Has The Economic Downturn, Curbed Your Vehicle Usage?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/fuel-consumption-plummets-as-slump-drives-motorists-off-roads-8517464.html

Are you using your vehicle less for short journeys, and walking instead, or is it not making any different to you whatsoever?

[Baldric]

Not at all, very rarely used car for trips of less than a mile, unless it was tipping down, so very little change.

[FredPuli43]

No t locally. Living in the country, the car is needed to get almost anywhere conveniently.

But, over the years, I have taken to using the train a lot more than I did. That's because the train services have improved so much, such that I never drive Cambridge to London, Liverpool,or Birmingham now. And, in recent years, I have had a diesel. These are undoubtedly more fuel efficient than petrol cars. These two factors may well apply across the country.

[ludwig]

My vehicle usage is exactly the same. The thing I do now which I never used to is to seek out the cheapest fuel, ie the supermarkets.

[Iluvspikey]

hardly any difference, or if so I use it more

[mazie]

Yes, we sold my car when I retired. I walk to the local shop everyday for the papers etc. We also do a big shop every two weeks instead of weekly.

[Old_Geezer]

No. I make the journeys I feel I need to. It'd need a major squeeze before I cut them further.

[rockyracoon]

I do consider fuel usage now, a couple of years ago I thought nothing of jumping in the car and driving 25 miles to Lakeside to have a browse around the shops, now I only go when I have to as it'd cost about £7-8 in my car :(

I walk to Tesco if I'm not getting anything too heavy and try to walk at other times where practical, the next town along on the left is an easy 2 mile walk but the town the other way would be totally impractical, which is crap as there are lots of shops there.

[anotheoldgit]

mazie

/// Yes, we sold my car when I retired. I walk to the local shop everyday for the papers etc. We also do a big shop every two weeks instead of weekly. ///

Interesting that mazie, most pensioners only use their car for shopping.

How do you transport two weeks of shopping, without the use of a car?

[mazie]

Sorry, not very clear, the Old Man has a car AOG (he won't let me drive it though!)

[LazyGun]

I use the train more to commute into London from Hertfordshire - I probably travel on the same line as Fred :) - than I used to, simply because of the convenience rather than the fuel costs.

I am also using the car less for short journeys, but again that is not so much because of fuel costs as for fitness and health reasons.

The drop in fuel consumption is significantly large though- it does seem that many are feeling the pinch as a consequence of escalating fuel prices....

[magsmay]

We live in the country and yes -I am making fewer journeys -have brought our bigger deep-freeze back into commission and now stock up on frozen veg, bread,milk and meat rather than jump in the car and drive the 8 mile round trip to the store.

[pdq1]

Many commuters like Lazygun who travel into London can't afford seasonal train fares and have to find other means of getting there by cheaper means. This may involve using a motorbike or a mixture of car/tube or even coach travel. Having tried all three each have their benefits but certainly far cheaper than the train. Only yrsterday I see the taxpayer is paying towards the building of crossrail. So once again the ordinary taxpayer is paying for commuters like Lazygun and paying through the nose for car taxation he is forced to use.

[FredPuli43]

Internet shopping may account for some of the reduction. More people buy online today. Having the groceries etc delivered must save a lot of miles in fetching your own or in simply driving around to hunt for things

[Le Chat]

I am caught between a rock and a hard place as I wouldn't take my car to work as I live fairly close but I have to as a lettings manager. The annoying thing is we only get 30p per mile, which I don't think covers the cost of petrol, depreciation etc and I have to spend £35 a month parking. (Managed to get this price..it would normally be £130 per month but found out that one of the major stores has a carparking concession with this carpark firm.)

[keenonhist]

Sold my car about 2 years ago as I never used it now that I`m retired.We are lucky because our high street is close,so we do our shopping twice weekly.By walking up to the high st. helps to keep us fit.Apart from shopping we visit the bank and the surery where we pick up our life support pills.We also have our bus passes which helps a lot.
keenonhist