Vehicle number 'should be capped'

A Guernsey Deputy believes putting a cap on the number of cars allowed on the island could be one way to reduce the amount of traffic on the roads.
The Environment Department is currently consulting islanders about the possibility of introducing new taxes to penalise high emission vehicles.
Deputy Sam Maindonald said this was not enough and more serious action had to be taken.
She said instead of taxing people more they needed to tackle the root causes.
Deputy Maindonald said: "They [the deputies on the Environment Department] need to go back and do their job and look at actually what is causing the problem.
"They've said it themselves, it's the number of cars we have on the road, come back with proposals - that's what they need to do." (from BBC)

Try getting the motor traders to agree to that...

but we can only drive one at a time..

But a family of four (mum, dad, 2 kids 17+) can drive four, all going to the same place (St Peter Port) at the same time (say Saturday arvo)

But do not fear, this is a piece of legislation too far for our deputies. It is a poison chalice that none will have the bottle to pick up and run with.

Works in Bermuda..... one car per household! Could that work here? I think so..... but people would need to have a change of mindset for it to work.

We are all slaves to our own personal transport, we all have very good reasons why we need to be the only person in our little tin boxes..... but there are alternatives.

The bus service is very good.... but does not run late enough IMO... taxi costs are outrageously high when compared to other places, cycling is healthy, as is walking... but in the winter?!?

What do you think?



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Our family has never had more than one car - and when my late husband was alive, we worked in the same office but he started an hour later than me - so I took the car in the morning to get a parking and he came on the bus - we then returned home together......I cannot see how people can afford to run more than one car per household!!!

i think we should have only a certain amount of licenses ..this way those who have them will lok after them better

the only problem on our roads are from 8 til 9 and 4.30 til 6 and around schools.

need to get peeps out of their cars " just " goin into town to work and back, and " just " dropping of the nippers at school.

the diffirence in the traffic during the school hols is unbelievable..

I remember when I were a lad me mam used to make me walk t'school through 30ft.snow drifts and t'school were 30miles away.

If you'd ever arrived at school you could have been awesomely clever - a Prime Minister even!!!

Dell wrote:Works in Bermuda..... one car per household! Could that work here? I think so..... but people would need to have a change of mindset for it to work.

We are all slaves to our own personal transport, we all have very good reasons why we need to be the only person in our little tin boxes..... but there are alternatives.

The bus service is very good.... but does not run late enough IMO... taxi costs are outrageously high when compared to other places, cycling is healthy, as is walking... but in the winter?!?

What do you think?
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one car per household would cause a stir and hinges on the availability and affordability of public transport. It worked in the 50's, 60's and 70's so why shouldn't it work now.
Perhaps we are all too lazy and can't be bothered to walk to a bus stop or from it, perhaps life is so fast we have not got the time to walk to the bus stop.
It would be a culture change but get over it and work around it, car share, gert a bus.
Not a biggy.

Another ridiculous suggestion from Sam Maindonald. How can you possibly cap the number of cars without also capping the population? And who would decide who's allowed a car and who isn't? Let me guess; Deputies and their friends and families would be allowed them, ditto advocates, accountants, bankers, civil servants, GFSC employees etc, whereas the ordinary man/woman in the street (let alone youngsters) would have to go crawling to some States department to beg to be allowed a permit, or go on a waiting list of some kind.

Deputy Maindonald is all in favour of authoritarian measures, as her performance in last Sunday's Radio Guernsey phone-in demonstrated. She certainly isn't one to let the facts get in the way of her own opinion, and it's really no surprise that her hero is Margaret Thatcher.

People can be actively encouraged to get out of their cars (or car share) in a variety of ways without having to cap the number of cars on the island. Paid parking is one way, improving the bus service is another, and working with schools to try and get more kids to cycle/walk/get the bus is another.

A sledgehammer to crack a nut is the phrase that springs to mind when reading Deputy Maindonald's views.......

How about one car license per house.
No need to cap the population. The householders can decide who in the house drives the car.

What about shared houses, of which there are many over here?

One car for a household of 2 people, one for a household of 10?

7 days a week; monday = a day, tuesday = b day, wednesday = c day and so on and so fourth.

A day - all cars prefixed with the letter a are banned for the day.
b day - all cars prefixed with b are banned for the day.
etc etc..

If its your day - tough, on your bike lad!

Applies to all vehicles except emergency vehicles and freelance taxis drivers, maybe one or two others.

Sunday could be free to all, traffic is still reduced by 1/6th.

Easy, just buy 2 cars

both could be designated the same letter spirit

Buy 2 cars with different letters

How about a limit on the size of cars? Ban all large vehicles that are unnecessary, like big 4x4's, Bentley's, Jags etc etc. Provide a facility to rent these size of cars in St Malo or Poole/Weymouth etc so that if you need a big-un for a long road trip you are not disadvantaged and save considerable sums of money for the 50 odd weeks that you really do not need such a monster size jalopy!!!!

Provide a realistic tax incentive for people to buy small cars? Money talks, let the States give this proper consideration and if the money incentive is right that will probably attract people. The Environment Department are encouraging this anyway with the additional number of small parking spaces in Town.

How about exhaust emissions, as in the UK, with the higher bands being banned?

How about an MOT test? Surely that would limit the number of old bangers that are on the roads?

Raise the age limit for driving to..... say 21?

Lower the maximum age of drivers to..... say 65?

There are lots of ways that this could be considered, but most will not appeal to the majority as there will always be someone who feels aggrieved or victimised as they do not fit in with the 'rules'

Perhaps it is time for radical thinking? I am no expert, just an ol Gurn with some thoughts to provoke comment!!




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Well guess I'd be off the road already......driving on 'borrowed time' ...............

The only way to reduce traffic is to reduce population. If I have a driving licence, why shouldn't I have a car ? If I have 20 cars, I can still only drive one at a time, so no more traffic is down to me than anybody else. Total waste of time and energy, not even worth discussing.

Sooooooooooooo why are you discussing it just a thought!

Shiny_kit wrote:The only way to reduce traffic is to reduce population. If I have a driving licence, why shouldn't I have a car ? If I have 20 cars, I can still only drive one at a time, so no more traffic is down to me than anybody else. Total waste of time and energy, not even worth discussing.

Isn't it odd that we have started with limiting cars and now we are down to reducing population, from cars to birth control, hell of a leap.

There has to be an easier way to reduce cars without shooting everyone over 60 years (bye bye Karma) to release their car. I suppose shiny_tit we could stop you having a driving license then you wouldn't need the 20 cars that you can only drive one at a time.

Just a thought or two.

Paid parking £10 per day
Tax on company parking spaces £2,500 per year
Petrol duty increased by £1 per litre

That might get people thinking a bit more before making needless journeys

Oh, I nearly forgot, a charge of £5 per child per day to drop them off at Ladies College or Elizabeth College

technophobe wrote:Paid parking £10 per day
Tax on company parking spaces £2,500 per year
Petrol duty increased by £1 per litre

That might get people thinking a bit more before making needless journeys

Oh yes, the standard tactics of socialism............tax the poor off the planet !

Make life more comfortable and convenient for the rich socialist elite.