Is everybody broke?

Doing school runs by car in urban areas is not good for children, it should be a last resort if you can avoid it all, walking is the best option if practical. It's quite common in Dublin to see dads on bikes with the young kids in trailers or on their own bike when they're big enough.

When setting up major things in your life, like choosing where to live, where to work, where to send kids to school etc. People shoild really think a bit harder about it.

Spending time in a supermarket is completely optional these days, some folks like it fair enough, they can choose to use a car, an electric cargo bike, or a trolley on public transport. The car is the most expensive option of the three by a large order of magnitude.

It's a depreciating asset even if you own it outright and don't have a loan. Repairs and replacement parts cost a fortune and that cost is skyrocketing. Fuel cost is only going one way long term. Car insurance in Ireland is pretty much an elaborate scam. There's no way a weekly taxi journey is more. You'd have to have a very reliable old car that sips deisel for that to be true, and how long will that last?

If you take a taxi fare of 30 a week that's only 1,500 a year, fueling a car costs more than that a year.

Public transport is useless about half of the time which is why a good bike is a must and using a foldable e scooter really enhances public transport, you can scoot the last km or two to reach a more direct route to where you're going. If you live in Dublin just getting an escooter will save you countless hours, even if you keep the car and leave it depreciating in your driveway 23hrs a day.

When setting up major things in your life, like choosing where to live, where to work, where to send kids to school etc. People shoild really think a bit harder about it. 

You're assuming people don't think hard about it? Specifically about where they choose live? People are forced out of living closer to the things they need because of the mortgage rules and lack of suitable housing which further pushes dependency on a car as the further out you get from the city the more public transport options fall off a cliff.

Those 2019 rural stats are interesting, I'd love to see something more update though, plenty of people I know escaped the rat-race during covid and moved to the wilds of Cork/Claire/Mayo and I assume they weren't isolated events either.

If I live close to where I work/socialise I would be spending twice the amount on comparable housing (for my needs) than I am right now even with a quite decent salary that's not tenable.

We're drifting further from the original premise of the thread mind, I'll just say this though. All people's view points here are a direct result of terrible planning from a governmental and local level for decades. There is no simple fix to this that won't also take decades to reverse and us bickering at each others choices certainly won't fix it either.

I think generally no, a lot of people, perhaps most people, tend to sleepwalk into their circumstances. Sitting down with pen and paper and reflecting on what is really important, what you're doing with your life/money, what you really want, what's the best way to get it etc. is something that many avoid to be honest. The result is often financial difficulty.

I've been there myself, letting life happen until you're just about keeping your head above water and blaming it on external circumstances. I have since found that taking a cold hard look at your own life/habits can really be beneficial but a lot of people are understandably scared to do that, it ain't easy, we're naturally affronted by honest criticism, especially self criticism.

But yes housing is an area where basically there are no choices unless you are a Rothschild. It has been an abject failure by governments all over the world, they simply failed to engage with the problem and let private interests take over without a care as to where it would lead, they sleepwalked us into a preventable crisis. It is an area in which as a people we have had our freedom taken away and have become effectively condemned to the parents box room until age 40.

We seen recently how recently Dublin City Council decided to offer one bed flats in Coolock for €308,000 as an 'affordable' housing solution, indicating that the ruling class have reached an almost Marie-Antoinette level of disconnect with the middle class. In the past most societies would have rolled out the guillotine by now, but maybe we're beyond that now. Either way, failing a radical and extensive reform of how we address housing, immigration, failing public services, taxation, the cost of living etc. we will be facing into another era of revolutions.

The thing is, you don't need to satisfy any bank around a car, you can drive a battered 20 yo motor. You are governed by the banks calculators in what type of house you can buy however. A lot of people are driven to purchase well outside the town limits by house prices within the town.

Nobody wants you to get rid of your car.

If you're only willing to walk/cycle with your kids for 5 to 10 minutes, you're setting them up for some serious health issues.

Where does the 60% come from?

Do you need three houses?

It suits you so great but it's setting the kids up with unhealthy habits for their future.

Personally I couldn't live without a car. I built my house 2 years ago and I commute to Dublin a couple of days a week on the train. Train station is approx 10 minute drive from my house. I have a 7 and a 6 year old and both play sports. Local village and club is 5 minute drive away. There are regular blitzes which could be 20 to 30 minutes drives away. The only people that can comfortably live without a car are either those that live in an urban area or those that don't have children.

That's the majority of the population excluded.

Of course you'd live. You could even do all those same things, 10 minutes drive is nothing, 20 and 30 mins could be difficult without the car but you'd just put a bit of planning behind it. If you don't want to fine, but you would certainly live if you gave up the car. You would be alive and well.

20 or 30 mins drive in the countryside can equate to 30km or so, parents aren't going to be saddling up with their kids for a 60km return cycle to take them to a match/training twice a week no matter how much "planning" is put in.

I agree most in urban areas could use their car a lot less and majority of families could get by with some planning with 1 car however I do think that you're coming across a bit preachy to those who do need a car. Fair enough you don't and it suits your circumstances with a bit of extra active travelling but not all are in your position.

I completely agree with you. Im in a similar situation to you. What people dont realise that outside of Dublin there is none or a very poor public transport system. We couldnt get to work without a car. Also if I had no car every Saturday to get 1 child to gaelic training I would have to bring all the kids along on their bikes as my husband is working. We would then have to all get on our bikes again to go to soccer 15KM in the opposite direction. We then have to cycle back again to go to music. I may then have to drop a child off at a playdate etc - it would be a complete nightmare. The weekly shop would be a complete disaster, days out at the beach etc couldnt happen. Even my friends who live in estates in large towns need cars as no public transport and activities, services, work etc are not nearby.

cgcsb - I think its great that you dont need a car but for most people its not a luxury, its a necessity.

I absolutely do not intend to be 'preechy' everyone can do as they like, just pointing out that a lot if car use is both unnecessary, expensive and at the end of the day bad for the children.

OK cool.