I'm sure most contributors on here will have some idea of what I mean by the 'spirit' of motoring, you know - the freedom of the open road, man and machine in perfect harmony, the spirit of adventure etc etc.
My question is; which developments in the world of motoring have eroded these values over the years?
I'll start with a few suggestions.
The Motorway.
-I think they're great, a very efficient way of moving large quantities of people over great distances but they are frightfully dull. When driving on a motorway you are simply transporting yourself from A-B, there is no time to savour the journey and explore the sights. There is no challenge, no chance to enjoy a car's handling finesse.
Traffic calming measures.
-Including mini-roundabouts and such, they take away the motorists freedom to take the car where he pleases, they confine and restrict motorists like cogs in a communistic machine.
Auto-gearboxes.
-Again, I quite like them but they do take away some of the mechanical interaction from the driver.
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Speed cameras, aggressive drivers, parking fines etc etc.
Plus the impression that the motorist is tolerated only because he/she represents a never ending flow of revenue for ever more wasteful government and council spending of our taxes.
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Just what I was thinking about reading Autumnboy's thread about the Avon bridge on the M5. Unnecessary roadworks, and spiteful speed cameras only in the roadworks, are a classic example of what you are talking about.
A different example of the erosion of 'spirit of motoring' values might be stylists who try to be too clever and actually make cars more difficult to use effectively. I'm thinking of such things as:
- bad rear visibility through this silly fashion for kicked-up rear side panels and restricted glass areas
- lack of a spare wheel
- stupid electronic handbrakes
- etc. You get the drift.
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No starting handle, there was something extremely satisfying about being able to get it started under your own steam.
Having anything 'electronic' go wrong, again it means a trip to an expert.
Being forced to wear crash helmets instead of being able to feel the wind in your hair on a motorbike.
Pat
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Lack of courtesy on the roads.
Its a me-me screw everyone else culture (just drive in London for example).
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>>(just drive in London for example).>>
But it's never been any different in and around London, although I have always admired drivers there for their assertiveness and avoidance of dithering in busy traffic.
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But it's never been any different in and around London although I have always admired drivers there for their assertiveness and avoidance of dithering in busy traffic.
A few weeks ago I would've welcomed that attitude around me.
For the first time I drove to - and spent a couple of days in - Llandudno. Very nice place, civilised and clean, but apparently totally populated by dithering oldies. Until I adjusted to the speed of life there I was involved in a few near misses, due to the fact that I was assuming drivers would move into/across a junction when a space appeared and everything looked clear. Wrong; they stay until there is nothing visible in any direction for several miles, and then creep across.
Maybe it's nice once you get used to it and operate at the relaxed pace, almost how I imagine stepping back in time, but a bit of a surprise to begin with
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Of all the places i've ridden over the years - Llandudno never ceases to scare me.
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The main thing that *crushes* the spirit of motoring today is the shear volume of traffic on the roads (Llandudno excepted!)
Some households in my road have 4 (or more!) cars for goodness sake!!
"And the crazy race began, with a car for every man" - Limousine, Hot-rod, Beetle or a Van :)
Edited by Webmaster on 01/09/2009 at 01:30
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Speed Cameras
Old people with flat caps
Volvo Drivers
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Old people with flat caps
Why does anyone need to wear any kind of headgear when in a car? Is it the same mentality which causes old ladies to keep their hats on when they're in cafes having afternoon tea?
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Old people with flat caps
Do you think whippersnappers in baseball caps are preferable davecuk? Much the same if you ask me. But to be quite honest I seem to remember that 'the spirit of motoring', if my assumptions are correct, used to have a lot of space for flat caps, string-backed gloves and the like. In any case, what drivers wear isn't the point. They can wear bikinis and SNIP for all I care. It's the way they drive that counts.
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 26/08/2009 at 20:06
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>>>"They can wear bikinis and SNIP for all I care. It's the way they drive that counts."
LOL !!!!!!!!!!
Reminds me very much of Mr. Dainty, Barnstoneworth United's coach, (for anyone else who
remembers that absolute gem of TV comedy)
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 26/08/2009 at 20:06
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they stay until there is nothing visible in any direction for several miles, and then creep across.
