Short car journeys
.blitz
Posts: 6,197
The old bloke across the road from us is retired but every morning at 7:30 he starts his Focus and leaves it idling while it warms up. A few minutes later he comes back outside and scrapes the windows, drives off to the newsagents - I would say it's 700 metres tops - and then comes back. The car rarely moves again all day.
One of the mrs friends works at the local police station and drives there; up the street, wait ages to turn right onto a busy main road and then immediately left into the police station - maximum 400 metres.
Some people at work live less than half a mile away but they still drive here.
Now I'm not being judgmental or anything there may be perfectly good reasons for such short car journeys but I just find this behavior very strange.
Very strange :?
One of the mrs friends works at the local police station and drives there; up the street, wait ages to turn right onto a busy main road and then immediately left into the police station - maximum 400 metres.
Some people at work live less than half a mile away but they still drive here.
Now I'm not being judgmental or anything there may be perfectly good reasons for such short car journeys but I just find this behavior very strange.
Very strange :?
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My step brother is the same - the concept of walking seems lost on him. He drives to the local shops which are less than 400 yards away.0
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Think this is the reasoning behind why the world is full of fat bastards....
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Some peoples lazyness apalls me. How can you really not walk, or even cycle that far. Wow, 2 minutes of walking. So deadly.0
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But the alternative is walking throught Stafford
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A girl 4 doors up from what was home used to walk up the paper shop, 1/4 mile round trip till she got a scooter/moped type thing. That was all she used it for.
On a slightly different tangent I was coming out of a subway in Bristol, the underground tunnel, not the sandwich place, and was asked by a mother if I had £1 for the bus as her fat son beside her was scoffing a jumbo bag of crisps. I looked at the crisp scoffer and thought if she hadn't bought the crisps she'd have the bus fare.I've added a signature to prove it is still possible.0 -
.blitz wrote:The old bloke across the road from us is retired but every morning at 7:30 he starts his Focus and leaves it idling while it warms up. A few minutes later he comes back outside and scrapes the windows, drives off to the newsagents - I would say it's 700 metres tops - and then comes back. The car rarely moves again all day.
i can possibly see the logic behind this one. it strikes me as a habitual thing to do, especially when retired, it might be something to do with the masculinity of driving and the feeling left behind by no longer working.
most people, right or wrong as it may be, are defined by their trade or employment, no longer fulfilling this role in society leaves a big hole in a person who has possibly spent their whole life living for their work.
most people look forward to a well earned retirement but the reality of having nothing to get up for is actually quite a burden.
the process of getting up earlier than intended or necessary to go through the ritual of starting a machine to do even the most mundane journey is an extension of the no longer necessary commute perhaps?
it could be the fact that this person owns a car so is determined to drive the fucker
it most likely is that this person is an idle tw@ an dif so i want the taxes which are supplementing or providing his pension back0 -
sheepsteeth wrote:it most likely is that this person is an idle tw@ an dif so i want the taxes which are supplementing or providing his pension back
What about the money he has been paying into his pension all his life? or the tax he has been paying on his earnings all his life? or the tax he is paying on his pension?0 -
Andy wrote:sheepsteeth wrote:it most likely is that this person is an idle tw@ an dif so i want the taxes which are supplementing or providing his pension back
What about the money he has been paying into his pension all his life? or the tax he has been paying on his earnings all his life? or the tax he is paying on his pension?
i only want my money back if he is being lazy, i reckon thats pretty fair, i pay a lot of tax.0 -
.blitz wrote:The old bloke across the road from us is retired but every morning at 7:30 he starts his Focus and leaves it idling while it warms up. A few minutes later he comes back outside and scrapes the windows, drives off to the newsagents - I would say it's 700 metres tops - and then comes back. The car rarely moves again all day.
Also not enviromentally friendly is he.....Bill Oddie would have a fit..also the time it has taken to do this he could of got there and back on foot and could be enjoying the Sun on the bog whilst having a good dump...0 -
I got lazy when I had a car; after finding it tolerable to walk for hours when I couldn't drive, suddenly anything that took longer than 10 minutes to walk became a car trip.
Until I got a bike again, I was using buses, and frequently saw people who evidently were young and fit, with no young children in tow, but still got on the bus and paid full fare five minutes walk away from the city centre.
