Well done Kent Police

[Marco]

I had seven cars parked outside at one time.

Presumably you had the space to house them all, so that they weren't inconveniencing others?

Marco.

[Marco]

ive only one and its parked off the rd in driveway at all times. but i have neighbours further dow street that have 4 or 5 cars outside one house. its a farce with pavements blocked and cars on corners.. police aint interested

Well, they should be! As it's all an accident waiting to happen, some of which are likely to be fatal...

Marco.

[Joe]

I had seven cars parked outside at one time.

A bloke down the road from us has about that many, including a Rolls Royce, a Bentley, a Jag, two Mercedes and a Range Rover. There's some more round the back of his house, but they're not visible from the road. Occasionally he drives one of them around; last week it was the Rolls. He looks a right scruff and his house is in a terrible state.

[Marco]

Sounds like a typical, eccentric 'old money' type

Fairly large, old house, I presume?

Marco.

[Gaz]

Restricting them to one car each would go even further!

Excellent idea, I wouldn't be able to go to work then as my wife earns more than me.

I could use public transport but when I finish at 3pm on a Sunday I wouldn't get home until 7.30am on Monday by which time I'd be late for work

[Joe]

Sounds like a typical, eccentric 'old money' type

Fairly large, old house, I presume?

Marco.

I don't know the bloke; he's my age and lives by himself. House is fairly large; I'd guess seven bedrooms; late Victorian or Edwardian. Given the location, it'd probably sell for £1.5 million if in good nick, but probably needs tens of thousands spent on it.

[Marco]

No worries... That's pretty much how I'd pictured it

I know a few folk exactly like him, with the same type of houses. They're generally asset rich, but cash poor: 'old money' types. I much prefer them to the rather vulgar nouveau riche.

Marco.

[dave2010]

Well, there you go... That situation is completely unsustainable, so something drastic has to be done, as it's only going to get worse! Therefore, my proposal of introducing a law restricting households to a maximum of two cars each would go some way towards addressing the problem.

People need to start looking at the bigger picture, and the knock-on effect that their actions are having upon the environment that they're living in, rather than just selfishly protecting their own interests!

I agree things aren't good, but your "solutions" won't work, unless you want to impose an absolute dictatorship - perhaps you do! Having two cars in a household with two people is probably OK - as otherwise each individual won't be able to act independently. Of course if there's good public transport, or some accessible public transport nearby, then one car per household can work. In rural areas it doesn't, and if one car fails the outcome can seem catastrophic.

If households have more than two people, are you seriously going to restrict those who can drive - and possibly go out to work - from having their own vehicle? If it's based on households, the more well off people will simply go and buy or rent additional homes in order to increase their allowance of cars, but for the relatively poor people in our society, they won't have that as an option.

You could have another constraint on the number of houses people are allowed to own - though there is effectively such a rule already - based on economics. That might also have unexpected side effects.

In India recently there has been an imposed rule on the use of cars - only cars with odd/even numbers are allowed to drive on some days of the week. Again, richer people can get round that one.

I agree about looking at the bigger picture, but many people won't - or will be all too willing to impose rules on other people, but not on themselves. Sometimes the consequences in the "bigger picture" aren't always what you might at first expect.

[Marco]

I agree things aren't good, but your "solutions" won't work, unless you want to impose an absolute dictatorship - perhaps you do!

Nope - it's simply a suggestion, which I disagree *could* work, if implemented alongside my other suggestion, which you appear to have missed, of significantly improving and extending the public transport network, including that found in rural areas.

Despite what you think, with a little effort and adjustment, it's perfectly possible to function without a car *IF* someone else you're living with has one they're willing to share, and/or you have access to decent public transport (see my post about introducing trams, underground systems and such into every major UK city).

Aside from that, you're not seriously suggesting that with living in London, as you do, it's not possible to survive without a car? Come on...

You can independently walk, cycle, use buses, trains, not forgetting a superb underground system, so it's just sheer unacceptable laziness and stubbornness refusing to function without a car, when you live in somewhere like London!

If households have more than two people, are you seriously going to restrict those who can drive - and possibly go out to work - from having their own vehicle?

Yes, see above. My wife worked in London for years and got to work quite happily without a car [via a combination of walking and using the tube], not to mention visiting her parents in North Wales, via train, every weekend, then back to London on Sunday nights, to start work again on the Monday. You just have to alter your mindset, make a little more effort, and not expect everything to be laid out on a plate!

I agree about looking at the bigger picture, but many people won't - or will be all too willing to impose rules on other people, but not on themselves. Sometimes the consequences in the "bigger picture" aren't always what you might at first expect.

They will be if they're forced to via law, or encouraged to do so, via the financial incentives I outlined earlier. If I were still working, and lived in London, I'd have no qualms whatsoever about imposing those rules on myself, so others can do the same.

Otherwise, what would you suggest we do to address the completely unsustainable gross overcrowding, and associated traffic chaos, on the streets of our cities? *Something* has to give, as we simply can't go on the way things are!

Marco.

[Gaz]

I'm feeling particularly pleased with myself

I've started a thread that has actually pushed the tedious two and three words daily threads down the list.

Whoop whoop