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Date: 2021-03-18 12:43 pm (UTC)When I'm exhausted and frazzled, my car is wonderful. It's *my space* so even when I'm an hour away from home, I am in a familiar space, it has the right temperature and amount of air, I don't need to interact with people, I have everything I need (including no need to watch for the safety of my possessions, which means less 'pickpockets' than 'I forget them') Especially when it's cold and dark (and raining), public transport takes a mental toll, so the extra option of doing certain journeys by car is very welcome. I don't hear many people talk about mental illness when they talk about cars.
My Mum's experience:
My Mum had several physical disabilities, meaning she struggled to walk longer distances, and struggled a lot to carry things; she was also frequently uncomfortable with bumpy rides, and definitely needed a guaranteed seat on public transport as she could not stand safely (when you can't hold on, you need to be _very_ able to balance).
You see where this is going. For her, having a car meant a vast improvement in her quality of life, long before she got her blue badge, from 'getting close to where she needs to be' to 'being able to leave shopping in the car'.
For me, good public transport (and safer cycling options) go a long way to wean me off frequent car use; I think ultimately, living where I do right now, I'd be happy to have a zip car in the immediate neighbourhood so I COULD drive if I needed to without the expense of a car, but I'd still want to have access to cars. (My actual circumstances are more complicated; I am VERY glad to have a car, especially in times of Covid.)
My Mum, due to _her_ circumstances, would not have been able to live her life independently without a car. She would have needed people to take her places (or pay for taxis), and more help in carrying things up to her flat.
I think we need to do *a lot* more to make it cheap and easy for people to walk/bike/take public transport, both in built-up and rural areas; we need to normalise accessible architecture/town planning; we need to enable people to cycle without risking their lives... and we need to acknowledge that sometimes, cars *are* a good solution for individuals/specific circumstances.