Published on 12, July, 2020
How do you get about and are you happy with your mode of transport?
I used my legs, pushbike, moped, buses and trains until 17 years ago when I got my 1st car.
Now my car has died and I don't anticipate being able to drive again, for various reasons.
I'm wanting to make the best of this - far less expense and what I find the unpleasant experience of driving and grappling with other aggressive drivers.
I might get fitter.
I do have a couple of people who would be willing to give me lifts when necessary.
Any upsides anyone can see to me being car free, but also, what about you?
ps. I no longer work, so that's a huge advantage when not having your own transport.
Sorry to hear you are facing this change. We autists can find adjusting to change difficult and I hope you are able to find solutions that work for you.
I have a car and I do like the freedom it brings but I find I am using it very infrequently these days. Maybe once or twice a month for shopping plus day trips / holidays a few times a year. Even when I do go for a day out or on holiday I prefer to leave the car parked up and walk everywhere when I get there.
It is becoming harder to justify the huge expense of having a lump of metal parked outside, unused and slowly rusting. Like me it is aging and getting it through the annual MOT is a source of great stress. In the not too distant future there is going to be a point where it is not worth repairing. I'm not sure what I'll do then. Where I live public transport is poor with only a handful of buses each day. If I were to give up driving I suspect I would become even more isolated at home.
Cycling is not an option for me due to balance problems. I do like walking but my nearest supermarket is around 8 miles away, so that's a bit far to walk. I also quite like travelling by train but my nearest station is around 20 miles away, so I still need a car to get there.
I am looking forward to a future where driverless cars are available on demand and car ownership becomes a thing of the past. I could order one online and the car would arrive at the door to take me wherever I want to go. I know I could order a taxi currently but I hate being a passenger, it makes me so uncomfortable especially if the driver tries to chat.
Autonomistic said:Cycling is not an option for me due to balance problems
Have you tried it - the gyroscopic effect of the wheels makes balance almost automatic as soon as you are moving so you only have to focus when you start or stop.
There are also battery assisted push bikes that can take away the difficult part of starting pedaling and balancing.
It may be worth borrowing one or renting one for a day to see how you get on. Ideally get someone to go with you who can ride to help you build confidence. It really is quite easy as soon as you get going.
Autonomistic said:I know I could order a taxi currently but I hate being a passenger, it makes me so uncomfortable especially if the driver tries to chat.
If you are in an area covered by Uber then there is often an option (certainly for the Black service) to select if you want the driver to not chat - quite handy.
Iain people have said that to me too, but if you have balance issues then telling people that once they get up to speed they'll be alright isn't really helpful and actually feels quite dismissive. For those of us with balance issues its not, '..really quite easy..' its really very difficult, and becomes yet another thing to be "othered" over, I dont' feel anyone takes balance issues as seriously as they should either.
TheCatWoman said: telling people that once they get up to speed they'll be alright isn't really helpful and actually feels quite dismissive.
The reason I mentioned it is that it removes the concern that most people feel for the difficulty of balancing that comes at slow speeds.
What you are describing is quite different to this - it sounds like your brain is making you feel unbalanced when in fact the bike is in equilibrium due to the gyroscopic forces involved (I have a degree in physics so I know this to be a fact).
Most people think you have to work to balance perfectly over two tiny pieces of rubber in contact with the road when in fact it is perfectly possible once moving to take your hands off the handlebars and if you sit upright, to continue in a straight line.
What you describe sounds like your brain won't accept this and is trying to create its own balance by leaning, making matters worse and things spiralling out of control from there. Either the inner ear or the brain responding to the balance mechanism seem to be the cause of this.
It looks like there are a lot more people with this than I thought - up to 15% according to this link:
https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/balance-disorders
My apologies for making you feel belittled, it was not my intention.