As discussed many times past, including on HN, if you live in or near a major city, and in a country or area which prioritises goood public transport, you can get by admirably --even better-- without a car.

As soon as you move even a little away from the metropolis, and/or to somewhere that doesn't prioritise good public transport, access (at least) to a car becomes close to a necessity for many activities. This rule holds true in my direct experience in the UK, US, Switzerland, and Germany.

For example, in the US compare living in Denver to a small town a couple of hours' drive out in the sticks. Or in the UK, living in one of the major cities to virtually anywhere in the countryside.

Or if I need to travel to Place of Work/customer sites.

And then there's the long trips around the country when I want to embark on them.

So please. Don't tell me I don't need a car. Reality, practicality, beats ideology any day.

Well, I didn't.

I lived in European towns/cities from ~10k to 350k people. Rural areas exist obviously but compared to US suburbs or even most US urban areas we're talking far far smaller % of people who need a car for most aspects of day-to-day life in Europe.

But on the plus side, cars are a lot easier to own in those areas. Parking is usually free/cheap. Traffic is very low, etc.

If you live in any kind of rural area bus services are likely to be pretty poor and if you aren't next to a railway station then what do you do? Cars are as important in rural areas in the UK as much as any other country.

Edit: Of course, the proportion of people in this position in the UK is probably relatively low but they do exist - I'm one!

Even europeans often have this urban blindspot. In some places (eg netherlands), you may be able to live conveniently without a car. For a lot of places (eg >50% of ireland), not having a car is a major lifestyle inhibitor. Transport (or lack thereof) dictates a lot of your life... from work opportunities to whether or not you can access a supermarket.

Having grown up in a small village, requiring you to have a car, I can not imagine my life without a car

And you had those conditions, while having a family? I doubt that can work out, my wife is pregnant, for example. She cannot walk or cycle 10 km to get anywhere.

Anyway, we had the choice and we live in a village with a supermarket and trainstation. But if we had to live in a place you describe, it would not work without a car.

For the reference, I live in London. Yes, it has stores within 5-10min radius. Normally I don't mind going there every other day. However, in March 2020 everybody was going fucking crazy and, you know, the government told me to not go out unless it is necessary.

Before that, I lived in French Alps. It was splendid, I commuted by bike. However, every single weekend I was facing a choice: either I beg someone to drive me to mountains or I pray that there is a bus going where I want to go and I can calculate my hike well enough to catch one of 3-5 buses a day to come back home.

Not having a car sucks balls. I really can't see how anyone can argue the opposite. I think what you mean is "you don't need a car every single day".

For example one train line in a village close by down in a valley is currently not active for whatever reason. But there are buses as a replacement - except that they do not go down in that valley, so people wanting to use that bus, just have to walk 2 km steep uphill. Then it happens, that the last train was late, you miss the connection - and are just stranded somewhere and they don't give a shit, even though they told you before, the other train will wait.

What else? Well, trains that just don't come and no more information avaiable, except that they officially are on time. So you stand there and wonder if it just came too early and left before the timetablr (also happened to me).

Then of course there are villages where the train passes through and they have a train station, but the train never stops there. And if you live a bit away from the trains, then you are lucky if one bus is coming on the weekend.

So good luck convincing those people, that they don't need cars. Not with that state of public transport.

I also simply cannot imagine, how you can run regular bus lines in low populated areas in an economic way.

The best compromise I know are buses on demand, meaning you call one hour before and then they will come. But this also only works with subsidies.