Just the job for the school run

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 21:20:18 GMT

Dan Trent writes:
Listening to the radio yesterday presented one of those punch the steering wheel in frustration moments as I heard a man from Richmond (Surrey, not Yorkshire) council explain his plans to charge parents on the school run according to their vehicles' CO2 outputs.

Now school run congestion IS a nightmare. And efforts to do something about it should be welcomed. Unless they are utter nonsense, as this appears to be. It's just so flawed at so many levels as to be laughable. If only it weren't true.

Council chap said they want to encourage car pooling to reduce the number of cars turning up at the school gate. Good idea. But if people carriers and seven-seat SUVs are going to be charged £75 a year for being 'gas guzzlers' how does that help? And having penalised those daring to have cars big enough to carry lots of kids the next flaw appears - if you're part of a group of car-pooling parents you're ALL going to need permits anyway, whether you're on the school run for one day a week or five. Which thereby destroys the incentive to share.

And then there's the fact that the charges only apply to those parents actually park up, get out of the car and walk their children to the gate. Those who simply pause by the side of the road, eject the kids and drive off won't be affected. And in many cases these are the people causing the biggest problems in terms of blocking roads, stopping on double yellows and generally causing a nuisance.

So the measures won't even address that side of the problem.

Anyway, to all those parents in Richmond wondering what on earth to do next don't worry. I have the answer. The BMW X5 3.0sd. Seating for seven. Looks guaranteed to annoy the misguided fools at Richmond council. And a sub-225g/km CO2 level, escaping the £75 penalty for gas guzzling 4x4s. OK, the savings in permits won't offset the £42K asking price. But the satisfaction would more than make up for that.

Dan

Links:
BMW X5 3.0sd Roadtest
Richmond Council

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Just the job for the school run