Unnecessary car use?

Question

If the average annual car mileage is 10,000 miles. How many of those miles would be for journeys that it are essential to made by car?.

That is, how many of the car miles could have been avoided by going by train or bus or walking and how many could have been avoided by simply not going there in the first place?

Perhaps we should go back to having pubs, schools, shops,synagogues, factories and offices all within walking distance.

Answer 1

paul, you made a great point.
using less fuel would make us less dependent on opec.
if all countries take your suggestion, the price of oil
would drop and that would help the entire world.
good for you, smart thinking.

Answer 2

It won't work. First of all you would have to determine what is within walking distance. and if that is for a school for instance how far would that be with a six year old. Next, how many small school buses will be needed to transport the handicapped. Just a small example. with the over all picture how much fuel would it take to relocate all the pubs, schools, shops, synagogues (churches), factories and offices.

Answer 3

But I don't want to live next to a factory. They are often loud and dirty. I don't want my kids living next to a pub either.

I like the circular plan--workspaces in the center, livingspaces on the next ring out, then openspaces surrounding that. The main roads go in and out like the spokes on a wheel.

Since lots of people will not consider public transportation, how about more practical vehicles? My car gets 40 MPG and it's nothing fancy, just a diesel VW. All my trips are essential since there is no public transportation here.

Answer 4

When I was at school, I cycled the 2 miles.
Now I am at Uni, I cycle or walk.
I walk to the shops, my friends, all clubs and societies I am in etc.
I use a car once a week, and three of us share the lift.
I do this because I am a student and it is cheap.

Quite honestly, public transport runs too slowly to be worth a flying monkey.