even though I'm trapped in a Connect van I enjoy it. Recently did 3 weeks without driving my weekend toy though. I did miss it although TBH I was just too busy with other stuff so it kept my mind off it.
I think I could find something else to fill my life with if I didn't drive. I'd also be a lot richer!
I think I could find something else to fill my life with if I didn't drive. I'd also be a lot richer!
I have to say I love driving about 10% of the time - if that!
How often do we get perfect conditions? A clear road? Perfect bends? Clear motorways? All without rushing as if you are late for anything. For some strange reason, not driving takes away the stress.
If driving is not necessarily a necessity for some people, then you do not need to worry about it. Take the option to drive at weekends etc. So many people, like me, have it as a necessity. Maybe it is work etc but it is still very stressful.
How often do we get perfect conditions? A clear road? Perfect bends? Clear motorways? All without rushing as if you are late for anything. For some strange reason, not driving takes away the stress.
If driving is not necessarily a necessity for some people, then you do not need to worry about it. Take the option to drive at weekends etc. So many people, like me, have it as a necessity. Maybe it is work etc but it is still very stressful.
10 Pence Short said:
Skylinecrazy said:
This is a car enthusiasts forum and there's people saying they've got no regrets about not driving?
Maybe you should join another forum. Yes boss
Why? I think spending 650,000 miles on the road in the past 13 years gives me a reasonable insight into motoring, as did all the trackdays and the MSA licence and the on-road driving courses. Then there was the accident and the trial and the prison sentence.Maybe you should join another forum. Yes boss
No, I have nothing of any use to this forum.
Frankly, if this site is supposed to be a room full of drooling plebs frotting over Ferraris and nothing more, it isn't going to be as successful as it should be.
Yes, there are times when I miss driving, particularly on track, but that doesn't mean I have to miss 6 hours a day trawling up the congested motorways of our nation to qualify as being a 'Pistonhead'.
Edited by 10 Pence Short on Saturday 21st November 13:42
Edited by MikeCR on Saturday 21st November 14:54
I make the habbit of walking to work as it takes around 20mins, unless its absolutely tipping down. Work colleagues use their push bikes.
But Buses? must we its worse then the train. Not only do you have the loud and foul mouthed school kids but now throughout the entire day OAP's are crowding them up with their daily tour and meet on the Tax Payer.
But Buses? must we its worse then the train. Not only do you have the loud and foul mouthed school kids but now throughout the entire day OAP's are crowding them up with their daily tour and meet on the Tax Payer.
sidekickdmr said:
i get frustrated when i go on holiday for a week and cant drive, annoys the hell out of me.
feel like i need a good drive to chill out and have some me time.
+1 When I was working in Saudi for 2 weeks driving/riding was the thing I missed the most. I had no games on my laptop so I made a basic driving simulator in C# feel like i need a good drive to chill out and have some me time.
Roads up here (Aberdeen) are quite good tho. I wouldn't miss a stop-start commute in a large city.
Justin-W said:
But Buses? must we its worse then the train. Not only do you have the loud and foul mouthed school kids but now throughout the entire day OAP's are crowding them up with their daily tour and meet on the Tax Payer.
Pretty much everyone who's said theyre fine with public transport has said theyre fine with it outside the uk, and me too. the only reason i want a car at the moment is becuse i'm whistler, canada where i can own a big pickup truck without people thinking i'm an idiot (not even sure why what happens in the uk), the bus's come on time, theyre priced ok, they have bike racks on the front ski and snowboard racks down the side. perfect.The thing i do miss my car for (aside from the uk's excellent country roads we all take for granted) is if i just wanna nip to a mates house, its either a walk, a bike ride (not at the moment, too much snow) or a bus into town then a bus out of town.
Edited by bigfatnick on Saturday 21st November 18:47
Having experienced many examples of public transport in mainland Europe, I reckon our public transport system seriously lags behind. We seem more bothered about adopting the latest designs and technology and banging on and on about bendy-buses and interactive computerised cashless ticketing systems and so on without caring a jot about the civility of value for money of the actual service.
I'd rather get on an older-model bus with a conductor on board to throw off any miscreants and pay a fair considerably lower (we'd have to be talking about half of what it would cost me in petrol) than I'd have to now, than sit in some slick, air-conditioned unit with flashy logos and computer screens whilst hoodies, completely unchecked, litter the place and threaten old people, waiting for some heavily overdue bus that could look like the Starship Enterprise for all I care, and paying more than I would by car.
The fact that the bus service is a relatively pleasant and highly reliable service in places like Malta and Greece compared with the UK (never mind paragons of modernity like Holland or Germany) speaks volumes. It's got nothing to do with glitz and everything to do with substance and organisation.
I'd rather get on an older-model bus with a conductor on board to throw off any miscreants and pay a fair considerably lower (we'd have to be talking about half of what it would cost me in petrol) than I'd have to now, than sit in some slick, air-conditioned unit with flashy logos and computer screens whilst hoodies, completely unchecked, litter the place and threaten old people, waiting for some heavily overdue bus that could look like the Starship Enterprise for all I care, and paying more than I would by car.
The fact that the bus service is a relatively pleasant and highly reliable service in places like Malta and Greece compared with the UK (never mind paragons of modernity like Holland or Germany) speaks volumes. It's got nothing to do with glitz and everything to do with substance and organisation.
agreed, in leeds they spend millions and millions on "guided busways". Same with trams in sheffield/manchster etc. Theres nothing wrong with a bus lane, theyre much cheaper, and the spare cash could have gone to pay some bus drivers wages/diesel/keeping a few old buses out of the scrapyard. Winner. That and in 1997 it cost me 25pence to get to school, (about 4 miles away) when my brother finished 6th form 2 years ago it was 80pence, god knows what is is now.
Edited by bigfatnick on Saturday 21st November 19:03
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