From Anne Le Brocq.
OH dear – Paula, Paula, Paula! You knew when you wrote your totally one-sided article that you were setting yourself up for a battle and I really feel it is time for you to get off your relatively low Renault Clio bonnet (instead of your high horse) and stop slagging off us 4×4 drivers, because, as is always the case, you are referring to the minority not the majority.

I am (and I don’t mind being big headed here) a very good driver as I have been told on many occasions by my friends and even my husband. I am a very considerate driver and an even more considerate parker. If there is a parking space which I feel would leave my car too close to another car, thereby obstructing the other driver’s access into their vehicle, I find another space.

With regards to your comments about all the poor cyclists who have many tales of woe about us 4×4 drivers, I wonder if these comments are made when they are cycling the wrong way up one way streets or pulling out onto main roads without looking, because these are some of the cases of careless cycling I see on a daily basis. However, clearly this is the minority of cyclists!

Please don’t worry yourself about how often I must fill up my gas-guzzling monster, because even with daily school runs and family weekend usage I currently fill up once every three weeks – I used to fill up my little Peugeot much more often than that.

The other situation we have experienced on our daily school run is picking up children who are walking to school with no coats on in the pouring rain. Isn’t it a good job I’ve got the room in my car to offer them refuge from the elements for the remainder of their journey to school – I don’t get any thanks for that either. I also managed to get my children and my friend’s children all safely to school the day the buses couldn’t run.

Turning to your point about 4×4’s being fashion statements, I can honestly say I never approached the subject of ‘does my bum look big in this Landcruiser?’ for fear of what my husband’s answer would be. The main considerations for buying the car were:

- Is it economical to run?
- Would it be a comfortable car for my family to travel in both in Jersey and also when we make the six-hour drive down to see my parents in France?
- Is it nice to drive? (How dare I be so selfish!)
- Is it ludicrously expensive?
The answers were yes, yes, yes and no.

My parents live in an extremely rural area similar to the one you visit in Cornwall where there are many 4x4s being driven – the only difference is I haven’t got my ‘I hate all 4x4s’ blinkers on so I notice them.

I am interested to learn how often you travel to and from the Island in those large fuel consuming aeroplanes? If you are as concerned about the environment as you say you are then I hope it is not at all and if this is the case then I commend you – but I dare say you may partake in the odd flight or two.

In a nutshell, if driven carefully 4x4s are totally suitable for the Island’s roads. Even if you come across a situation whereby two cars can’t pass on a narrow lane then it really doesn’t matter what model of car you drive, one of you is going to have to give way and do you know who it is who always gives way? Yes, us awful 4×4 drivers.

PS. After witnessing some of the driving recently on the school run – it really isn’t what you drive over here, but how you drive over here – it became quite apparent that it’s those little cars that try to sneak through the traffic lights, when there clearly is not enough room for them, then, when the lights change to red they are left totally blocking the flow of traffic from the other set of lights – infuriating!
Highfield,
Les Ruettes,
St Saviour.