91Čȱ¬

In 2009, there is no end to the number of sins to feel guilty about. Smokers hide in doorways with that, “don’t look at me!” expression on their faces, middle class families proudly put their glass out for recycling, with the wine bottles shamefully hidden at the bottom, and sitting in the rush hour, one person in a four seater car, you scan the roadsides like a startled hare, looking for government ministers and environmentalists who will point and expose your filthy habit to your peers.

That aside, I don’t like driving into work. You’re not supposed to, especially in the rush hour. Nose to tail, clutch, clutch, brake. It brings out the worst in human behaviour.

But for getting from A to B warm, dry and without having to rely on others to get you into work on time, you can’t argue with having your very own air conditioned, private armchair environment to move about in.

Lights at Greystones roundabout.

The Journey

I leave the house a little before 7:50am, not because it takes 40 minutes to drive to Middlesbrough, but because I need to get past Redcar before eight o’clock.

If I don’t, I get stuck at the roundabout at the top of Redcar Lane, as a constant stream of commuters flows across the roundabout from the right, cutting off my route. An extra ten minutes in bed isn't worth an extra ten minutes stuck in traffic.

Leaving early pays off, I get a clear run in, which takes around 20 minutes. Five minutes later would probably have put ten or 15 minutes onto the journey, just because of the increase in traffic.

The return journey does not go so well. I hit Greystones roundabout too early. If traffic is heavy, those coming from the Teesport road are effectively blocked by the traffic lights that stop traffic coming along the Parkway, only to allow a steady stream to come in from Eston. It’s ten solid minutes of clutch and brake, making the return journey half as long again as the outward trip.

Stationary traffic at Greystones.

The case for the car

Like it or not, the case for the car is almost too easy. In fact, the car itself is too easy. That’s the point.

The car takes me door to door, gets me to work exactly when I want and, no matter what the weather I will arrive dry, warm and safe.

The journey is 12 miles each way. My 3 cylinder biscuit tin does around 55 to 60 mpg and wear and tear works out at around 4p a mile, making the round trip cost about ÂŁ2.76. Only if you are paying the full ÂŁ3.00 all day parking charge in Middlesbrough does it make economic sense to use public transport instead.