Why should I stop using my car?

Question

Why should I even consider not using my car when it is cheaper to hire a car for the day, put fuel in it, and drive from Manchester to London and back than it is to buy a one way or return train ticket. And on top of that, in my car I can go doorstep to doorstep and always get a seat. The same goes for sending big parcels. It was cheaper for me to hire a van, put fuel in it, and drive a parcel to London the other day and pay myself £50 for doing it than it was to get it delivered by a big delivery company, using trucks filled with other parcels all going down the same motorway that I used. I don't understand how this is possible.

How are we expected to respect or use public transport when this is the situation. And why is it that the government won't put pressure on public transport operators to bring down the cost of tickets, rather than penalising the individual using his or her car.

No dumb answers please, I want real opinions with real reasoning behind them.

Answer 1

Well there is the fact that it is more environmantally friendly,

and if you use the train often you can buy a railcard which will lessen the costs.

and at least you can relax and take a nap, or read on the train whereas you have to pay attention to the road the whole time you drive, and you can feel free to go out for a drink beforehand.

and walking from train station to your destination could help you to keep fit, walking is good for you.

Thats all i got lol

Answer 2

Some cities now have free public transit.  They found out that is was actually cost effective, for the city.  Having less cars on the road cut down on a lot of other expenses, like traffic control, response to accidents, congestion that brings a lot of inefficiency to the whole picture, and probably lots of other costs that we wouldn't normally think of as being connected.

I think much depends on the location.  Different places have different logistics.  San Francisco, for instance is really a small city in area.  Seven miles by seven miles.  Population about 700,000.

The way they  built many of the neigborhoods, houses don't have front yards, so no driveways to park in.  Public transport is multifaceted and generally pretty good.  Having a car actually becomes a pain in the neck.  Parking in particular is in very tight supply.  You get sick of parking tickets and getting towed.  And you don't really need a car, most of the time. The climate is mild and the city is beautiful in a striking natural setting, so people enjoy walking, biking etc.

NY City would be a tough city to have a car in also, especially in Manhattan.   You may have seen the sea of yellow cabs in downtown Manhattan.

Other cities that are more spread out like LA practically require that you have a car.  So don't feel bad if that is similar to your situation.  We all know how handy a car is when you have a lot of errands to do in different places.  We can make changes where it makes sense and where it's the most necessary.  Transitioning to plug in hybrids and electric cars will make a big difference in the ultimate cost and environmental impact of cars and trucks and buses.  Plug in hybrids (or PHEVs)  are the best way to make the transition to electrics, without sacrificing range.  You can go anywhere there is fuel.  But in day to day driving, you would be mostly using the battery power.



http://www.pluginpartners.org/

has a good overview of PHEVs and their benefits.

"Charging the battery each night would cost less than $1.00 at current rates. PHEVs outfitted with a battery pack providing a 40-mile electric range could power, using the all-electric mode, more than 60% of the total annual miles traveled by the average American driver."

"A  2004 study by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) found that plug-in hybrids can achieve life cycle costs parity with conventional gasoline vehicles – meaning that over the life of the car the cost will be equal or less despite the initial higher cost. The study calculated gasoline price as $1.75/gallon."

Now that gas is twice that much, the fuel savings would save you money overall.

For long distance, I believe the U.S. should build high speed passenger rail.  We should also be using more rail for long distance freight.  It is much more fuel efficient than trucks.  Like an order of magnitude more efficient.  

An interesting development in bus technology is hybrid buses, using a natural gas powered microturbine to charge and assist the electric drive batteries.   A company called Capstone Turbine just got their first big order from a bus company for 150 microturbines.

These microturbines can run on all different kinds of liquid and gaseous fuels.  They have one moving part, the shaft, which spins  the turbine blades and generator armature.  There is no lubrication ever.  It runs on an air cushion bearing, and is air cooled.  No fluids necessary.  Greatly increased fuel efficiency and is pretty clean burning.

http://www.microturbine.com/

They also make these for cogeneration systems for buildings, factories, shopping centers, large stores etc.

Their microturbines range in size from 30 to 200 kilowatts.  They can be combined for bigger demand applications; stand alone or connected to the grid.

Answer 3

for us non Brits how far are we talking Manchester-London Km distance.I don't understand the shipping rates in the UK I got a parcel the other day from Alabama USA to my home in Northern Ontario Canada its weight was just over 25lbs(10 kg or so) and it cost me 13.50 in Canadian funds.What were you shipping that would have been so costly and that you paid yourself $100.00 Canadian (1 pound=$2.00 Can)Smells a little fish and chippy.

Answer 4

i quite agree. thats the 'free market' for you. cheers maggie, cheers new labour.

Answer 5

You don't have to worry about what is the moral thing to do in terms of your freight and personal transport decisions: you are already contributing in a political way to resolving these dilemmas by highlighting the issues.  A large part of these dilemmas involve how the government could usefully regulate in a mixed economy.  Free market vs welfare if you like. Also using more taxpayers dollars now for infrastructure and planning to save time, money and hassle in the future. Many voters are uneducated and vote according to their short term issues - pay as little tax as possible and carp about politicians not doing enough.  Perhaps both major parties could take a bipartisan approach and educate the public and ask them to choose between spending/taxation options.

Answer 6

I'm pretty sure thats a rant not a question....

Okay you spent all day driving to london and back, that would have taken you all day and you only paid yourself £50 - for a days work???  And who did you ring for a quote...  No one would have charged you more than £30 for that...unless you rang up that very same day and needed an immedeate collection.

Imagine if the government forced the rail companies to put down their prices.....they would have to carry more passengers to make the same profit.  That would mean more trains, more fuel, more staff etc, thus reducing their profit even  further.  To be a sustainable business they would have to build more tracks and stations to carry all these extra passengers to pay for all these extra trains to carry all these extra passengers to sustain the business because of your idea to force prices down. At that point Richard Branson and the other train operators would demand a subsidy (which you and I would be forced to pay through our taxes wether we use the trains or not) or they would sell their business interest and go and invest elsewhere leaving no trains at all.  

Prices are set  because of the laws of supply and demand.

My opinion:- we may not like it but with china wanting fuel just like the rest of the world it will go to the highest bidder. If we want it we will have to pay for it. Get used to it.

Answer 7

Well you can't get a DWI when you are riding public transportation. Really though that is the only reason I ever use it, otherwise it is g*y.