In reply to Jamie Wakeham:
> I am in no way saying that public transport is not much better than driving - but purely in terms of CO2 then no, it's not a different league. And of course we are slowly getting hybrid buses which emit less CO2/km.
Using public transport is all very well - if there actually is any.
I start work at 8.30 a.m., and finish at 5.00 p.m. - I live 8.5 miles from work.
I have tried riding a bicycle there and back, but at 65 I am not physically capable of commuting said distance any more, as it's not exactly flat. Plus the bypass is plain dangerous for cyclists and I want to live to collect my pension.
If I took the bus then I would have to walk for a mile and a half to get the only bus that does the job, and then walk a further mile and a half at the other end. So walking 3 out of the 8.5 miles. Plus I would need to leave home at around 7.00 a.m. to get to work on time, and not return home until about 7.00 p.m. - commuting time of 3.5 hours for a round trip of 17 miles. Strangely I want a life so this is NOT an option. I could use the train, but this would involve the same walking, and both an even earlier start and later return - possibly an hour more at each end, but I haven't confirmed it as the timetable I last saw was just plain stupid.
Instead I ride a (small) motorcycle, and take between 20 and 25 minutes each way. I keep my second hand diesel car for long trips, or where a load is to be carried; it does less than 4,000 miles a year, mostly in trips of at least 30 miles each way, usually a lot more.
This is the way of the world for a very large number of people, who don't have a driveway on which to charge an EV, and don't have the money to fund a new (or nearly new) car anyway. But they do have to have their own transport as public transport in this country is certainly not designed for the benefit of (possible) customers, whether that is with regard to routes or times.