More cycling? Less motoring? Vote now please!

[Cugel]

(snip)

Where you live does dictate a lot of choices and, of course, where you live is often a decision made with many and varied compromises. As and when we move house again I’d by far prefer to be able to manage without a car for say nine out of ten journeys. However, whilst all things are ‘possible’ some arrangements are only a sufficiently workable choice for some people for some of the time.

Exactly so - there is never a single factor involved in making a decision as complex as where to live.

Moving to West Wales from near Lancaster gets us the ability to not just avoid the madding crowd but also to have an eco house and a generally greener lifestyle, despite the increased use of the (electric) car compared to the use of the (ICE) car in NW England. The usage is still relatively small at about 8000 miles per year.

Overall, the quality of life is better for us now but does actually have a smaller carbon footprint, if still too big given human-induced climate change. But we also have a greater opportunity, moving to West Wales, to further decrease our carbon footprint, which was not possible in our NW England abode. We have a realistic chance of being carbon neutral after a bit more fiddling about with our renewable energy creation and our normal energy usage rate.

Not that carbon footprints are the be-all and end-all - although thinking about it, they may be the actual end-all for all of us!

When the dogs shuffle off their mortal coils, perhaps in around three years time, we can probably stop even the electric car use and go everywhere on our bikes, for the great majority of our remaining days. Occasional car hire might be done but it would be very occasional, as we're not the" holiday here, there and everywhere" sort. In fact our daily lives are one long holiday of walking, cycling, swimming, gardening, woodworking, ....... and much else that some feel they can only do in Thailand or The Greek Isles 3 weeks a year after a long flight in a real gas guzzler.

Cugel

[Cyril Haearn]

Bitte auch deine geistige Bildung nicht vergessen, please do not forget your education, ich freu mich auf deine erst Post auf Walisisch, I am looking forward to your first Welsh post (with English translation)

One long holiday, +1, been to Drygarn Fawr yet? Plenty of nowt there

(8000 miles is fairly average )
..
Wanted to ask too, you lived up in Lance-shire many decades, must have had lots of friends there, what decided you to upgrade to Wales?

[Cugel]

(snip)

(8000 miles is fairly average )
..
Wanted to ask too, you lived up in Lance-shire many decades, must have had lots of friends there, what decided you to upgrade to Wales?

I have the figure of 12.000 miles per year as an average but admit to not taking too much interest in motoring matters so perhaps I am a profligate mile muncher after all. Of course, my 8000 car miles are not only 98% electric but driven perfekly by a little motoring saint who is kind and considerate to all, even the beetles trying to cross the road.

Why emigrate to West Wales? I've spent more and more of each year living here since the 80s but the ever-increasing madding crowds of NW England (and the constant building of tatty new houses with no supporting infrastructure but 4 cars per household) became somewhat tedious so....

I miss the cycling club and some daily-see friends, although one is currently visiting (with dog) as have/will others. Already I have the new friendships beginning here, a number of which are via the ladywife's membership of the local Wild Indians (Women's Institute). But the quiet life suits me, especially as I become less enamoured of humanity in general as I get older. You think you're a curmudgeon? Pah!

Cugel

[Cyril Haearn]

Planning to upgrade to being a real curmudgeon when I retire

[Cyril Haearn]

Been cycling to work for a few months, there really are too many cyclists
Or rather there is too much traffic altogether, especially Too Many Mortons, and too little Space for Cycling

One rather dislikes cyclists who ride in groups of two or more, yakking away, often riding two abreast

There is a narrow bridge full of cyclists, some poor people have to walk over it
I go especially slow there to protect them

[Cyril Haearn]

Planning to do no TDC in 2020, but maybe a couple of train-cycling trips
Not got so many routes to cycle from home, it is great to know the way, not too exciting, weather and colours are different on each ride

[Cyril Haearn]

Part-positive thread resurrection alert

Several of this parish report less motor traffic and more cycling, +1!
As usual something goes wrong, mortons commit even more traffic crime than usual, - 1

[Cyril Haearn]

Poll reopened, please vote now

[Cyril Haearn]

Thread resurrection alert, nobody is obliged to read this

I was right gruntled to see the cycle stands at the train station this evening, usually several cycles are parked there. This evening, there was not a single one! Less cycling, less travel, +1!

[VinceLedge]

A poll of members of a cycling forum isn't really going to tell us anything of interest, surely?

[Cyril Haearn]

Maybe not statistically significant, but worth thinking about. As noted earlier, one does get sick of people advocating 'more cycling' when they actually mean 'cycling instead of driving'. I should be happier with less driving (and less cycling too)

[RickH]

Thread resurrection alert, nobody is obliged to read this

I was right gruntled to see the cycle stands at the train station this evening, usually several cycles are parked there. This evening, there was not a single one! Less cycling, less travel, +1!

Not necessarily less travel. Possibly more driving & less bus/train (+bike) use.

I do a weekly trip to Chester & back. Up until 12 months or so ago I would usually do the trip as a combination of cycle & train but since I have been able to resume (under the England support bubble rules) I have been driving. Throughout our latest lockdown I've been surprised by the amount of traffic on the roads.

This week I did the journey by bike & train for the first time in months (I'd only been on one train journey since last March when I bailed out of a bike ride in the summer when my knee suddenly went really painful). Plus a return trip by train to Birmingham,. The trains still seem to have a lot fewer passengers, particularly the "intercity" routes.

[Jdsk]

I should be happier with less driving (and less cycling too)

Many people would be healthier and happier if they took more exercise. It would be good for them, for their families, for other people, and for the country.

Cycling and walking are excellent forms of exercise, and for many people are the best way of taking that extra exercise.

Jonathan

[Oldjohnw]

No-one. Correction: except me. No-one should cycle, walk, drive. People should not leave their house. I would have thought that was obvious. Everyone should move house to the city. Preferably not my city.

[Stevek76]

Dft stats have consistently shown car traffic recovering faster than pubic transport as covid restrictions have eased. Some element of that is cars instead of rail, though quite a bit is likely differences in what those trips are.

We know from some more detailed analysis of the 2011 census travel to work data that the ons did last year that the mode share of what could broadly be considered to include most city centre office jobs was less car heavy than other sectors, unsurprising perhaps but facts always useful. It is those office jobs that have been more able to work from home. Much of rail travel, particularly longer distance is a mix of business and leisure/visiting friends& family all of which remain suppressed longer from any restrictions.

There's also the element of cars being used for other trips instead. Where previously a car might have been parked at an of of town office every weekday, it is now free for other household members to use. Likely a big factor behind the temporal shift in motor traffic which had resulted in quieter morning peaks but a longer drawn out 3pm-7pm travel period.

'less travel' is mostly not a realistic option, people have jobs to go to (most cannot be done from home and I think at most, of those that can be, only an average of half the days will be done so) essentials to buy, schools to go to and recreation to do. So yes when those of us who work and/or campaign in such matters talk about more cycling it's mostly in the context of transport/utility cycling. Though you do tend to find initial mode shift includes PT>cycle and car>PT not just straight car>cycle.

Less travel isn't going to win public support either, something the hippy/nimby side of the England/Wales green party struggles with. Far easier to sell better travel that's more carbon and space efficient and, once the transition is made, actually much more convenient.