We have a traffic problem and a pollution problem as well as a financial problem. There are a lot of huge 4×4 vehicles in cities. They are very wide and very long thus contributing to slowing traffic and creating jams. They guzzle petrol or diesel thus polluting hugely. They are mainly driven by young mothers with schoolchildren, not farmers. They cost the same in road tax and residents’ parking as a Fiat 500.
An incentive to reduce unnecessarily powerful vehicles, especially in cities, should be found. A graduated road tax, according to engine size and a banded residents’ parking charge based on vehicle length, would make people think about their choices and evaluate their validity. Those who would still opt for the higher end vehicles would be free to do so but would at least then ‘pull their own weight’.
The Government should claw back some of these charges as it is obvious from the unnecessary and foolish expense that the Roads people are making, on widening pavements where there are few pedestrians and laying raised parking places exactly where simple lines were before, that there is too much money in that particular department. This could go towards the National debt – which would benefit everybody!
587-11