There really are too many cars in Jersey

IN reference to the Meridian piece (JEP Under the Clock 14 June), Christiane Cox makes a good point – there are too many cars in Jersey. They are not only on the roads, actually driving somewhere, but they are also parked up on roads which have ‘12 hours in 24’ restrictions, which are scarcely ever policed. This means our side roads have become car parks for all the spare cars that are not actually used very much – and all for free. Front gardens have been paved over, attractive walls and railings knocked down, the streetscape altered, and the garages that Planning requires in new developments never contain a car.

Cars that are not being driven are not paying any road tax, as it is included in the fuel we buy. In the old days we would go to the Chelsea Hotel in January to ‘pay the vehicle tax’. The abolition, it all seemed like a good idea at the time, must have played a part in leading to multiple car ownership as, other than insurance, there is nothing to make you stop and think – do I/we need this second/third car? Maybe an annual car tax could be increased for second/third vehicles per household.

Meanwhile, those people who really do need to drive their single car for work (house cleaners, care workers, etc) are the ones who are paying for our roads, while the wealthy owners of multiple cars pay a relative fraction.

The system needs changing.