[Split from SE23 Topics > Devonshire Road - residents parking]

Taking up the point about car ownership and affordability...depends on what use you want/need to make of a car.

Just to cover a UK holiday
To hire a Streetcar for just 2 weeks in August to cover a UK holiday within their mileage allowance would cost over £1,000. Add on another £130 to bring the insurance excess in line with a normal policy. A comparable car at a big name car hire firm would be in the region on £700 (and that's before any of those hidden extras). I know there is no up-front cost of buying a car etc, etc but the comparison isn't clear-cut enough for most people and doesn't offer the right level of flexibility and acceptable use.

There is a wider argument about whether a car is needed at all for stuff but that'd be diverting too much from the subject of the thread. Let's just say that even from a self-proclaimed (but largely failing) eco-enthusiast I can understand why a large number of people feel justified in having a car.