‘Travel Diaries from Around Birmingham’
Mandi Hodges- Car
I am based in different places on different days. Two days per week I take the train but twice each week I work in South Birmingham and I move places throughout my day so I travel by car. I live in the north of the county and the approximately 15 mile journey takes around an hour in the morning but one-and-a-half hours to return home in the evening due to the times I travel. I leave home at 7.15am and the traffic is reasonable but gets quite heavy at some points. However, this it is far less than the amount of traffic I encounter in the evening ‘rush-hour’ commute. Unfortunately my drive is almost all through urban areas with no pretty scenery to enjoy. Despite this, I enjoy my time in my car for my morning commute; I plan my day ahead, I listen to Radio 4 or I play a CD and sing along! Most other drivers are sensible and considerate but any car journey can be marred by drivers who are less sensible and put everyone at risk with their ‘must get ahead of you’ style of motoring.
I use this mode of transport for convenience and cost. There is not a train station within walking distance of where I work, therefore, if I used public transport I’d need to get the train into the city and then catch a bus (or buses) – and when I move locations through my day I’d again need to get on a bus. This all adds to the time it takes for me to commute and to the cost. Whilst petrol is not cheap, I spend less on petrol each week than I would on public transport. Because I work at different locations I inevitably end up carrying a lot of ‘stuff’ around with me. On the days I drive into work it’s a joy to be able to pop everything I need into the car rather than lug heavy bags around with me.
