Over a month has passed since I took the decision to sell my car and not replace it. And although I have once or twice since going car free felt either frustrated or annoyed, all the apprehension I felt in the couple of weeks before taking the final step amounted to nothing. It has just fizzled away.
I write this as I sit on a 7:46 am train from Wilmslow to Shrewsbury on a journey to Telford. As I just sit here I’m appreciating a bronzed morning sun making it’s sleepy ascent above the Peak district.
This is after a 7am start from my home in south Manchester, where upon I cycled along the Wilmslow Road towards Cheadle under a beautiful red sky, spliced neatly into sections with vapour trails tinged redder still by a sun still lurking just beneath the horizon, accentuating the soft mist rising up off the moors.
In making this journey by car I would have not noticed or been able to fully appreciate either of these spectacular views. Of course it was still cold enough to chill my ears (the buff being a great invention but of no use left at home) and yet of course the going is not always as good at this. The wind, rain, even snow and ice are at times challenges to even the most hardened of cyclists. That said, with a little thought and practical knowledge these difficulties are easily dealt with.
And weather aside, although I think my impression of a snow man riding a snow bike the other weekend is worth a mention, the month has not been without it’s trials.
Most notably, somewhere between the day I sold my car (coincidentally coinciding with the completion of my 27th orbit around the sun upon the vehicle we designate earth) and the day after, my utility/pub bike was taken from the locked back garden of the house at which I was staying. For me this was a harsh lesson in not being complacent. Now when I stay there my bike is afforded room in the shed. And the void left by that bikes disappearance has been replaced by two bikes, which between them cover a wider range of purposes.
The next trial involved transporting myself from Manchester to Telford, picking up my two children and taking them to Birmingham Sea Life Centre, all by public transport and human power, all in the same day. This involved ten miles of cycling, six trains, two buses and a couple of miles of walking.
The journey presented three main difficulties and two huge benefits. The biggest difficulty for me was the length of the day. A close second was the lack of accessible baby changing facilities at Birmingham New Street station. There were some provided in the ladies toilets. Not much use to me, I’m afraid. We were pointed in the direction of alternative facilities which required an attendant to be in attendance. Only, I couldn’t find an attendant. So we ended up making our way onto the 1st floor of the Bullring centre. Third and finally, our journey on the train from Telford to Birmingham New Street was uncomfortable because the train was so busy and no remaining suitable space remained available for the double push chair.
These problems were offset by the fact that the journey was far more interesting for the children because, instead of just having to sit quietly in the back of the car while Daddy drove, I was able to play games with them and sing nursery rhymes to them (much more interactively). The journey became part of the day out rather than just a means to an end.
And the other big advantage? The journey had the least possible environmental impact and made a great example to both my boys. Undoubtedly I regard this trial success.
The final trial this month started with a 3 am phone call from the mum of my children. She had sickness and diarrhoea which meant that I need to get from Manchester to Telford before my boys started their day. I checked the train times and saw the first service of the morning from Wilmslow (it’s cheaper to catch a train from just outside of Manchester) would mean arriving at my destination (including bike time) before 7.30 am. Perfect! Well, almost.
I didn’t have a cycle reservation and neither would I be able to get one at that time in the morning. And the first train of the day was to Crewe, operated by Virgin and bound for London Euston. Always a problem to get a bike on those trains at short notice. I had a growing suspicion in my head that this was going to be a problematic journey. Normally, I’d go via Shrewsbury using Arriva Trains. Although they do have a cycle reservation policy their staff, in my experience, are not too strict on enforcing it.
I set out from home towards Wilmslow train station in plenty of time, hoping that I would be able to plead my case and get my bike onto that London-bound Pendalino service. Whilst I was waiting on the platform close to where the rear of my train would stop with about ten minutes to go, a member of the station staff emerged onto the opposite platform.
He walked down that plat form towards the corresponding position opposite where I was standing. As he steps faltered, I felt my temperature rise slightly with a vague notion about what was going to happen next.
As soon as the bald man started to speak in his thick north-western accent my suspicions were confirmed. This was going to be a difficult conversation.
“Do you have a reservation for that cycle?” he asked.
“No, sorry”
“Then you are not taking your bike on that train”
“I’m sorry I’ve got to. Unfortunately I didn’t know I needed to travel before now, otherwise I should have the reservation…” I started to protest.
I went on to give details of my predicament hoping it would soften the northern man’s demeanour somehow and encourage him to turn a blind eye but it seemed to have the opposite effect. He said I would delay the train and he was not allowed to let that happen.
All this of course begged the question, what would be different if I had the reservation? Would the train operator tweak the trains arrival time so it arrived a couple of minutes early? Would they lay on an extra member of staff to open the door at the back of the train and put my bike on board in super quick time? I think the answer is no to both of those questions.
I volunteered that I would not delay the train as I would carry the bike down the rear most carriage -the bike was light enough for me to do this safely - and it would save anyone walking down to the back of the train to let me on board. I saw the train approaching the station and told the guard calmly and succinctly that unless he was going to come and physically stop me, I was going to take my bike on that train. I couldn’t hear his reply as the engines from the train pulling into the station drowned out his now feeble sounding voice, quite a fitting end to that conversation.
I was on board momentarily after the doors on the train were unlocked and I almost ‘glided’ down the rearmost carriage to the bicycle store at the back of the train. The bike was secured before the train showed any signs of moving and I then decided that would be a good point to go and find the train manager, thinking an unsolicited apology would sound better than a forced one later on. Especially as I had still to buy a ticket in any case.
I had only walked the length of two coaches when I found the train manager heading in my direction and before I could start my mouth moving he asked whether I had brought a bicycle onto the train. Before he could go on and berate me (the tone of his voice fully gave away that intention) I interrupted with an apology and then an explanation. Which thankfully warmed him up a bit. Now instead of being treated like an evil enemy, I was getting told off like a naughty school boy. Phew!
It was with more than a little relief that the remainder of the journey went smoothly. And that proved to me, even in a bit of a fix, living without a car is manageable. I was ready to resort to hiring a taxi or cycling to the airport to hire a car (and I fully appreciate not many have that option!).
I’m sorry to admit that I will still be hiring cars from time to time, thus keeping up my petrol sniffing habit, however I will relish the day when people are more forward thinking and public transport is good enough to render car dependency a vague and distant historic notion.
I will celebrate modern times when the thought of private car ownership is generally considered absurd. The alternatives should no longer be considered alternatives. They should be the norm.
Hopefully as more people choose to shun the car, we are already moving closer to those times which should mean being car free can only get better!
