A long overdue call from Berlin politicians to ban 4x4 monster trucks from the city after yet another one went rogue there yesterday in the city centre, mounting the pavement and killing 4 innocents, including a three year old toddler. These sort of monster trucks are an absolute liability. They've inevitably only got one person (the driver) in them and they're purely about the status symbol. Gobbling up petrol or diesel, rattling the windows of the houses, pumping out particulates and poisons and often with stupid bloody chrome "bully bars" fitted on the front to take the mpg even lower and just the right height to smash in the skull of any child that gets in the way. Enough is enough. It's time to ban the production and import of new monster trucks, implement size limits, ban bully bars on public roads immediately and implement a vehicle tax regime with a big anti-social surcharge along with bans from town and city centres. As the district mayor of Berlin points out, "these cars are also climate killers. They are a threat even without the accident".
Even worse is the way the term "SUV" has crept into our lexicon. SPORTS UTILITY VEHICLES. Seriously? Sports? What sport are the drivers of a BMW X5 taking part in? What is the utility of a vehicle which is twice as big as the family of 4 who own it, need it to be; it's too big for most parking spaces and often the driver has no idea how wide it is and so drives around Chorleywood like an idiot causing all kinds of chaos!
Chorleywood has quite a high percentage of people who cannot park, even when they have small cars. Just watch them in the village on a Saturday morning. But for me, it’s the chav-wagons that tradesmen drive about in. All about status and driving like a ****. The things are well over 5m long but you can’t get anything of any use in them, maybe a few tools but never a sheet of plasterboard. The only thing that is worse is seeing a skinny office-waller type in his suit driving around in one. There is actually a Mercedes one for about £50k, imagine paying that to look like some hick from the Deep South.
While your at it Clive, ban all the Ferrabourgini type racing cars that roar up and down our streets too. There’s no need for 500bhp engines and 0-60 in 3 seconds in this country. Sure keep one in your private collection if you can afford it, take one out on your personal race track at your 10000 acre residency, just not on our roads. Also motor bikes with overly noisy exhausts. If you’ve removed the silencer or added a loud exhaust, we should be able to shoot your tyres out. Also, ban quad bikes.
Strangely I was in Berlin last week, (for the IFA show). I took the opportunity to try out an Uber Bike hire on an electric bike and felt very safe as every street appears to have cycle lanes. I also took my chances and went for a run around the streets. My point being that it felt much cleaner breathing the air in Berlin than it does when running in this part of the world. I'd still happily ban the monster sized cars as the people who drive them don't have a f****** clue, (as unfortunately seen in Berlin).
I actually agree with you on this, Clive. Driving a larger car puts those around you who don't have an equivalent sized behemoth at increased risk of injury/death if a collision happens. It goes without saying that not every car should be the same size, but some are so oversized that they really shouldn't be on the streets. At bare minimum there should be a second level of driving test required. Knowing how to drive a e.g. clapped out Rover Metro isn't the same thing as driving a v8 super size SUV.
Bigger people need bigger cars but so many of these big cars are driven by small people who don't need the space or size. Ban all the steps and running boards on these cars. If you find it hard to get in without them, you shouldn't be driving one.
I have to confess that I do drive an Audi Q7. But my case for the defence is: - I resisted getting any type of 4x4, on principle, for as long as possible, but - We needed a bigger boot so we could fit in 2 labradors & luggage - We live in the countryside not a city - I often use the 7 seats to ferry groups of teens around, which takes an extra car or two off the road for those journeys - We are a one car family I do agree, though, that people who drive so-called Chelsea tractors in London and other cities are arses of the highest order
Sorry, they cannot be banned. How on earth would the luvvie ostentatious young mothers deliver young Tarquinius and Portia to school and then block the roads when waiting to collect the little darlings after a tough day at the beauty salon and shopping mall?
Like this old dear? https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...r-sold-huge-4WD-TRUCK-car-salesman-drive.html
I can’t agree with Clive on this one. Banning them is wrong when they could simply be blown up with hand held rocket launchers.
Why do feel the need to justify your decision? The o.p. was aimed at Chelski status symbols. Not at you, living in rural Hants., who might have to go up to town now and again.
The really weird thing is - and I accept that this is possibly a demonstration of my basic knowledge of vehicles - aren't these marquee brand Radlett tractors really shyte off-road? For a couple of years, when we lived in the Lithuanian boondocks (Ūta) I had access to one of these. It started every morning and just shrugged off the -30 oC winter temperatures and happily ploughed through the spring (thaw)/autumn 'd' category road when they turned to rivers of liquid mud. It's got an interesting review from autocar...
It's all about the tyres. Big fat low profile road tyres on massive alloy rims are not good for off road or in fact on road really. Style over substance.