There aren’t many areas of motoring that could be described as ‘plain sailing’ – aside perhaps from finding competitive Annual Breakdown Cover. And one particular aspect of driving shows no sign of getting any easier – namely being able to park your car.
Millions of British homeowners have taken the arguably drastic action of saying goodbye to their treasured patch of petunias or delightful rockery – in favour of paving them over and parking a hatchback there instead.
It does seem a shame that so many people – 7 million so far – have said farewell to their gardens, which are a feature of national life and as British as mushy peas or hosepipe bans. And it looks as if more and more people are going to follow suit.
The fact that so many cars are now on our roads has led to a big reduction in available on-street parking, a problem compounded by what some describe as inaction by local authorities. Indeed, some suggest that councils are quite happy with the status quo, because they make so much money from parking charges – nearly £500m across England.
In a country where even small cars are getting bigger, and more and more people are buying cars in the face of rising public transport costs, the answer to the parking problem is far from clear. For the moment, though, many more drivers will be eyeing up their front garden with a hint of destruction in their eyes.