Young couples are getting trapped in their cars

Frustratingly self

Frustratingly self-perpetuating situation.  The more people who find themselves living in places like this, the stronger will be the electoral lobby against any increases on fuel duty or measures to curb traffic pollution and the more people you’ll get seeing the world, politicially-speaking, through a car windscreen.

Might even produce an increasing number of older people with health problems that make active travel difficult.  A death-spiral of inadaquate regulation.

Hannah spends 20mins driving
Hannah spends 20mins driving 1.5miles to work and Peter can’t cycle as there are too many cars, so he drives.

Depressing.

These big developers need to be forced to do more to provide adequate active travel options. Not going to be much of a community with everyone isolated in their cars and the pavements deserted.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45970349

Here in the U.S., we just

Here in the U.S., we just call places like this “suburbs” 

I’m impressed you actually have an article in your media that’s complaining about this type of housing conifguration.  The whole “car dependence” thing is pretty much a given for most people over here that they prefer living a bit “out of the way.”  A home without at least a 2-car garage attached and a driveway in front that can handle 3-4 more vehicles is considered somewhat minimalist.  Even if they have a shop or restaurant somewhat close most would still hop in their huge SUV’s to avoid walking very far.

But then they complain about their commute time and blame it on the people trying to add better cycling infrastructure 

alansmurphy wrote:

I’d anticipate the ‘young couples’ is part of the problem.

 

Didn’t grow up playing outside, want their little brick box the same as next doors with their catalogue minimalist crap inside, always driven to their job as they were driven to school.

 

I’d never live in one of these hell holes but guess what, I ride past my butcher, farm shop, the supermarket and all these people as they leave their shit estates to get to their shit jobs in a longer time than it takes me. As i get fitter, economic value et al the only opportunity they get to redress the balance is to close pass me and then tell me its my fault due to ‘the road’, ‘the sun’ or my ‘invisible black top’…

I’m not sure you know many young people…

I’m in my early twenties and I cycle to work every day. My colleagues at work (same age as me) walk to work and a few of them don’t even own cars, but that’s because there isn’t a massive housing issue in our local area.

My friends in Bristol aren’t in such an ideal position, they can’t get houses anywhere near their jobs, unfortunately – quite a few people living in Keynsham/Yate and commuting to Bristol for work.

Unsurprisingly, I and my friends don’t really want to drive because it costs a lot and we don’t want to spend ages sat in traffic – some people don’t have the choice – because house prices are so high.

If they can get out of their

If they can get out of their housing estate in a car, they can get out of it on a bike.

StoopidUserName wrote:

mbrads72 wrote:

“It’s come about because planners allowed edge-of-town housing estates where car travel is the only option.“

I’ll buy that if literally the only roads in and out are motorways (although buses can run on those). Otherwise it’s BS.

Happy to let your 8 year old ride on those roads then? Or your 80 year old mother/grandmother? If not, it’s not bs. 

If there is a road (whether suitable for cycling or not) it doesn’t mean you must only use it in a car, or only travel to your destination using that road. Therefore, car travel is not the only option.

It also doesn’t mean the only option other than cars is bikes. Making car travel the only option is lazy thinking. For many people their car is the only option because it’s the only option they’re prepared to consider. It’s very rare that there is literally no other option.