People take what they perceive to be the most straightforward, comfortable route to anything, but that doesn't mean they make rational decisions.0 -
.blitz wrote:The old bloke across the road from us is retired but every morning at 7:30 he starts his Focus and leaves it idling while it warms up. A few minutes later he comes back outside and scrapes the windows, drives off to the newsagents - I would say it's 700 metres tops - and then comes back. The car rarely moves again all day.
Can you let me know where he lives, could use some cash, the above seems an easy way of making some.0 -
sheepsteeth wrote:leaves a big hole in a person
I'll leave a big hole in your person if you're not careful.0 -
My Uncle used to drive 200yds to the chip shop, then drive back. He was a very fat bastard,. I think you are rightPudseyp wrote:Think this is the reasoning behind why the world is full of fat bastards....0 -
My Uncle used to drive 200yds to the chip shop, then drive back. He was a very fat bastard,. I think you are rightPudseyp wrote:Think this is the reasoning behind why the world is full of fat bastards....0 -
Dad is pretty bad, he'll drive to work/call for a lift and he works all of 350meters from the front door.
And seen a Neighbour up the road drive to the Spar and back, it's around 100meters away!!!
Ive always been told (by my bloody dad!) starting the car and driving very short distances is really bad for the engine as the oil never has chance to get around the engine properly.0 -
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Lazy? Well it is quite a long escalator.
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My knees and ankles are knackered so I for one can't walk any distance on hard surfaces without it hurting like hell. You never know if the old guy has a arthritis or a heart condition or any other health problem. But it does infuriae me when fit and health people are so lazy.-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
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Sort of.Briggo wrote:psymon wrote:
Ive always been told (by my bloody dad!) starting the car and driving very short distances is really bad for the engine as the oil never has chance to get around the engine properly.
Correct.
It doesn't get a chance to heat up, and lubricate everything as it was designed to do. It only takes a few seconds to pressurize though - which is why you shouldn't thrash your car as soon as you start.
Ideally, it should be fully warm before you drive it hard - gives all the metals a chance to expand at their different rates to fit properly, and stuff like the turbo a chance to heat up more slowly and evenly.
Same when you switch off - you should, ideally, spend the last mile or tow at an easy pace, then let the car idle for a minute or two (esp a turbo engine) before you turn off.
Course, LOADS of folks don't, but it's better for the engine
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It's just like the fatties that live down the road from me.
Morning routine is
Walk to the garage half way up what was their back garden.
Get in 4x4,Press button to open garage door, drive out, press button to close garage door
drive 400m to school, spend another 10 minutes trying to find somewhere to park, let kids out, drive home etc
I've even seen them do this with the fish and chip shop which is 400m in the other direction, but then go and park in the sailing club car park which is about 25m behind our house to eat, before driving back.
Unsurprisingly they are all obese and m&f are both now diabetic.Visit Clacton during the School holidays - it's like a never ending freak show.
Who are you calling inbred?0 -
There's plenty to do during retirement - clogging up the roads by driving really slowly during rush hour, going to the bank/post office/supermarket on Saturday morning/weekday lunchtimes and going on holiday during school term time etc.sheepsteeth wrote:most people look forward to a well earned retirement but the reality of having nothing to get up for is actually quite a burden.
And all those winter fuel payments to blow on bike parts muwhahaha0 -
.blitz wrote:
There's plenty to do during retirement - clogging up the roads by driving really slowly during rush hour, going to the bank/post office/supermarket on Saturday morning/weekday lunchtimes and going on holiday during school term time etc.sheepsteeth wrote:most people look forward to a well earned retirement but the reality of having nothing to get up for is actually quite a burden.
And all those winter fuel payments to blow on bike parts muwhahaha
Not to forget casual racism0 -
...and casual racism
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I think we might be forgetting locale....if you lived in Toxteth or Mosside then yes a trip in the car would be a safe bet !!!
Then again getting up in the morning and to find your car still there must be a rarity...
Pud....that was a stupid idea.0 -
.blitz wrote:
No offence Spongtastic but Bails that is pricelessbails87 wrote:"they're going out again Marjorie, write it in the book, 0705 hours, 7th December 2010..."
No offence taken Visit Clacton during the School holidays - it's like a never ending freak show.
Who are you calling inbred?0
