158: 1.3 Public transport and cars

My colleagues and I were having a conversation over tea about owning a car. I told them that I just passed my UK theory driving test, and knowing my commute into work through bicycle and trains, they were elated at the thought that I might be joining the car ownership club soon.

"Yay! One step to driving then, Ayne?"
"I would have to get a car first, but yes, maybe? But having a car is so expensive here with the insurance, petrol cost and tax, etc."
"Yes, but it is so convenient! Out your home and into work. You have a space that is your own - you don't have to share it with anyone like in trains."

That statement isn't wholly false - I have been in situations where I was forced to be back to back or thigh to thigh with complete strangers on my commute. Personal space was reduced to zero, thus it was no longer a luxury handed to anyone at the time. But as my commutes to work have been wholly against traffic (venturing out of London in the morning, and returning in the evening), I have been blessed with alot of space on trains.

But unfortunately, being wholly dependent on public transport does mean that I am a slave to their ineptness. The trains here are mostly reliable, arriving five minutes within scheduled times, sometimes early even. But akin to other public services throughout the country, England's public transport goes into a total meltdown in extremes of weather. I say extreme lightly, because this snow although unusual, is mediocre at best if compared to the angry snow storms of other countries. So when I turned up to my local station yesterday to discover that there were zero trains running, I wished I had a Plan B - a car perhaps.

However, with driving, it is not only the cost of maintaining the vehicle that gets to me. It is also the powerlessness I feel when I am stuck in traffic. Being confined in a car for long periods of time and not being able to do anything about traffic is not good for my emotional health - I become stressed, agitated and demoralised - it is soul sucking. And in this busy city, traffic congestions are more common than train cancellations. At least with my bicycle, I can bypass the traffic standstill - through parks, pavements and cycle lanes. Another sore point is the lack of parking in my hospital. My colleagues would have to often block other cars and leave their phone number in the window in case it had to be moved. In contrast, when I arrive, it takes me less than a minute to fold my bike and store it under the table in the doctors' room.

And what I like about taking trains is that I could get on one and not be worried about its journey. As a customer, I have paid the train driver to do that for me. But if I were to drive my own car, I would have to be alert throughout - be awake enough to dodge inexperienced drivers and rocks on the highway. I can't for instance take a nap, read a book or daydream - things I often do on train journeys. And as I am half asleep on most mornings, it isn't the safest idea to put me behind a wheel.

Despite all its downsides, I think ultimately, a car affords the owner independence and privacy. Albeit not wholly, because of its slavery to traffic jams. But having the ability to go wherever you want (even lonely corners of the country if desired) without catching specific train times or being jammed so close to strangers that you can smell whiffs of their body odour or being protected from nature's elements like rain, snow and extreme heat, are some of the advantages that justify its purchase and hefty maintenance.

If my future commutes to other hospitals are complicated, or my destination is far from train or bus stations, I would maybe be compelled to purchase a vehicle. But as of now, my journey into work is in the most part, pretty straight forward and uses less time than if I were to drive in. But in days of snow like today and yesterday, I am not going to lie, I wish I had a four wheeled contraption - for "just in case" uses.

I should just wait for an affordable Tesla - a driverless car would be the best of both worlds and the answer to my prayers. Till that day comes, I have my trustworthy two wheeler. And for everything else, there is Uber.