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No car.

(14 posts)
  • Started 11 years ago by DaveC
  • Latest reply from Instography

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  1. DaveC
    Member

    Well on a Boxing day trip to Leeds I holed by car's sump in the services. I mixture of an incontinent child, a speed hump and the dark rainy conditions. So we're now carless and if the repair costs are high enough we might be carless for the foreseable future. I was planning on not replacing the car having got used to travelling to work on a mixture of cycle and public transport. We use the car for more than we need to as its easier with two small boys but I'm now quiet relishing the challenge of doing everything without a car. I was planning on not renewing our car when the next big service/mot/other bill arrived but didn't expect it to be quite so soon.

    Anyway, we'll see what happens when the insurance have assessed the damaged sump at the local garage. I have made local trips by bike for the last couple of years and did a small shop using new paniers (used to walk with my 70ltr rucksac). I had a childs cycle trailer which I lent to someone on here which I could convert into something like the one Dave uses when they no longer need it but in the meantime we have deliveries by supermarkets and a good local bus service & train service.

    I'm hoping we will also save money as running a car and fueling it these days is quite costly.

    Dave C

    Posted 11 years ago #

  2. Uberuce
    Member

    If some insane scientist combined SRD and Dave's DNA into a chimaera of no-car familial cycling, that is probably the authority to end all others.

    In the meantime, ask SRD and Dave, and their responses will probably do.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  3. Smudge
    Member

    and if/when you would like the generously lent trailer back just let me know and it shall re-appear!

    Posted 11 years ago #

  4. crowriver
    Member

    @DaveC, you're in Fife, Dalgety Bay or thereabouts? Location may influence how you do the car-free thing. IIRC there's a big supermarket near the station, at the top of the hill, and most of the houses are downhill from there: handy when cycling with a full load of shopping, but braking becomes a critical issue!

    A trailer is good as it keeps the load low, but even if it's really big will not carry as much as a car boot. So (in my experience) the institution of the 'monthly shop' is not as feasible, it becomes fortnightly, weekly, or more frequent.

    The logistics for family trips out become more interesting, you have a train station nearby so easy enough for many things. I don't know what age your kids are, or if they're cycling by themselves yet. Anyway I have found that a tandem is really handy for shorter journeys with my son (he's 7). If you are planning on being car free for any length of time, maybe something to consider? Also Thorn make triplet tandems that can take two kids on the back..

    Anyway good luck with it and let us know how you get on!

    Posted 11 years ago #

  5. SRD
    Moderator

    Good luck Dave. When you said on FB you were looking at cars i had to restrain myself from saying 'go car free' ! (easy for us here in central edin, rather more of a challenge for you!).

    But good for you! We don't use the trailer a lot but it is very handy when we need it. We can get to sainsbury's , asda and lidl mostly off-road which is handy. We've been doing e occassional online shop too, to save time/logistics rather than weight.

    I have an incentive in that my kids get car sick easily, and they like going on the bike, so they're never an issue. Just make sure they have full rain gear and buffs, and good mittens. And invest in a lock that makes it easy to lock multiple bikes together.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  6. DaveC
    Member

    Cheers for the comments,

    Smudge, when you are ready to return the trailer you can, until then we have no imediate need for it, and indeed I don't see that need arrising for a few years to come. Realistically I expect your young un to be ~3 before they outgrow it. Keep it, as once its returned we'll be butchering it.

    SRD & crowriver, Cheers and yes you are right we are very well served with busses and trains. We used to live up the Letham hill but now live on the (air) plain (runway), so its flat from our house at one end of the old runway to Asda at the other end. Its also off road from our house to Asda, but Josie prefers the larger 24 hour Tesco in Dulloch. There is a big hill in the way and I am fine climbing it but she, is not.

    Yet to hear from the garage (car still yet to arrive there!! as week after it was taken away by Greenflag) so time will tell. We have a hire car through insurance and as I've paid for it we're using it, (max 2 weeks).

    We all have good coats, gloves, mittens and buffs. Josie needs a new waterproof but when I pointed her at Goretex she prefered fashionable longcoats... :<( I may have to buy one with9out her knowledge - any recomendations ladies? budget not problem as if the car needs replacing, a pricey Goretex will be a 20th of what we are looking to spend.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  7. lionfish
    Member

    "the institution of the 'monthly shop' is not as feasible, it becomes fortnightly, weekly, or more frequent."

    We've now been online shopping regularly for over a year - in general it's restricted to all the big/heavy things (toilet roll, cans, juice, frozen stuff, etc...) - really boring stuff anyway. It's handy that the shop saves your previous order. Means the hour or two spent in the supermarket ends up taking half an hour on the sofa. The veg we get from minimoth's work (Edinburgh Community Food, [plug: a non-profit organisation to support Edinburgh's health! Free delivery on orders over a fiver or something...]), the meat from a friend's business (Whitmuir) and the odds-and-ends are mostly achieved by popping into shops on the commute home, or an occasional trip to a supermarket to buy more interesting things (beyond the basics on the online order). The free delivery and the yummy frozen croissants (recommend!) meant we switched to Waitrose and Tescos squashed our online order with them.

