Car clowns, where do people keep going all day long?

[reader2580]

I live in an semi-rural area with large lots where pretty much everything is five to ten miles away (Stores, schools, etc.).  I've noticed today my neighbor's cars coming and going all day long.  Many of them in and out multiple times already.  I wonder where they are all going since everything is so far away.  I'm not sure why they aren't at least combining trips.

Yes, I am a car clown too because I commute 60 miles a day.  It was a choice I made before ever reading MMM.  I am not in a position that I could sell my house right now to move.  (Owe too much on house.)  I am making an effort to not drive anywhere on the weekends after realizing just how much I drive.  I will start taking the bus to work on Jan 4th, but I still have to drive 10 miles each way.  (I am too late to sign up for cheap bus pass for December.)

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

Do they have kids? Perhaps they are freighting multiple children back and forth to soccer practice, birthday parties, etc.

I avoid driving like the plague, but I can imagine how the day fills up with trips.

[HPstache]

It's a Saturday, it's most people's day off, do you really expect everyone to just stay home and not get things done?  Not sure exactly what the point of this thread really is...

[Uturn]

I can understand needing to run some errands on the weekend, but I believe the OP was asking about in and out.  Personally, I leave, make the loop of places I need to go, then return.  done for the day.

[I'm a red panda]

I don't usually drive on Saturday, but this isn't uncommon for my neighbors:

Child 1 to hockey very early am. Run home to take child 2 to soccer early am
Come home after both. Load up and go grocery shopping, return home and unpack.
Load up to go to birthday party, park, tailgate at university, batting practice etc.
come home, load up to go out to dinner or a movie.

With kids there seem to be a lot more errands than without them.

[GetItRight]

People try to get things done on weekends? May involve  many trips sometimes? Personally I try to get everything I need for the weekend during the week on my way home after work, then get my projects and so forth done without having to break up the work with various trips. Doesn't always work that way, but I try to stay put on the weekends. Unless of course it's a nice summer weekend towing the boat to the river or riding the motorcycle, but in those cases I'm gone all day not coming and going.

I'm more curious why all the ridiculous amounts of traffic all day during weekdays, not just the AM/PM commute or around lunch but all day long. Every store, strip mall, etc. parking lot crammed. Do these people not have jobs? If so how can they afford to be shopping and eating out constantly? I'm certain the vast majority are not FIRE. I truly hate this suburban/metro area and can't wait for FI to get the heck outta here to somewhere not so crowded.

[reader2580]

As far as stores being crowded during the weekday there are a lot of retired people and 10,000 people a day turn 65.  Not everyone works 8 to 5 or Monday through Friday.  Think about who is working at those stores on weekends or evenings when you are shopping.  Throw in people taking a day off from work and you have a lot of people who could be shopping during the day.  My mother never worked so she shopped during the day when the kids were at school.

[Heather in Ottawa]

I do long recreational bike rides. The difference in traffic volumes out on the highway between towns vs. in the core of any little centre (no matter how small) is striking. It tells me that most people are just making short trips near home. I can also see from Strava (a GPS-based fitness app) that, if someone forgets to stop recording their workout, even people who are perfectly capable of riding a bike for 100km will get in the car for a 5km trip. It's kind of pitiful.

[slackmax]

.....

I'm more curious why all the ridiculous amounts of traffic all day during weekdays, not just the AM/PM commute or around lunch but all day long. Every store, strip mall, etc. parking lot crammed. Do these people not have jobs? If so how can they afford to be shopping and eating out constantly? I'm certain the vast majority are not FIRE. I truly hate this suburban/metro area and can't wait for FI to get the heck outta here to somewhere not so crowded.

Me too!  My area has been NewJersified in the last 10 years. Nonstop traffic all hours of the day. Annoying. Too many carefree bums driving around all day using my space!

[FenderBender]

It's a Saturday, it's most people's day off, do you really expect everyone to just stay home and not get things done?  Not sure exactly what the point of this thread really is...

right and not only am i not going to do it slowly on a bike, i'm not going to do it in the cold on a bike, i can't wait to get from my front door to the car when it is cold.

and btw, the whole "car clown" thing seems arrogant/belittling to me. 

i don't like city based SUVs and 4x4s but on the other hand i don't like expensive electric cars either - both seem extreme to me.  my 17 year old honda accord does us just fine.