Stonehenge and its Environs 134
Image by tomatoman
Stonehenge and its Environs

A303 to go into a tunnel eventually?

Sanctuary S
Sanctuary Oct 1, 2013 11:09:21
Replying to Mustard

Mustard wrote:
thesweetcheat wrote:
Do you believe such things couldn't be readily achieved?

I think they are entirely within practical reach, prevented only by a lack of willingness on the part of most people, who will not be prepared to fund something they don't want to use themselves, as long as alternatives remain available (i.e. cars).

I think you answered your own question. Although I'd dispute the degree to which they're within practical reach anyway, since the whole of western society is now structured around private personal transport. Not even a properly funded public transport system (of which I'm a huge fan) could possibly plug that gap.
Public transport is geared up to take the public to the main centres for work and shopping. Many of the private companies are backed by the big supermarkets to deliver those in the countryside to their door and then back to the customers. Public transport I doubt would ever consider megalithic sites outside of the likes of SH or Avebury as essential to our daily life unless they were passing the place. We have to accept that our hobby is really a minority one and only our own transport is going to get us there whether it be by car, bike or shanks' pony.

M Mustard
Mustard Oct 1, 2013 11:35:57
Replying to Sanctuary

Sanctuary wrote:
Mustard wrote:
thesweetcheat wrote:
Do you believe such things couldn't be readily achieved?

I think they are entirely within practical reach, prevented only by a lack of willingness on the part of most people, who will not be prepared to fund something they don't want to use themselves, as long as alternatives remain available (i.e. cars).

I think you answered your own question. Although I'd dispute the degree to which they're within practical reach anyway, since the whole of western society is now structured around private personal transport. Not even a properly funded public transport system (of which I'm a huge fan) could possibly plug that gap.
Public transport is geared up to take the public to the main centres for work and shopping. Many of the private companies are backed by the big supermarkets to deliver those in the countryside to their door and then back to the customers. Public transport I doubt would ever consider megalithic sites outside of the likes of SH or Avebury as essential to our daily life unless they were passing the place. We have to accept that our hobby is really a minority one and only our own transport is going to get us there whether it be by car, bike or shanks' pony.
I wasn't referring to our hobby in that post. I was referring to the world of work and shopping. Public transport is fine for that if you live in a big city (although even there it only really functions if you lie on a route between hubs), but outside of that... not so possible. We'd need to roll back social changes from the last 50 years to make life without (or with reduced use of) the car viable. I can't travel between home and work on public transport, and I find it hard to envision how that could change. Buses can't possibly take in every place of residence in a semi-rural area - especially if trying to accommodate modern shift work. The reality for most people I know these days is that they live in one town or village and commute to wherever the work is.

T thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Oct 1, 2013 13:29:19
Replying to Sanctuary

Three small examples:

G/F and I will have walked Offa's Dyke Path - 177 miles through rural/semi-rural Wales/Marches (and hopefully will go on to complete the Wales Coast Path) by using public transport. I have climbed all but four of the South Wales mountains using public transport (and I have no doubt I would have found a way to the other four if a lift hadn't been offered - I'm not anti-car!). I've visited hundreds of remote sites using public transport.

I walk to the railway station (25 mins) from my house every morning and then catch a train to where I work. It's a total commute of 35 minutes that a car would do in 20-25, depending on traffic, so I'm aware its slower.

I do my shopping in the Co-op and greengrocers down the road, rather than an out-of-town supermarket.

Mustard is quite right that people as a species are resourceful, so why not turn that into trying to cut down on car use? As in my examples above, it's not an impossibility.

Just to clarify, I'm not opposed to cars at all. Nor do I expect to convert anyone to my way of life, it's my choice. I grew up in a rural community, so I do appreciate that it is very difficult to do without cars in such areas. But what I am opposed to is the hundreds of thousands of (mainly) urban journeys (out of town supermarkets, local shops, school) that could be made without such reliance on cars. Car-sharing could be used much more proactively, most cars have one person in them. Local bus routes, bike riding and walking can all play a bigger part. It would help this nation's chronic obesity/diabetes as well as the environment.

I think many people are acutely ignorant of the public transport available in their areas, because they've never needed to consider it. That's not a criticism, just an inevitable truth. There are brilliant websites detailing bus routes, timetables, etc, that can help you plan journeys using the public transport system.

But what all this does take is effort and planning. You might have to get up a bit earlier, you might have to shop more frequently rather than doing one enormo-shop. Even if you make one or two journeys less by car, it all adds up. These are not impossible things, honest!

© 2026 Head Heritage.

Unless otherwise stated, the copyright in each work is the property of the respective contributor. For usage or questions, contact [email protected].