That's great. I totally agree that more of us (myself included) could cycle instead of drive a lot more. I think we need serious national investment in making cycle only routes between towns and villages. I think we could use existing bridleways, old unused railways, and similar. Then cycling would be so much safer and probably more direct. But that's beside the point.

I was only trying to point out that it's a lot quicker to drive 15-20 miles on country roads than it is to cycle. Even during rush hour. My commute is 16 miles. It takes me a consistent 30 minutes both ways. I can do it in 25 without speeding when the roads are empty like at 03:00. Google tells me that to cycle the same route it would take 1hr 27min. That would make my timings impossible both in the morning and evening. If I had to do the school run (I sometimes do) then I wouldn't start my day until 10:30. And on the other end of the day I would have similar issues.

Personally I need a vehicle for work anyway because of the things I need to transport. I also think it would feel prohibitive to rent a car to visit friends and family across the country. It may be cheaper overall, but it would undoubtedly be a barrier to have to spend £200 or so every time. There is no realistic public transport option. I have looked.

All of that said. I am not in any way anti-cycling. I genuinely applaud you for deciding to cycle instead of drive. As I said before, more of us most certainly should do the same a lot more often, including me.