Car purples

If I had a car, the title of this piece would be "Car Blues". But I don't, so I have chosen a much more cheerful colour. I recently disposed of my car: its lengthy period of decline was followed by an acute attack of spilling its steering fluid all over the road in a most unseemly way. I decided that enough was enough, and had it towed away. At no cost to myself, I was pleased to find out.

I was worried to be losing my car, as I used it a lot. Against all environmental friendliness, I particularly appreciated being able to use it for short distances. It meant I could just jump in without consulting timetables or considering the weather, and after a relatively short time, be at my destination. I found it amusing that some parents were so right on that they kidded themselves that it was just as easy to get around with kids on public transport as in a car.

But I did not find it a difficult transition, actually. My journeys may now involve a bit more planning, but I still arrive at my destination in a reasonable time, on the whole. And I already had an Oyster card, so it isn't costing any extra for as many local journeys as I want.

After a few months of car-free living, somebody asked me if I was missing my car. "Not at all," I answered, "I am much less stressed without it." They wondered what was stressful about a car, and we were both surprised by the length of the list of things that I came up with. I will attempt to reproduce it here.

Money. Cars cost a lot

• for maintenance - especially as they get older
• for fuel
• for Tax
• for insurance
• for parking permit

Parking - it is getting hard to park legally anywhere in London nowadays. You tend to spend a lot of time peering out of friend's windows to make sure there are no wardens around.

Safety - especially with an older car, you get worried every time you hear a new noise on the car. And in the end one of the noises is sure to be the terminal one!

Security - I had my car broken into once - all for a few pound coins I had left out. After that, every time I heard a noise on the street, I assumed the worst.

Road Rage - mine and others'. Traffic in the UK is generally diabolical. London can be a particularly frustrating place. Why does everyone travel at the same time? Oh, no, it's that busy all the time.

You can't really do much else when you're driving, and it requires some concentration. In contrast, on public transport the control is out of your hands, you can sit back (if you can get a seat..) and read or look around.


There might have been others, I was on a bit of a roll. But that will suffice. And I haven't had too many problems with trains and tubes, either... I recommend taking the plunge.