A variant of this what what I call the terrified cat method. They sit there waiting for for an unfeasibly large gap in the traffic which doesn't appear. Then after several minutes have elapsed, completely stressed out, they just decide to pull out whether a vehicle is coming or not
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Traffic congestion and traffic calming does it for me, spolis the trip but once in a while you get that open road and all is well with the world! Local council wants us to use public transport, guess what, bus services are to be cut...ah well.
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Poor road repairs by the gas/electric/water industry.
Any vehicle with Heddlu written on it.
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Yes. London is a colossal conurbation that used to have remarkably good traffic flow considering. By narrowing and closing roads, widening bollards and pavements, installing chicanes and damaging the carriageways with lumps of this and that, the authorities have made overcrowded roads a lot more overcrowded, and succeeded in reducing traffic flow and average speeds still further, without significantly improving road safety or the quality of life for the majority.
Of course this transcendentally brilliant approach to traffic planning is not restricted to this country, but the smugly self-righteous spoilsport tendency which is a significant presence in our national character has embraced all these forms of sabotage with indecent relish.
Alas, all of this is an indirect product of something dear to all of our hearts: the mass-produced privately owned automobile. When cars were expensive toys for toffs there was still room for a 'spirit of motoring'. The mass-produced automobile killed it.
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Reliability has taken away the spirit of motoring. All the fun went out of motoring in about 1905, when it began to become at least possible to complete a journey without breaking down or having a puncture!
Other things that have detracted from the spirit of motoring are:
Fitting of brakes to the front wheels
Independent suspension
Windscreen wipers.
Electric self-starters
Synchromesh.
Pressed steel welded bodies
Indicators
Surfaced roads
In fact, to me, the spirit of motoring is all in the Highway Code and adherence to it.
Edited by Sofa Spud on 26/08/2009 at 21:29
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The spirit of motoring for me has always been to go by the book. That approach has served me well for 37 years of driving, including HGVs, with no penalty points or fines except one parking ticket.
There is a sub-plot to everyone's driving, I reckon. For some it's to beat the system by making sure they're sharp enough to never get caught. For others it's the adrenalin rush of speed and risk-taking. For others, it's showing off and intimidating other road users. But for me, as I say, it's just doing what's considered best practice by the experts.
In most areas of activity, enthusiasts are usually the best practitioners - golf enthusiasts are better at golf than people who aren't interested. Gardening enthusiasts are better at gardening than non-enthusiasts. But, in my experience, motoring is an exception because car enthusiasts tend, as a group, to be worse drivers than the driving population as a whole.
Edited by Sofa Spud on 26/08/2009 at 21:44
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In most areas of activity enthusiasts are usually the best practitioners - golf enthusiasts are better at golf than people who aren't interested. Gardening enthusiasts are better at gardening than non-enthusiasts. But in my experience motoring is an exception because car enthusiasts tend as a group to be worse drivers than the driving population as a whole.
A slight variation on that subject.....don't you find that motoring/driving is the one subject where everyone thinks they are good at it, and no-one will admit to being useless at it.
On any other subject people will admit incompetance; eg "I'm useless at sports" "I can't tell jokes" "I can't do DIY" "I've got no ear for music" "I don't understand computers"
But have you ever heard anybody say "I'm useless at driving, I'm a really bad driver"?
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car enthusiasts tend as a group to be worse drivers than the driving population as a whole.
If only!
An interesting idea SS that could be defended, although of course I don't agree. Comes down in the end to your definition of 'enthusiast'.
ever heard anybody say "I'm useless at driving, I'm a really bad driver"?
Too frightening to admit a truth like that to yourself or a potential passenger. Takes rare honesty and a measure of don't-give-a-damn humility. It goes without saying too that the worst drivers really don't know the difference. They can't recognise good or bad driving.
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But have you ever heard anybody say "I'm useless at driving I'm a really bad driver"?
That's a bit like the Jasper Carrott routine where he says that everyone he meets say that their kids are "above average", and of course this is statistically impossible.
I'm quite happy to admit that I am a below average driver, but I am saved from being amongst the 10% worse drivers by the fact that I concentrate on safety and try to anticipate as much as possible. In other words, I take care because I know my limitations.
The absolute worst drivers are the ones who think that they are good, even though they are poor in reality. They overreach themselves and cause problems for everyone.
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