I’M getting cheesed off by the self righteous who sneer at the so called unhealthy and inconsiderate use of the car.

They tell us that a significant proportion of journeys could be managed by other means of transport.

How do they know? Where are the local surveys to support this?

When did researchers pull over drivers and ask: “How long is your journey? Could you do it on foot, cycle or bus? If so, why aren’t you ?” (that would make an interesting conversation) In over 50 years of driving, noone I know has ever been asked these questions.

It seems to be lost on the anti-car commentators that people travel further to work and services nowadays.

Work patterns have changed.

New housing developments are further from town and employment centres.

Families are scattered further away from each other.

Leisure options are wider for all the family and usually requires travel.

The public transport option is often unavailable or impractical.

Some journeys could be made in a different manner but not many.

Yes, there is more homeworking and online shopping, but we also need to facilitate flexible working and mobility.

Not much of that can be undertaken if relying on the bus or bike.

Greater Colchester is not Amsterdam or London.

Of course alternatives to the car should be encouraged.

We are not unaware of an emerging climate emergency and know we have to adapt.

We’ve heard the “healthy” message.

But it seems to me those who lecture us think they can micromanage our lives without knowing anything about individual circumstances that lead to their specific car use.

Perhaps they would rather we go back into a version of lockdown, thus crippling business, narrowing our life chances and impacting on our mental health.

It would help if the authorities didn’t come up with schemes that moved the pollution into streets already choked.

I suggest they bear down on the big polluters before making life difficult for responsible drivers.

In most cases, they are doing their best to provide for their families and support local businesses.

Nick Chilvers

Canwick Grove, Colchester