[THR]

I'd like to ask people who live outside towns whether they could imagine living without private cars. I have experience of the English countryside in Cambridgeshire where my mother´s and my late stepfather´s second home is. The place is so isolated that it would be impossible to live there without a car of your own or being dependant on the goodwill of your neighboroughs to give you a ride. The rural Cambridgeshire is certainly not the worst in this respect.

Most people who live in cities wouldn't need a car but too many choose to have one. In the rural areas life would be, if not impossible, at least very difficult without a car. On the other hand, people have lived in the English countryside long before cars and have managed well. Everything is relative.

[0.0.7]

Not impossible, just very difficult.

[Midiboy]

My mum lives in a small village and doesn't have a car. She's 80 next year and uses public transport every day of which there are 2 buses an hour that go to the nearest major town. So it's not impossible to live rurally without a car; it just takes a bit more planning to do anything.

[THR]

Originally Posted by Midiboy

My mum lives in a small village and doesn't have a car. She's 80 next year and uses public transport every day of which there are 2 buses an hour that go to the nearest major town. So it's not impossible to live rurally without a car; it just takes a bit more planning to do anything.

With all respect, your mum can't be living in a very isolated area if there are two buses an hour.

[Midiboy]

It's a small village en route from Glasgow to Stirling so there are bus links (during weekdays) but she's still about 10 miles from major shopping areas. Ok it's not isolated but it's still rural.

[zookeeper]

I dont have a car and live in a rural area. There is public transport but its expensive, stops at 6pm and usually very crowded!

But saying that my parents have a car and friends etc so I dont use public transport for anything other than to get to and from work. If I had a car i would probably still use the bus!!

[TommyGavin76]

It's impossible if you have a job yes. Although the Government seem intent on convincing us otherwise.

[jojo the joyful]

Our family village (not where I live now) has a regular bus service. 10.30 Tuesdays & Fridays

(there is also a school bus at 8.30 )

I don't think it is impossible to live with out a car but I do think it is essential for alternative modes of affordable transport to be available esp for the elderly etc.

[Paul Tennis]

It's a bit of a pain, coming out of London, where I had buses at beck-and-call, they're now every half-an-hour, as are trains.

[melly123]

I live on an island and its kinda rural but has good transport systems so I have never bothered with driving.

[Carmen Queasy]

I would hate to live in a rural location and have to use public transport. I get annoyed at 2 buses per hour after 7pm here, so I'd hate less than that.

Loads of villages around where I live stop getting serviced after 5pm-ish!

[sugaryxsweet]

Originally Posted by Carmen Queasy

I would hate to live in a rural location and have to use public transport. I get annoyed at 2 buses per hour after 7pm here, so I'd hate less than that.

Loads of villages around where I live stop getting serviced after 5pm-ish!

Where i live the bus comes every hour. It used to be every 2 hours lol

[Magic Cottage]

Rural areas! Buses twice an hour. That's not rural. Here we have one bus per hour, starting at 9.20 and finishing at 6pm. No Sundays or bank holidays. No trains. This is why my daughter is finding it so difficult to find work. How can you say to a prospective employer that you can't get in till 10 and then have to leave at 5.30.

Yes a car is essential but of course you can't get and run a car until you have work.

I have a car but I can't run her around because I would be bound to have to work at different times to her.

[flicker]

Where I used to live (which is only 10 miles away from where I am now) the only buses are the school bus in term time, which you can get to the nearest "town" You have to get it at 8 am, and you can't come back until 4.15pm. I put town in inverted commas because it has two smallish supermarkets - Co-op and Somerfield, plus about 20 other local shops. This is 6 miles away. The nearest village with just normal villagey shops (Spar, Chemist, Bakers, Butchers, Hardware) is 5 miles away. 6 years ago it cost £5.50 each way for a taxi to the town. So without a car, it was impossible.

[sirpipe]

We used to have one bus a week, but that has been replaced by a taxi once a week. So much for public transport.

[amysmum]

My life is impossible when my 21 year old daughter, who cannot drive, comes home to our village. Cue taxi serivce.............

