Fares fair?

[Mizter T]

On Jul 1, 6:39*pm, Roland Perry <rol...@perry.co.uk> wrote:

> In message
> <3ed55e3e-13c8-4ae4-bcf1-dbe367c81...@z14g2000yqa.************.com>, at
> 10:25:43 on Wed, 1 Jul 2009, McKevvy <vicko_zoo...@***********m>
> remarked:
>
> >However, the cheapest price I could get was 30 and for offpeak times.
> >I'm not a high flying businessman but even I worked out that it would
> >be cheaper by car (but slightly longer in time).
>
> Golden Goose. Dead.
>
> (NXEC seem surprised at the flight to cheaper fares - that's because
> they've increased the higher fares beyond the point that people will buy
> them by default).

Nothing like putting people or departments or whatever in charge of
their own travel budgets for concentrating the mind!

[Roland Perry]

In message
<0fe7fda9-7b62-420f-9237-1a374ccdc2a2@n11g2000yqb.************.com>, at
11:15:14 on Wed, 1 Jul 2009, Mizter T <mizter.t@**********> remarked:
>> (NXEC seem surprised at the flight to cheaper fares - that's because
>> they've increased the higher fares beyond the point that people will buy
>> them by default).
>
>Nothing like putting people or departments or whatever in charge of
>their own travel budgets for concentrating the mind!

On TV news this evening, vox-pop from Peterborough including one CEO who
has apparently banned £95 NXEC fares in favour of £50 FCC-only ones.
--
Roland Perry

[rail]

In message <halSTTdF4ETKFA+0@perry.co.uk>
Roland Perry <roland@perry.co.uk> wrote:

> In message
> <0a9bb132-3d74-4948-a099-af80951ce8d4@p23g2000vbl.************.com>, at
> 16:11:09 on Wed, 1 Jul 2009, EE507 <ee507**********.uk> remarked:
> >One thing is clear: choosing to live far from work,
> >then claiming the resultant travel is 'necessary', doesn't wash.
>
> What about choosing to work far from home (rather than be unemployed).
> Is that resultant travel necessary, or not?

According to the Stalinists on here we should all live within walking
distance of the factory gate and be grateful. Means you and I would have to
move house several times a week I suspect.

--
Graeme Wall

This address not read, substitute trains for rail
Transport Miscellany at <www.greywall.*************/rail>

[Paul Weaver]

On 1 July, 19:30, D7666 <d7...@***********m> wrote:
> If you want to be zero emissions, don't do it at all, by any mode,
> except where necessary.

You're still not zero-emission. You're not zero-emission unless you're
dead (in which case your emissions stop after a few years)

If you care about the environment, kill yourself now.

[EE507]

On Jul 2, 7:04*am, Roland Perry <rol...@perry.co.uk> wrote:
> In message
> <0a9bb132-3d74-4948-a099-af80951ce...@p23g2000vbl.************.com>, at
> 16:11:09 on Wed, 1 Jul 2009, EE507 <ee...**********.uk> remarked:
>
> >One thing is clear: choosing to live far from work,
> >then claiming the resultant travel is 'necessary', doesn't wash.
>
> What about choosing to work far from home (rather than be unemployed).
> Is that resultant travel necessary, or not?

Depends. If general (and peak in particular) transport costs were
higher for all modes (see the sea side thread), the equilibrium would
shift somewhat. Yes, I understand the problems of housing supply and
cost, and the other reasons people like to flee to the sticks, but
'necessary' is entirely subjective.

Whenever the problem of excessive car use is discussed on TV, you'll
find the vast majority of interviewee drivers claiming they couldn't
possibly do their trip (or continue their chosen lifestyle) without a
car. So is it 'necessary', or is that a comfort term people use to
justify their behaviour, in much the same way a significant number of
people continue to tell themselves there is no evidence for
anthropogenic climate change?

The OP wishes to take a train to view the scenery i.e. the travel is
the end, rather than a means to an end. That's entirely reasonable to
me. The problem I have is people claiming occasional trips like this
are unacceptable in terms of climate change, yet somehow justifying
their own hypermobile daily lifestyles of > 30 miles motorised travel
as 'necessary'.