Car pooling
| Author | Date | Message |
|---|---|---|
| John Molloy | Apr 30 2024, 12:42pm | Hi all, I have a growing sense of the car pooling topic getting out of control. Like Mick, I have chosen not to attend races because my journey makes car pooling impractical. In 2021 I car pooled for all but one race. I do it when I can. My reason for not racing is down to the growing tone in some of the forum comments that would suggest that solo drivers should be treated like bold school children and "not encouraged". There is a problem re parking, but judging by how few cars car pooled for Belmount it might be wise to look at why this is. I have volunteered for Scarr this week. I will be leaving kildare at 4.30 to get there on time (allowing for roadworks and the M50). My car is listed as available for car pooling on my profile since I joined Imra. Now I find the excluding tone of comments very discouraging, and I am happy enough to fall back on the truism that racing is not compulsory. John Molloy John Molloy. |
| Brendan Lawlor | Apr 30 2024, 1:25pm | John and others, IMRA members fall into three groups with regard to carpooling ( and maybe volunteering too) - one third ( and growing) are very regular car poolers - one third ( and growing) are occasional car poolers, very open to car pooling and actively looking for practical car pooling initiatives and solutions.. yourself, myself and Mick fall into this category - one third ( and falling hopefully) don’t car pool, some aren’t interested or bothered with car pooling, some can’t car pool and some will never car pool Unfortunately carpooling went out of vogue quite understandably during Covid and getting back to where we were pre 2020 is taking time and effort. The fact of life is that for many places IMRA wants to race, car parking is the limiting factor so we ( as a group) have to do our best to improve this overall situation. I think we are getting there and it’s unfortunate if you or others feel the tone of some of the carpooling messages ( including some of my own) is putting some people off coming to races.. that’s not the intention. Look forward to your assistance at Scarr tomorrow and as a volunteer coming early to help with the race it is fully understood if you end up in your car on your own, as many volunteers do |
| Paul Smyth | Apr 30 2024, 6:08pm | It may not be the intention Brendan, but it is very much the effect it is, and will, have. We have gone, on this topic (as has also happened with the volunteering topic), from looking for ways to encourage certain behaviour, as far as practical, to discussing, and looking for, coercive and/or punitive approaches to enforcing such behaviour. And the zealous glee with which some are trying to come up with such punitive and coercive measures is quite worrying, It is at the point where if someone turns up at a race by themselves in a car they have to worry about being denigrated and talked about behind their back as if they are some kind of criminal - when all they did was drive to a race by themselves. By all means encourage people to car share, use other means of transport - just don't make it a criminal offence if they don't. |
| Andrew Hanney | Apr 30 2024, 7:13pm | I have to agree with this sentiment. There are constant undertones that single occupancy cars are the worst thing ever. In particular for championship races you may be out a long time, much longer than people in your car pool or much less time and then are waiting around. Not everyone can go to the afters following a race, they may need to get away specially those travelling long distances. There is a fine line here, selling tickets to a race and then making people feel bad for paying the entry and turning up alone. I do car pool when possible and its better craic but its not possible every time. |