[Top Dog]

While "impossible" may be too strong a word, it would make life difficult & pretty damn miserable.

On the other hand, I say there's almost no justification whatsover for having a car in London.

[Night_Market]

Originally Posted by amysmum

My life is impossible when my 21 year old daughter, who cannot drive, comes home to our village. Cue taxi serivce.............

Not necessarily .

[Steve™]

Originally Posted by THR

I'd like to ask people who live outside towns whether they could imagine living without private cars. I have experience of the English countryside in Cambridgeshire where my mother´s and my late stepfather´s second home is. The place is so isolated that it would be impossible to live there without a car of your own or being dependant on the goodwill of your neighboroughs to give you a ride. The rural Cambridgeshire is certainly not the worst in this respect.

Most people who live in cities wouldn't need a car but too many choose to have one. In the rural areas life would be, if not impossible, at least very difficult without a car. On the other hand, people have lived in the English countryside long before cars and have managed well. Everything is relative.

Yes bloody impossible. Putting aside my self employed status and need for a car for that reason, I cant imagine anything worse than living in a remote place with no means of transport. I like food shopping and driving to see friends and without a car its impossible.

Guess its a bit like an open prison, that feeling of being free but at the same time a prisoner of your circumstances.

[blueblade]

I would imagine it is very difficult, time consuming and inconvenient without a car.

I wonder if the likes of Tesco, ASDA an Sainsbury's do on line orders to isolated areas. Can you even get an internet connection in some of them ?

[Carmen Queasy]

Originally Posted by blueblade

I would imagine it is very difficult, time consuming and inconvenient without a car.

I wonder if the likes of Tesco, ASDA an Sainsbury's do on line orders to isolated areas. Can you even get an internet connection in some of them ?

That's another problem with rural areas. Telecommunications are pretty poor in most parts. You'll get poor internet access and if you want multi-channel TV then you're usually restricted to satellite.

I guess the countryside aspect of living in a rural area outweighs things like this for most people, though.

[Magic Cottage]

Originally Posted by blueblade

I would imagine it is very difficult, time consuming and inconvenient without a car.

I wonder if the likes of Tesco, ASDA an Sainsbury's do on line orders to isolated areas. Can you even get an internet connection in some of them ?

Yes, we are not quite that primitive. I'm on 8mb broadband, actually achieving about 6.8mb and yes, ASDA and Tesco do deliver!

[krytas]

Where I live is rural here in Oz. In my little village the only buses are for the school kids morning and afternoon. You either walk or drive. 10 mins drive away is a slightly bigger town, no bus or train service there either. You need a car or rely on taxis or your feet.
Having said that, the nearest place with any form of public transport is about an hours drive away.
But I am happy to say that between the two local towns, we can get everything we need and don't have to go into the big town very often.

I LOVE where I live!!!!!!!!

[amysmum]

Originally Posted by Night_Market

Not necessarily .

NIce one. I'll buy her one for Christmas!!

[Sigurd]

It's harder than it used to be to survive in a rural area without a car. It used to be that vans would come round many rural areas to sell groceries, paraffin, bakeries, butcher's meat, fish and so on. In the village where I now live there's still a fish van, but that's it.

It used to be, too, that in the past villages had a much wider range of shops and tradespeople, whereas now a village may just have just one or two shops (or none at all!) that probably carry just a limited range of goods at high prices. Of course, it's a vicious circle: because more people have cars nowadays they tend to head off to the towns to do their shopping. As a consequence, the village shops lose trade, and so they carry less stock and increase their prices — and so more people go to shop in towns, and the village shops lose trade, and so on. It often tends to be that the only people who patronise the village shops are those who are forced to do so because they don't have cars, and that tends to be the old and the poor — who won't have much to spend anyway.

My village has buses about every hour and so I guess I could manage by public transport, but head out into the country and there are many roads that never see public transport at all. Many rural areas are served only by school buses, and during the school holidays the buses are off the road.

No, I'd hate to live in the country without a car. Of course it can be done, but it's isn't easy.