Big cars are a total waste of space and money

I recently met a friend for coffee. He is always engaging company and we invariably have lively conversations which can verve across many roads. Brian happened to mention that he had watched a car out on the street unsuccessfully trying to park in a number of designated street parking spaces. The driver eventually aborted the parking attempt when it became obvious that the SUV could not be maneuvered between the white parking lines. This observation became the number one topic on our agenda and we did arrive at a conclusion…

The parking problem doesn’t mean that those spaces have shrunk; it means that the cars have swelled. My first ever car was a 1961 Ford Anglia Deluxe. That was a decent saloon sized car at the time but it looks like a toy today. Car shapes and sizes have ballooned, especially since the late 1970s – and they’re still growing. The average vehicle is expanding at the rate of 10cm (4”) every two years. In 2001 the average weight of a car in the EU was 1328kg. By 2020 that figure had jumped to 1457kg. More than half the cars sold in Ireland today are too big for the minimum permitted parking spaces and even if successfully navigated into a standard parking space, it is virtually impossible to open doors without hitting the car in the next space. Several makes of SUV are more than two metres in width.

This climb towards heavier, less efficient cars increases both fuel demand and CO2 emissions. The global CO2 emissions of SUVs are nearing one billion tons. We’ll park that one for the moment… (if the pun is OK with you). It is the waste of space, inside and out, with these big guzzlers that we wish to point the finger at.

Back in my young days when going about my merry way, almost every car going to a dance or a match was full. Just consider that when you next throw your eye along the line of cars driving through town or on the highway. A majority of vehicles only have the driver on board; and generally, it is the large top of the range models have the fewer passengers.

Before you ask; I have downsized my car. I now only carry the weight and space I need and thus am also leaving a bit more space for the other fellow on the road. (Yes, Lads… I know… ‘there’s none so pure, as a reformed hoor…’!) Of course, it goes without saying that where there is a large family or some other need for the big, car that is what big cars are for.

On a visit to Canada last July, I was hugely impressed by the numbers of free parking lots around towns, solely for the use and benefit of those car-pooling and sharing lifts to work. That makes for fewer cars on the road, reduced CO2 emissions and saves a lot of wear and tear all round. Would this not be great idea and a simple, cost effective solution which could be copied by local authorities across our country? Another thing I heard somewhere is that Paris has tripled the parking charge for SUVs on its streets.

We need to move on from the big fancy car being a status symbol. Instead it should be viewed as a selfish grab of more space than is needed. The day of being judged by ‘where you live and what you drive’ should be cast to the past. It is time for people to be judged again on what they drive alright – but in reverse. (If you’ll pardon another pun!)

Vehicles with fronts raised by 10cm carry a 30% higher risk of fatalities in collisions with pedestrians and cyclists. That is a huge safety factor and another strong argument against the ‘Chelsea Tractors’. I’m not suggesting that we all go back to the Morris Minor and Volkswagen Beetle (I’ve owned those too), but maybe downsizing could become the new patriotism? The payback is greater moveability, lower running costs, cheaper maintenance and easier parking.

Finally, I know I am in a minority here, but I believe that every car should be fitted with a tow-bar, no matter how small the model. On a trip to Denmark (keep on house-swapping, Ian!), one of the most noticeable features on the road was that at least 70% of cars have tow-bars. Your little trailer can be your extra space when you need it. That’s how I manage… but have any of you got a tip for parking a car and trailer in town?!

Don’t Forget

There are too many people in too many cars, in too much of a hurry, going too many directions to get nowhere for nothing.