    Regarding children+bikes I've no experience or ideas... but SRD et al will be able to help loads! Just trying to think of other car-free-related useful ideas... Make sure you check open cycle map when you go places - often surprising what paths exist. I've not tried out the city car club, but it might be useful - depends what logistical challenge you have. Also we do occasionally hire cars for a few days (Arnold Clark seems to be cheapest, but I guess there's probably reasons for that..!), and occasionally take taxis - these barely make a dent in all the money you've saved from not having the car.

    Anyway, think that's all my thoughts...

    Good luck with it! I'm really glad we got rid of the fiesta - we've saved sooo much money! The problem is hiding the glee when someone tells you how much they are spending on a new steering column/suspension/tyres/etc...

    Have a good new year!

    Let us (CCE) know if you need anything - I've had so much help over the years from CCE I need to repay it :)

    Posted 11 years ago #

  8. SRD
    Moderator

    "The problem is hiding the glee when someone tells you how much they are spending on a new steering column/suspension/tyres/etc.."

    I try really hard not to sound smug or say stupid things (like 'you should try a bike') when I head out the door and the neighbours are desperately trying to push wailing kids into car seats, but I don't always manage...

    Posted 11 years ago #

  9. recombodna
    Member

    On the flip side. I've learned so much about how a vehicle works and can now fix most things that go wrong with a mk5 transit2.5 normally aspirated engine. My bodywork and chasis welding skilz are top notch. No matter how into cycling I am I'm not about to cycle my drumkit and amps to dundee and back...... I do However use the van a lot less for smaller jobs and in town gigs now I have the bakfiets. I do think most people tjat live in the city could easily Do without a car.......

    Posted 11 years ago #

  10. kaputnik
    Moderator

    @recombodna I think you are fortunate to own a vehicle from the good-old-days when you could do a lot of your own repairs and tinkering.

    Not that I know much about it, but for some reason I've this impression that due to the numbers of black boxes and non-user-servicable components in many modern vehicles, it's often not possible to do much for yourself - and even a garage can struggle.

    I suppose it's the same as bottom brackets that come with non-user-servicable bearings.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  11. Darkerside
    Member

    I feel somewhat daft being the one suggesting options for fashionable female waterproofs given I am a) male and b) have all the style of a single faded tartan slipper.

    However, 'Georgia in Dublin' stuff gets consistently good reviews on road.cc and certainly looks different.

    http://road.cc/content/review/56476-georgia-dublin-hustle-and-bustle-jacket

    Posted 11 years ago #

  12. Tulyar
    Member

    Welcome to the car-lite world. Many have already contributed suggestions, but I'll add a couple of others and reinforce the ones already made.

    1)Consider joining the Car Club - 24/7 access to over 100 cars/vans in Edinburgh AND in Glasgow AND anywhere else where City Car Club has cars. Use for short hires to make special trips deliveries - from c.£5/hour including fuel

    2)Check out hire deals - Enterprise do some good prices, especially for Friday to Monday weekends. Practically new cars of the size you need and if it breaks down its someone else's problem many locations now open 7 days. Arnold Clark also good, and open later hours. If you become a regular customer you will occasionally get offered an upgrade to a higher grade of car, as they get to know you.

    3)Use taxis. Have you not noticed how in the schemes, where car ownership is very low, people do their weekly big shop and then get a taxi home. One accountant actually ditched his car and got a taxi to & from work because it was cheaper than keeping his car on the road and replacing it every 2 years. I've shipped 60 sq m of laminate flooring from the shop to a flat in a taxi, also used for stuff from IKEA, and bulk loads of paint.

    4)Consider a Ridacard £612/year per adult - but cheaper than running a car.

    Certainly shop online and get delivery - both supermarkets and Screwfix/Toolstation for hardware. Remember that for people whose time is REALLY valuable it should not be wasted driving to shops, so they have everything delivered.

    Typically getting out of car ownership should boost your disposable income resources by £2000-£3000/year, if not more. Do the sums before, or even during and enjoy that smug satisfaction of being rid of the expensive drain on household resources that is car ownership.

    NB I haven't owned a car full time since 1976, and when I did inherit my dads' old car I used it for 6 months, clearing out the house etc, but by then was so relieved to get rid of the thing.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  13. Tulyar
    Member

    How big are the kids? Can they ride their own bikes?

    Depending on your sums could you consider a pair of Cerce's riding options include 2 x childback tandems 2 x load carriers with children on 1 platform (seat and footrests) and cargo on other bike.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  14. Instography
    Member

    Just buy a car and stop being such a Yorkshireman.

    Posted 11 years ago #

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