Cycling UK Forum

Hmm car, van, vintage truck, tractor and a couple of bikes.

Working on it.....

have a motor bike that I dont use much these days - use push bike and my freedom pass - a good combo in London

I've had a full motor car licence since 1961 and had a car much of that time. My first drives, but not on roads, were Ferguson tractors - at age 13. . Depending on jobs I've commuted by walk & train, car and had jobs which needed driving vehicles (and trailers). I have always enjoyed cycling, but have never achieved as much as many on this forum.

Now choice of transport is either walk, cycle, public transport or car. Most cyclists on the road can drive a motor vehicle, whereas most motor vehicle drivers do not not cycle and hose that don't are usually the ones who berate cyclists.

rabmania wrote:Cyclist, public transport, pedestrian.

+1

A couple of times a year I hire a car.

Never learned to drive. Grew up in a town small enough to walk across in twenty minutes, moved to London and never saw the point of getting a licence…

I have access to a car and drive when it'll take half the time or cost half as much, more or less, or if there's more than I can carry. So about weekly, thanks to Norfolk's poor mass transport links

Shoogle wrote:How many people on here are just cyclitsts? Don't have a car/don't drive or can't drive.

There's me, for a start.

Never owned a car - never wanted one. I had a full professional working career, had two daughters who went through Uni and now in good careers themselves - people say that it can't be done without a b****y car, but it can. You only have to decide.

beardy wrote:

Gotta ask - is it remotely economic to support a car that only does a thousand miles a year?

Yes, if you use it for carrying large things and you dont live near to any buses, trains or taxis.

It is cheaper to drive just 1,000 miles than to drive 1,000 necessary miles and another 4,000 miles because you have the car taxed, tested, insured and only needing fuel to go.

And compare that with the cost of hiring a car a few times a year?

We still have a car - although I also cycle more than I drive.
Small kids and a non cycling wife don't really lend themselves to a car free life...

[XAP]Bob wrote:And compare that with the cost of hiring a car a few times a year?

It is a close run thing. Including fuel but ignoring depreciation my 1000 miles costs me a bit less than £500 a year. I load it with garden rubbish to go to the tip (the only short trips) or I drive 150 miles to a ferry port where it gets left while I am off on a tour of up to a month. Neither activity is very practical with rentals.

no car. can't drive. tried to learn. hated it. (not to mention the expense)

gimme a bicycle and a country lane any day.

I do about 5K per year on the bike and about 1K per year in the car.
We have a car mainly for the kids (school runs, weekends away) and shopping for food and diy materials.

If we had the dosh, we'd buy an electric car - Renault Zoe is nice - because we rarely drive more than 20miles away and back. (shopping/utility/etc) Further distances - for me anyway - are often done by bike, or if the two of us we'll go by train.

This month, I will be driving up to Bedford to visit Daughter2 and husband. 500mile round trip - furthest I'll have driven in years. I'll be towing our 6ft trailer with stuff and also helping move their shed across the town from their last home to their present one.

Can't do the job by bike and Carry Freedom trailer as much as I'd like to.

Mick F wrote:If we had the dosh, we'd buy an electric car - Renault Zoe is nice - because we rarely drive more than 20miles away and back. (shopping/utility/etc)

I don't do many miles now and looked at Renault's online savings calculator and was shocked. It showed me a loss against a small petrol car fundamentally as I don't ever go to London and get hit by the congestion charge. Shame. I'm a sucker for new tech. I'm sure in time this will change. But until then I convince my self that long term ownership with low full life carbon footprint is the way to go.

Back on topic, since I retired I sold my car and just share the wife's. I guess I do a couple thousand a year. Mainly running grandchildren about on child minding days.

Cheers
Barry

tatanab wrote:

[XAP]Bob wrote:And compare that with the cost of hiring a car a few times a year?

It is a close run thing. Including fuel but ignoring depreciation my 1000 miles costs me a bit less than £500 a year. I load it with garden rubbish to go to the tip (the only short trips) or I drive 150 miles to a ferry port where it gets left while I am off on a tour of up to a month. Neither activity is very practical with rentals.

Does your council not take garden waste for you? Chopped down a couple of decent sized branches of a lilac yesterday - partly because today is green bin day, so we've filled our neighbour's bin on one side, topped up the other side and filled both of ours (I have a 75% size bin which can get round to the back of the house as well as the full sized one).
That will all be taken away and composted (except the logs and wood which we'll either put in the fire pit or distribute to parents with wood burners...)

150 miles sounds like a nice start to a month long tour But yes - that is always awkward...

or distribute to parents with wood burners...)

Now what would they be using to carry this wood?

One of my car's uses is bringing firewood home.